ipl-logo

James Baldwin's Going To Meet The Man

564 Words3 Pages

James Baldwin, was an american novelist, who spoke about the pain and the struggle of black Americans; racial and social issues, and the power of brotherhood. Baldwin broke new literary ground with the exploration of racial and social issues in his many works. He was especially well known for his essays on the black experience in America. James Baldwin's short story “Going to meet the Man” was wrote during this time. The story talks about the sexualization of minorities, the difference between black and whites, and sexual violence. In this paper I plan to discuss the 3 theme that take place in the in story as it relates to the bias sexual hatred towards blacks within the white community.

Going to meet the man starts with the sexualization of the blacks. The main character, Jesse, is a deputy sheriff who fantasize about the role of black sexually within society. In the beginning of the story Jesse is lying in the bed with his wife, Grace, as he attempts to gain an erection” He tried again; he wretchedly failed again, Then he just lay there, silent, angry, and helpless, He could not ask her to do just a little thing for him, just to help him out, just for a little while, the way he could ask a nigger …show more content…

The main character Jesse compares his like to a black male "superior" in order to feel masculinity within. The beginning of the story he lay in bed with his wife as he have trouble getting an erection, which makes him feel less of a man. However, At the end of the story he them find himself arouse while in bed with his wife as he fascinates about a black man. " come on sugar, In going to do you like a nigger" The sexual scene is obvious that he had to pretend to be a black man while having sex in order to feel masculine while having sex with his wife. This part of the story also the sexual violence towards black people, because jesse then being to rape his

Show More
Related
109 Words | 1 Pages

Both James Baldwin and Melba Beals are well experienced in living in a society where whites are viewed as superior to people of color, and they both know how it felt to feel ashamed in their own skin. In Baldwins letter "My Dungeon Shook" he writes to his nephew about succeeding in such an unfair world. In Melba's "Warriors Don't Cry" she tells her harrowing experiences as she tries to pursue the integration of Central High School as a member of the Little Rock Nine. Melba's experiences and the unfair world Baldwin describes have many similarities and it shows how society's treatment of others can dramatically affect someone's

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

Knowing that Baldwin was a black man from Harlem, one can assume he had put up with discrimination. He describes his relationship with his father saying, “I had not known my father very well” and this explains why he never learned to deal with hatred, and let it eat him up like it did to his father. His father was also very religious, and consequently, Baldwin saw Christianity, in which he grew up, as a mechanism by which African Americans channeled their desire for revenge against white oppressors. By describing his background in this fashion, he is able to gain empathy, credibility, and a large sense of ethos from his readers. Baldwin’s pathos is seen in his pure unadulterated hatred of white people.

Read More
450 Words | 2 Pages

In the book James Baldwin shows how various types of love show themselves, specifically through Fonny and Tish’s relationship as well as through FOnny;s parents relationship. Through these examples we are able to get a look at Baldwin’s possible ideas of love, sex, and gender.   Baldwin writes"He took my face in his hands, and held it, and he kissed me. 'Now, don't besmeared,' he whispered. ' Don’t be scared.

Read More
969 Words | 4 Pages

The section of “White Woman, Black Man” further delves into his views of white women and the role that society has in shaping gender relations between black men and white women and also in influencing masculinity and femininity.

Read More
283 Words | 2 Pages

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is? By James Baldwin explains to the reader what black English is and where black English comes from. Baldwin writes about how humans use language as a means of controlling the world around them. Baldwin explains that people may speak the same language in one area of the world, but then people who speak the same language elsewhere are no longer speaking the same language. Baldwin using French as an exampling, Baldwin compares french-speaking people from Quebec to people who live in Paris.

Read More
619 Words | 3 Pages

In Baldwin’s essay he shows a complex perspective. In the beginning he is optimistic but as it continues he turns more and more pessimistic. He realizes everything isn’t as good as he thought it was and becomes angry and bitter. While the tone remains straightforward and calm, the mood is slightly angry. Baldwin doesn’t want pity either, but he does want the reader to understand the trials and tribulations he had to go through because of racism.

Read More
1417 Words | 6 Pages

James Baldwin, Sonny's Blues Lesson: Read 1. How does Baldwin's real-life experience connect to his short story, "Sonny's Blues"? Read Baldwin's biography for more background on his life. - James Baldwin’s real-life experience connects to his short story by demonstrating that in the story his father had passed away when he was a young age. In real life, he didn’t even know his father.

Read More
1099 Words | 5 Pages

In the essay “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin, he expresses feelings of hate and despair towards his father. His father died when James was 19 years old from tuberculosis; it just so happens that his funeral was on the day of the Harlem Riot of 1943. Baldwin explains that his father isn’t fond of white people due to the racist past. He recalls a time when a white teacher brought him to a theater and that caused nothing but upset with his father, even though it was a kind act. Many events happened to Baldwin as a result of segregation, including a time where a waitress refused to serve him due to his skin color and Baldwin threw a pitcher of water at her.

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

I chose to write my Response Essay on the story "Sonny's Blues" written by James Baldwin. In Sonny's Blues, the storyteller recounts the tale of his association with his sibling, Sonny. Sonny is a performer not able to get away from the ghetto. Disheartened by his sibling's suffering , the storyteller connects with him, yet discovers that Sonny's hurt powers his music. The narrator is a teacher in Harlem that has changed his life and got out of the ghetto where he grew up.

Read More
1558 Words | 7 Pages

James Baldwin is a renowned American author known for his works that talk about race, class, and sexuality. His 1974 novel, If Beale Street Could Talk, also centers on some of these issues. The novel focuses on and is narrated by, nineteen-year-old Tish, who is pregnant with her fiancé’s baby. Tish’s fiancé, Fonny, has been wrongfully put in jail. Throughout the story, the reader learns about Fonny and Tish, their families, and their history.

Read More
1455 Words | 6 Pages

James Baldwin is an activist and writer that was born and raised in Harlem that stood for equality within the black community. Baldwin is the grandson of a former slave and was the oldest of nine children where he grew up in poverty. At the age of fourteen, he discovered his passion for writing and reading by his hobby was going to libraries. As year He published his first book in 1955 known as Notes of a Native Son. The novel Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin displays a collection of essays of where he critiques racism and examines the culture of Blacks in White America.

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
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
610 Words | 3 Pages

Black women are treated less than because of their ascribed traits, their gender and race, and are often dehumanized and belittled throughout the movie. They are treated like slaves and are seen as easily disposable. There are several moments throughout the film that show the racial, gender, and class inequalities. These moments also show exploitation and opportunity hoarding. The Help also explains historical context of the inequality that occurred during that time period.

Read More
1349 Words | 6 Pages

His

Read More

More about James Baldwin's Going To Meet The Man

Related Topics

Open Document