A Thematic Analysis Of Coates Between The World And Me

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

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

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