ipl-logo

A Letter To My Son Analysis

619 Words3 Pages

A Letter to My Son
Coates' letter has strong feelings towards the injustices that blacks have encountered for generations. Coates uses deep words and historical events to explain to his son what his life will be when he grow up. The fact that he decides to write this letter to his son impacts my experiences as a reader because his son is just a kid. His son does not have any knowledge of what is going around him in regards of racism because he is just a little kid. He might not understood or took it personal when a white woman pushed him and said, "Come on!" Coates reacts like any parent would, but he is threaten with the police just because he is black. He is tired to experience and see these injustices. He is trapped on his own black body as well as his son.
Throughout the entire letter, I feel Coates' disappointment; anger; and sadness. I feel that he wish he had another history to tell his son; to embrace some kind of hope in his son's future; to tell him that being black does not put his life in risk from being taken away. Coates knows that when his son soon or later will eventually start wondering about why he is being treated unfairly or different. He will begin to see the police brutality among his racial group; how many blacks of different ages get killed by the police just because they …show more content…

Their skin color carries a long history of slavery, racism, discrimination, prejudices, and negative stereotypes. These factors have been taking black people's right to live freely for a long period of time. There is no hope for social change because even those who are entitled to protect the community and its people (law enforcement) are abusing of their power to destroy blacks. Blacks live constantly under fear of having their lives taken away from them at any

Show More
Related

Summary Of Ta-Nehisi Coates The Beautiful Struggle

1684 Words | 7 Pages

This altercation started when Coates became bored and disruptive in the class where it led to law enforcement being present to have more control of the situation (Coates 2008, pg. 141). Although Coates was a very bright intellectual, it is obvious to see that he was not present when in class but was very engaged with the world of books and music, outside of the classroom. Young Coates was not aware of the power of “knowledge” alone. He did not understand that without “conscious” of what is to be fought for. His mind was more focus on the lust for making his mark that he had not considered society’s view of a black male and where the origin of fear

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Fear Of A Black President By Coats

258 Words | 2 Pages

Coat’s perspective on the incident of the death of Trayvon Martin is explained in a sarcastic way, showing that Obama is avoiding the racial conflict. “Part of Obama’s genius is a remarkable ability

Read More

Summary: The Case For Reparations

96 Words | 1 Pages

The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates is an article issue in June 2014. The article is about discrimination, segregation, and racism toward black Americans. Two and a half centuries ago American success was built on slavery. And in present day African American are being discriminated for the color of their skin that even now the wound that black Americans face in their daily life has never been healed or fully atoned for. In this article Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses the struggle African American went through and all the hard time they face in their daily

Read More

Disabilities In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

584 Words | 3 Pages

Since racial equality does not exist yet, he is subjected to racial inferiority and will not be able to live the life he wishes to live. If it was not for this assignment, I would of missed such an enjoyable novel as this. Just like in reality, each character in “Of Mice and Men”, had their own disability or wall that they needed to climb over in order to get through life. Honestly, I'm not a great fan of killing animals or anything really

Read More

Case For Reparation

992 Words | 4 Pages

Analyzing “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates The past is the past, but sometimes the past comes back and bites us on the butt. In Ta-Nehisi Coates’s article, “The Case for Reparations”, Coates describes the wrongful acts done by white supremacists towards African-Americans. Throughout his article, Coates provides strong logos and pathos to his argument. The one issue that he fails to discuss is ethos or credibility towards his argument.

Read More

Abigail Adams Letter To My Son Analysis

604 Words | 3 Pages

In this letter, Abigail Adams writes to her son John Quincy Adams who is abroad with his father. Later, John Quincy Adams, will be noted as a United States diplomat and president. In this letter, Abigail Adams addresses her son, offering him advice for the future. She asserts the pride she has in her son and all that he has accomplished. She encourages him to grow and expand his horizons of knowledge.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis About Police Reform

1438 Words | 6 Pages

African Americans throughout most of their history have lived under the power of the crime-justice system according to Coates and not it’s authority. “Nisbet, distinguishes between “power” and “authority” … authority… is a matter of relationships, allegiances, and association… Power…is “external” and “based” upon force.” Although one can imply as to why he makes the argument, he does not provide any evidence or reasoning to back up his claim. One can imply from Coates saying “Power exist where allegiances have decayed or never existed at all.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Letter From Birmingham Jail

623 Words | 3 Pages

Have you ever read an article or book that express a lot of sympathy and it made you feel as if you can feel their pain. “The Letter From Birmingham Jail” displays the true meaning of pathos. After reading this” letter” emotions will overflow. Dr. King wrote with so much passion and courage, that it makes his readers feel as if they were part of the movement. He shows his concerns for the African American community by expressing their thoughts and feelings because they feel as if they have no voice.

