Rhetorical Strategies Used In A Talk To Teachers By James Baldwin

Not only does Baldwin use ethos and pathos in his essay, but he also uses plenty of repetition to reinforce his case for equality of education. For example, repetition is shown when Baldwin writes, “What I am trying to suggest to you is that it was not an accident, it was not an act of God, it was not done by well meaning people… It was a deliberate policy hammered into place in order to make money from black flesh.” This device is important because it clearly shows that whites have no excuse to justify why they treated the blacks so poorly. Also, it achieves the author’s purpose because it shows that if blacks are not taught about their past, due to whites wanting to sugar coat the history of slavery, then blacks will never truly be educated.

‘A Talk to Teachers’ by James Baldwin published on December 21, 1963 is a very brave and direct message to teachers on how they are contributing to the prejudice in society during that time period. Baldwin’s tone in this essay shifts frequently however, the constant tone that enhances his purpose of this essay is urgency. Baldwin’s urgency to make teachers change the prejudice view on “negros” and the false history that is being taught about African Americans. For he refers to it as “any negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of being schizophrenic.”

Baldwin uses the experiences he faced in New Jersey and the personal relationship with his father to show ethos throughout his essay. At one point in his essay, Baldwin finds himself in New Jersey where segregation still exist. “I learned in New Jersey…one was never looked at but was simply at the mercy of the reflexes the color of one’s skin caused in other people” (68). Here Baldwin expresses how circumstances in New Jersey were like at the time, but also portrays the way people were viewed based on the color of their skin. Baldwin later goes on to mention the year he spent in New Jersey, was the year in which “[he] first contracted some dread, chronic disease” (70). This “disease” Baldwin contracted is not an actual disease, but more of a way in which he begins to feel and see the world around him differently. The disease Baldwin is referring to throughout his entire essay is bitterness. Living in New Jersey caused Baldwin to gain the sense of bitterness that his father had lived with during his life. Baldwin’s bitterness comes from the way he was specifically treated in New Jersey and how he allowed that feeling to affect his behaviors. Baldwin specifically mentions the moment in New Jersey where the white waitress approaches him at the restaurant stating, “We don’t serve Negroes here” (71). At this point we begin to see Baldwin as he acts out in violence by stating, “I wanted her to come close enough for me to get her neck

In the text, Baldwin explains to his nephew how his grandfather was defeated in life because he believed he was what the white world called him and treated him as. Baldwin then recalls emotional memories of holding his little brother when he was a baby, wiping away his tears, and hearing his laughter, to show their love and attachment. Baldwin then proceeds to tell of the damage he saw discrimination and racism do over the years to his brother, saying, “But no one’s hand can wipe away those tears he sheds invisibly today, which one hears in his laughter and in his speech and in his songs” (Baldwin 5). By saying this, and addressing the damage the saw the discriminatory treatment do to a loved one , Baldwin creates an image anyone could relate to, in hopes that African-Americans will begin to be treated as equals.

In the short story “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin describes how racism limits African American’s possibilities, causing them to be physically and emotionally entrapped. This containment creates suffering, and Baldwin argues that the only way to cope with it is through music. James Baldwin argues that the lack of possibilities caused by racism traps African Americans in Harlem. The narrator is explaining how he grew up in Harlem and how it hasn’t changed. The narrator talks about Sonny’s struggles and that he sees the struggles Sonny went though in the same kids that he currently teaches.

In recent discussion of the essay “A Talk to Teachers” James Baldwin believes he would be able to help out the Negro children more if he was a teacher in a Negro school. James Baldwin then expresses, “if I were a teacher in this school, or any Negro school, and I was dealing with the Negro children, who were in my care only a few hours of every day and would then return to their homes and to the streets, children who have an apprehension of their future which with every hour grows grimmer and darker, I would try to teach them - I would try to make them know - that those streets, those houses, those dangers, those agonies by which they are surrounded, are criminal” (Baldwin). I used to believe that the only way these Negro children

