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What It Takes To Be A Citizen
In “Citizens: An American Lyric” by Claudia Rankine the audience is placed in a world where racism strongly affects the daily American cultural and social life. In this world we are put as the eyewitnesses and victims, the bystanders and the participants of racial encounters that happen in our daily lives and in the media, yet we have managed to ignore them for the mere fact that we are accustomed to them. Some of these encounters may be accidental slips, things that we didn’t intend to say and that we didn’t mean yet they’ve managed to make it to the surface. On the other hand we have the encounters that are intentionally offensive, things said that are made to make us feel uncomfortable and belittle us as human
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These categories often include our race, class, gender, income and our educational level. More often than not we are generalized by what category we fall under. However, these categories are the ones that society sees us as, but it’s not what defines us as a person. “A friend argues that Americans battle between the ‘historical self’ and the ‘self self.’” (Rankine 104). We can say that our “historical self” is what people view us as. Not only is it the category we fall under it’s the stereotypes that have managed to travel time and stick with us regardless of us not having lived during the time they were initially created. Our “historical self” is how we are perceived by people who don’t know us. On the other hand our “self-self” is the person we initially are. It’s the person who our family and close friends know us as. It’s our personality, our attitude and who we really are as a person. Nevertheless our “self-self” doesn’t have the power to protect us from what we are genuinely seen as. “however, sometimes your historical selves, her white self and your black self, or your white self and her black self, arrive with the full force of your American positioning.” (Rankine 104). We can tell ourselves that society isn’t what defines us but there’s going to be times where you realize that people see you as nothing more than the label society puts on
Claudia Rankine’s Citizen explores the daily life situations between blacks and whites and reveals that how little offensive denigrating conversations in the form of micro-aggressions conveyed to the black people intentionally by the whites and how these racial comments fuels the frustrations and anger among the blacks. She gathered the various incidents, where
Words are commonly used to separate people by the color of their skin, but they can also be used to bring people together, no matter what their skin color was. Using words improperly was a common problem in America when our parents were our age, and even way long before that. People have written countless stories about racism, it’s affect of the world, or it’s effect on the person themselves. One of the more well known poems about racism is “‘Race’ Politics”, by Luis J. Rodriguez. The story the poem is based off of took place sometime in the mid 1960’s, so this gives us an insight of what the world was like back then.
From beginning to end the reader is bombarded with all kinds of racism and discrimination described in horrific detail by the author. His move from Virginia to Indiana opened a door to endless threats of violence and ridicule directed towards him because of his racial background. For example, Williams encountered a form of racism known as modern racism as a student at Garfield Elementary School. He was up to win an academic achievement prize, yet had no way of actually winning the award because ?The prize did not go to Negroes. Just like in Louisville, there were things and places for whites only? (Williams, 126). This form of prejudice is known as modern racism because the prejudice surfaces in a subtle, safe and socially acceptable way that is easy to rationalize.
Society needs to learn the moral boundaries and the respect that should be given to those who have been murdered. Those who are mourning for losing their loved ones through a homicide needs respect also. In doing so, society needs to give privacy to those who have passed and also to the ones who have lost. In Rankine’s essay, “The Condition of Black Life Is One of Mourning” addresses the side affects of frequent homicides and how the community is damaged. Sharing the images of not only black but people of color homicide victims through the media demonstrates that black and other people of color’s lives are perceived as less valuable when their bodies are shown lying on the streets.
Within the recent years there has been many changes occurring in our nation that had never happened before. Well defined social understandings such as gender, race, sexually as well as other self-identifying terms that had been previously well understood were starting to change and evolve, no longer fitting the social mold that it once had. A great illustration for my previous statement of change can be seen in the article “The Year We Obsessed Over Identity” by Wesley Morris, which highlights specific major events that had occurred in recent years till two thousand and fifteen. One case discussed in the article was the idea that race was defined by your skin color and other biological characteristics that landed
One of the main themes in Citizen by Claudia Rankine is racism. This theme starts on the very first page with a story about how a white girl cheated off of Rankine’s paper. Throughout the rest of the book miniature stories that contain blatant racism are thrown at the reader. It becomes clear that Rankine’s intent is to convey the feelings of someone experiencing racism through the use of second person storytelling. This becomes a powerful tool because as the reader it makes it easier to feel the same emotions Rankine was feeling in the moment she describes. This theme is important because it is the very thing that carries the book and seems to be Rankie’s reason for writing. There are many instances where this theme occurs throughout the book. Another example is when Rankine is
Through the study of life and literature, one can tell that racism continues to be truly pervasive. In Nikky Finney’s “Dancing with Strom”, the reader can witness the tension that exists between the races in society today. Although the poem shows how as times progress, mentalites seem to change as well, it is evident that many African Americans, such as Nikky Finney, still live in fear of the racism that hides and lurks in the corners.