Read More

Analysis Of Ta-Nehisi Coates Between The World And Me

494 Words | 2 Pages

Many people forget that African Americans in this country have been enslaved for longer than they have been free. Coates reminds his son to not forget their important history and that they will continuously struggle for freedom over their own bodies. They must learn to live within a black body. These struggles can be seen in the racial profiling and brutality among police officers in cases such as Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and countless of others. He goes on to describe his childhood and how fear was the root of black existence.

Read More

Analysis Of Norman Staples's My Negro Problem, And Ours

713 Words | 3 Pages

Over the existence of the United States, blacks have had to face oppression due to the prejudices views held against this. America views every black person as the same and judges them based on the actions of others. It is for this reason that all blacks are judged based on the book of a cover without being able to show the world who they really are. As Norman Podhoretz stated in his Essay “My Negro Problem - and Ours,” “growing up in terror of black males; they were tougher than we were, more ruthless...”

Read More

My Dungeon Shook By James Baldwin Analysis

958 Words | 4 Pages

“You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence”. His letter also discussed the idea of discovering one's self not through the sentiments of others, but rather through the conclusions of oneself. I feel like he is not just cautioning his nephew, but the black community in general of such society. I believe that his letter was a plea to the black community to “accept the whites with love” for “they are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand”, while in the same token, not giving in to their stereotypes of black identity like his father did.

Read More

What The Black Man Wants Analysis

487 Words | 2 Pages

Frederick Douglass’s “What the Black Man Wants” captures the need for change in post Civil War America. The document presses the importance for change, with the mindset of the black man being, ‘if not now then never’. Parallel to this document is the letter of Jourdon Anderson, writing to his old master. Similar to Douglas, Mr. Anderson speaks of the same change and establishes his worth as freed man to his previous slave owner. These writings both teach and remind us about the evils of slavery and the continued need for equality, change, and reform.

Read More

Between The World And Me Rhetorical Analysis

650 Words | 3 Pages

Although he believes that this question is unanswerable, Coates’ purpose is to express his deepest concerns for his son and to help him understand his personal experiences as a black man. He achieves his purpose by incorporating rhetorical skills such as ethos, pathos, and logos. Coates has been a successful journalist and writer for several years. He previously worked for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and O

Read More

New Jim Crow Thesis

562 Words | 3 Pages

For example, open Black support of harsh punishment and law enforcement may seem hypocritical because in reality these policies and practices contribute to mass incarceration of Blacks. Alexander clarifies that Black support is more complex than it appears and can be attributed to a combination of complicity and wanting better safety for their communities and families (Alexander, 2012, p.210). Alexander also offers a unique perspective throughout the entire book by explaining how the systems of slavery and oppression have affected White individuals and not merely in the form of privilege or the dismissal of White people as simply as racist individuals. I resonated with one particular section discussing the "White victims of racial caste" (Alexander, 2012, p.204); the author 's anecdote of a white woman falling in love with a Black man and due to miscegenation laws could not have children. I could relate to this story on a deeply personal level in that my own parents experienced extreme and countless hurdles due to their interracial relationship and having biracial

Read More

A Letter To My Nephew James Baldwin Analysis

839 Words | 4 Pages

In A Letter to My Nephew, James Baldwin, the now deceased critically acclaimed writer, pens a message to his nephew, also named James. This letter is meant to serve as a caution to him of the harsh realities of being black in the United States. With Baldwin 's rare usage of his nephew 's name in the writing, the letter does not only serve as a letter to his relative, but as a message to black youth that is still needed today. Baldwin wrote this letter at a time where his nephew was going through adolescence, a period where one leaves childhood and inches closer and closer to becoming an adult.

Read More

More about A Letter To My Son Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document