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Racism Exposed In Coates's Between The World And Me

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The most powerful message encountered in the Coates work “Between the World and Me” is the message to his son about the prevalence of racism in America in society today. Coates provides his son with a plethora of scenarios and personal experiences that showed how racism is still common in society today. Coates encourages his son to be cautious and also aware of these instances because they are numerous and can happen to him at any moment. One key idea about racism in America that Coates explains to his son is that racism gave birth to race and prior to racism there was no such thing as race. Instead, everyone lived as a human being, not feeling entitled to certain societal expectations such as school systems, jobs, or living conditions depending on the color of their skin. Overall, Coates message to his …show more content…

One take-a-way from this text is that White people really have no sense of self in regards to how they treated African Americans and how to even attempt to provide some sort of reparations. Although this is already widely known, Coates’ text emphasizes this idea to remind readers of the current situation in America. More specifically, Coates emphasizes this message as a reminder to African Americans of the mindset of Caucasians. Another prominent take-a-way from the text is Coates’ description of “The Dream” as being built on the backs of Black people. Coates makes sure to inform his son that the American Dream that numerous people desire or crave rests on Black bodies. Correspondingly, citizens witness this American Dream on a large scale or even on a more local scale in neighborhoods and

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