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Summary Of Citizen By Claudia Rankine

824 Words4 Pages

A Racist Typhoon A wise Sir Winston Churchill profoundly declared, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” American history claimed to abolish segregation through the “Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawing discrimination against race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (National Park Service).However, fifty some years later it seems as though segregation against people of color is slowly inching to reestablish its dominantly prevalent reputation it had in 1964. When composing Citizen, Claudia Rankine faced unspoken mental challenges that are attributed to witnessing firsthand the disadvantages of being a person of color. On August 29, 2005, the gulf coast was hit by Hurricane Katrina, which became one of the costliest …show more content…

Being honest with you, in my opinion, they forget about us” (84). The idea of the story never ending can correlate to the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 questioning whether it is actually being fully enforced and articulates segregation has not ended and still presides to be an issue. As the author of Citizen, Claudia Rankine is able to collect information firsthand and although she has had extraordinary experiences they are by no means an easy stroll through the park. Even though it is not directly stated, she is faced with many challenges having the capability to take a toll on her mentally. How so, you may ask. Well, Claudia Rankine is a person of color and just like all people could be negatively affected by a natural disaster. After researching and then composing the essay about Katrina, it is likely Rankine’s mind is sparked with questions and thoughts had she been in the given situation. When writing the story about Katrina, the idea of what quality and who would care for her and her loved ones, if anyone due to the color differentiation, undoubtedly was a topic that crossed her mind. Beginning to process the negative possibilities drains one emotionally as well. Even though it is not clearly expressed, one can only begin to imagine the fear and heartache encapsulating Rankine knowing she could have a negative

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