Citizen blog post

Claudia Rankine's "Citizen" is a haunting and thoughtful account of the everyday struggles of growing up African American at a racially divisive time in the US. Poetic language told through the thoughts of the narrator give readers a crystal clear depiction of prejudice and the story told by the subconscious mind of a black woman. In her book, Rankine recalls examples of  racism and stereotyping in almost all aspects of her life. Even after her breakthrough as a writer, the narrator is still treated as lesser; regardless of her success. "He tells you his dean is making him hire a person of color when there are so many great writers out there." (p.10) She protests systemic racism in the US in a way that is impossible to ignore. The descriptions and observances of daily life by the speaker evoke strong emotion in anyone who is fortunate enough to pick up the book.  Narrative poetry combined with a strong choice of words display a powerful argument for Rankine's audience. She calls attention to the way she acts and presents herself as opposed to the way she is expected to act and present herself to destroy traditional stereotypes of African Americans. In addition to her diction, Rankine strategically places pictures in between passages. The pictures act as historical and rhetorical imagery in order to almost "Prove" to the audience that these injustices actually happen and cannot be ignored. "Citizen" encapsulates the countless inequalities and repressions of black people that have occurred throughout history and allows its audience to truly empathize with African American strife.