Review Of Ta-Nehisi Coates 'Book 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.

In 2015, the Atlantic magazine published, “Letter to Son” by social journalist, Ta Nehisi Coates. This essay, framed as a letter to his son, addresses social injustice towards black men in America, and how it affects their opportunities for a better life. Coates supports this claim by stating personal accounts and empathizing with black men. He also emphasizes the outcomes of slavery, and the lasting negative effects they continue to have on the black community. Its purpose was to cause the audience to feel a sense of sorrow toward the slaves. He adopts a solemn tone to get his primary audience, black men, to side with him. Coates also supports this claim by repeating phrases in order to highlight their importance. The purpose of his essay

America is seen as the country of liberty and equality; however, internal conflicts ruin such perceptions of America. Ta-Nehisi Coates writes about an American internal conflict of racial inequality in his open letter “Letter to My Son”, which was published by The Atlantic on July 4th in reference to Independence Day. He claims that the American Dream that many citizens strive for is creating a racial gap in socio-economic equality. Throughout Coates’s open letter to his son, Coates uses his ethos appeal as an educated individual and pathos appeal as a loving father in order to build up his convincing argument of African-American inequality and to appeal to his intended audience, who are parents of all ethnicities; however, his lack of logos and use of situational experiences weakens his argument due to the lack of compatibility with his intended audience.

The language that Coates uses engulfs the reader into his thoughts by using vivid descriptions and actions. As he reveals his thoughts and concerns for his son, we are placed in the mist of his fear and experiences. Although he is able to paint his world for us, he also allows us to contemplate and interpret some of the meanings behind his words. Much as if we, ourselves were developing the thoughts and ideas behind his points of view. In this sense, he is telling the reader what to think while allowing them to process the information he has presented. Even though his ideas are drawn from personal experience and may have no factual backing, the mere contemplation of its correlation or being given some truth to the statement. Additionally, a tone is set throughout the article, his language not only captures the mind but emotions. His descriptive language intensifies when he

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.

America is supposed to be the land of opportunities. A place where you are free to do anything and become whoever you want to be but this does not apply to everyone. One of the reasons for Coates disagreement is the permanent racial injustice in America. People might think that the war between black and white people is over but this is not true. Daily, we can see many cases about racial injustice like when a white man with power treats other black workers as if they were inferior to him. Not only white people treat black people this way but there are many other cases in which you can see black folks discriminate white folks and this can also be seen through public media. Coates thinks that the war between black people and white people will be a permanent one, and because of this, he is also afraid that his son needs to be more prepared for the

The US is appealing in the eyes of other countries, and even ourselves, because of the “free” and “equal” characteristics we claim ourselves to have, such as: freedom of religion, freedom to own private property, and freedom of equal justice. However, in the eyes of an African America, Atlantic Monthly Journalist, we see that all of these freedoms find a loophole when it comes to the black community. In Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book Between the World and Me, he writes from a political, yet deeply personal standpoint to analyze today’s version of racism. Coates strays away from his usual journalist works to a more deeper and personal view. His book is devoted to his fifteen-year-old son, Samori, and provides him with guidance through the struggle of racism; all while letting Samori fend for himself. Coates’ lets his son know all this through history, and heritage; of his own and of America’s.

Coates compares the lives of black people and the lives of white people, and the white life seems somewhat better than the way blacks live. For example, Coates explains how when he went to a white neighborhood and he was experiencing what the Dream was all about. He noticed how “There was so much money everywhere”. This means that when Coates seen all the different stored and people they looked like they had a lot of money, his is exactly what the American Dream is. “I saw white parents pushing double-wide strollers down Harlem boulevards”, the Dream is

In a time where racism is a dirty word, and is thought by many to be a thing of the past, Between the World and Me goes above and beyond to obliterate misconceptions that racism is not a constant presence in today’s America. It’s easy to deny the presence of racism throughout America’s history when it hasn’t directly affected you, but Ta-Nehisi Coates brings it to the surface in a way that makes it impossible to ignore.

“Black students were expelled at three times the rate of white students.” (Steven Hsieh, 2014) Until now, we are still finding unequal treatment from school in American Society from different aspects, such as school discipline, early learning, college readiness and teacher equity. However, education is more than learning from books. Education enables individuals potential to utilize human mind and open doors of opportunities to obtain knowledge. But the US educational system doesn’t serve the majority of children properly and gaps remain between white and black students. What’s more, nowadays, a lot of schools only treat education as a curriculum and test scores; ignoring the stimulus of curiosity. Therefore, “Between the World and Me” is a book written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, who weaves his own personal, historical, and intellectual development into his ruminations on how to live in a black body in America. In this book, Coates writes about education and pleasures of his own educational experience in Howard University. Although bad education hides the truth and restricts students’ ideas, education also contains pleasures, which broaden people’s mind, help people build their own thoughts, and prevent people from prison. As a result, there are more pleasures in American education that positively impact on black body than dangers.

I found it interesting that he so blatantly mentioned how hard his son’s future would be (in comparison to his white counterparts) without much mention of hope or promise. The fact that the African American people have struggled is of no secret to anyone, especially not black youth, but to be reminded that the struggle may never be over is extraordinarily disheartening. “Accepting half as much” in exchange for working “twice as hard” is sadly the reality that Coates knows he will have to encourage his young son to eventually

In the book, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, he focused on the fear young black boys have growing up in America today. Along with discussing how it makes him feel about the Society he lives in. He emphasized the effectiveness of police in America overall and uses reference to slavery. Which reminds me of Goffman premises of symbolic interactions. How individuals in society just adopt to their surroundings. Although just because a person adapts, their inner thoughts and feelings of growing up afraid or even being one to see torture or detainment for no reason but knowing you have no power to change what seems to be a cycle. Also Pierre Bourdieu concepts of, “ social space and Genesis of groups” relates to Coates focus because he argues that, “ individuals can be defined by their position in the space they are involved in”. For example, when Coates the mistreatment done on young black boys by police officers, whom are suppose to be their as a protector of the citizens but continues to misuse their intended purpose within the position.

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.

Brittanie Waddell David Kohl College Writing I January 25, 2017 Power and Education in Coates’ Between the World and Me In the excerpt of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me provided in Ways of Reading, Coates tells readers what he believes when it comes to the idea of him, a black man in Baltimore, to figuratively and literally lose his body. He also talks about living in America, where people believe themselves to be white and where fear is wrought down on many blacks, including himself throughout his childhood, shaping who he has become as an adult. Coates learned a valuable lesson when he was younger about power and how easy it can be to lose your body.

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