Citizen: An American Lyric
Citizen by Claudia Rankine is unique in that rather than being a traditionally written novel, it challenges racial stereotypes right from its format. Citizen is comprised of a collection of personal stories from Rankine and her friends. They are all racist encounters, some subtle and some outright. The book is entirely in second person, with Rankine addressing her readers as “you”. Sprinkled throughout are photographs and artwork, as well as poetry. All the artwork is very intentional and deeply fascinating.
Beginning with the cover art Rankine chose the piece “In the Hood” by David Hammons from 1993. The piece was in an exhibition at the Het Nieuwe Institut. “A hoodie is worn by everybody: kids, white men, white women, Black men. But it clings to the Black body as a sign of criminality like nothing else."--Claudia Rankine.” Citizen delves deep into the cruelty of racial stereotypes as well as unconscious racial bias some people have. A hood is supposed to be neutral, but people have twisted it to represent Black people. The simple hood has been distorted so much it’s now synonymous with crime. Making this the cover of her book, Rankine clearly reveals the book’s purpose. It makes the readers think and self-reflect on their own personal bias.
A second piece of artwork she includes is Glenn Ligon’s “Untitled (I Feel Most Colored When I Am Thrown Against a Sharp White Background)” from 1990. This piece takes a full two page spread in Citizen. In an interview, Ligon says the smudging of the oil paint text was not originally intentional. After some months, he realized it created the sense of confusion he was seeking to make. The use of “I” is also meant to add to the confusion since who the speaker is is unclear. Lastly, the canvas is actually a door which literally represents a hard surface.
This is such a good analysis of the book Citizen. It was my second choice but I chose Just Mercy instead. This post makes me want to read it in my free time because your profound explanations of the pictures and the content make the artistic nature of the book more understandable.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis on the images and the purpose of the portrayal of the artwork was a really fresh take on the nuances present in Citizen. The shifting meaning of commonplace items depending on the race of the wearer really connects to the "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background", shows how white perspective forced onto people creates race and the discrimination associated with it.
ReplyDeleteHi Anusha! I really liked how you chose to analyze the images and their purposes. When I first picked up this book, I remember wondering (and joking with you) about the cover and what it could mean., and I never thought that a simple hood could reveal so much. I also like how you incorporated some research into your blog. Great job!
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