James Baldwin and Ta Nehisi what it means to be black in america
This is what I have so far and these are the quotes i decided to use. The essay is about being black in america
you were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black and/or no other reason (Balwin 18-19).
“They would break your jaw, stomp your face, and shoot you down to feel that power, to revel in the might of their own bodies” (Coates 22)
color is not a human or a personal reality, it is a political reality (Baldwin 104)
The universe, which is not merely the stars and the moon and the planets, flowers, grass, and trees, but other people, has evolved no terms for existence, has made no room ) (Baldwin 41)
Racism is a visceral experience, that it dislodges brains, blocks airways, rips muscle, extracts organs, cracks bones, breaks teeth(Coates 10)
Coates and Baldwin both have similar experiences about their interactions within and outside of their community in America. For Coates, “black power” is a way of looking at the world that comes from struggle within, by acknowledging ones struggle and viewing the world from the inside out, it allows you to be appreciative of not only the success but also the struggle to gain such success. Both Coates and Baldwin both have nearly identical views and thoughts on the conditions and behavior of black people, by claiming that it goes deeper than skin color; it deals more with the cultures and traditions upheld in the black community as well as their past conditions of being exploited by white people for slavery, while at the same time being psychologically proned to believe that they are less humans than those around them.
Living as a Black person (especially in America) is more than just your skin color, its about the institutionalized advantage others have that you do not. It Involves the hurdles you must face, but also the beauty of traditions and culture you hold dear to yourself. Its about being able to relate about almost anything with other individuals of your race regardless of their background. Coates and Baldwin even group these people together and show how they are different from white people by saying they find comfort among themselves and that many white people have felt shame for the past transgressions their people have made. Baldwin describes living his life and reminiscing on the times that didnt seem right, like when We had the liquor, the chicken, the music, and each other, and had no need to pretend to be what we were not. (Baldwin 41). The livelihood and background of many black Americans runs more than on the surface, both figuratively and literally. Their skin color doesnt define them, the history and culture defines them and how they interact among each other and with the rest of society. Baldwin believes that
BP#2: Coates and Baldwin both acknowledge and view the power struggle and pressure that their community faces on a daily basis, but at the same time they acknowledge that this prejudice and hate comes from white people marginalizing them and viewing them as inferior. Although many claim they treat them with equity and fairness, subconsciously they are innate to have a fear and prejudicial reaction when viewing a blac person. Black people also are conditioned to think they have no place on Earth for them as humans but rather creatures of work to be used for the white peoples profit. Coates noted that no matter what they may do, nothing will change the way they are seen as a human in the eyes of the white people.
BP#3: In order to be Black in the community you must understand and acknowledge the pain and suffering that many of your ancestors endured in the past. Baldwin shows us that many people see him and his community as animals or even worse than that; only being meant for work and nothing else which has led to them being the most despised people in the nation. Coates goes even further by showing how they had to sell themselves for profit for the white people taking away every fibre of their humanity.
