Racial Tension In The Works Of James Baldwin

Racism is a big issue in today’s world. It has become something that cause violence and conflict. The aggressive nature of racism is consuming the equal rights for what humanity is supposed to be. It is a problem that an extensive amount of people are dealing with all over the world. Racial bias has been around for quite sometime now, and it only seems to be progressing into something that one simply cannot comprehend. In the short story “Sonny’s Blues,” the author, James Baldwin, emphasizes on the lasting effect of racism throughout the story. Baldwin vaguely expresses the impact of racial bias on the character Sonny. The audience has to infer the reasoning behind what the author is trying to convey. In the story, racism is a significant

In “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is” James Baldwin argues that black English provides a distinctive view of experience. Baldwin reveals the way language shapes and is formed by life’s circumstances. According to Baldwin, a language allows a group to define and express who they are from their own point of view, instead of having their reality expressed by another group. He used examples like how people in England talk makes sense to their own people and not everyone else to demonstrate his thought of why Black English is not recognized as a real language. Baldwin reveals how important a language either sets people apart or brings people together.

Burning fossil fuels isn’t the only reason for pollution; likewise, language isn’t the only key to social acceptance and identity. Baldwin’s argument about the importance of language as the "key to identity and social acceptance" is somewhat accurate. Society acceptances us due to our language and provides us with an identity. Social acceptance should be based on how one represents themselves in front of others. Language is of the aspects that determines one’s social acceptance, but it is not the only key to social acceptance. Identity is who you are and something that defines someone; however, language shouldn’t be the only key to one’s identity. Although language plays a significant role in social acceptance and

James Baldwin 's and Brent Staples ' situations differ in the types of racism they encountered with conjunction to the time period. On one hand, Baldwin experienced the Jim Crow Era (50-71). Jim

The essay “Notes of a Native Son” takes place at a very volatile time in history. The story was written during a time of hate and discrimination toward African Americans in the United States. James Baldwin, the author of this work is African American himself. His writing, along with his thoughts and ideas were greatly influenced by the events happening at the time. At the beginning of the essay, Baldwin makes a point to mention that it was the summer of 1943 and that race riots were occurring in Detroit. The story itself takes place in Harlem, a predominantly black area experiencing much of the hatred and inequalities that many African-Americans were facing throughout the country. This marks the beginning of a

James Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, and social critic. In the article ''If Black English Isn't a language then tell me what is?'' James Baldwin's asserts an argument as how Language is like the ID of people, it can identify, as well as define people. Due to the characteristics it has it can be defined as a persuasive essay. It attempts to persuade the readers to be on the writer's side, or accept their point of view. The article is about the history of black slavery will always be a boundary between black and white people, as it can never be forgotten. This significant essay was written in the 1970s. It talks about how language is not merely used for communication, it can be used to classify people with different social backgrounds and class. He used examples like how people in England talk make sense to their own people and not everyone else to demonstrate his thought of why Black English is not recognized as a real language. The reason is that Black English is creation of the black diaspora. In addition, he thinks that white man never meant to teach the Blacks English, the sole purpose of it was for the blacks to understand with the white people are saying so they can serve the white people. That is also the reason why he thinks black child are lost is that children can't be taught by people who despise them. I find it to be an interesting idea. He talked about the origin of black people going back to slavery. The inability to interact with each other made them create black English. Which was their own means of communication. I think that this article has a lot to say about the impact that language has on African American people and his positive approach is supported with strong historical evidence, and the authors anger behind this writing makes it stronger. However, the assumption about education makes the article weak.

James Baldwin wrote “Sonny’s Blues” (1957) about two brothers who grew up in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City known for its jazz and African American Heritage. “Sonny’s Blues” portrays Sonny and his brother, the narrator, growing up facing hardships and depicts how they react to each situation differently. Sonny, the main protagonist of the story grows up a quiet introspective person who, eventually, will become a jazz musician. Sonny has a heroin addiction that he actively is trying to battle, which is the reason he wanted to leave Harlem. James Baldwin’s mother left his father to drug abuse before moving to Harlem, NY. Growing up he was faced with lots of responsibilities and hardships, facing racial discrimination throughout school.

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 continues on and says that blacks were being oppressed everywhere. “…Negro girls who set upon a white girl in the subway because…she was stepping on their toes. Indeed she was, all over the nation” (73). Not only does this portray the ever growing tension felt among African Americans in a certain area, it expresses the tension felt across the nation. African Americans everywhere were still continuously looked down upon, causing agitation, which was the current social condition blacks and whites faced.

There are several methods to analyzing literature, many critical approaches have been influenced by Marxism. The literary element being evaluated is “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. African American and Ethnic literary criticism approaches the literary text by…taking a structuralist position that takes into account the race of the author, reader, or that focuses on African American characters or themes (Mays 2349).

James Baldwin, an African American author born in Harlem, was raised by his violent step-father, David. His father was a lay preacher who hated whites and felt that all whites would be judged as they deserve by a vengeful God. Usually, the father's anger was directed toward his son through violence. Baldwin's history, in part, aids him in his insight of racism within the family. He understands that racists are not born, but rather racist attitudes and behaviors are learned in the early stages of childhood. Baldwin's Going to Meet the Man is a perfect example of his capability to analyze the growth of a innocent child to a racist.

“In a society of criminals, the innocent man goes to jail” (Philip K Dick). James Baldwin published “ If Beale Street could Talk” published on June 17, 1974. In this novel Tish is the main character 19 year old girl in love with Fonny her first love, 21 year old boy who’s passion is wood sculpting. However a tragedy occurs and Fonny is blamed for raping Victoria Rodgers a Puerto Rican woman and goes to jail. Racism can affect the way someone thinks about others, can be overwhelming threat in society, the love that exists in a family is powerful, that can overcome an intense tragedy.

Jensen (2005), argues how people have a discriminating inclination on how they see history. When history is being used to make an ostentatious gesture of the past, it becomes vital. Jensen, (2005) also refers to the “new White People’s Burden,” (p. 93) as they understand that they are the problem and need to face what reality really means, and act based on that understanding. In essence, Baldwin wanted to help his nephew survive as a black man in America, with a more sympathetic concept of racial tautness.

In “Stranger In The Village”, James Baldwin discusses his experience of visiting a village in Switzerland, where the citizens have never seen a person of color before. Frederick Brown discusses another meaning to being different when a human is in the middle of a war with a whole new alien race in his short story “Arena.” The subjects of racism and alien encounters may seem to be two subjects that don’t belong in the same sentence, but they both show how othering occurs. Minority races are treated just like aliens from another world instead of equal human beings by majority races since they stand out from the majority. Although alien encounters are often only seen as the work of fiction, I claim that alien encounters draw parallels to race and racism because they both portray how American society views and treats those who are not the same as them as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself. This is an issue because othering minorities hinders American society by not allowing people to be at their full potential since they are not seen as equals.

Most literature authors write stories on different genres like poems, stories, and plays. These works are written using a variety of elements of literature for instance setting, themes, conflict, and characters. The following essay discusses the element of racism as a theme in Margaret Laurence’s short story “The Loons,” Langston Hughes’ poem, I Too, Sing America, and W.E.B Du Bois’ book, “The Souls of Black Folk.”