In Citizen by Claudia Rankine, white space takes up more surface area than all the black text and images combined. As a relatively short American Lyric, it must be assumed that this half of the book – the parts where nothing is said – has great meaning and is just as important as what is directly said. This large amount of white space blurs the lines between the subject – the words or what surrounds them. This makes it unclear where the focus should be and where your eyes should go. The monochromatic depiction of words in black ink surrounded by white space can be used to reflect on the hyper-visibility we give to people of color in today's society. Additionally, the juxtaposition of images and text against the surrounding white space reflects the decontextualization we create in today's media. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayHyper-visibility is an observation based on a felt difference that leads to a feeling of deviance around the observed subject. This concept is illustrated extensively in Rankine's lyrics, but I would like to draw particular attention to an excerpt that quotes Judith Butler's response when asked what makes language hurtful: "Our very being exposes us to someone else's address. We suffer from the condition of being addressable. Our emotional openness is driven by our addressability…” (Citizen 49). Butler emphasizes the attention we pay to a subject when we approach it. The method by which the subject is insulted has everything to do with himself as a being and "all the ways in which [he] is present." Racial comments towards an individual are not covered? to destroy the person, but the opposite. They are used to shine the spotlight directly on them and thus become hyper-visible. Rankine recreates this type of hyper-visibility with dark ink on a white page so that the audience can better notice where we are looking and where we are not looking. Our eyes gravitate and our mind wanders towards what is emphasized, that is to say, in the case of a book, it is the words, even if the white space takes up much more space than the words . This concept leads us to wonder how the arrangement of the image and space can change the meaning of the section. Rankine's lyric cover art also challenges the concept of hyper-visibility and decontextualization. The cover art shows a black hoodie placed on a white background. There is nothing behind it to distract your attention from the central vision of the empty hood of a cotton jacket with strings and threads hanging down. This seems to beg the question: what is the context of this image? The rest of the jacket is not in the photo, the decor is not in the image, the face of the individual who owns this garment is not even included. Every detail seems to imply something, even the wire sticking out of the hood to represent danger. This image appears to directly reference the death of Trayvon Martin, but it is cited as being the work of David Hammons in 1993. It is slightly disturbing to learn that the image we assume is of Trayvon Martin predates his death 20 years old. and it appears to reflect the repetition of seemingly identical grievances against people of color over several decades. The cover is called “In the Hood” and suggests racism even with its namesake: the white imagination readily transforms hoods into “hoods.” The implication of this association is that suspicion and the efforts associated with it are directly linked to the "ghettos/bad neighborhoods of the city" wherepeople of color often experience. The white background is reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston's quote: "I don't always feel colorful." I feel more colorful when I am projected against a clean, white background” (Citizen, 52-53), which comes up again and again in “Citizen.” This use of white space seems to mimic the way American society takes people's words and actions out of context. The image we associate with Martin is that of a black boy wearing a black hoodie. This image was used to criminalize him: to say that he was inherently suspicious. He was black, he was suspicious, he was shot. No background information regarding the fact that he was just a boy going to buy a box of Skittles is included, and his race and clothing are taken out of context, much like the hood of the jacket is on the cover: view with nothing behind but a clean white background. This white space and positioning around the hood creates parallels between the formatting and message perception of decontextualization and hyper-visualization of people of color in today's society. The format of the words and the white space modify the perception of the message conveyed. Rankine incorporates graphic representations and space into her writing to reflect on the hyper-visibility of people of color in today's society. There is definitely a theme incorporated by Rankine that describes Zora Neale Hurston's quote: "I don't always feel colorful." I feel more colorful when I'm projected onto a clean, white background” (Citizen, 52-53), which is one of two bleeds found in the book. The text is clear and consistent at the top of the page, and as you go down, the page becomes stained with black ink and is no longer easy to read. The movement from clarity at the top of each column to disorder at the bottom alludes to the way in which what appears to be a simple statement is actually tangled in a complex web of associations. By isolating fragments of longer texts – “I feel more colorful when I'm projected onto a crisp white background” – without any suggestion of their original contexts, Ligon transforms language into a kind of abstraction, repeating the text until it becomes insignificant in itself. repetition. The text appears most distinctive with a plain white background behind it, comparable to Rankine's general statement that we tend to compare the two races as distinct media: ink and empty space. This specific use of space and color creates a subconscious focal point on the deep nuances of the ink. Such a stark contrast between monochromatic shadow and light conveys the message of hyper-visibility by visually representing how a felt difference in ink and color leads to a feeling of deviance and focus around the subject. Hyper-visibility is also reflected in the juxtaposition of images. and text during the world cup script. Rankine changes the style by putting the main content only on the left pages of the book, and the right pages are saved to indicate the speaker. It would normally seem unorthodox to only place the words on one side, but Rankine told the whole story on one side to reflect the fact that Materazzi was portrayed as a victim and the media only listened to his version of the story. We have two sides to every story, seen very literally on a book with double-sided pages. This example highlights the one-sidedness of today's media: we are biased and selective in how we choose to investigate and find information. While both parties were in the wrong (one for physical violence and the other for verbal violence), only Zidane was.