Analysis Of My Lagoon Shook
“We are controlled here by our confusion, far more than we know, and the American dream has therefore become something much more closely resembling a nightmare, on the private, domestic, and international levels. Privately, we cannot stand our lives and dare not examine them; domestically, we take no responsibility for (and no pride in) what goes on our country; and, internationally, for many millions of people, we are an unmigrated disaster” (Baldwin 337). To simply analyze the meaning of this passage alone would not do Baldwin justice. This passage much like the rest of “Down at the Cross” and “My Dungeon Shook” privately, domestically, and internationally examines race relations. To truly understand and draw out the richness of this statement …show more content…
In the same way we focused on the pronouns “we” and “our” to elicit a personal or privates connection between the text and the reader’s life, we can use the same pronouns and connect them to all American, both black and white. Reading the opening statement through this lenses facilitate a common connection or a starting point of understanding that forces the readers to try to work together to solve the problem Baldwin claims they all face. His opening statement then reads, “ We are [Baldwin, myself, and my fellow Americans, both black and white] controlled here by our confusion, far more than we know, and the American dream has therefore become something much more closely resembling a nightmare…” Reading this statement through a domestic lens illustrates a commonality among the races, and furthermore suggests that all Americans are confused and getting further away from the American dream. The American dream is once again another place of commonality. Blacks and whites, males and females seek an equal opportunity for achieving happiness, security, liberty, land and success. Furthermore, Baldwin -states, “…domestically, we take no responsibility for (and no pride in) what goes on our country…” Here Baldwin specifically uses the word “domestically” to connect and unite his readers, as is to say “America” (all Americans black and white) take responsibility for what is going on in our country, his audience could no longer blame someone else for the problems, but is confronted with the harsh reality while he casts the blame on his neighbor, his neighbor casts the blame back on him, which solves
The Debate Of James Baldwin And William F. Buckley
409 Words | 2 PagesThe debate of James Baldwin and William F. Buckley had a significant impact on the concept of race and the system that has been built on race, which has affected people of color, within America. It was significant due to it discussing whether or not the American dream has been achieved at the expense of the American Negro. A major component during this debate was the fact that the American Negro has been denied the opportunity and chance to take part in the thing that many dream and hope for, the American Dream. The American Negro has been denied this opportunity due to being used for cheap labor, while not getting a fair chance to make a good and stable life, as well as, being taught that they have no history and were saved by those that took
Baldwin's Argumentative Essay: Double Standards In Religion
276 Words | 2 PagesIn discussions of whether there are double standards in religion when it comes to race, a controversial issue is whether white people use it as a tool to discriminate. While some argue that the Christian World in united between races, others contend that there is a racial divide within the Christian community. Of course, this is not a black and white issue. Both statements are generalizations of a large community of people. It’s impossible to say whether it is one way or the other, however, Baldwin does make an excellent point in saying that, “People, I felt, ought to love The Lord because they loved Him, and not because they were afraid of going to Hell.”
Booker T Washington Rhetoric
784 Words | 4 PagesAs claimed by Booker T. Washington, “keep in mind that we shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify common labour, and put brains and skill into the common occupations of life; shall prosper in proportion as we learn to draw the line between the superficial and the substantial, the ornamental gewgaws of life and the useful” (Paragraph 2). The African American people will and over time work to get to the top, and that they will prove to the white man that they do belong whether success of the field or in the new world they have finally allowed to be successful in. In this paragraph Mr. Washington uses a emotional point and turned it into motivation for Africans to work hard and try their best no matter what lay ahead. “It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities” (Paragraph
Rhetorical Devices In Booker T Washington
771 Words | 4 PagesAs claimed by Booker T. Washington, “keep in mind that we shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify common labour, and put brains and skill into the common occupations of life; shall prosper in proportion as we learn to draw the line between the superficial and the substantial, the ornamental gewgaws of life and the useful” (Paragraph 2). The African American people will and over time work to get to the top, and that they will prove to the white man that they do belong whether success of the field or in the new world they have finally allowed to be successful in. In this paragraph Mr. Washington uses a emotional point and turned it into motivation for Africans to work hard and try their best no matter what lay ahead. “It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities” (Paragraph
Down At The Cross Baldwin Analysis
916 Words | 4 Pages“My Dungeon Shook” is a intellectual essay that Baldwin writes to his nephew which expresses how whites obliterated psychological and spiritual values of all African American people. His primary focus is to notify his nephew about the discriminatory and maltreatment his nephew will encounter living in America. Not only is Baldwin informing his nephew the harsh and unpleasant truths of being a black man, but Baldwin wants him to to know how to manage being an outsider even when he’s restrained to find his true persona. Baldwin uses the nephew’s dad as an example of how he became an indignant irritable man (Baldwin 21). Baldwin assumes that if his nephew can convert this contradiction into a constructive use, different results will transpire
The Fire Next Time Analysis
1000 Words | 4 PagesWith a white audience in mind, Baldwin uses the form of autobiography to provide a unique insight into the issue social inequality and criticize the people who continue to perpetuate it. Moreover, Baldwin is careful to ensure that his message appeals to the white audience, disallowing them from getting overly defensive or dismissing his work entirely. Baldwin opens his book with a personal letter to his nephew, warning him of the hardships that he would have to face as a black man. His choice to place this letter in the beginning creates a sense of authenticity and built trust between author and reader.
