Platonic
1. Of or related to the Greek philosopher Plato and his ideas.
2. Confined to words, theories, or ideals, and not leading to practical action.
mastectomy
A surgical operation to remove a breast, often in the attempt to remove a malignant tumor.
American Optimism
Rankine borrows Cornel West's term "American Optimism" in Part 3 of Don't Let Me Be Lonely. This is an optimism that is experienced collectively by American society in the face of political tumult. The speaker uses this phrase to describe her prevailing optimism even though her hope wavers. In "Poetry Matters: Neoliberalism, Affect and the Posthuman in Twenty-First Century North American Feminist Poetics," Heather Milne suggests that Rankine's speaker remains optimistic that the world will become a better place. She argues, "Rankine's speaker remains engaged in the social, political, and public landscape of America even as it contributes to her feelings of loneliness and her status of an outsider or affect alien" (Milne, 180).
Spaghetti Westerns
Spaghetti Westerns are films made about the American West in Europe, typically by Italian directors in the '60s and '70s.
Princess Diana's death
In 1997, five years before the publication of Don't Let Me Be Lonely, Princess Diana died in a hospital as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash. The media blamed the paparazzi that was chasing the car for the crash. However, a 1999 investigation revealed that the driver of the car, Henri Paul, lost control of his Mercedes because he was driving at high speeds while he was intoxicated. Today, there are many conspiracy theories surrounding Princess Diana's death.
ventilator
A machine that mechanically assists a patient in the hospital to breathe. This process is sometimes referred to as artificial respiration.
Lithium
Lithium compounds, also known as lithium salts, are used as a psychiatric medication. Lithium is a mood stabilizer—mood stabilizers are psychiatric drugs used to treat mood disorders characterized by mood shifts. The side effects of Lithium include increased urination, shakiness of the hands, increased thirst, hypothyroidism, diabetes insipidus, and lithium toxicity. If the levels of lithium become too high in the blood, the person who is taking the drug will experience diarrhea, vomiting, poor coordination, sleepiness, and a ringing in the ears. Patients are encouraged to take frequent blood tests to monitor the levels of the drug in their blood and prevent lithium toxicity from occuring.
noxious
harmful, poisonous, injurious, unwholesome.
quotidian
1. Occurring every day; daily
2. Commonplace, mundane, ordinary
constructio ad sensum
Latin. A grammatical construction in which a word takes the gender or number that is different from the word with which it should regularly agree. In other words, the requirements of grammatical form are overridden by those of word-meaning. The speaker uses this term in Part 10 of Don't Let Me Be Lonely to describe taking ownership of a dream she did not have about "sitting on a huge pill bottle" (68). Even though this is not her dream, the speaker is using "I" to describe it in order to "convey a desired sense" about big pharma and the prevalence of medication in our society (68).
South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission
This commission comes up while the speaker is discussing Coetzee's Disgrace with her friend in Part 11. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was founded to help deal with what happened under apartheid. The TRC says, "The conflict during this period resulted in violence and human rights abuses from all sides. No section of society escaped these abuses." In the "Notes," Rankine tells us that Nelson Mandela was a supporter of the TRC. Those who were critical of the Commission believed that it was "too lenient, offering amnesty to whites who admit to killing blacks during apartheid."
naturalism
1. a faithful adherence to nature; realism. More specifically, the principles and methods of a group of 19th-century writers, including Émile Zola, Gustave Flaubert, and Guy de Maupassant who believed that the writer or artist should apply scientific objectivity and precision in observing and depicting life, without idealizing, imposing value judgments, or avoiding what may be regarded as sordid or repulsive
2. the quality resulting from the use of such realism
Suppository
a small, round or cone-shaped object that is inserted into the body, often the rectum. Once it's inside, it melts or dissolves and releases its medication.
DNR form
A DNR ("Do-Not-Resuscitate") form is signed by a person when they no longer want to receive CPR should they stop breathing or should their heart stop beating. Patients usually sign this form when they are close to death and no longer want to prolong the inevitable.
knighted
Knighthood is a title the British queen or king bestows upon a person when they demonstrate great achievements or great service to their country.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
This is the name given by the US military to the Iraq War. The Iraq War was a military conflict in Iraq that began in 2003 by a coalition of forces led by the United States.
cremation
to reduce (a dead body) to ashes by fire, especially as a funeral rite.
Zoloft
Zoloft is a brand of sertraline, which is a type of SSRI (Selected Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor). SSRIs are traditionally used to treat depression and anxiety disorders.
type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition in which blood glucose (sugar) levels rise higher than normal as a result of the body not using insulin properly.
hives
An eruptive condition of the skin that usually causes a stinging, burning, or itching sensation.
