Major Works

The Better Future: A Reader’s Response to Citizen: An American Lyric

You look at your friend beside you, waiting for her to assure you that you have heard wrong, but her expression tells you differently. You heard every word that came out of the girl’s mouth correctly: “You need to speak in English; you should not be speaking Spanish.” You decide not to say anything; you move to another place in the playground area in the apartment complex. You decide it is best to go home, but you still hear her words lingering in your mind. You walk into your room, still wondering if she meant what she just said.

While using Claudia Rankine’s technique from her book Citizen: An American Lyric the story related above is something I experienced a few years ago while in middle school. The book made me understand the situation better and made me realize that there are a lot of people who have experienced infuriating moments because of their skin color or nationality. Claudia Rankine’s book is a crucial text that should be a common reading among university students because it uses a second person point of view, unsettling images, and similes to allow the reader to experience the different emotions of individuals dealing with microaggressions on a daily basis.

Firstly, the use of second person point of view in Citizen: An American Lyric is one of the main elements to the meaning and message of the book. Rankine’s structure for the book made the readers imagine themselves in the individual’s shoes when reading the word “you” throughout the text. Therefore, teaching them what exactly microaggressions are and teaching them why others should not have to experience such things. One example is when Rankine writes “The new therapist specializes in trauma counseling. You have only ever spoken on the phone … At the front door the bell is a small round disk that you press firmly. When the door finally opens, the woman standing there yells, at the top of her lungs, Get away from my house! What are you doing in my yard?” (Section I). The different emotions the individual in the scenario felt at that exact moment can be shared with the reader as they imagine themselves being there at that house, standing in front of the woman confused and wondering what they have ever done wrong.

Moreover, another example of this unique structure of the book is when “You are rushing to meet a friend in a distant neighborhood of Santa Monica. This friend says, as you walk toward her, You are late, you nappy-headed ho” (Rankine Section III). The person reading the text will feel the anger that the individual in this situation is feeling. The disappointment of hearing someone refer to them in that way just because they think it is appropriate among people of color. Therefore, it makes the reader have a stronger and more personal connection to the book and the scenarios being described.

Apart from the second-person point of view, another principal element of Rankine’s book, Citizen: An American Lyric, is the art and unsettling images included in the text. The pictures are not something pleasing to look at, but they help the reader better understand the situation described in the stories. Also, through a BOMB magazine interview, Rankine explained that the images “were placed in the text where I thought silence was needed, but I wasn’t interested in making the silence feel empty or effortless the way a blank page would.” One of those situations is at the end of section I after the story of the individual meeting their therapist, where she includes an art piece by Kate Clark of a deer with a human face. Through the Bomb magazine interview by Lauren Berlant, she explained that she added it because it represents how “In African-American literature, it’s the moment the ancestor shows up in a corner somewhere, a direct descendant of slavery.“

Moreover, another example of such places where she needed silence is when Rankine explains that Serena Williams, a tennis player, was treated unfairly because of her skin color. She then mentions how her opponent, Caroline Wozniacki “finally gives the people what they have wanted all along by embodying Serena’s attributes while leaving Serena’s ‘angry ni**er exterior’ behind “ (Section II). She includes the image of Wozniacki with towels in her clothes, mocking Serena’s figure, which makes the reader feel both rage and disappointment as to how a fellow tennis player could make fun of Serena in front of many spectators and think that it is okay.

Claudia Rankine also incorporates figurative language in Citizen: An American Lyric as she uses simile. These make it easier for those reading the text as she compares some of the things that they are less familiar with to the ones that they have more knowledge of. One example is when Rankine explains that “The wrong words enter your day like a bad egg in your mouth and puke runs down your blouse, a dampness drawing your stomach in toward your rib cage” (Section I). She compares hurtful words to a rotten egg, therefore helping the reader understand that both make the person sick to their stomach. Another example comes from when Rankine writes “From the start many made it clear Serena would have done better struggling to survive in the two-dimensionality of a Millet painting, rather than on their tennis court—better to put all that strength to work in their fantasy of her working the land, rather than be caught up in the turbulence of our ancient dramas, like a ship fighting a storm in a Turner seascape.” (Section II). Here she compares the struggles that Serena is facing on the tennis court to what sailors have to face in the sea while fighting to stay afloat during a storm. She even mentions “Turner seascape” referring to the English painter William Turner, who created many beautiful pieces of artwork, some showing the hardships that people in the sea had to encounter such as bad weather. In hopes to make the reader understand better what Serene has to face while playing against her opponent on the tennis court and having to remember all the things she had gone through in the past, Rankine compares the situation to a ship being in a storm as both situations are difficult and potentially dangerous.

