The Role Of Education : The Importance Of The Veil

In 1899, Du Bois published one of the most popular sociological study on the African American community called The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study which helped set a precedent for his future writings. In the study, Du Bois created a new term called "the talented tenth,” the idea that 1 out of every 10 African Americans had the potential to becoming leader. This helped shift many people’s mentality, including blacks, on the role of African Americans in American society. This ideology, accepted widely throughout the north, encouraged blacks to continue their education, write and express themselves clearly, and personally get involved in social change. Du Bois recognized the inequality based off race and thought that classical education was the only way to close that

De Beauvoir translates the idea of the Veil that Du Bois presents in The Souls of Black Folk in a way that applies to the oppression of women. Du Bois defines the Veil as the greatest problem to the liberation of black people because of the mental oppression it defines. The Veil symbolizes the way the black people see themselves through the white race’s perspective which causes self-hatred and a belief of inferiority to the white race. When arguing the cause of this mental oppression Du

The essay that I am presenting today is “Strivings of the Negro People” by W.E.B Dubois. This essay was written in as an article in the Atlantic Monthly in 1987, but before I get to essay, I would like to give some background information about Mr. Dubois. Both scholar and activist, W.E.B. Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He studied at Harvard University and, in 1895, became the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard. He wrote extensively and was the best known spokesperson for African American rights during the first half of the 20th century. Du Bois co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. He died in

DuBois's story "The Veil" shows a concept that is visible on many levels. The veil can be seen as the literal darker skin of the black people, which is an easy way to identitify any race from any other race. This physical trait allows for discrimination solely because it is the easiest thing to point out. The veil also explores the idea of the White's lack of acceptance of Blacks as Americans, let alone "real" Americans. The veil also covers the notion of the Blacks' inability to see themselves outside of what America (White Americans) had described them as.

Growing up Du Bois often played with the white kids in school, and he strived to be recognized for being more knowledgeable in all aspects than they were, however, he came to realize that it would never be possible. Through interactions with other black boys Du Bois was made aware of his limitations, nevertheless, he, like many black people fought to be optimistic in finding ways to take these opportunities that were so rightfully theirs. However, the question emerged of how could a person strive to be prosperous and have everything that the race he so greatly detest has, without being considered dishonorable by his own people? Many African Americans are brainwashed and fall under the misconception that having an education, a career, or even speaking proper, falls into the category of acting white. This ideology places a lot of stress on many successful black people, who growing up faced bullying and were described as a disgrace to their own race.

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B DuBois pioneers two concepts that describe the Black experience in America— the notions of “the veil” and “double-consciousness.” The meaning and implication of these words not only describe the plight of being Black and American then, it also refers to what it means to still be Black and American today – the remnants of the past live on. DuBois explains the veil concept in reference to three things: the literal darker skin of Blacks, which is the physical demarcation of the difference from whiteness, white people’s lack of clarity in order to see Blacks as “true” Americans, and lastly Blacks’ lack of clarity to see themselves outside of what white America prescribes for them. The idea of double consciousness refers to the two-ness, caused by our nations flawed and polarized system, felt by many Blacks. I argue that although DuBois was the first to coin these two terms, it is clear through analyzing Uncle Tom’s Cabin and 12 Years a Slave that these two significant concepts gave a name to what African-Americans had been feeling for years but previously could not define.

   In his book The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois says “The negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second sight in this American world – a world which yields him no self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world” (pg 348). He uses the metaphor of a veil to describe the social distance between people. However as I read through chapter one, it was interesting for

As DuBois looks through the veil, he can see a world that he loves, but cannot belong to because it belongs to the whites. The veil perpetuates the concept of alienation from the world to which he knows he will never belong. From the other side, whites look through at blacks, and construct their own opinions of the opposing race, and in doing so, create an opinion that is accepted by blacks themselves. The distortion created by the veil muddles the world of the whites and also the self-knowledge within each individual on the black side of the veil.

In Of One Blood a major part of the novel was about Reuel trying to hide his African descent, but ultimately, in the end, embraces his African Roots. In W.E.B. DE Bois The Soul of Black Folk, he explains the how in American society, there is a “veil” that prohibits African Americans to succeed. The veil is a metaphor for the oppression that black people face, and it also represents the life of a “Negro”. In Of One Blood, Reuel has an education and going to medical school, but still, faces challenges just because of his race. In Africa, he is a prince and rules over all the people, while being light enough to pass as a white man. In a sense, there is no “veil” that was suppressing him while in Africa. Reuel learned that race is just a systematic system made to oppress people of color. W.E.B Du Bois also talks about how when he was trying to find a job how he had an education but he could never truly feel like an American even after finding a job. When he was offered a job, he was asked to join by the commissioner, he realizes that he was never an equal. He thinks "Oh," thought I, "this is lucky"; but even then fell the awful shadow of the Veil, for they ate first, then I – alone”. (W.E.B. Du

What is slavery and where does it stem from. The Webster’s dictionary definition of slavery means “the condition of a slave; the state of entire subjection of one person to the will of another”. The African slave trade started way back in the 1400’s from the west coast of Africa1stAfrica entered into a unique relationship with Europe that led to the devastation and depopulation of Africa, but contributed to the wealth and development of Europe. From then until the end of the 19th century, Europeans began to establish a trade for African captives. Why would people do such a thing what were they to gain from such wickedness? Timothy 6:10”For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

The turn-of-the-century W.E.B Du Bois wrote his seminal text The Souls of Black Folk in response to what was then called the 'Negro Problem.' The 'Negro Problem' was the question of whether African-Americans should be treated as equal within the firmament of American society and whether integration or separate but equal were more viable doctrines. Du Bois wrote against such advocates of acceptance like Booker T. Washington, and instead demanded parity for his people in terms of opportunities. In the first essay of Du Bois' book entitled "Our Spiritual Strivings," Du Bois writes of his frustrations as a young, African-American child who was intelligent and thoughtful yet all too well aware of how his race would limit his ability to pursue his studies although he

W.E.B. Du Bois writes a collection of essays on race, preferably the African American race, entitled The Souls of Black Folks. In the forethought, Du Bois lets the reader know gather together an introduction of the rest of the book. He introduces you to his concept of “the veil” Drawing from his own personal experiences, Du Bois develops a remarkable book on how the world is divided by a color line. The divide being between white and privileged, and black and controlled. I will attempt to break down the thought process of Du Bois during the entirety of this synopsis of chapters 1, 3, and 6.

The veil is used as a lens how others view black individuals, a lens that unclear. Veil of race is the idea of a color line. The veil equals double consciousness (individuals having two distinct views) in how there are apparent multiple perspectives. White Americans don’t see black individuals as Americans. The existing perception of social life (seeing self through eyes of others). Consequently, blacks view themself the way the white Americans define them. Perceptions results experiences.

Du Bois illustrated this concept by using the example of race within the United States of America. He illustrated that the African-American individuals was marginalised and repressed

The idea of double consciousness, termed by W.E.B. Du Bois, for African Americans deals with the notion that one’s self has duality in being black and American. It is the attempt to reconcile two cultures that make up the identity of black men and women. One can only see through the eyes of another. A veil exists in this idea, where one has limits in how he or she can see or be seen. This individual is invisible to the onlookers of the veil, and those onlookers may be invisible to the individual. This then alters how one can truly interpret their conscious. This concept is one that has been explored in various themes of literature,