Realism in Contemporary Literature - Research Paper

Introduction

Dionne Brand, Thomas Glave, Nikky Finney, Teju Cole, and Claudia Rankine are some of the twenty-first-century fiction writers who raise crucial and contemporary life issues in their texts. Throughout this course, the literature texts read in class have been questioning the world or society we live in today; they point out some real-life issues like racism, the influence of religion, economic crisis, the aftermath of war, the effect of colonialism, etc. However, the focus of my essay is going to be on Teju Cole's and Claudia Rankine's Every Day is for the Thief and Citizen: An American Lyric respectively. I noticed from my readings that these two mentioned writers, like their predecessors (Lorraine Hansberry, Dante Algheiri, Maria Angelou, William Well Brown, Robert Frost, etc.) write realistic literature, which makes it not far-fetched from non-fiction. Before this, using a comparative analytic approach and textual qualitative research, I would deduce the realities (thus, contemporary life issues) found in their works; by looking at the similarities and dissimilarities in the problems and also propose some solutions to the issues that they bring forth.

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According to Grant, (2017), realism is the "real" truth that is created through intensity which provides a vivid presentability of the ideal. Realism in contemporary art is, therefore, the detailed, accurate and unembellished depiction of life through observation of the outward appearance. Rankine's work Citizen: An American Lyric establishes realism in various ways. She analyzes everyday racism through different lyrical themes providing the solution to the highly contested debate whether the United States is a "post-racial" nation. Everyday racism is argued as the overlooked micro and macro-aggressions which builds up to extents that cannot be controlled. Different perceptions of citizenship in the United States and the privileges plus limitations regarding based on color also presented.

Realism in Rankine's Citizen: An American Lyric

The end of segregation in the American society did not end racism but created a mask the nurtures the practice to the extent that it becomes a fuel to other social crimes. Rankine's Citizen: An American Lyric explicitly depicts these real-life experiences that often go unnoticed. The following are the various ways realism has been portrayed in Rankine's work;

Emotions and Realism

Emotions are a crucial component of realism. The protagonist in the lyric is the speaker who is an ordinary human expressing her emotions through the various lyrics with different themes that are pieced together to create one complete message (Buys, 2018). By showing empathy, Rankine wants her readers to know, relate and understand the inequalities that most Americans are faced with during their daily experiences. Also, the publication of the book in 2014 represents a time in e American history where there was intense social advocacy.

Aggressions Build-Up

Rankine identifies that everyday racisms in the society are perpetrated in the form of micro and macroaggressions. The microaggressions are recognized as the daily subtle racial and behavioral slights. An incident of the black passenger sitting by the window of the United Airlines is an excellent example of microaggressions (Buys, 2018). The woman arriving with her daughter in the same row depicts macroaggression when she says tells her daughter that she will take the middle seat (Rankine, 2014, p.37). The comment indicated that she did not trust the black passenger and was willing to protect her at all costs, or she might also mean that what the black passenger would not do to her what she might do to her daughter. By not disclosing the sex of the passenger the Rankine also prompts the reader to think of the black man who is mostly stereotyped as aggressive or dangerous. The reader is therefore inspired to stop and relate with what the lyrics are all about. Macroaggression are identified as the life-threatening incidences that cause disrupt such as murder, police brutality and even mob justice. These are defined as moments that people fail to understand or confront despite building up from the microaggressions (Buys, 2018). Therefore, the microaggressions are represented as the small incidences that are over but pose devastating consequences.

Use of Conventional Images

Citizen is filled with arresting images obtained from the images of fine arts and mass culture. These images are vital in emphasizing the vivid explanation of Rankine's perceptions of the concept of racism and American history. The images also create an unequivocal truth as they are obtained from the daily experiences and sources considered relevant in society. Youtube images such as the angry exterior show "Youngman's suggestions are meant to expose expectations for blackness as well as to underscore the difficulty inherent in any attempt by black artists to metabolize real rage (Rankine 2014, p.63)." The emotions of black artists are manipulated to be used as a marketing strategy rather than portraying the actual racial struggle among the group. The intersection of the images in the text without captions creates a more direct experience of the thing the language on a broader scale.

Social Realism

The exploration of citizenship in Rankine's work is an ideal depiction of the socio-political disruption caused by racism. Pinkoski, (2017), identifies that racism is the foundation that is centrally positioned in understanding the conflicts among individuals in the America society. Quoting Ranine's reference of the "battle between the 'historical self' and 'the self-self,'" Pinkoski, (2017), relates points out that racism causes a violent interruption to the daily lives of individuals and classifies particular individuals as superior to others based in the skin color.