Citizen an American Lyric is a book with a unique structure that helps its readers to experience microaggressions and implicit bias while reading the text. This is due to Rankine’s usage of second person point of view, disturbing images, and figurative language, which gives people a better understanding of how to combat microaggressions and possibly create a better society for all individuals.

Works Cited

Berlant, Lauren. “Claudia Rankine by Lauren Berlant - Bomb Magazine.” Claudia Rankine - BOMB Magazine, Oct. 2014, https://bombmagazine.org/articles/claudia-rankine/.

Rankine, Claudia. Citizen: An American Lyric. Penguin Books, 2015.

Graffiti is Art

You are going on your afternoon walk down the street. After jogging a few blocks, you suddenly see a mural dedicated to George Floyd. You smell the fresh paint. You stand there and observe the words “Racism needs to end”. You are reminded of the news you watched a few days ago related to George Floy, an innocent black man who was murdered by a white police officer. Seeing the image of his face in front of you makes it more surreal, more enraging, and more devastating. The riots happening across the country, the tear gas, and the rubber bullets being thrown at pacifist protestors make you question if you are living in the 21st century. But, seeing people’s unity revives your hope for a better future. “It will get better,” you say to yourself.

Art is a way in which people express their emotions and it is often a way in which communities are brought together. Therefore, art can come in different sizes and be made out of different objects, not just the typical art in a museum. However, there are people who consider certain things as art such as paintings made by famous artists and claim that pictures painted on the street are not art. While some may disagree, graffiti is art because it brings people together, gives hope, and is also a creative way for people to express themselves.

Many people in society view graffiti as being something illegal as they claim that it is vandalism and that it cannot become known as art. According to Deborah Lamm Weisel, graffiti is a problem because of the “ wide range of markings, etchings and paintings that deface public or private property” (“The Problem of Graffiti”). She further explains that there are other related problems when it comes to graffiti; she lists some examples such as “Public disorder, such as littering, public urination and loitering” and “Property destruction, such as broken windows or slashed bus or train seats” (The Problem of Graffiti). Weisel even mentions that “graffiti’s presence suggests the government's failure to protect citizens and control lawbreakers” (The Problem of Graffiti). Her comment makes graffiti seem as something disruptive to society and the people living in it. However, what people like Weisel fail to see is that graffiti is not always a problem; in fact, it is a form of art that helps society unite for the same cause.

Moreover, graffiti is a form of art that can bring groups of people together in society. In a world where many critical problems need to be solved, some people dedicate their time to bringing awareness about them. One example of a problem occurring in the 21st century that can be brought to light by using graffiti is racism. In 2020, many cases showed how people are still being affected by racism. One example is the tragic death of George Floyd, an African American who was murdered by a white police officer. After finding out what had happened, people started a movement which, according to the article “How the Death of George Floyd Sparked a Street Art Movement” in Smithsonian Magazine, “inspired by George Floyd, sparked a massive proliferation of spontaneous art to appear right in our own backyard. Tags and murals were suddenly everywhere in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. It was an amazing artistic expression of rage, pain, mourning and trauma.” People came together and started making street art for the same cause to show their emotions regarding his death and the injustice taking place. Also, as people saw this art, according to Uwagwu, Daniels, and Lawrence, “they recognize the importance of the art they encounter in their worlds and the art itself reflects a concern with issues that connect us all to each other” (How the Death of George Floyd Sparked a Street Art Movement). Therefore, is it not only crucial to observe street art, but it is also important to understand its meaning. In this case, it was that everyone should unite and fight back racism so that another atrocity of this rate does not occur.

