James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain

The Story “The Black Ball” written by Ralph Ellison is about a man named John, born around the civil war that goes through difficulties and challenges in his life him being an African American. In the story, it seems like it’s just a straight forward story but if you take a real close look at it you can see that there is a message within the story. Through Metaphors and allegories and other literary terms like characterization, you can see the negative of how racism and discrimination affects people in a big way of there thinking. The theme of the story would have to do with Persistence and doing hard work through the tough times.

James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” was a great tale of the struggles shared between two brothers in Harlem in 1957. This story is about two African American brothers who, unfortunately, grew apart as the aged. The plot shows the struggles the two brothers faced as they grew up in Harlem, and in return, the two drastically different paths they perused. James Baldwin was an African American who grew up in Harlem in the 1930s and 40s. Baldwin was the oldest of nine children, and grew up in a very poor family, having a very bad relationship with his stepfather. Baldwin followed in his stepfather’s footsteps in becoming a preacher, but as he was studying to do so, he realized that his true calling was to become a writer. Baldwin

King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discusses the topic of segregation and just and unjust laws, whereas Baldwin in his “Notes of a Native Son” places an emphasis on relationships, particularly the relationship between his father and him. Additionally, Baldwin discusses the impact of racism on the lives of African Americans during that time. Although these essays are dated back over fifty years ago; the topics discussed in them are still very common today.

The first essay is about James Baldwin's personal perspective of being black in racist America. The second essay goes on to how religion and Christianity allowed the segregation and oppression of blacks to grow between both whites and blacks of the United States (Baldwin, 1963). Christianity in the United States can be easily be compared to the opiate of the masses. Religion controlled the lives of the whites and forced the blacks to live under the oppressive rule of the whites.

Africans have long faced racism in their long history in America. They have had their identities and rights lost under centuries of slavery. Even after the Civil War, the inequalities between African Americans and Caucasians did not cease to exist. From these troubles, many strong people have risen and been able to tell their stories. Among these include a former slave who traveled north and gained freedom, Frederick Douglass and civil rights activist, Malcolm X who both wrote their own autobiographies about their journeys against racism. While Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass lived about a century apart, they share similarities in how they faced and combated racism through education, inspiration by other people, and their eventually finding of freedom.

Brent Staples’ essay titled, “Just Walk On By”, really impacted and resonated with me. His essay was about the many discriminations that African Americans face every day. He was able to deliver this powerful message by telling the story of how he faced stereotypes and racial profiling almost all the time. He describes how just a simple walk at night could threaten and frighten a local white civilian. Every day he was seen as a dangerous and outlawed criminal because of the color of his skin. He gave examples of these discriminations that he faced by describing how when he was simply taking a nighttime stroll to put himself to sleep frightened a white lady walking ahead of him. She automatically assumed that because they were walking alone

James Baldwin is looked upon by many as the first of the great Black writers to have had a significant impact on the Civil Rights movement. James Baldwin work was very important to the civil rights movement and he was influenced by the civil rights movement. Born in 1924, Baldwin moved to Paris, France in his early twenties and it was from there that he did most of his important writing (Boyd). Baldwin began his writing career as a novelist and his personal goal was always to attain a status as a respected novelist but it was his contributions as an essayist that provided him with his greatest level of respect. Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing through the 60s, Baldwin wrote a series of essays that were not only critically acclaimed but were also considered to have significant impact on the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

The two poems “White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey and “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes were written to express racial dilemmas that the authors went through. Thematically, they represent the American Dream. In “White Lies” we see that Trethewey went through some racial identity issues. She felt as if she had to lie to blend in with the rest of the whites, which was easy for her because she was mixed. To understand the full meaning of this poem, one assumes that Trethewey was the product of an interracial marriage. This type of thing was frowned upon during the time she grew up. In the poem “Theme for English B” Hughes seems to accept the fact that he is different. Hughes does not seem to have a problem with expressing his difference. He looks at as his individuality and strives to let everyone know that he is proud of who he is. The two poems have many similarities and differences.

