Analysis Of The Souls Of Black Folk By W. E. B. Dubois

In his writing piece, “That Word Black” (1958), Langston Hughes accentuates the issue over the negative connotation of the term ‘black’, and how its usage associates black individuals with immoral concepts, implying that they are terrible people. By providing imagery, a series of examples of black’s adverse use, and juxtaposition between that of the white’s, the writer heightens pathos. Langston Hughes’ purposes is to reveal the abysmal correlation of the word ‘black’ in order to demonstrate the underlying racism and disparity between black and white people. Because the author uses AAVE to show the ethos and sincerness that he is a black person, and discusses an educational, racial topic, he appeals to the white people who hold a cultural stereotypes

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Du Bois The Souls of Black Folk, written by W.E.B Du Bois, is a passionate story that takes you through his life and struggles as an African American man. This book is a great representation of historic American literature. His main topic shows his emotions and opinions of race and the problems that came with it, including those of other African Americans.

Born February 23rd 1868 DuBois spent his life caught between two extremely unsettling times in the history of African-American culture. Living in the time after slavery but before the boom of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s Debois situated himself in such way that he was able to bring awareness about the unique experience felt by many African Americans during this time period. As an African American writer Sociologist, Civil Right Activist and a Pan -Africanist Dubois communicates the reality of his and his people’s struggle in the his paper Double-Consciousness and the Veil. He argues that “ there is a sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of others”(Dubois,1903,pp.164). Defining what he would essentially coin as the powerlessness felt by many African Americans when they must decide subjectively and objectively weather to be African or American in a given situation.

African-American historian W.E.B Dubois illustrated how the Civil War brought the problems of African-American experiences into the spotlight. As a socialist, he argued against the traditional Dunning interpretations and voiced opinions about the failures and benefits of the Civil War era, which he branded as a ‘splendid failure’. The impacts of Civil War era enabled African-Americans to “form their own fraternal organizations, worship in their own churches and embrace the notion of an activist government that promoted and safeguarded the welfare of its citizens.” Thus black people developed a social consensus and reached levels of social integration once hindered by the horrors of slavery. However, in his book Black Reconstruction in America (1935), Dubois observed how racial divisions amongst white and black laborers prevented them uniting against the white property-owning individuals. Ultimately, he argues

He explains that he will fight unjust laws, even if it means spending a night in jail. He is willing to take the penalty for breaking a law, but is unwilling to let unjust laws degrade and take over African American’s

He creates powerful imagery to depict the treacherous treatment slaves are enduring that floods the audience with shame. He provides them with a chance to recall their moral standards and compare them to slavery. He questions them to evoke the truth that slavery is never justifiable. The denouement of his speech is that it is patent to his audience that celebrating freedom with slavery existing is atrocious and want to eradicate

He lets us in on the disturbing things like lynching, police calling them names, kicking them, and killing African Americans. About having to explain to sons and daughters why they can’t go to certain places they want to go or do things that they want to do. All this because of the color of their skin. “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?” He says by them realizing all these things they then can understand why they couldn’t wait any

He showed how black people were not seen as equals and how people reacted to a black person being in a white person’s territory. Both sources showed the challenge of being different. The challenge of what it’s like to live as a minority. How people can be cruel and condescending just by a person’s race and change is not easy to accept and achieve. Change is not something that can easily be accepted by everyone.

1. What does Du Bois mean by the “double consciousness” of African Americans? What Du Bois meant by the “double consciousness” of African Americans is that they look at themselves through the eyes of others. “This double consciousness, this sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of others, of measuring one soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” African Americans know that the rest of America see them as a lowly and controversial group of people because they were once viewed as a piece of property and not a human being. Now that they are freedmen, America doesn’t know what to think about them.

The speech identifies the struggles African Americans faced due to discrimination, hence allowing readers insight into African American lives. The speech is inspirational and powerful due to the speaker exhibiting to the audience his anger regarding

He brings examples of people from Europe and how just because they are the same color they are considered to be Americans, when in fact they are the actual ones who are not. He continues to give the speech in hopes to motivate the black nation to come together and unite to fight for their

The NAACP’s primary goal during Du Bois’ time was to invalidate the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson. He was fond of Booker T. Washington, mentioned earlier, and many of his own views surrounded the concept of double consciousness. Du Bois believed that as a result of Plessy v. Ferguson African Americans began to judge themselves based on white standards, ultimately leading to the internal acceptance of inferiority. He describes the state of double consciousness as, “a peculiar sensation this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others…” (143). In other words, black people have reached a state of double consciousness where they look at themselves in the way that white people look at them.

These people have a passion for what they are protesting for, and the fight for rights will never die off until the black people of America have the equal rights and respect as a white man. Just like king said, “And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the negro is granted his citizenship rights.” The way he states his idea of unrest of the nation till rights are granted really puts an urgency into his ideas, and makes them seem as they are, which is the most important issue in the nation. This idea also develops his central idea in a deep way that says he wants everlasting equality, and there will be an everlasting fight until rights are granted. This really persuades his audience to realize that his idea he is putting in the reader 's head is really the best choice for the nation, and says that America will continue to be fair and equal, because there will be nothing unjust or unfair to fight about.

The problem that occurs with these innovative ideas for change is that ideas often clash and many people of color do not agree on the way in which the change should be implemented. Due to this conflict arises. Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois had different opinions about black oppression and the ways to approach the issue. In this essay, the two activists, Garvey and Dubois will be compared on their differing views of black oppression.

one ever feels his twoness. “ . This “double consciousness” of Afro Americans is also reflected in the issue of language. The