Graffiti also brings people together to fight against sexism and become feminists who fight for their rights by painting graffiti or even murals about it. This deals with the injustices that women face just because they are of the opposite gender as males. Tea Hvala commented in “Streetwise feminism Feminist and lesbian Street Actions, Street Art and Graffiti in Ljubljana” about the matter explaining that “A 1991 graffiti appeared with renewed urgency: ‘Woman against nation- for abortion rights’ it called, signed by feminist symbol, a clenched fist and another ironic notion in 2006, in Slovenia ‘A fetus has more rights than a woman.’” Therefore, giving further evidence of how people use graffiti to bring awareness of the problems regarding sexism and women’s rights. Hvala also commented on how they brought awareness about the violence that women face as the “The alliance carried out an impressive graffiti action with slogans that spoke about domestic violence, rape, incest and symmetrical division of work” (Streetwise feminism Feminist and lesbian Street Actions, Street Art and Graffiti in Ljubljana). Not only did it bring together those who were making the art, but it also brought together more people who were there to fight against the violence.

Graffiti also gives hope to individuals of a better future. Today, where there are problems among individuals, states and even countries graffiti can serve as a symbol of hope. One example is Banky’s graffiti, Rage, The Flower Thrower, an image in Jerusalem in which “ The man in the painting is wearing a scarf and a baseball cap and appears to aim the flowers at someone in rage” (Banksy’s Rage, The Flower Thrower – Everything you need to know). The article by Public Delivery also explained how “The bouquet in this image symbolizes, in addition to peace, life, and love may also be associated with the commemoration of lost lives during the old era religious conflict. The piece is an excellent example of Banksy’s use of art to convey messages of social significance” (Banksy’s Rage, The Flower Thrower - Everything you need to know). The painting portrays today’s problems by showing the individual full of rage and gives hope that the conflicts will soon end by showing a bouquet in his hand instead of a weapon.

People often create street art because it represents who they are, their ideas, and their beliefs. It is used in a way to express their hidden emotions. According to Valentina Kolmakova and Denis Shalkov, “Graffiti is a public and spontaneous expression of an individual's inner world. Exposing himself to communicative interaction with other individuals in a positive or negative way, the graffiti artist, on the one hand, seeks to feel the involvement of objective reality, and on the other, to overcome psychological complexes and intrapersonal experiences, often suppressed and hidden” (Psychohermeneutics of graffiti: external and internal loci of control). This indicates that the people who create pieces of street artwork are hoping to use it to express their own unspoken opinions, their hidden emotions about certain topics. They have the chance to transform those opinions and feelings into beautiful artwork which can be admired by others who might or might not have the same opinions as to the artist.

Likewise, one example of this type of artist is Bansky and his Girl and Balloon image which is an image of a little girl trying to reach what seems to be a red balloon. But in reality, the image has a lot more meaning as he expresses how he feels about the dreams and goals that one might have. “It would be just a toy had it not been painted red. The red balloon is associated with the fragility of dreams, innocence, hope, dreams, and love” (Girl with balloon – Banksy’s most inspiring painting?). In addition, it is expressing how he feels that humans are always trying to reach their goals and dreams just like the little girl is trying to reach her balloon.

Street artwork is thought to be something illegal rather than just art; however, it is a type of art that brings people together to fight against injustices like racism and sexism. It also helps the artists express their emotions through images which also help to unite communities and people who feel the same way. Lastly, graffiti gives people the hope that better days are awaiting our society.

Works Cited

Hvala, Tea. “Streetwise Feminism Feminist and Lesbian Street Actions, Street Art and Graffiti in Ljubljana.” Amnis, no. 8, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, 2008.

Kolmakova, Valentina, and Denis Shalkov. “Psychohermeneutics of Graffiti: External and Internal Loci of Control.” E3S Web of Conferences, vol. 273, EDP Sciences, 2021, p. 11021–, https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127311021.

Magazine, Smithsonian. “How the Death of George Floyd Sparked a Street Art Movement.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 3 Sept. 2020, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-death-george-floyd-sparked-street-art-movement-180975711/.

Publicdelivery. “Banksy's Rage, the Flower Thrower - Everything You Need To Know.” Public Delivery, 22 Aug. 2021, https://publicdelivery.org/banksy-flower-thrower/.

Publicdelivery. “Girl with Balloon - Banksy's Most Inspiring Painting?” Public Delivery, 15 Sept. 2021, https://publicdelivery.org/banksy-girl-with-red-balloon/.

Weisel, Deborah. “Graffiti.” ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, 15 June 2020, https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/graffiti-0.