Claudia Rankine chose to put a quote by Aime Cesaire at the beginning of the book. It is obvious that this quote has significance to the book itself, but like the majority of this lyric, the interpretation is debatable. I was just curious as to what other people thought of this quote and its relevance to the rest of the novel, if you can call it a novel. In my opinion this quote is saying that life is more than just merely entertainment. That the pain, the raw emotion that others feel should be respected and honored. The grief is not a proscenium, or a type of theatre- meaning that as spectators we should connect and be emotionally impacted by these events. The book goes on to allude to death and disaster that has taken place in recent years. While when something happens on the news it may seem distant from us, we must beware letting the impact go unnoticed to our sometimes apathetic attitudes.
Now the book itself. This book seemed to me to be somewhat of a first hand account of famous current events in the past ten years are so. I found it very interesting the way that the seemingly unconnected stories found in each paragraph along with the photographs did flow so smoothly. There were definite common themes throughout the book and they most likely added to this continuity. One of these major themes being depression. There are numerous references to antidepressant drugs, and even a list of pharmaceutical companies. But I especially liked the images of the warning labels for the drugs. I think this is saying that with drugs and with life, you can find a solution to a problem but there is never a guarantee. There are also side effects that come with a choice or usage of medicine. Ultimately it comes down to the decision of is the choice worth the effects that will result.
The image of the television with the static was also a big part of this book. It gave me the impression that we were watching a TV and the channel kept being changed. Each new channel gave us a new story or issue. And most of these issues are things that we are familiar with. I think by using such common stories, the author is invoking the feelings we have and causing us to relive how we felt when we heard about such impactful events. What feelings do we have? What other historical events spark similar emotions inside of us?
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As the opening post mentioned, depression is one of the common themes that flow through the book. Not just the antidepressant drugs, and the list of pharmaceutical companies, but also things such as death and being lonely seems to connect with the idea of depression. Death, of course, can be caused by severe depression, such as resulting in suicide or similar death scenarios. Similarly, being lonely seems like a cause of depression itself. People, due to being alone, sometimes become depressed. Along with these meanings, the current events that are mentioned through the book are mostly sad, and terror-filled, which in turn gives a more depressing surrounding and feeling. Thus, it feels like the author is asking to never let her be lonely, as in, never let her be depressed even in such terrible times, so as to keep on living.
ReplyDeleteI thought the television aspect of the novel was very interesting. For me it showed the way our lives and the lives around us are played out on television. People no longer have to go out of their homes to experience 'life' because it is brought right into our homes through TV. The TV reminded me of the medications in the novel because it was also another way to escape from life. Also the TVs were kind of a segue to another story, another part of life.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that the TVs meshed well with the whole concept of America in the novel. Americans are definitely characterized by their love of television and to incorporate that iconic symbol every 5 or 6 pages was really clever.
I agree that the reptition of images added to the cohesiveness of the book. I wanted to go back to one of the images we discussed in class. It appeared at least twice in the book, and had the liver labeled and the intestines in the shape of the United States. Some people said that they thought the image reflected the idea that the US is made up of the waste products that the liver filters out. I thought it was the opposite. Since the liver filters toxins out of the body, the intestines (aka the United States) recieves only a carefully filtered result, the American dream. In everyday life, problems such as loneliness are supposed to be filtered out and ignored. I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on that?
ReplyDeleteFor me, the quote at the beginning of the lyric was also extremely significant.
ReplyDelete“And most of all beware, even in thought, of assuming the sterile attitude of the spectator, for life is not a spectacle, a sea of grief is not a proscenium, a man who wails is not a dancing bear…”
-Aimé Césaire
It is such a haunting quote, because when examining human behavior, it makes so much sense. As humans, we have all suffered from some kind of pain, grief, or misery. We know how hard this suffering can be to cope with. But then why do we stretch our necks to see as we drive by a car accident? Why do we enjoy watching films in which people are captured, tortured, murdered, rejected, or hurt in some other way? We know that it’s wrong, but we can’t look away. Is it so that we can cope with our own misfortunes? Is it easier to cope with your own pain when you know that you are not alone?
I was interested to see who the quote came from, so I did a little bit of research. Aimé Césaire (born in 1913) was a French man who lived in Martinique. I find it fitting that Rankine chose her opening quote from someone who was NOT from the United States. Because it seems that "Don’t Let Me Be Lonely" is a commentary on the flaws of the United States, it makes sense that Rankine would chose her important opening quote from a “foreigner”.
I think that was Chelsea says was really interesting- the fact that no one likes to have to deal with grief or pain, but that we cannot seem to ignore or "look away" from other people's pain. I agree that this probably is due in large part to the fact that it helps to know that we are not alone. In that sense, it parallels the title of the book- Don't Let Me Be Lonely.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I found this to be a very thought-provoking book. I feel that having Césaire's quote at the beginning of the lyric definitely sets the tone for the book, as it is so open to interpretation by the reader. I enjoyed this book, especially because I felt like it flowed much more than The Pink Institution. Even though the structure has a similar feel, the related content through each section made it a much easier read. I felt that having the content be somewhat related and similar allowed me to try to interpret the author's meaning, because I was not spending my time being confused by the structure and content. However, I am also glad that we read the Pink Institution before this book- it prepared me for what was to come!
Overall, I would say that I definitely enjoyed this book- at the very least, I enjoyed it more than the Pink Institution.
I think the points above about not being able to look away from others pain is an extremely important point of this book and highlights the theme of relating to those around you (not being alone).
ReplyDeleteI feel like most of the depression that Rankine described in the novel had to do with being alone. "Your life is waiting" which appeared on the t.v. screen and she suggests, "Waiting for what?"
Also, when her friend is depressed this is displayed because he will not/cannot get out of bed each day. This suggests that his pain is tied to a lack of belonging in society, he is not experiencing what life has to offer.
Rankine also interestingly discusses botox and plastic surgery, which she describes as paralyzing her experiences. This ties back into the idea of not "living/experiencing" life and not putting yourself out there to succeed and fail with the people around you.
I think although I did not like some of Rankine's presentation of her ideas and definitely do not agree with some of her political representations (almost to the point of being ridiculous), I think she tackles some very deep concepts in this lyric and is able to present a positive message of being there for one another and living your life through experience....however backward of a way she may have gone about it.
Jonathan, I'm so glad you brought the Cesaire to light in this discussion. That epigram, and what it has to say about the nature of grief and life and community and display, is absolutely central. Good thread, all.
ReplyDelete