Exploring Change and Resilience in Contemporary Poetry: A Close Reading of Claudia Rankine’s ‘What if’

Poetry, Protest, and Resilience: A Close Reading of Claudia Rankine’s What if

In Claudia Rankine’s What if, the poet addresses the complex intersections of change, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of justice within contemporary society. This poem, featured in her 2020 collection Just Us, emerges as a poignant exploration of the human condition, questioning the paradoxes inherent in the desire for transformation while grappling with the burdens such desires impose.

Rankine, known for her innovative blending of genres and her ability to capture the fragmented nature of modern consciousness, continues her exploration of racial and social issues through a deeply personal lens in What if. The poem is a meditation on the contradictions of progress, as well as the emotional and psychological tolls that the call for change exacts on individuals, particularly those who are historically marginalised. Through a close reading, we can discern how Rankine’s use of language, structure, and repetition not only reflects the internal struggles of her speaker but also invites readers to consider their own complicity and responsibilities in the ongoing discourse surrounding social justice.

The Paradox of Change

The first section of the poem introduces the central paradox: the simultaneous desire for and resistance to change. Rankine writes, ‘What does it mean to want an age-old call / for change / not to change.’ Here, she juxtaposes the longing for transformation with the discomfort it brings, a discomfort often rooted in fear of the unknown or the perceived loss of identity. This paradox is further complicated by the notion of change being ‘named shame, / named penance, named chastisement.’ The use of these terms suggests that the call for change is not merely a benign request but is often burdened with moral judgment, turning the act of transformation into a punitive experience. Rankine questions whether it is the call for change itself that repels people or the impossibility of achieving a ‘pure’ state through such change.

This opening section sets the stage for the poem’s exploration of how individuals, particularly those in positions of privilege, navigate the call for social justice. The poet’s choice to frame these questions within the context of ‘what if’ creates a conditional space—a space of potentiality rather than certainty. It is in this space that Rankine invites readers to reflect on their own responses to change, prompting an examination of both the external pressures and internal resistances that shape their actions.

The Burden of Awareness

In the second section, Rankine shifts focus to the internal experience of the speaker, who expresses a sense of resignation and weariness. ‘There is resignation in my voice when I say I feel / myself slowing down,’ she writes, capturing the fatigue that often accompanies sustained engagement with difficult issues. This fatigue is likened to a machine ‘gauging… the levels of my response,’ suggesting a mechanisation of the self, a reduction of human emotion to mere functionality. The speaker’s sense of being ‘historied out’—exhausted by the weight of history and its repeated injustices—highlights the emotional toll of living with constant awareness of social inequalities.

Rankine’s exploration of this weariness resonates with the experiences of those who are continually confronted with the realities of racism and social injustice. The metaphor of building ‘a container to carry this being’ suggests an attempt to contain or manage the overwhelming nature of these experiences, yet the admission that ‘we were never to be whole’ acknowledges the inherent fragmentation and incompleteness of this endeavour. The poem’s structure, with its deliberate pauses and fragmented lines, mirrors this sense of incompleteness, embodying the speaker’s struggle to articulate the complexities of their emotions and experiences.

The Repetition of ‘What if’

The third section of the poem delves deeper into the idea of repetition, both in language and in experience. The repeated phrase ‘what if’ serves as a refrain throughout the poem, creating a rhythm that mirrors the cyclical nature of the questions being posed. ‘What if over tea, what if on our walks, what if / in the long yawn of the fog,’ Rankine writes, invoking the mundane, everyday moments in which these questions arise. This repetition not only emphasises the persistence of these questions in the speaker’s mind but also suggests a sense of entrapment, as if the speaker is caught in an endless loop of questioning without resolution.

The repetition of ‘what if’ also functions as a critique of the performative nature of some calls for change. The phrase becomes almost rhetorical, a way of acknowledging the possibility of change without committing to it. This is particularly evident in the fourth section, where Rankine writes, ‘What if—the repetitive call of what if—is only considered repetitive / when what if leaves my lips, when what if is uttered / by the unheard.’ Here, the poet highlights the power dynamics at play in conversations about change, suggesting that the voices of marginalised individuals are often dismissed or ignored, even when they are repeating the same calls that others make.

The Desire for Newness

In the final sections of the poem, Rankine articulates a desire for something new—a ‘new sentence in response to all my questions,’ a ‘swerve in our relation.’ This desire for newness is not merely a craving for novelty but a yearning for genuine change, for a shift in the ways we relate to one another and understand the world. The poem ends on a note of cautious optimism, as the speaker imagines the possibility of ‘justice and the openings for just us.’ Yet, this possibility remains conditional, framed within the ever-present ‘what if.’

Rankine’s What if challenges readers to confront the discomforts and contradictions of change, particularly within the context of social justice. Through its exploration of the emotional and psychological burdens of awareness, the poem reveals the complexities of striving for transformation in a world that is often resistant to it. The repetition of ‘what if’ serves as both a reminder of the persistence of these questions and a call to action, urging readers to consider how they might move beyond the conditional and into the realm of the actual.

By engaging deeply with Rankine’s text, we are invited not only to reflect on the nature of change but also to consider our own roles in the ongoing struggle for justice. In this way, What if becomes a meditation on resilience, an exploration of the tensions between hope and despair, and ultimately, a call to remain steadfast in the pursuit of a more just world.

Photo Credit: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.