The Veil By Jean Dubois

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.

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois is a influential work in African American literature and is an American classic. In this book Dubois proposes that "the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line." His concepts of life behind the veil of race and the resulting "double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others," have become touchstones for thinking about race in America. In addition to these lasting concepts, Souls offers an evaluation of the progress of the races and the possibilities for future progress as the nation entered the twentieth century.

The next aspect of double consciousness consists of the rejection of African Americans by white Americans and institutions. Blacks are forced to live in America, but at the same time, are not considered “true” Americans and are separated by the veil that DuBois talks about. DuBois first feels this rejection when a little girl at his school rejected his card for no reason other than his skin color. He asks, “Why did God make me an outcast and a stranger in mine own house?” (Dubois 896). He describes opportunities for blacks as “relentlessly narrow, tall, and unscalable to sons of night” (896) giving the impression that a

He claims that all parties involved were silenced and began to practice Washington’s teachings. DuBois sees Washington as a paradox that takes away the rights of the African American yet advocates for them to do better. He believes Washington is shifting the weight of the problem onto the African American people rather than everyone as a whole. 2.

Slavery established the black body at the bottom of the American social order, and DuBois’ mission was to humanize black people in the eyes of white people – to clarify that these are people, these are human beings, and these are families. In his first essay, he mentions a singular question that most white people want to ask black men. This question is always: "how does it

DuBois’ double-consciousness is quite simply the twoness of American Negroes. It is this sense of “always looking at one’s self through the

In Dubois (1903) “The Soul of Black Folk” the ideas of double consciousness and the veil affect blacks. A veil is a piece of clothing that conceals a face. The veil is figurative and is presented in the film through Buggin outs questions Sal of the wall of fame. Even though it’s Sal’s pizzeria Buggin out raises a great point. Buggin out tells Sal that the clientele he attracts are black folk. While black folk are the majority of the customers they should have a say on the wall of fame. The veil is to conceal the importance of blacks. To Sal and his sons blacks are not important enough to put on the wall. The community is diverse but Sal’s son Pino view blacks with hate and resentment. Pino views blacks as apes and animals not people. Another example of the veil can be the conversation Mookie has with Pino. Mookie criticizes Pino for constantly critiquing blacks and questions his favorite entertainers. Pino’s

naturally endured identity issues. I feel that W.E.B Du Bois’ idea of double consciousness comes

“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” (Dubois)

Through his work, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” W.E.B. Dubois takes the reader on a journey through the typical black man’s eyes. He creates a new meaning of the African American man as he shares personal experiences and stories of the past alike. He plays upon the heart strings of every reader, no matter the race, with his literary knowledge of words, use of pathos, and stories of his past experience to pull in emotional ties to his work. The application of dualism allows the reader, who is most commonly white men, to choose a side to sympathize with, for Dubois gives the sense of double consciousness as the African and the American throughout his entire work.

DuBois' mature vision was a reconcilation of the "sense of double consciousness" - the "two warring ideals" of being both black and American. He came to accept struggle and conflict as essential elements of life, but he continued to believe in the inevitable progress of the human race - that out of individual struggles against a divided self and political struggles of the oppressors, a broader and fuller human life would emerge that would benefit all of mankind (Kerry W.).

Du Bois’s main proposal in this book is to explain the effect racism had on the identity of African Americans. Du Bois tries to make his audience comprehend the systematic oppression that African Americans faced during the time of reconstruction through a series of true anecdotes and narratives. He uses the anecdotes and narratives not only to appeal to his audience’s pathos and ethos, but also to convince his audience with evidence in a realistic and clear manner. He tries to have his audience understand the very different life African Americans lived compared to those that white Americans lived, and how that existing racism affected the identity of those African Americans. Throughout this book, he explains that the law and order of society in a post-slavery era prevented African Americans from achieving true equality, which hindered their understanding of their own blackness. Du Bois explains this oppression African Americans faced through three significant

Robert Penn quotes Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk. He sums up this concept beautifully: "It is a particular sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One never feels the two-ness-- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder." (Penn, p.19)

The veil, was something that really stood out to me after reading chapters 1-3. Du Bois explained the veil as, the way African-Americans dealt with social relations in the United States. In other words, although you might be African American you are subject to have another identity: the identity of a person of a black man or woman, which he or she cannot extent him or herself. A black person in the United States, does not carry only one identity, but two conflicting identities that can never be separated from each other. As a child my parents always told me be on my best behavior out in public. I was not a loud to touch anything if we went to the store, but to only stand next to my mother and be quite. Well once I finished chapters 1-3 it

It is difficult to put oneself in other individuals’ shoes when it comes to the idea of racialization in American history. W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk, highlights the discrimination and racialization of African American in the late 1800s into to early 1900s. During this time, the end of Reconstruction, previously owned slaves were given their “freedom.” While these individuals were considered freedman their lived in no way represented what America believes to be freedom. In this paper I will discuss the difficulties African Americans faced regarding the categorization of their race during the end of the Reconstruction. In addition to this, I will highlight DuBois ideas on education and the large benefit he believes education could have on individuals during this time. DuBois argues that education is the most vital resource for African Americans to break through the veil that causes each individual’s double-consciousness.