The Paradox Of Education Speech By James Baldwin
301 Words | 2 PagesThe speech delivered by James Baldwin, an influential figure in American literature, in 1963 was to persuade New York teachers to teach kids about their unsugarcoated history to provide them with a sense of their identity in order to cause a change in the society they live in. He continues by stating the paradox of the education system that teaches individuals to be open minded and examine the world they live in, but society prefer law abiding citizens. He illustrates through a personal experience what is like growing up as an African American, and being aware of the inequality and injustice faced but not having the words to express the wrong seen. He then adds that Negroes were treated like animals and brainwashed to think they are animals;
Booker W. E. B Dubois Analysis
590 Words | 3 PagesBois examines the struggles African Americans face in the United States. He says it’s impossible at this point in history to be both a black man and an American, he wants to change this. He said that even though slavery had ended, black men were yet to be truly free. Du Bois argued that blacks need freedom in all aspects of their lives, including “the freedom of life and limb, the freedom to work and think, the freedom to love and aspire” (412). He also argued that blacks need their right to vote in order to protect themselves.
American Dream 1960s
623 Words | 3 PagesOverall you see everyone happy together, there is no inequality. No boy only slides, no girls only slides, no race specific bathrooms. That represents the bigger goal and the bigger fights. When you look closer there is a family having lunch together, a club soccer game, a chess game in which someone has just won, a bike race, kids who have never met but have made up a game on the playground together, and individuals who are going about their day on the way to the gym, or work, or dinner. The smaller components of the bigger picture represent an individual’s idea of the american
What Is The Theme Of Blood Done Sign My Name By Timothy Tyson
1761 Words | 8 PagesNot only was the author trying to convey the civil rights movement and the impact it had on his life, but he also was trying to explain how it affected the South. Despite government efforts to establish equality in the American people the white supremacy and resistance caused a sluggish change in the South. It took racially charged events and violence to make a small impact on the cultural divide. The author also enlightens the reader on how in present day the South attempts in every way to pretend that such a resistance did not exist. The privileged, pretentious white community then audaciously moves on as it nothing has happened in an attempt to soothe it plagued conscience.
Racism In David Simon's Notes Of A Native Son
332 Words | 2 Pages“Notes of a Native Son” is the story of Baldwin’s father and his death. These memoirs intersect with some of the brutal realities in Harlem, including the indifference of some of the whites he encounters. Baldwin use these small events to make explicable the race riot that engulfed Harlem at the same time that his father died. “The avenues , side streets, bars, billiard halls, hospitals, police stations, and even the playgrounds of Harlem — not to mention the houses of correction, the jails, and the morgue — testified to the potency of the poison while remaining silent as to the efficiency
Rhetorical Devices In Washington And Dubois
1368 Words | 6 PagesThis is a story about two Authors responding back to with with each others thought about their situation or their point-of-view about how African Americans are, how they should be treated and how we should address the matter. What I will be discussing in this story is, what their thoughts are about the situation against Black Americans and White Americans and their thoughts are are between each other. First we will discuss Washington and Dubois point-of-views. Then we will look at both authors individual rhetorical devices and break down and comprehend what they're both trying to say. Then finally I will discuss if each individual authors writings were persuasive or was used in in a powerful manner.
A Critical Analysis Of Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
909 Words | 4 PagesOne will constantly face temporary conflict throughout life, but ultimately they can overcome through a will to on and pursue what makes oneself happy. Baldwin was able to create a picture in the reader's mind due to his personal relation to his characters, he was able to understand the harsh times for an African-American male. It also reflects on the care that siblings have for one another and how even though they have good intentions, they can't always help their loved one follow a positive
We Never Give Up To The American Dream
579 Words | 3 PagesAfrican-Americans have been held back and fought since they came to America almost 400 years ago as slaves. But they have never given up on that dream that they will one day be equal and walk, work, get paid, etc. right beside the white man. It’s talking about how we were never handed anything. We escaped England to make this country a reality.
Violence In Harriet Beecher Stowe's Native Son
1526 Words | 7 PagesHe said the problem with protest novels dealing with Negroes, beginning with Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is that they define the Negro by the conditions under which he lives; they fail to present him as a human being. And readers, said Baldwin, get “a definite thrill of virtue from the fact that they are reading a book at all. This report from the pit reassures us of its reality and its darkness and of our own salvation.” This was a frontal attack on Wright’s belief that literature should be an instrument for social progress, and it led to a rupture between the two. In his book, Nobody Knows My Name, Baldwin recounted the difficult conversations they had
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