“We are controlled here by our confusion, far more than we know, and the American dream has therefore become something much more closely resembling a nightmare, on the private, domestic, and international levels. Privately, we cannot stand our lives and dare not examine them; domestically, we take no responsibility for (and no pride in) what goes on our country; and, internationally, for many millions of people, we are an unmigrated disaster” (Baldwin 337). To simply analyze the meaning of this passage alone would not do Baldwin justice. This passage much like the rest of “Down at the Cross” and “My Dungeon Shook” privately, domestically, and internationally examines race relations. To truly understand and draw out the richness of this statement …show more content…
In the same way we focused on the pronouns “we” and “our” to elicit a personal or privates connection between the text and the reader’s life, we can use the same pronouns and connect them to all American, both black and white. Reading the opening statement through this lenses facilitate a common connection or a starting point of understanding that forces the readers to try to work together to solve the problem Baldwin claims they all face. His opening statement then reads, “ We are [Baldwin, myself, and my fellow Americans, both black and white] controlled here by our confusion, far more than we know, and the American dream has therefore become something much more closely resembling a nightmare…” Reading this statement through a domestic lens illustrates a commonality among the races, and furthermore suggests that all Americans are confused and getting further away from the American dream. The American dream is once again another place of commonality. Blacks and whites, males and females seek an equal opportunity for achieving happiness, security, liberty, land and success. Furthermore, Baldwin -states, “…domestically, we take no responsibility for (and no pride in) what goes on our country…” Here Baldwin specifically uses the word “domestically” to connect and unite his readers, as is to say “America” (all Americans black and white) take responsibility for what is going on in our country, his audience could no longer blame someone else for the problems, but is confronted with the harsh reality while he casts the blame on his neighbor, his neighbor casts the blame back on him, which solves