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A Thematic Analysis Of Coates Between The World And Me

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Between the World and Me is a book written as a letter to 15-year-old son of Ta-Nehisi Coates. The book is about the childhood of Coates, series of events, and the experiences that he has been through throughout his life as an African American in this country. Coates uses an honest, heartbreaking and bleak tone to address clearly how difficult it is for being an African American with racism, unfair treatment, segregation and murder. Through the book, Coates also shows his belief that there will no answer or any solution for race relations, he believes that the race’s conflict is from itself and part of the Dream that keeps one group in power over another. Because the world is not as it seems, and Coates worries about his son’s future will …show more content…

Coates offers a better understanding of American history with today’s racial crisis as he says that the prison is like a warehouse for blacks since the supremacy sees them as second-class people. Coates also addresses that his whole life, he always heard that black boys and girls have to be twice as good to obtain half as much of white. Coates does not believe in Christian tradition of optimism of Christ’s sacrifices being offered in heaven, only white supremacy system remain along with no signs that this system will be ever change. That’s why Coates disagrees with Martin Luther’s optimism in having a dream and Malcolm X’s optimistic toward nationalism. He thinks that the end of white supremacy will be the beginning for another segregation, new peon class. Coates then tells his son about his youth in Baltimore of being afraid of the street and the police. The way Coates compares being black in Baltimore is like being naked to guns, knives and rape, and always had a fear of physically harm from others make the story really sad to hear. In this way, Coates advises his son to know how to protect himself, protect his body, and cautious about the code switching rules of street norms, the authorities and the professional …show more content…

He points out that it is never equal for blacks as a long slave-master history between black and white existed a long time ago until now. Coates believes that it is part of the system that African Americans are still treated violently and unfairly. Just like any other African American, Coates worries about his children, as they will have to experience the same unfair treatment like their parents, that they will be dragged away, be criticized for everything they do, be blamed in any situations and even be killed for any reason at all. Coates says American dream is a lie and that the white supremacy system kills the dream of fairness and equality in this country, that America is broken and black does not have the responsibility to repair the broken. In other words, he does not want to see America to be broken but he or his son does not have enough power to fix it

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213 Words | 1 Pages

As Coates departs from Dr. Jones house he thought over the loss of his dear friend. He thinks of the protesters and how perhaps their bodies was abused because they knew that it was not theirs, to begin with. Coates informs his son that it is unlikely that the dreamers will never come to their consciousness. It is clear that racial justice and the dream does not seem to be going away anytime soon, that the black will suffer from inequality and injustice for a very long time. Despite, our society having a former black American president, the media focusing on the protest against police killings Coates sees no prospect of much change.

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449 Words | 2 Pages

Between the World and Me, written by Ta Nehisi Coates in 2015. The book is basically an extended letter of advice from Coates to his son Samori. I believe the most important message Ta Nehisi Coates shared in “Between the World and Me” is that the African American body has not been and still is not valued in the United States because of the euphoric dream that mainstream America lives in. On page 5 , Coates begins the book mentioning a talk show host asking him what it meant to for him to lose his body. By asking him this, Coates felt that the show host was “asking me to awaken her from the most gorgeous dream”

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532 Words | 3 Pages

I propose to take our countrymen’s claims of American exceptionalism seriously, which is to say I propose subjecting our country to an exceptional moral standard.” I think this passage is really powerful and direct to those who ignore the black. Another thing that stands out to me is that Coates refers to the white American as dreamers living in the dream, which is "perfect houses with nice lawns," "ice cream socials," "the Cub Scouts," etc. It’s interesting to see how Coates portrays the American Dream in this passage. The Dream, to him, is tied to those “who believe themselves to be white”.

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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

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856 Words | 4 Pages

Coates states “What i told you is what your grandparents tried to tell me: that this is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body, and you must find some way to live within all of it” He uses parallelism when he utters “that this is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body” and is showing his son that some of the situations going on now, were going on then. He is articulating that everything is yours and you have to figure out how to live with it. “When I was your age the only people I knew were black, and all of them were powerfully, adamantly, dangerously afraid.” He uses asyndetons, when he states “powerfully, adamantly, dangerously” to characterize the fate of fear in blacks when he was growing up.

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560 Words | 3 Pages

Between the World and Me, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and dedicated to his then fifteen-year-old son, is engulfed in riveting and powerful messages. Bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote “Between the World and Me” with hopes and intentions of providing his son and his readers with pivotal guidance and wisdom, drawn directly from his personal experiences and formed perspectives. One may accurately attest that Coates achieved his intent. The impact had by the messages relayed in this book certainly confirm that testament. However, one can also argue that the personal experiences shared by Coates were what urged his messages forward.

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199 Words | 1 Pages

Jerrione Mosley In the book Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes a letter to his son revealing the reality of life, growing up as a black man. Coates mostly focused on how black lives and bodies lacked value in America and could be possibly destroyed or taken away at any time. He also talked about “The Dream”, which is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The lack of values and importance for the black race is highly in effect.

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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.

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At the end of the book, Coates also discusses the so called ‘Dreamers’ in society. He hopes that someday the people that wish to be white will wake into consciousness. If the ‘Dreamers’ continue to think and act this way, they will destroy the world by damaging the minds of the newcomers. They will brainwash people to believe that being white will guarantee happiness, however, this is not true. Once they find joy in themselves for who they are, they will be living a life full of greatness.

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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.

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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.

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773 Words | 4 Pages

The violence that is placed on the black people, whether it referred to the beatings that took place in the 1700 and 1800s, or the police brutality today, are the perfect symbol of inequality. The poor treatment of the Black Body destroys the conception of the American Dream. Violence is has constantly been a part of a black person’s life, but often the black man seems to be the most nonviolent: “Why were only heroes nonviolent? … morality of nonviolence, but of the sense that blacks are in especial need of this morality” (Coates 32). One of the biggest ironies presented is the peaceful front that many black people show in the face of the unfair world.

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501 Words | 3 Pages

By amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and shedding light on the insidious nature of racism, Coates's work paves the way for continued advocacy and activism. The text inspires readers to take action, challenge oppressive systems, and work towards a more just and inclusive society. In "Between the World and Me," Coates also touches on the concept of the "Dream," a term he uses to describe the false narrative of America as a post-racial society where everyone has equal

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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

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169 Words | 1 Pages

Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body, it is heritage”. (103) That quote comes the most compelling theme in Coates letter, it how and he describes the black body and how it is always under threat racism, Coates writes “so that America might justify itself, the story of a black body's destruction must begin with his or her error, real or imagined”. Coates goes on and writes on how in black American history that black men and women have had their bodies shackled, beaten, lynched and enslaved by America. Then he compares black history to present time here in America and now witnesses the current black experience with police brutality and senseless shootings, that play out on cable news.

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