Comparing The Dream In Coates's Between The World And Me

There have been many novels written about the experience of being born black in America but only so few have been able to give the reader a vivid point of view of what African Americans have gone through for generations. The book “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a very sympathetic letter to his fifth teen year old son Samori. Coates explains his experiences in the past on how being born into the world as a “Black Body” is considered as a disadvantage in America. Coates grew up with strict parents that were consistently keeping a keen eye on him always having his father constantly beating him and an always anxious mother. But as he grew older and had a son of his own he then realized the reasons behind his parent’s actions.

No matter your race, reading and living within Between the World and Me is a visceral experience. Coates’ intelligent employment of racially targeted inclusive language, personal anecdotes about his life in Baltimore, and potent anaphora emphasizes his reminder to not forget the historical struggle of protecting the black body. Coates alludes; “A mountain cannot be a mountain if there is nothing below” (105) and to him, the blacks are the “below”.

Between the World and Me, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, is written as a letter to his son about realities associated with being black in the United States of America. His tone is somewhat poetic and quite bleak, based on his personal experiences. The book is intense, it is an address to a nation that ignores its own blatant history of racism, a nation that does not prosecute police officers who kill innocent black citizens, a nation that supports a policy of mass incarceration. He writes about growing up in Baltimore, Maryland and details the ways in which institutions (school, police, and the streets) discipline, endanger, and threaten to harm black men and women. Between the World and Me is an intimate confession of the fears of a black American father.

“Between the World and Me”, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, is a letter written to his son about what it means to be black and how tough it is to be a part of this race in the United States of America. In this book, Coates talks about his life in the black community, starting from childhood memories all the way to present day. Coates also tries sends a message, which is that his son should not lower his guard and be completely confident about who he is, instead he should be afraid about what the world is capable of doing to a black man. In this work, Coates disagrees on what it means to be black or white in America.

Americans.” “Without its own justifications, the dream would collapse upon itself.”(pg.131) What Coates is trying to say is if people specifically the black community want to have the “American Dream” how the white people live instead of just being happy how their living knowing that family is more important than just a big house.

The purpose of this essay is to conduct a rhetorical analysis on Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me in regard to his usage of ethos, pathos, and logos. To unveil the ongoing affects that oppression continues to play on the African American community. Coates gives the readers ethos, by given a great introduction in chapter 1 of Between the World and Me. Coates’s letter to his teenage son, Samori, is about what it means to be a black person in America.

Ta-Nehisi Coates had one clear purpose in writing this novel, Between the World and Me: to teach his son what it means to be a black man. He shows him the fear that young black men feel, the history of slavery and black oppression, as well as his own personal experiences with being influenced by Malcolm X. He also shares with him the joy he feels about getting an education and learning of more ways to be black. He also shared with him the story of Prince Jones’ murder and how his mother’s pride in her son after his death was so important. In this novel, Coates uses the archetype of the journey and the teacher to further his message and bring life to his work.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a book that demands attention in today 's society where racism and hostility towards the black community are still very common. The book is written in the form of a letter to Coates’s son where he examines the black body and how it is viewed in the world by white americans. Coates gives insight into relevant social justice issues such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Trayvon Martin and provides an intense reality depicting the life of those in the black community. Coates describes his life growing up and explains the ever changing realizations he comes to regarding the black body as he grows and develops. He takes the readers on a journey through his experiences and education, allowing us to directly see his opinions regarding the black body develop and reshape over time. Coates focuses in on his different forms of education and how they influenced his opinions on power and freedom of the black body. Ultimately through his life experiences and education Coates realizes that the black body can be viewed as simultaneously powerful and powerless within society.

In Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses the brutal racism and prejudice that he has experienced, in the form of the letter. This format permits him to provide the audience with personal anecdotes in which he was the victim, as well as stories of friends and colleagues being victimized. Each example provides insight into the question of whether or not one can be free as an African American. More importantly, he outlines what it means to be free in America. Coates provides a pessimistic outlook on this question in the form of a letter addressed to his son, Samori. This allows the audience to feel sympathy towards Samori as well as others trapped in the same skin. This was a new experience for me, being that I am neither male

Between the World and Me is a long letter that Ta-Nehisi Coates writes to his teenage son, Samori. Coates uses history and past experiences to express to his son how America does not value the black man’s body. Coates starts by telling of what it was like for him growing up in Baltimore. How he saw black men dress and carry themselves in attempts to possess themselves and power. He then talks about the awakening of his black consciousness at Howard University. Howard is where he first started learning about the contributions of black people in American history. He also was introduced to a variety of different types of black people. Howard is also where Coates experienced the death of a close friend, Prince Jones, that catapults the most powerful message in his novel; The American Dream is an insidious idea glorified by whites and the media that was built on the marginalization of black people.

Between the World and Me examines the history and present circumstances of racial inequality and segregation in America. Coates directs the book to Samori to give his audience personal insight into the various stages of a black man’s life. From his childhood, to his college experience, to his complicated role as a father, Coates gradually unfolds a critical account of the relationship between black and white communities. He calls those who “believe themselves to be white” the “Dreamers” and criticizes them for the indifference toward black people 's experiences. He wants the audience to reflect upon themselves and realize that they are part of the problem.

In TaNehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, he writes of a concept call “the Dream” throughout the text in its entirety. “Hate gives Identity”, Coates writes (pg 60) as explanation of this “Dream”. He continues with “The nigger, the fag, the bitch illuminate the border, illuminate what we ostensibly are not, illuminate the Dream of being white, of being a Man.” Not only does the concept address the undeniable lack of humanization of black men in America but it gives direct support to the idea of the “Black White man” and his want to be “in” with the white people of America that I read about in Mary Crow Dog’s Lakota Woman. Though he questions exactly how he is supposed to live in this black body he was given he seems

One of the many powerful messages in Between the World and Me is the idea of the “dream” or lack thereof for black men and women. Ta-Nehisi Coates is the author and is addressing it to his 15 year-old son. He want his son to know and understand what is happening in the world and why the world may view him differently than other races. The importance of him writing this to his son in his “15th year” (as Coates calls it) is because that is the point in a teenagers life where they began to make decisions for themselves and hang out with friends more. They are beginning to see the world for themselves without much help from their parents.

In fact, the meaning behind it is quite negative; when Coates refers to the phrase “the Dream,” he is referring to his take on the traditional American Dream. Rather than the overwhelming amount of freedom and equality America spoke of, that was supposed to provide a solid foundation upon which prosperity could be built, black people were met with grand gestures of exploitation and oppression. In other words, Coates is hoping that his son never feels the need to diminish his own intelligence or talent for the sake of making his oppressors comfortable with his existence. On the other hand, Coates also hopes that his son does not quantify his aspirations and accomplishments according to the illusion of the American dream—he would much rather his son grow up understanding his history enough to not fall victim to

After reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I felt that the most powerful message in the book was Coates’ assertion that African Americans are striving for the “Dream” which is in fact unreachable. The “Dream” is supposed to be the desire of people to live in a big house with a white picket fence and a big yard, however because it was built on the backs of black people, literally, it is not something that is a realistic goal or a realistic dream. Coates wants his son to realize that America has been built on the marginalization of black people and other minorities and that because of this, it is not a place which will allow races that white people have deemed as “lesser” to prosper. The first major takeaway that I got from reading