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It is very traditional to have encounter with arguments transitioning from the general to the specific, but Rankine prefers to use a reverse version of this structure where she goes from the specific to the general. This a brilliant way of presenting arguments since it is not a secret that the strength of the specific overthrows the vigor of generalizations. The book Citizen changes gradually as its end gets closer. It starts with very unambiguous stories and arguments about racism and the experiences of black individuals in the United States. The micro stories have a powerful meaning and they served as supporting details for the argument that Rankine is trying to make.
We can perceive one of the micro stories within the book that contributes to the larger issue in regards to being black in the United States. This particular case shows a woman with “multiple degrees” dehumanizing a black female by saying that she “didn’t know black women could get cancer” as if being black is very distant from being human. This minute story holds the idea that there is not a correlation between blackness and being human (according to perspectives of some individuals). This displays how difficult it becomes to be a black person in a world dominated by white men. We have to also notice that the “woman of multiple degrees” remains race neutral as most of the
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It was so clear and now it’s so blurred. But the clear portion of her work allows me to tackle the more abstract part by keeping in mind that the issue being addressed in the book is always connected to the experiences of the black community. It is very difficult to follow her poetic writing, but it is also very interesting and different. Now I understand that importance of being precise and clear from the beginning. It is more efficient to start with specific details because it strengthens our argument from the beginning and allows us to connect it to larger
Ranikine’s addresses the light upon the failed judicial systems, micro aggressions, pain and agony faced by the black people, white privilege, and all the racial and institutional discrimination as well as the police brutality and injustice against the blacks; The book exposes that, even after the abolition of slavery, how the racism still existed and felt by the colored community in the form of recently emerged ‘Micro aggressions in this modern world’. Claudia Rankine’s Citizen explores the daily life situations between blacks and whites and reveals how little offensive denigrating conversations in the form of micro-aggressions were intentionally conveyed to the black people by the whites and how these racial comments fuel the frustrations and anger among the blacks. She gathered the various incidents, where the black people suffered this pain. This shows the white’s extraordinary powers to oppress the black community and the failure of the legal system Rankine also shares the horrible tragedy of Hurricane Katrina experienced by the black community, where they struggled for their survival before and post the hurricane catastrophes.
This understanding marks the last shift in the essay. Steele is more sure of himself and his solution in this portion than earlier on in the text. This is perceived through diction like “we must” and “necessity” (610-611), these imperative words develop a strong opinion. This adds to the argument because an audience will tend to adhere to someone who is confident in themselves and what they are saying. Steele’s solution entails that people must begin to individualize themselves. As mentioned earlier, the black community became a singular people and although unification can be a positive idea, with unification comes division, which leads to seclusion. This is because unification occurs by a group sharing a common trait, however, there will always be those that do not have this trait and that is where division occurs and eventually seclusion is created. For this reason, Steele encourages his audience to move beyond “Race-as-identity”. He explains that individualization can be beneficial because it prevents general associations from being formed and without these associations people will feel less compelled to conform to them. Moreover, he wishes to rid society of the the victim-focused black identity because it “encourages the individual to feel that his advancement depends almost entirely of that group…[and] reimposes limitations that can have the same oppressive effect” (610). Writing “On Being Black and Middle Class” was Steele’s way to work through this issue that society has. Steele clarifies the issue and comes to the conclusion that the contradictory norms of being black and being middle class puts a strain on those who are both and the only way to lift this burden is for all of society to focus less on victimization and concentrate more on
The poem is a perfect example of how form and message come together in a uniquely black aesthetic that can be measured to, the three criteria that Karenga sets as qualification for black art. It is functional in the sense that the main message of the poem is to galvanize black people to support the revolution and wake them up to the message that the revolution will wait for no one nor will it be something that they can ignore. This view is further supported by Karenga who states “black art must expose the enemy, praise the people and support the revolution.” Within the poem we see NBC and famous white people being quoted and identified as people who will not support or stand up to for revolution for black people. This further supports the authors view and message to his audience that revolution is something that they have to seize themselves because if they don’t stand up for themselves no one else
