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Rhetorical Analysis Of A Talk To Teachers

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‘A Talk to Teachers’ by James Baldwin published on December 21, 1963 in New York was a message to teachers on how they are allowing the injustices of African-Americans to continue through the educational system. Baldwin ultimately wants the prejudice to end through the educational system. His tone tends to change but wants to evoke a sense of urgency to make teachers fix up the educational systems’ views on African-Americans and the false history that is being taught about them. Baldwin ultimately builds his credibility by using his own personal experience from going through the same educational system the present children go through today Baldwin starts off by listing injustices within the treatment of African-Americans ranging from when slavery …show more content…

Baldwin uses the pronoun “we” when mentioning their struggles. Even though he has not gone through slavery or racism himself, it shows that he has been affected by it from his ancestors. This causes his audience of white New York teachers to have a little bit of guilt inside of them since they have seen it happen and have not done much about it. Later on in his speech he connects it back to himself and his experiences on not letting the stereotype of African-Americans define who he is. Baldwin uses first person point of view saying “I” to show he has never been a stereotype, that stereotype being a watermelon loving African-American man. Essentially, making himself show how he is not chained to these stereotypes. Although these stereotypes were not created by his race, but was by certain racist white men. Baldwin goes into detail as he says “ I never touched a watermelon for all kinds of reasons that had been invented by white people (...) whatever you invent, is you!” displaying that he is not what certain whites project what African-Americans are to their eyes. Then going onto saying “A whole country of people believing I am a “nigger,” and I do not, and the battle is on! Because if I am not what I have been told I am, then it means you are not what you thought you were either!” Baldwin is explaining himself clear that he does not want to be the image that the educational system has put of him as being a “nigger”. Using a condemnatory tone, he establishes the audience to feel remorseful since he is trying to keep a false image to not define who he

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“I knew about jim crow bit never experienced it.” (Baldwin 6) He was off by himself experiencing racism towards him and the color of his skin. He began to understand why his dad was no bitter and had built up hate for white people. Baldwin

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He also writes about how black people are represented by fear, this being the fear in the white man. In this text, Baldwin paints a clear picture of how black people are portrayed in American society. He does this by highlighting the different standards that black and white people are held to. He also includes his representation of black people that belong to the church. Additionally, he adds his representation of white people as unwilling to commit to helping these racial struggles.

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- Possible answers: It is suggested by Baldwin that societal institutions often reinforce racial divisions through biased policies, unequal opportunities, and discriminatory practices. For example, unequal access to quality education or disproportionate criminal justice outcomes based on race contribute to the perpetuation of racism. - How are individual acts of racism connected from the larger social system? - Possible answers: Baldwin argues that individual acts of racism are interconnected with the larger social system. Even though individuals may perpetuate racism on an individual level, they are influenced by societal norms, biases, and structures.

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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

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Together, white Americans must create for themselves a community, and begin to love within that community. Once they have achieved that, they can accept those outside their community. Baldwin states that, like white Americans, black Americans must accept and reciprocate love as well. Baldwin writes to his nephew, who acts as an allegory to all young black men, that if they have not “loved each other” then no black American “would have survived” (Baldwin, 7). Already, black Americans have learned to accept themselves, and have therefore found that love leads to peace.

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After hearing the constant phrase, "We don't serve Negroes here," it triggered him to release all the anger he had bottled up inside of him. He felt like murdering any white person that comes in his way as Baldwin states, "I wanted to do something to crush these white faces, which were crushing me" (742). In the scene where he threw a pitcher filled with water at a white waitress, it highlights Baldwin's conflicting emotions caused by living as a black person in a racist society. He experienced a sense of raging temper so powerful that he did not care about his overall safety. It was only after when he was alone and safe was he able to realize that the situation would have turned out to be worse if it was not for the help of his white friend.

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Baldwin concludes that in order to move toward solving “the Negro Problem” in America, we must be willing to expand our ways of thinking about and experiencing the

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race-relations through the lens of the Negro problem. According to Baldwin, "the black man has functioned in the white man's world as a fixed star, as an immovable pillar, and as he moves out of his place, heaven and earth are shaken to their foundations. I said it was intended that you should perish, in the ghetto, perish by never being allowed to go beyond and behind the white man's definition" (Baldwin 18). In turn, James Baldwin argues how white Americans viewed Black Americans’ “inferiority” and upheld the ideas of white supremacy in mid-20th century America. Nevertheless, he implicitly suggests that a white man’s identity is inextricably bound to his own internalized idea of superiority (Baldwin 21).

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Baldwin is correct in his assumption due to the ability of language somehow becoming the way we define others. Language is used for the purpose of many things, such as a way to express power. Baldwin writes in his essay that “language is also a political instrument, means, and proof of power”, and this we know is true due to the fact that we still learn about influential speeches that have changed our country. Speeches that we learn about in school include Martin Luther King Jr.

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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

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