The Case Against Reparations

In My Brother Sam is Dead the authors prove that war is futile. War is futile means that war is pointless or, not producing any useful product. One of the points that proves war is futile is it confuses reality with principle. Secondly war creates the youth against the elders, a clash of generations. Lastly the most devastating point that proves war is futile is it tears families apart.

He has knowledge that his son will grow up privileged, well educated with good behavior, however, he does not want him to fall victim to the dream life. Coates does not want to limit his son in any way, but as a father who himself has experienced this fraught history of unfair social justice and vulnerability of his black body. Coats also take focus in on the Civil war, which is one of the main themes of Between you and Me that is an honest accounting of the history of the United States. The Civil War, in particular, has been subject to a softening, a blurring, and a manipulation of its brutal truths. Reconstruction did not bring the nation together racially, and the years following the war laid the groundwork for the Dream and for the ways in which the country would maintain its racial separation without the actual presence of slavery.

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.

Brent Staples’ persona helps the message through the use of strong diction. Throughout his essay, Staples is able to make the audience understand what he has to deal with as a black man. Staples does this by using words and phrases such as, “...her flight made me feel like an accomplice in tyranny” and “... I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area…” (542). By writing and describing how he (Staples) feels, the audience is able to get an inside look into how black men are treated and better understand why society’s teachings, play a vital role in how we see each other.

Troy has a singular perspective on the world. He has a strict demeanor because of how society viewed African Americans back in the 1950s. Troy cares a lot about his family even if he doesn't show it. Throughout his life, Racism has been a barrier for him. He was once young and he chased his own dreams but because of his skin color, several "ideals" got in his way.

Dr. King Jr. stated that he (his idea of nonviolent resistance - ego) stood in the middle of two opposing forces in the black community. One is the result of long years of oppression and few middle class blacks’ degree of academic and economic security has led them to adjust to segregation (superego). He calls it do ‘nothingisms’. The other force is those who advocate violence because of hate and bitterness satisfying their struggle to freedom in violence means. Nonviolent resistance seeks to reconcile those two forces while avoiding the extremes and immoralities of

As Coates departs from Dr. Jones house he thought over the loss of his dear friend. He thinks of the protesters and how perhaps their bodies was abused because they knew that it was not theirs, to begin with. Coates informs his son that it is unlikely that the dreamers will never come to their consciousness. It is clear that racial justice and the dream does not seem to be going away anytime soon, that the black will suffer from inequality and injustice for a very long time. Despite, our society having a former black American president, the media focusing on the protest against police killings Coates sees no prospect of much change.

Describing his stressful emotions, which happened to be situationally ironic, creates an effective emotional appeal to sympathy similar to the childhood chapters. Douglass also used verbal irony to denounce the contradictory and abusive behavior of his masters, which emotionally appealed to anger and ethically to shame; he achieved the same thing through situational irony which logically appealed to an audience well acclimated to sympathizing with a black man. Douglass’ use of irony appeals on multiple levels as he continues to protest slavery and move towards advanced devices, the latter of which will conclude when he recounts

Throughout his passage, “Just Walk on By”, Brent Staples sends the message that discrimination has affected the lives of many in several negative ways. He particularly uses irony and satire as tools to prove his point, using them almost like a verbal blade to cut through public image and stereotypes, as well as his proficient use of powerful diction and syntax to strike rememberable points into the reader’s mind. Staple’s use of irony is very simple yet effective. His message is that he is not a stereotypical black criminal, so he portrays himself as one to show how ridiculous that it really is. When he says “My first victim was a woman”, he tries to conjure up images of a stalker or a murderer or even just a plain old mugger, which is what the stereotype of a large, black man, like he explains that he is immediately following this statement.

While love is the only thing that Suggs has left, no one in the community is willing to return it or even pray for her. Similarly, in the article "Narrative and Community Crisis in Beloved,” scholar Scot D Hinson argues that Morrison uses Beloved to expose the consequences of slavery as the origin of violence within the black community. Hinson explains, “Powerless to confront their oppressors, the community strikes out against equally powerless members of their own community. Thus, violence instigated by whites spreads within black communities of its own accord, perverting and twisting emotions” (Hinson 153). Hinson argues that the black community strikes out against their own members because they are unable to fight back against white supremacy.