John Baldwin 's ' A Black Man ' And `` A Melancholy Story Written By James Baldwin

He wants his readers to imagine the pain and humiliation of the ill treatment that African Americans endure on a daily basis. King writes of vicious mobs lynching people’s mothers and fathers, policemen killing people’s brothers and sisters, a man and his wife not receiving the proper respect they deserve because of their skin color, and the notion that African Americans feel insignificant within their communities; this is why these peaceful demonstrators of whom the clergymen attack “find it difficult to wait” (King, 20). However, King believes that soon, injustice will be exposed, like “a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up” (King, 30). This vivid description helps arouse an emotional response, driving shame into the hearts of his white readers.

James Baldwin argues that “such Frustrations, so long endured, is driving many strong, admirable men and women whose only crime is color

The discriminating social stratification in 1950’s developed a set of servile behavior on the blacks. They were thought to be inferior to whites, and were treated accordingly. Moreover, different parts of the country had various ranges of sensitivities while dealing with the blacks. For example, in Mississippi things were particularly tense after the Parker lynch case. No black man would dare look into any white man’s eyes in fear of the repercussions. On the bus, a man warned Griffin to watch himself closely until he caught onto Mississippi’s ways. In an extreme case like this, it was vital to learn about their roles and behave accordingly.

Discrimination has afflicted the American society since its inception in 1776. The inferiority of the African American race – a notion embedded within the mindset of the white populace has difficult to eradicate – despite the efforts of civil rights activists and lawmakers alike. Many individuals are of the opinion that discrimination and racism no longer exist and that these issues have long since been resolved during the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. However such is not the case. Discrimination is a complex issue – one that encompasses many aspects of society. The impact of discrimination of the African American race is addressed from two diverse perspectives in the essays: “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King .

Baldwin, however, describes his father as being a very black-like “African tribal chieftain” (64) who was proud of his heritage despite the chains it locked upon him. He is shown to be one with good intentions, but one who never achieved the positive outcome intended. His ultimate downfall was his paranoia such that “the disease of his mind allowed the disease of his body to destroy him” (66). Baldwin relates the story of a white teacher with good intentions and his father’s objection to her involvement in their lives because of his lack of trust for any white woman. His father’s paranoia even extended to Baldwin’s white high school friends. These friends, although they could be kind, “would do anything to keep a Negro down” (68), and they believed that the “best thing to do was to have as little to do with them as possible” (68). Thus, Baldwin leaves the reader with the image of his father as an unreasonable man who struggled to blockade white America from his life and the lives of his children to the greatest extent of his power. Baldwin then turns his story to focus on his own experience in the world his father loathed and on his realization that he was very much like his father.

Today, racist sororities and fraternities on college campuses have grown to be a public crisis. Recently at the University of Oklahoma, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity released a video including racial slurs and lynching of African Americans (Glionna et al.). This activity shows that there is racism among Americans even in the twenty-first century. There are many other publicized cases involving racism in American society which proves that racism is not just an issue of the past. The past contains elements of racial misconduct that can be explained by James Baldwin and Brent Staples. Baldwin, a preacher and published writer, writes “Notes of a Native Son” to emphasize his experiences and actions towards racism of a different time (50-71). Staples, a reporter and columnist who wrote “Just Walk on By: Black Men in Public Spaces”, describes difficulties and stereotypes from the nation and how he suffered through, yet, another difficult time in American history (394-97). Both have a way with words in describing past racial issues. But in comparison of Baldwin and Staples, one can see that the type of racism they experience, their age and maturity, and their response to racism differ entirely by noting the different time eras of racism that each encounters.

There have been many cases of social injustice on a number of occasions in the expansive history of the United States. The oppressions of the early movements for women’s suffrage and the relocation and encampment of Native Americans are two of many occurrences. Around the middle of the 20th century, a movement for equality and civil liberties for African Americans among citizens began. In this essay, Notes of a Native son James Baldwin, a black man living in this time, recalls experiences from within the heart of said movement. Baldwin conveys a sense of immediacy throughout his passage by making his writing approachable and estimating an enormous amount of ethos.

