Citizen versus Citizenship
Domestic terrorism is a large characteristic of Claudia Rankin's Citizen in which the concept of being an American citizen versus having citizenship are challenged throughout. This is widely seen in the transformation of Serena Williams as an American tennis player. As Serena begins playing, it is written that she did not have much support from the crowd as a female African American, even with Americans in the stands. As Rankine includes in her book, Serena states, "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.” illustrating a starkness in the presence of others, especially white individuals, and the singling out of African Americans. Being a citizen is often determined by articulating what one is not rather than what a person is. Becoming a citizen in this way is limiting and creates an exclusiveness. Citizenship, however, is more like a birthright. This challenge to be identified as a citizen is more so resolved for Serena after she begins to win titles. Then, she is recognized more as a person and "citizen" rather than being identified purely based on race as an African American. In Raúl Zurita's Song for His Disappeared love, the transitional line between citizen and citizenship is also prevalent in the text. The Chilean government, which is called to protect its people and their rights, did the exact opposite when the Pinochet regime took full force. Although Chilean people were "citizens," they did not have the expected protections and freedoms from their government.
Over the course of 13 years, the Chilean government committed many atrocities towards their people, including murder and torture. Zurita writes about his experiences as a victim of the mass torture with vivid imagery of rape, exile into the Atacama (shown in the figure above), and disturbing violence. Despite the hardships of Zurita's capture, he prevailed to speak of the crimes he faced. He as a citizen in a country that deprived its people of basic human rights was able to show that "citizenship" meant nothing in the context of protecting human rights. Despite the pain of betrayal from his country, Zurita maintains: " My love stuck to the rocks, the seas and the mountains" (pg. 10).
Both Rankine and Zurita display a sense of betrayal from their government and surrounding society. Whether civil or human rights, both experienced their fair share of realization towards those inflicting pain on others. Through their poetry, they were able to communicate effectively about the issues facing them and those being oppressed.
Both Rankine and Zurita display a sense of betrayal from their government and surrounding society. Whether civil or human rights, both experienced their fair share of realization towards those inflicting pain on others. Through their poetry, they were able to communicate effectively about the issues facing them and those being oppressed.
The Environment and Human Rights
Zurita emphasizes the connection between the environment and human rights through his consistency in imagery that entangles the natural landscape with death. The author contributes to this relationship by depicting the speaker’s personal experiences with abuse. The speaker describes how their parents were facing violence at the hands of the government and states: “…when they beat my parents I ran to the / toilet to vomit. / Vast prairies formed in each bit of vomit, the clouds / breaking the sky…" (pg. 9). This decision to create the unlikely comparison between the speaker’s puke and natural scenery fortifies the tie between the natural landscape and human rights. Both the Chilean environment and citizens face significant mistreatment through the impact of the government’s violent reign of terror.
The following audio contains a reading from page 10 (seen below) from Song for His Disappeared Love which provides another example of Zurita's use of the environment in his discussion of human rights. The section below also offers an analysis of how Zurita entangles the environment and human rights within the context of the Chilean crisis. The script for the audio clip is also located below.
The following audio contains a reading from page 10 (seen below) from Song for His Disappeared Love which provides another example of Zurita's use of the environment in his discussion of human rights. The section below also offers an analysis of how Zurita entangles the environment and human rights within the context of the Chilean crisis. The script for the audio clip is also located below.