So, who are you? This is the big question that Rankine poses to the readers in chapter 7. “You are you even before you grow into understanding you are not anyone, worthless, not worth you.” (Rankine 139). Rankine is trying to portray to the reader how it feels to be black in a world where people are looked down upon because of the color of their skin. She says that she is an “alien to this place.” (Rankine 140) Rankine is trying to make the reader feel as unimportant and small as a colored person does on a daily basis. She uses the word “injured” to describe the negative effects of the color of her skin. “Nobody notices, only you’ve known, you’re not sick, not crazy, not angry, not sad- It’s just this, you’re injured.” (Rankine 145). This excerpt really stood out to me because she saying that her skin color is an injury, but how will it be healed? She can not change who she is and she must live every day with the color of her skin holding her back from opportunities in her life.
Rankine also mentions a date: July 13th, 2013. This was the day that Trayvon Martin’s verdict was given to the judge. The judge ruled the murder of sixteen-year-old Trayvon Martin was an accident. The shooter, police officer, George Zimmerman was found not guilty. This verdict hurt a lot of people and made the black community feel like they were taking a step back instead of forward in the fight for equality. “Trayvon Martin’s name sounds from the car radio a dozen times each half hour. You pull your love back into the seat because though no one seems to be chasing you, the justice system has other plans” (Rankine 151). Rankine was saying in this quote that the verdict of Trayvon Martin’s case was a message to the entire black community. The narrator in the quote says that even though they were not physically being chased, the United States justice system was after them.
In the last few pages of the book, Rankine brings the story back to first-person point of view. “Yesterday, I begin, I was waiting in the car for time to pass. A woman pulled in and started to park her car facing mine. Our eyes met and what passes passed as quickly as the look away. She backed up and parked on the other side of the lot. I could have followed her to worry my question but I had to go, I was expected on court, I grabbed my racket” (Rankine 159). When the narrator says she has to go to the court, we can infer she is talking about Serena Williams. Serena Williams faced many microaggressions on and off the court as Rankin mentioned earlier in the book. Rankine ends the book with an ambiguous quote that leaves the reader wondering. “It wasn’t a match, I say. It was a lesson” (Rankine 159) Rankine leaves the reader with this lesson and it is up to the reader to decide what they are going to do with this lesson.
Questions:
- Now that we have all finished reading Citizen, think about the title. Why do you think Rankine chose this specific title? What does it mean? Find quotes or evidence in the text that can explain her reasoning or choice behind it.
2. Rankine left us with a lesson and leaves it up to the reader to interpret that lesson. What do you think was the overall lesson that Rankine wanted to portray to her readers? What specific points in the text stand out to you as part of her lesson?
Siobhan,
I think Rankine named her piece Citizen to show the inequality between black citizens and white citizens. A citizen is a “ legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized.” This should mean that all law abiding citizens should be treated equally and fairly. Like you mentioned, Rankine uses the term “injured” when referring to the color of her skin. She says, “The worst injury is feeling you don’t belong so much.”(Rankine 146) Her diction throughout this piece exemplifies her and other black American’s otherness and how it affects them negatively on a daily basis. I think that naming her piece Citizen was an interesting comment on society and how we treat citizens differently based on their skin colors.
Siobhan,
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of a citizen is “A native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it”. I think Rankine made the word “Citizen” the title because of how many races do not feel protected within their society. Although many people are using this quote in their blog posts it is the quote that sticks out the most. Rankine stated, “The worst injury is feeling you don’t belong so much.” (146), which is such a POWERFUL statement. It is showing that because of her race and skin color (which is the injury), she feels as though she does not belong. The Merriam-Webster dictionary described in their definition that everyone is to feel as though they are protected. In the quote on page 146, it’s clear that these people do not feel protected, but that they actually feel the opposite of being protected. Thus, Rankine made the title “Citizen” because of how society says the word means something but is twisted to mean something else because of the “social norm” of what people are believing.
Siobhan,
Throughout the book, we have seen many instances where microaggressions have led to no responses from the victim. Maybe there is an awkward laugh, or a pause / silence, but nothing is said to defend themselves. We are taught from a young age to defend ourselves and stand up for one another when something is unjust or wrong. However, Rankine points out how negatively this affected Serena Williams. She says, “Now Serena’s reaction is read as insane” (Rankine, 30). The statement is so contradictory to standing up for oneself, especially in the face of racism. Using Serena Williams behavior during this match was a perfect example of how the victim is still at fault. I think this is what Rankine meant at the end of the story when she says, “‘It wasn’t a match’ I say, ‘It was a lesson'” (159). Sometimes speaking out doesn’t have the desired outcome that one would hope and desire. I believe that Rankine is not saying to stay quiet and never defend yourself, but rather that these instances are lessons that have to be accounted for.
I think Rankine chose to call the text Citizen to represent the American citizens that she mentions throughout the text, such as Serena Williams, Treyvon Martin, Michael Brown, herself, the Rutgers women’s basketball team, the Jena 6, and all of the other American citizens that get mistreated on a daily basis. I think the lesson she was trying to teach with this book was to treat all people with respect and dignity, regardless of their race, age, sexuality, and nationality. The fact that she uses so many anecdotes really gets her point across.
I believe Rankine used the title Citizen to show how the word itself is not true to it’s definition. Citizens, even now, are being victimized of racism and microaggression; both still effectively hurtful. Being a citizen of the United States doesn’t always mean that you are respected and treated like such. Rankine used this title to exploit this and create awareness about the situation. I believe Rankine’s message to readers was to create awareness about mircoaggression and the effect it has on people. It is not something that should be ignored. Rankine has many points throughout the book that support this. Her mention of Serena Williams, and how she experienced microaggression on the tennis court. She discusses how Williams acted out upon experiencing this. Microaggression still exists today and it is hurting innocent people. Rankine wanted to make awareness about this to try and limit and/or stop it from happening. It is unnecessary and immoral. People need to change their ways for the sake of society and their sanity.
The word citizen is something that can be seen as a way of belonging to a country but I feel like in current times the word is usually used more in an exclusionary way. People who are illegal-immigrants, or non-citizens, do not get treated well, they are looked down on as not belonging to the “group”. In the book, when Rankine says “The worst injury is feeling you don’t belong so much.” (146) the thought of not belonging to the group is explored some more. I have family that are immigrants and have worked very hard to attain citizenship in the United States and yet there are a lot of situaions where they are made to feel less or not good enough. It is crazy that even people who are born here are also made to feel this way because of what they look like, for instance, their skin color.
The title of Citizen is almost sarcastic and seems to be encouraging the reader to really think about what makes a citizen. An african american may be considered an america citizen but are they treated like one? Rankine is arguing that all of the rights aforded to citizens are not given equally to all citizens. Through the use of one word she is making the reader consider who gets to be protected as an american citizen and who doesn’t. Why is it that some citizens are treated differently than others? Rankine then uses the remainder of the book to show examples of these microaggressions, in an attempt to help the reader understand who is treated differently and why.
Citizen “naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection.” I think Rankine chose this title to show the readers how people of color are not treated as citizens. They are not being protected by their government like the definition of the word citizen says. The definition of citizen is different based on someone’s race. Rankine stated “Trayvon Martin’s name sounds from the car radio a dozen times each half hour. You pull your love back into the seat because though no one seems to be chasing you, the justice system has other plans. Yes, and this is how you are a citizen: Come on. Let it go. Move on” (162). I interpreted that as her saying that’s the actual definition of the citizen for people of color, “though no one seems to be chasing you, the justice system has other plans…. Let it go. Move on.” There’s no justice nor protection for people of color.