Racism is a topic that has existed for many years. But where does it come from? Who do we blame? Should we blame television, music, politics or even our own families? All of the above play a role in racism. We aren't born hating each other. As we grow up we are taught to hate each other. Things such as how our family members talk, treat and deal with other races affect us tremendously. This is where the problem begins. Then our hatred grows as we are influenced by the things we see on TV and the things being said about others in the music that we listen to. As we read the papers we read about politicians bad mouthing other races. How about where we live, go to school or even work? Yes, another set of

Baldwin opens his argument acknowledging the distortion of segregation for the segregationists. According to Baldwin, people who, since birth, have been taught to think a certain way towards the African American race. “The white South African or Mississippi sharecropper or Alabama sheriff has at bottom a system of reality which compels them really to believe when they face the Negro that this

In “Going to Meet the Man” by James Baldwin the reader opens up with a scene that is considered one of the most horrific torture and murder scenes in history; or of the 1940’s. The story is so graphic that it takes you away from the main idea of racism, hatred and murder. Nevertheless, the theme of the story is a transformation of a young child into a stereotypical Black Southern-American hating bigot. Through dramatic detail Baldwin explains the mindset of a white southern police officer and how he came to hate Black-Americans. This was representative of the racial, violent black South because this exemplified what happens to most white-Americans and how they are brained washed unknowingly to hate anyone that does not resemble the same

The concept of love is often a misunderstood term; Webster's Dictionary defines it as “a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties” but what that vague explanation doesn’t reveal are the beautiful, messy, destructive, complicated elements that align with the word. It is a term that is entirely complex, yet to those who have not experienced it, it is merely the dry definition that breeds simplicity. James Baldwin displays a vivid image of the intricate word in his novel “Another Country” which tells the stories of artists, mainly in New York, struggling to love and be loved amid the complexities of racism, sexism, and homophobia. It is about love, and the many different forms that it takes--- romantic love, self love, and even platonic love; it also shows how society impacts that love. In “Another Country” Baldwin poses a troubling question: How do different forms of oppression affect one’s ability to love?

The 1960’s was a time in America that was filled with history making events. The Civil Rights Movements was just one of many. From Rosa Parks on the bus to the marches in Washington D.C.; America was riddled with racism and war. James Baldwin’s “Going to Meet a Man” is no exception it depicts a sheriff who is an extreme racist. This story in many ways depicts the most violent circumstances the pure hatred that some white men and women had against African American people. Baldwin’s “Going to Meet a Man” accurately depicts the extreme side of racism; but most cases the violence that was shown usually was not performed by the sheriff in public.

At first glance, racism is someone’s’ belief that his/her race is superior to another- in which is sought to be expressed by only people who are considered racists by others. Yet, many times, it does not register in one’s mind that even though this may be true, there is a type of racism that we all have experienced, which has stemmed from the beginning of time- called unconscious racism. Race is a social construct, yet we have not consciously overridden the biases developed throughout history. Unconscious racism is easy to ignore, and you can barely comprehend that you’re doing it, unless you are the victim. Throughout history, each and every one of us has said remarks which have our own biases in secret, hidden undertones, and yet unless you are the receiver of the bias, you do not realize what you are doing. Even today, famous people such as Donald Trump inadvertently showed his unconscious racism in one of his recent speeches. He said, “Some of my best friends are black,” (Rosenberg, 2). Which, is a classic tell-tale racist remark used to preface this unconscious anti-black, and racist expression. Throughout history, the idea of biases has not gone away- just gotten worse. And, between the infamous Holocaust dealing with Social Darwinism and then with the elongated time period of segregation and slavery, , unconscious racism was prevalent and still is today.

The parents influence on a child’s religion is strong but it isn’t inevitable that the child will become the same religion as their parents. There are a few factors that come into play for the transitions of religion to be effective. The first factor is quality, which means religious socialization is stronger when marital happiness is stronger in a family and if parents are more accepting and affectionate towards their children. The second factor is unity. If the parents of two separate religions then the link between the child and the parents religious influence will be disrupted. However if the religion is the same between the parents then the link will be stronger because religion beliefs will be practices more frequently. The third factor is stability. This states that if children grow up in intact families then the likelihood of children staying in a religion is stronger if the family was not intact. After I investigated the realization of religious socialization I came to realize that the only reason I was a Christian was because my family raise me in a stable, unified and affectionate home were

Often children are born into their family’s traditions, customs, and beliefs, not leaving them an option to decide if they wish to practice or not practice the same religion as their parents. Not only is it the parents influencing this “decision”, but it is also the people surrounding the children. They wake up on Sunday mornings and are forced to go to their respective churches, and then are constantly being told by their religious leaders that coming to church is something they have to do in