Racial Perpetration and Police Brutality. Social realists focus on depiction of the socio-political elements in the society as a means of critiquing the existing power structures that are behind the provocation of these conditions (Grant, 2017). Rankine depicts the concern among African Americans regarding racism. The black community is concerned that there is a statistical justification of the act such as drug convictions, racial profiling, death-row executions, psychic depression treatments, special education treatments, and unemployment levels. However, what matters are the everyday racism that cannot be quantified, how racism is perpetrated on a daily basis its profound effects on individuals and a threat to their lives and history. Celebrities such as Serena Williams is seen to struggle with the years of racial discrimination and denied wins (Rankine 2014, p.69). The everyday approach of Rankine also showcases how the police have played a critical role in ending the lives of black people. She writes, "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background... (Rankine 2014, p.141)." The statement depicts the brutality of the police against people of color. The word "in the memory" without names is also assigned separate lines throughout the page. The white color dominates the scattered black writings. Also, Rankine states that "slipping down burying you buried within. You are everywhere, and you are nowhere in the day (Rankine 2014, p. 317)." These statements, therefore, depict how the lives of black men and women dying at the hands of the police are too many to be mentioned and consequently forgotten as time passes.

Social Hierarchy. In chapter three of the citizen exclusively highlights that the society has different genres which determine how people reject or embrace such disparities. The reader's perception of poetry is also challenged. Poetry in this sense is used as an emphasis to the reader of the different social contexts. Citizenship is represented regarding racial belonging. The first class citizens being the white and the second class citizens (African Americans) irrespective of financial freedom. Reustein in his work Healing Racism in America explains the concept of being considered second class citizens and how such perceptions in the society results in increased self-hatred, decreased self-esteem, and issues of inferiority complexes. The argument by Reustein identifies that the racial critics and segregations not only among the African Americans living in the slums but also affecting the middle-class African American. The middle-class African Americans are constantly reminded of the rules, which makes them and despite having the same challenges as their white coworkers the blacks do not reap the benefits of their labor. Therefore, despite their social hierarchy concerning financial capabilities, blacks are still faced with the consequences of their skin color. Rankine conforms to Reustein's perspective of citizenship with a sarcastic statement that says, "Yes, and this is how you are a citizen: Come on. Let it go. /Move on" (Rankine 2014, p.343). The statement implies that despite the injustice black Americans go through they are still citizens. The tone in the sentence implies that people are not citizens at the same level if they are being treated differently. "Come on. Let it go. Move on." The statement represents the voice that most black Americans here on a daily basis. And highlights the difference between being a citizen and having citizenship.

Conclusion

This research analyzes the realities presented by Rankine and ways of eliminating the micro-aggressions that result in a buildup of racially discriminating societies. Realism in the Citizen is portrayed depicted in various ways. Rankine gives the readers a feeling of the contemporary work through her the use of intense emotions in her text. She wants the readers to relate to the injustices that often go unnoticed by provoking empathy. Social realism is also highlighted through practical examples that emphasize the social struggle facing black Americans irrespective of their financial potential. The people of color are constantly encouraged to ignore the small elements in conversations and actions which distinguishes them from the other Americans. Ensuring that micro-aggressions are eliminated, racial injustices against the people of color investigated further, and members of the society should develop empathy.

References

Burys, M. (2018). On Claudia Rankine's Citizen: An American Lyric. PHILAMENT-AN ONLINE JOURNAL OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE, 24(1), 79-85. Retrieved from http://www.philamentjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Buys.pdf

Grant, D. (2017). Realism (Vol. 8). Taylor & Francis. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Ck0rDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=realism&ots=0gQxtIUuCa&sig=_dCx2NM3dCe18Qem0DOFbEEcfY4

Pinkoski, M. (2017). Citizen: An American Lyric-A Creative Rupture of Citizenship. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education, 12(1). Retrieved from https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/jcie/index.php/JCIE/article/viewFile/28632/21148

Rankine, C. (2014). Citizen: an American lyric. Graywolf Press. Retrieved from http://1.droppdf.com/files/zBFF0/citizen-an-american-lyric-claudia-rankine.pdf

Rutstein, N., (1993). Healing Racism in America: A Prescription for the Disease. Springfield, MA: Whitcomb Pub. Print. 89. ISBN: 0963300717 9780963300713. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/699985.Healing_Racism_in_America