ipl-logo

Down At The Cross Baldwin Analysis

916 Words4 Pages

“My Dungeon Shook” is a intellectual essay that Baldwin writes to his nephew which expresses how whites obliterated psychological and spiritual values of all African American people. His primary focus is to notify his nephew about the discriminatory and maltreatment his nephew will encounter living in America. Not only is Baldwin informing his nephew the harsh and unpleasant truths of being a black man, but Baldwin wants him to to know how to manage being an outsider even when he’s restrained to find his true persona. Baldwin uses the nephew’s dad as an example of how he became an indignant irritable man (Baldwin 21). Baldwin assumes that if his nephew can convert this contradiction into a constructive use, different results will transpire …show more content…

Elijah Muhammad who is very passionate about the Nation of Islam assumes that the African Americans are Allah’s masterpieces whereas the white people are devils and need to be completely demolished (Baldwin 72). Baldwin’s views are the complete opposite and does not believe the white’s are mischievous humans that need to be exterminated, instead the African Americans should take this rage and utilize it as ambition to fight for freedom the correct way, which is humanity. Baldwin has bad but also has many good relationships with whites, he understands that this will have no effect based on the information Elijah brainwashed his followers with. Baldwin realizes that instilling this distaste will only push the blacks further away from achieving freedom. Not only will eliminating the white community make things worse, but it is not even manageable based on the statuses of the two races; whites inherited more valuable resources and advantages then the black (Baldwin 101). Baldwin believes the actual propositions of christianity is being swept under the rug and whites are implementing the wrong aspects that prevent them from embracing and perceiving their

Show More
Related
283 Words | 2 Pages

For example, the article states “The details and symbols of your life have been deliberately constructed to make you believe what white people say about you”. Baldwin then uses pathos to insist to his nephew to accept white people for they have no other hope,

Read More
1072 Words | 5 Pages

Thesis: In “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, Malcolm X in his telling of his life to Alex Haley uncovers the theme of positive and negative environments unearthed by the interaction of African Americans and White Americans in his life and what those kinds of environments inherently produce. Annotated Bibliography Nelson, Emmanuel S. Ethnic American Literature: an Encyclopedia for Students. Greenwood, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2015.This encyclopedia points out that the negative interaction he held with the white man as a young hustler was countered by these same experiences pushing Malcolm X to reclaim his “African identity”. This shows, as described by the cited work, what a man pushed by his negative interactions with the oppressive white men is willing to do to find his identity (i.e. through hustling).

Read More
495 Words | 2 Pages

When he arrives in Mecca he is astounded to find that there are people of all races and colors here that are not being discriminatory towards each other and throughout the rest of his journey he begins to see the true face of Islam and sees the error in Elijah Muhammad’s teachings. This affects the central idea of integration vs separation since he saw that it is completely possible for white people and black people to coincide, they just need to actually respect each other and not judge based on the other one’s

Read More
2054 Words | 9 Pages

Baldwin has found out that Christianity, the Nation of Islam, and the nation we live in have shown what they think is important. They've shown it by how they treat people around them, what

Read More
412 Words | 2 Pages

In his essay, James Baldwin makes a convincing argument about Black English and how it is a language of its own. Baldwin uses a lot of logic to support his claim. He is a credible author on this subject because of his background, experience with the Civil Rights movement and experience living in America and France. Because of Baldwin’s set up of arguments, and great credibility, his essay has a better flow to it. One thing that Baldwin does is, He supports his claim by saying that there can be many versions of a "general" language depending on the region where it is spoken.

Read More
650 Words | 3 Pages

Muhammad approaches all of his subject matters from a very unique perspective. He approaches it much differently then other sociologists. Muhammad looks at racist’s attitudes in the fields of sociology and in the North. This shows how pervasive racism was at the time and it is an encouragement for other historians to look beyond just the South when dealing with racism. An excellent example of this is when Muhammad discussed how whites thought of blacks as unequal, so they were uncomfortable with blacks living next door.