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
The author distinguishes white people as privileged and respectful compare to mulattos and blacks. In the racial society, white people have the right to get any high-class position in job or live any places. In the story, all white characters are noble such as Judge Straight lawyer, Doctor Green, business-man George, and former slaveholder Mrs. Tryon. Moreover, the author also states the racial distinction of whites on mulattos. For example, when Dr. Green talks to Tryon, “‘The niggers,’…, ‘are getting mighty trifling since they’ve been freed. Before the war, that boy would have been around there and back before you could say Jack Robinson; now, the lazy rascal takes his time just like a white man.’ ” (73) Additionally, in the old society, most white people often disdained and looked down on mulattos. Even though there were some whites respected colored people friendly, there were no way for colored people to stand parallel with whites’ high class positions. The story has demonstrations that Judge Straight accepted John as his assistant, Mrs. Tryon honor interviewed Rena, and George finally changed and decided to marry Rena; however, the discrimination is inevitable. For example, when Mrs. Tryon heard Rena was colored, she was disappointed. “The lady, who had been studying her as closely as good manners would permit, sighed regretfully.” (161) There, Mrs. Tryon might have a good plan for Rena, but the racial society would not accept; since Rena was a mulatto, Mrs. Tryon could not do anything to help Rena in white social life. The racial circumstance does not only apply on mulattos, but it also expresses the suffering of black people.
Born to a decaying marriage and unstable household, Maya Angelou thrills her poetic intentions through her dominant and eloquent words. Maya Angelou, center of mysterious and descendants of the broken, like a champion, she rose out of the ashes and into the lights of the stage. An American author and artist who has been called “America’s most visible black female autobiographer” by dozens of people, has made remarkable recognitions all around the word. She is best known for her sequence of six autobiographical stories, focusing on her childhood and early adulthood. Her writing, through the eyes and experiences of a black woman, can lend a structure to the study of racial relations and culture in the 20th century America. Angelou’s work is then, a presentation of the life of a black woman who has lived in the South and in the urban North, who has lived in Africa, and has traveled Europe. She has gone through poverty and despair and she has been granted high honors. Her work is the expression of those experiences and sensations through the eyes of a black woman. Due to specific events in Maya Angelou’s life, her style of writing was exceedingly pretentious.
Unlike the earlier era, in which they had received freedom but it was so new to them, and they truly didn’t understand what it meant to be a free group, they began to move into a time period where they were finding their voice, and “finding their freedom”. Instead of writing about becoming free, and wanting freedom, they begin to act free. They begin to prove they were free by giving off confident in their culture and in their work. In her writing she has many different subsections where she rebuttals the ideas pushed onto the African American race. She proves the stereotypes wrong using the truth. The first example is, under the section titled “originality” she wrote, “it has been said so often that the negro is lacking in originality that has almost become a gospel. Outward signs seem to bear this out. But if one looks closely its falsity is immediately evident.” and , “So if we look at it squarely, the Negro is a very original being. While he lives and moves in the midst of a white civilian, everything that he touches is re-interpreted for his own use. He has modified the language, mode of food preparation, practice of medicine, and most certainly the religion of his new country, just as he adapted to suit himself the sheik haircut made famous by Rudolph Valentino.” this passage shows how much she believes in her race. She isn’t asking for anything from anyone. She doesn’t beg for respect, acceptance, or freedom, she is telling them to treat them like they are free. This passage really exemplifies the theme of accepting themselves and their culture during this time period. The African Americans were able to begin to stand up for themselves and up against the falsely acclaimed stereotypes that have been made against them. During this time period they were recreating the culture that had been taken away from them. They were finding their voice through
Although none of the novels were wrote in conjunction, each has a link towards the other regarding abuse, both sexual and spousal, as well as class oppression and the manual labor that was a necessity for survival among black women. By examining present society, one can observe the systems of oppressions that have changed for the better as well as those that continue to devastate the lives of many women today.