Narrative is a form of writing used by writers to convey their experiences to an audience. James Baldwin is a renowned author for bringing his experience to literature. He grew up Harlem in the 1940’s and 1950’s, a crucial point in history for America due to the escalading conflict between people of different races marked by the race riots of Harlem and Detroit. This environment that Baldwin grew up in inspires and influences him to write the narrative “Notes of a Native Son,” which is based on his experience with racism and the Jim-Crow Laws. The narrative is about his father and his influence on Baldwin’s life, which he analyzes and compares to his own experiences. When Baldwin comes into

Another Country is a fiction book written by James Baldwin in 1962. James Baldwin was an essayist, playwright, and novelist with many popular writings. He is an iconic African American for his writings during the Civil Rights era in the United States focusing on racial and social issues. In Another Country, Baldwin’s characters go through interracial, homosexual, bisexual, and violent relationships. The main character, Rufus Scott, is an African American jazz drummer that commits suicide after the pressures of exploring his sexuality and race. He realizes he feels racial and masculine power when he has sexual encounters with white people due to the Civil Right era where as a black man he has no power. His friends and sister throughout the book feel guilty and try to unveil the reasons Rufus committed suicide, causing them themselves to explore their sexuality and identifying themselves within their race.

Racism or racial discrimination is the direct opposite of being loving and therefore stops people from becoming the Jesuit ideal of being men and women for others. Poems, the literary arts and motion pictures can offer an escape for those affected by this type of bigotry. Unfortunately, there has been other examples of racially prejudiced poems, literary arts, and motion pictures. For example the 1915 film Birth of a Nation was a groundbreaking film that led to the emergence of the Second Ku Klux Klan. The movie dealt with the Civil War and the Reconstruction era of the United States. The reason why this film is so controversial is that it portrayed African Americans as not smart and also sexual violent, while portraying the KKK as a just and chivalrous force for good. This film influenced the Harlem Renaissance Poets because it illustrated how hate and discrimination existed against African Americans. That is why racial discrimination is one of the most important problems. Racial discrimination and stereotypes are important to consider in modern times because they are the opposite of love, which is hate. The poetry I chose that dealt with how African Americans not only survive with racism but learned how to defeat it.

One thing that seems to never change throughout time is discrimination, mostly, towards a minority community. One lecture that has explained it well was Judith Ortiz Cofer with “The Myth of the Latin American Woman.” This passage mainly focuses on the discrimination towards latina women, the typical stereotypes that latinas are subjected to, and how people expect latinas to feel flattered that they disrespect them! Another controversial piece of literature that I have chosen to express the discrimination that minorities have been exposed to during the 1930’s is Langston Hughes, “Let America be America Again.” Within this poem, Langston Hughes expresses the viewpoints from every working person that tried seeing a free AMerica for them, not just the rich people that have manipulated it to benefit them, and not the whole country.

In 1957, Baldwin got involved in the Civil Rights Movement. His contribution to the movement included a multitude of books that focused on African American and White relations including, among others: The Fire Next Time. Along with his books, Baldwin wrote many articles about society and human rights. Furthermore, as an activist Baldwin ventured to the south several times in order to get a better understanding of the race issues in America. Baldwin also attended the March on Washington and remained active until he died. Through his writing, Baldwin became one of the most important advocates for equality in America.

The examples I chose to use that really stuck out to me were Atticus and the trial; Boo Radley and his reputation; Tom Robinson and his death. Scout and her personality, Dill and not being able to get Boo out of his house, and of course African Americans and the racism in Maycomb.

The Civil Rights Movement that began in the late 1950's was a struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to primarily African American citizens of the United States. In the end, African-Americans won basic rights long denied to them, as well as inspired other discriminated groups to fight for their own rights, which had a deep effect on American society. Many blacks took part in this movement, whether it was through protesting or holding demonstrations. However, some blacks used writing as a means of contributing. James Baldwin published Stranger in the Village as a means of expressing his views of African-American racism. As a result, their efforts helped set the foundation for equal rights among blacks for generations