Read More
958 Words | 4 Pages

Baldwin’s solution for black people is for them to create their own identity and take a stab at achievement regardless of the social requirements or constraints set before them. For, “You can only be destroyed by believing that you really are what the white world calls a nigger". I was fascinated by the comparison of “Letter to My Son” by Ta-Nahisi Coates to that of Baldwin’s. Although they both bring forward the same topics and issues faced by the black community, however they both do not view the problem in the same way, as far as proposing a solution is concerned. For example, Baldwin proposed a solution in which he urges the black community through his nephew to recognize the shameful acts of injustice in America, and express acceptance with love towards the whites even though they may not do the same in

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

In The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, the author uses aphorisms, deductive reasoning, and a particular use of pronouns to appeal to the reader’s emotions. His purpose is to persuade the reader to agree with him, and he does this by creating a common enemy using these techniques. He appeals to the reader’s emotions, making them feel like a victim of society, and then offering condolence and support. Baldwin uses aphorisms to appeal to the reader’s emotions and persuade them into agreeing with him.

Read More
970 Words | 4 Pages

The book begins with anecdotes about the defamation of black bodies by white people and by Christianity itself. When speaking about his adolescence, Baldwin writes that “Owing to the way I had been raised, the abrupt discomfort that all this aroused in me and the fact that I had no idea what my voice or my mind or my body was likely to do next caused me to consider myself one of the most depraved people on earth” (Baldwin 17). The platonized Christian tradition that Baldwin was a part of saw the body, and especially the black body, as a symbol of sin, and so the onset of puberty became a source of guilt because of its association with sexuality (Brown Douglas

Read More
1106 Words | 5 Pages

“[H]er voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes — when it’s in your veins. It makes you feel sort of warm and cool at the same time. It makes you feel — in control. Sometimes you’ve got to have that feeling” (142). James Baldwin was a popular African-American novelist and essayist whose themes include human suffering, race/racism, social identity, sexuality and numerous others.

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

Righteous Religion James Baldwin, a writer from Harlem, New York, is particularly studied because of how he addresses race in the United States. Though he saw himself as a “witness to the truth,” Baldwin becomes a leader in black freedom particularly in his collection of essays, The Fire Next Time (The Chicago Tribune). In the essays explored in class, “My Dungeon Shook” and “ Letter from a Region in My Mind,” religion is a reoccurring theme that played an integral part in Baldwin’s life. Although the streets would usually be seen as a more dangerous and deteriorating lifestyle than the church; chapters from The Fire Next Time demonstrate that the institution of the black church created an equally negative and lasting impression that mirrored the impact of street life. Though “My Dungeon Shook” focuses less on religion and more on identity, the first paragraph introduces religion with a negative implication attached.

Read More
1569 Words | 7 Pages

He says rebelling will not change anything and all his nephew will need is patience. Throughout the letter, Baldwin states important information and many situations such as how African Americans were treated and how many of situations and elements were approached throughout that time period. Religion was a big part of Baldwin life and incorporated it through his hardships. The title of the letter written to his nephew also tied into how he felt during that time period. Through this short story, Baldwin and all the elements in the story identify a dilemma that the story conveys, and helps to illustrate and reinforce the issue that is going on during this

Read More
676 Words | 3 Pages

Baldwin uses an advanced vocabulary throughout the essay, but only uses slang terms when referring to African Americans. By using phrases like “But if I was a "nigger" in your eyes”, he shows the audience what the words culturally imply such as stupidity and ignorance. Since this is

Read More
544 Words | 3 Pages

In "My Dungeon Shook" part of "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin, he writes a letter to his nephew expressing key concepts of life being black in a "white world" on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation. One concept that he taught him is that the word "nigger" has no power unless he believes it. His grandfather believed too much of what the white people thought of him which led him to turn to a religious life then ultimately to death. The grandfather believed that he was a so-called "nigger", he was worthless, lazy, etc. These things that whiteness forced upon him caused him to feel inferior.

Read More
566 Words | 3 Pages

He explains how African Americans would have to keep the name of their slave owners to keep their heritage going. The point James Baldwin is trying to make is while accepting the white culture the strength of forgiveness is shown. In his speech Baldwin uses pathos and logos to express his purpose to the younger generations.

Read More

More about Down At The Cross Baldwin Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document