A common theme in books that involve slavery, but extremely important. Race can be defined as a group of people who are grouped together because they are related by similar descent. Throughout the book the whites were grouped together and separated by their power. The blacks as well were grouped together and was withheld from freedom. Even in the book when Celia persistently told the lawyer that she worked alone in her crime. They did not want to come to terms with the fact that no other slave helped, especially given her gender and physical state. They categorized the slaves based on there race, in wanting to punish someone for the death of Mr.
Even though racial discrimination may not be as prevalent in the present day society, many African American men and women believe that they do not experience the same opportunities as the white race. Media in general plays such an active role in bringing more information about racial discrimination and how it is still occurring today. But media can also bring negative effects to the struggle in living up to social standards to today’s society “norms”. Anna Mae was very brave in lying about her identity to become someone she really wanted to be. But, I feel she should have never had to have done that. He story just goes to show how the power of society can change you as a human being. It can make you believe that you must change your identity in order to “fit in” which I find to be very sad. I think that more people in this world need to stand up to theses stereotypes of being the “perfect American” and say that no one is perfect in this world and everyone is created by the most perfect human God. Overall, racial discrimination is a part of our everyday lives and "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" can still speak to us today, even with the play set in a time 80 years
It is a way to crucially engage oneself in setting the stage for new interventions and connections. She also emphasized that she personally viewed poetry as the embodiment of one’s personal experiences, and she challenged what the white, European males have imbued in society, as she declared, “I speak here of poetry as the revelation or distillation of experience, not the sterile word play that, too often, the white fathers distorted the word poetry to mean — in order to cover their desperate wish for imagination without insight.”
Although her story is about the corrupted system and cruelty towards African Americans, I first thought it was about a rape that occurred and the victim, Sandra Bland. After being pulled over for a routine traffic stop, the young woman Sandra Bland was treated unfairly through the series of events, ultimately leading to her death. The usage of hyperbole throughout the essay are both exaggerations and the truth The author now feels vulnerable during her daily driving routine because of her skin color. She feels white police officers see the wrong meaning in her skin. “In the color of my skin they see criminality, deviance, a lack of humanity.” Authorities can only see the bad and the stereotypes through her skin color without knowing who she actually is as a person. Her vulnerability is both visible and invisible to the average eye. Her personality is altered by the traumatic event. Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote, “In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body – it is heritage.”; Gay added to this statement by saying, “It is also tradition to try and destroy the black spirt,” America’s traditions do not include destroying black spirts or bodies, however, America does have a reputation for not respectively treating the black body, especially by authority figures. The destruction of her faith in humanity makes her feel as if she is not a living, breathing soul. “I do not feel alive. I
Jones employs the dynamics of change to his speaker throughout the poem. From an aimless vagrant to a passionate revolutionary, Jones plots his speaker's course using specific words and structural techniques. Through these elements, we witness the evolution of a new black man--one who is not content with the passivity of his earlier spiritual leaders. We are left with a threat--a steel fist in a velvet glove of poetry--and it becomes a poem that we "have to" understand, whether we want to or not.
Williams also evaluates the story of Hagar in order to compare Hagar’s life with the lives of contemporary black women so to underscore their shared histories under oppressive forces. Ethicists Katie Canon understands Black Feminist Consciousness as more accurately identified as Black Womanist Consciousness according to Alice Walker’s concept and definition. Canon’s failure to describe the two as distinct personal identifiers suggests that she understands Black female consciousness as womanist thereby imposing an identity on women who might not claim womanist subjectivity. This point is further made through Junior’s scholarship as it reflects that African American women do not universally accept the “womanist” definition or identifying title. In addition, while Junior notes bell hook’s concerns about how the term womanism connotes a negativity that pits Black women with white women, none of the scholars raise questions about or discuss whether the identity markers of “feminist” or “womanist” inhibit collaboration and solidarity among Black
Although the feminism fight for every other woman is misperceived as the above, the African American woman has to undergo and overcome a dual oppression “(racist, sexist and classist) because of their dual racial and gender identity and their very limited access to economic resources” (3) (Peniel, pg 109)