Racism is the discrimination which bases on skin color and race. Every person has the right to be equal. Why don 't you stop a minute and wonder that if you don 't like to be treated differently because of your skin color, then you should treat the others the same way as how you want them to treat you. “Brownies” by ZZ Packer is a short story about the contradiction between Brownies troop and Troop 909 at Camp Crescendo; it revolves around Daphne who is called "nigger" leading to Brownies decided to teach Troop 909 a lesson. In “Brownies”, Troop 909 and Mennonites represent modern thoughts, represent the way that the whites are changing, ending what they started from a long time ago - rule the blacks; Brownies troop represents a part of the
Bobbie Harro states in “The cycle of socialization” (2000), “No one brings us a survey, in the womb, inquiring which gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, cultural group, ability status, or age we might want to be born. These identities are ascribed to us at birth through no effort or decision or choice of our own” (p.16). I was born into a system, just like everyone else, where I was judged and labeled due to the social categories that I identify with. What I have experienced throughout my schooling has shaped and molded my sense of self and the way that I view myself in terms of my gender and race/ethnicity. I live in a world where I have been both praised and ridiculed for these differing characteristics that seem to define me, but
In summary, I have presented a theory for the formation and definition of racial identity, providing an example which proves it true in American Society. Yet, this does not leave me with a sense of satisfaction, rather it leaves me with great disappointment. What does this say for the society we live in; a society which is supposed to be based on the American Creed? My arguments have only proved that we are not truly individuals; the American Creed is not something America lives by. Rather we are identified as groups and not seen on a personal level…a very disturbing realization.
In “Queens, 1963”, the speaker narrates to her audience her observations that she has collected from living in her neighborhood located in Queens, New York in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. The narrator is a thirteen-year-old female immigrant who moved from the Dominican Republic to America with her family. As she reflects on her past year of living in America, she reveals a superb understanding of the reasons why the people in her neighborhood act the way they do towards other neighbors. In “Queens, 1963” by Julia Alvarez, the poet utilizes diction, figurative language, and irony to effectively display to the readers that segregation is a strong part of the American melting pot.
In the relevant course, CRD 2, I was made aware of a few different theories of social identity development, particularly pertaining to race. As I began to examine these theories, I sought out similarities, something that would catch my eye and make me think, “That applies to me.” Beverly Tatum’s ideas caught with me most easily, and I will elaborate on them shortly, but for the most part, I had to struggle to find one that seemed synonymous with who I am and how I see myself. The closest likenesses I could find were for the most part milder versions of the theory’s anecdotes, and I found it unnecessary to make myself conform to a theory exactly. While the theories are excellent material for reflection, and possibly even enlightenment, I assert that, considering the individuality of each person, it’s illogical to assume that every person can be categorized into a theory.
Music, for generations, has been used to display the continuous atrocities occurring within our world; whether the musical composition be “We Are the World” or “Imagine” by the infamous John Lennon. These influential songs helped identify the sociological struggles the world was facing during those times of turmoil and strife. Currently the American society is dealing with various forms of racial tension amongst the communities of our diverse country. Society’s perception of race and the values we have tied to individual ethnic groups for a long time have been misconstrued in such a way that they have led to institutional racism and privilege. Discussing race and its role in society often times is a taboo subject for many individuals, but in
Many people in this story have different views on discrimination and racism. In the south where Josh lives, racism takes place in his daily life. Like Josh’s mother, who believes southern born Americans, whose bloodline can be traced back to the confederacy, are superior to Italians, African-Americans, Asians, and many other races. And since it is built into the colloquialism of the south, for some moments it is humorous; for instance when Josh playfully teases Paul and Lacy, ““What are you going to do with those big old ten-dollar bills?” [Josh] asked. “That is a lot of money for a couple of childish darkies.” Paul whooped and nearly dropped a cup” (5). The conversation may be playful banter between them, but some people may feel the communication is insulting. The truth is that many crimes, fights, and discrimination are deeply ro...
...ites a short 33-line poem that simply shows the barriers between races in the time period when racism was still openly practiced through segregation and discrimination. The poem captures the African American tenant’s frustrations towards the landlord as well as the racism shown by the landlord. The poem is a great illustration of the time period, and it shows how relevant discrimination was in everyday life in the nineteen-forties. It is important for the author to use the selected literary devices to help better illustrate his point. Each literary device in the poem helps exemplify the author’s intent: to increase awareness of the racism in the society in the time period.