In this essay logos and ethos are capable of drawing in the audience while also showing the true struggles that black children face. Baldwin focus on using ethos and logos to help his audience of teachers understand the struggles that their black students face every day. When Baldwin cites the Bible and displays his knowledge of history, the civil rights unrest, and communism, he is using logos to gain support for his cause. Baldwin perceives history as being grand and broad, with many sides and perspectives and many ways it can be analyzed to teach the world different lessons about the past and the future. Through the use of logos Baldwin is attempting to inform readers of the true nature of education, and how African-American students have been affected. Baldwin it’s trying to convey the point that the “negro child” has the same amount of energy and potential as the white kids, however, unlike the white kids this energy and potential is often disregarded by society. He uses his life story as an example to describe the struggles of growing up as a Negro in a prejudiced society. He appeals to the audiences ethics because he is a black man, Baldwin speaks from experience when he addresses the teachers. The audience can view him as a reliable source of information because of his identity. He can easily relate to black children. Baldwin employs ethos to drive home the point that the “negro child” “is stronger than this conspiracy and that he must never make his peace with it”(19). He seeks to inform teachers about the struggles that African-American students experience, and the inequities of society. He achieves this through his application of ethos and logos. Through Baldwin’s correct application of logos and ethos the reader leaves the essay truly understanding the struggles of the African-American

Most importantly, he understands how to challenge it. Baldwin’s letter is beautifully crafted, and remarkably motivational. It appreciates and takes prides in the beauty that exists in the black mind and all it’s capabilities. Though this letter is addressed to his nephew, it has a power that speaks to the masses as well. I find it crucial that he comments on the many Americans that do not outright abuse black people and may believe that they are innocent.

Baldwin’s opening letter, “My Dungeon Shook”, is poetic, and emotional. Which one could expect from a talented young minister whose primary goal is to reach the consciences of entire communities through the power of speech. Baldwin does indeed have a way with words, metaphor, and persuasive language. The first, most striking point Baldwin presents concerns the moral ignorance of mankind, particularly the white race. Baldwin states,

James Baldwin experienced life during the civil rights period with the unique perspective of a black homosexual. Growing up with a religious and violent father, Baldwin found himself pushed into the role of a preacher at a young age, but the role failed to satisfy him. He longed for meaning; he longed for the life full of possibilities that the writer experienced. As a writer, Baldwin travelled the world, encountered different cultures, and gained a new insight into life. This new perspective allowed a clearer vision of what society could become, and Baldwin used his writing to portray the true circumstances of life in America.

In the article “Notes of a Native Son,” James Baldwin explains how racism has an effect in his life and how he would deal with racism in his life. Mr. Baldwin tells three events that occurred during his time with his father when his father was still alive. Baldwin shares the story of how proud his father was before he died and how he was of the first generation of freemen. Baldwin also shared the story of the Harlem riot he witnesses. Baldwin explains how the white world was too powerful for black people to handle or overpower. I believe that Baldwin is very effective to his readers by using personal memories and personal experience to teach people to move on from whatever have happened to them in the past.

Similar with Wright, Baldwin noted that all black men in the Congress shared “a painful relation to the white world. What they held in common was their necessity to remake the world in their own image. To impose this image on the world, and no longer be controlled by the vision of the world, and of themselves held by other people.” (Princes and Powers page 29). To put it simply, both writers acknowledged that what unified Africans and African Americans was their fights and struggles that they had to endure in order to be treated as equal people by Western

James Baldwin is considered to be one of the great writers of modern time. There are many characteristics of his writing that could be used to show his talent but the one that is most often cited is his ability to interweave narrative and opinion seamlessly into his essays. One example of this ability is in his “Notes of a Native Son” essay. He interweaves narrative of his father and his death with his opinions about the relationship between blacks and whites at that time. James Baldwin uses contrasting ideas such as public vs. private, father vs. son, and past vs. present to switch back and forth between the narrative and his opinions.

In today’s issues around the world, many are being judged on how people look. When you see the news, the first things you see are racial issues. We see police officers committing horrible acts of crime towards colored people. Many African American people are outraged because of the horrendous crimes these people commit and nothing is being done. Slowly we are losing innocent people because of their color. Another social issue is Isis. This too, is also a racial issue that 's killing a lot of innocent people around the world. In today’s world it 's changed a huge perspective on life; it 's made life for us human to remain alive and work together to help one another. Before starting this class, I’ve never read Baldwin and his skillful writing about his life back in the day till now when I’ve read Coates story about today 's era. A lot really hasn 't changed because racism has never changed throughout the years.

Also, Baldwin describes how society thinks it understand Black America when in reality, it understand the stereotypes engraved into its mind. The story begins by introducing an African American