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The Souls Of Black Folk Analysis

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The Souls of Black folk is a piece of literature authored by W.E.B Dubois in 1903. In his, literature DuBois explains the color line theory through two concepts the veil of race and double consciousness. He explains that double consciousness is how African-Americans see themselves in two roles, individually and as a group from a societal point of view.These two ideas point out the burden of blacks seen by whites, society whites do not see blacks as people but that as problematic humans.

DuBois introduces the color line theory a ranking system, more like a hierarchy in society. Because of the color of one's skin determined how society was to treat or respect them. In others doing that time period if your skin was darker than the white man's, you were discriminated against.DuBois thought that although we were free, the idea of getting any more rights was beyond him.Today many minorities feel this way, that your skin color still determines how society will interact with you. For instance you could be an …show more content…

Double consciousness is how we see ourselves as blacks in America and how society as whites being the dominant race view us.This conflict is still deeply rooted in American society today. "A world which yields him no true self consciousness only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world" This quote stood out to me because of how accurate it is back then but especially in todays society. For instance I am a multiracial female and I take pride in who I am even at an early age. As I started going to school and interacted with other children I realized that I was always stereotyped as a black female and that society will never see me as multiracial human. In my world I am Native American, African American and Caucasian. I n society's world I am black, no more no less, which still hurts me because I still can not be who I want to be

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In Souls of Black Folk, one of the first analogies made was considering the “veil”. When I first read about the veil, it was confusing to consider what it meant and how it related to the community. However, upon further reading and consideration, the veil is the most accurate description of what was going on racially and socially then and now. Specifically, when he stated that behind the veil, one can see in and out but from outside the veil, you cannot see in, it was accurate because the white Americans of the time were trying to explain something they could not see into. This was impactful now as well due to the fact other want to claim that racism and oppression does not exist but yet have never experienced it.

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But for an example Washington was born a slave and Dubois was born free in the north. Washington believed that if African Americans work hard enough in time they will achieve racial acceptance, and Dubois always believed that you should fight for what you want. Dubois said that “if you’re willing to give us an education you can gives us rights”,

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DuBois’s first post-dissertation book, The Philadelphia Negro, released in 1899, determined that housing and employment discrimination were the principal barriers to racial equality and black prosperity in the urban North. (blackpast.org/aah/dubois-william-edward-burghardt-1868-1963) In his written book, The Souls of Black Folks, released in 1903, he argued for "manly" and "ceaseless agitation and insistent demand for equality” which demanded a education of equality for blacks that’s not inferior to whites. (W. E. B. Du Bois and the NAACP, Virginia Historical Society) Du Bois promoted the idea of self improvement, without giving up full citizenship rights, which impacted the general well being of African American and visualized the idea of having an exclusive group of all black, educated leaders called “The

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DuBois was a scholar, author and historian and although he preferred a traditional approach academic education over vocational education and training, he was an important figure in the field of education and vocational and technical education. DuBois devoted his career to education and the plight of African Americans and worked to make changes in how African Americans were educated. One of his early pieces of work was the Philadelphia Negro: A Case Study, which was published in 1899; this was one of the first case studies of that time of a black community. DuBois had other pieces of work which included: The Negro Problem (New York, 1903), The Negro (1915), The Souls of Black Folk (1930), and Black Reconstruction in America (1935).

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DuBois strongly believed that there was no way that African Americans could fulfill the things they wanted to do without their rights. Document B states, “ Is it possible. . . that [African Americans] can make economic progress if they are deprived of political rights and allowed only the meager chance to develop their exceptional men? . . . The answer to that question. . . is an emphatic No. . . .”

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Du Bois take on the Color Line Question: Class and Race in the Globalization Age William Edward Burghardt Dubois born in 1868 and died in 1963 was a Black American academic, activist for peace and civil rights, and socialist who wrote about sociology, philosophy, race equality, history and education. The evaluation of W.E.B Du Bois’s studies brings out social and intellectual initiatives especially his color line concept and its role to the history of African Americans (Butler, 2000). The color line concept is the role of racism and race in society and history. However, an analysis that is multidimensional which finds and evaluates the intersection of race together with class as modes of resistance and domination on national and international

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In W.E.B Dubois book The Souls of Black Folks, he uses double consciousness to “describe an individual whose identity is divided into several characters.” Dubois uses this term to connect to how African Americans view themselves, through the eyes of society. He gives insightful information on how people of color were not able to have a “common or unified identity” because of the “sensations of two-warring ideals in one body.” In the state of double consciousness, the person often compares himself to others who he feels look down upon him. Double consciousness is what causes us to beware of our differences from one another.

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He believed that African Americans could be accepted into American society if they made education a top focus and priority. He also suggested that there were a few black people that are intellectually elite. DuBois wanted those African Americans to lead their fellow people towards better opportunities while seeking aid from caucasian people. He stood for global equality and that philosophy behind the race is what separated people.

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In Of Our Spiritual Strivings, the main concept that WEB DuBois had to share were the dangers of double-consciousness and how the idea that a Veil exists between Caucasians and African Americans. He came to realize this when he was at school and they were passing around post cards and one of the children had refused to give him a card because of his skin color. He then realized at that moment that there was a veil between the Caucasians and African Americans. I did find it interesting that he hadn’t had the desire to attempt to remove the veil. DuBois’ desire was for African Americans to hopefully stay close to their roots but also at the same time without integrating into the white culture.

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When asked the question, “what is the most important thing I learned this semester?” my mind immediately raced to W.E. Du Bois. In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E. Du Bois discusses the Color Line, double consciousness and the veil. I found the idea of the Color Line to be the most interesting. Du Bois argues that even though slavery was abolished, African Americans did not, and still do not, have the freedoms and opportunities of Caucasian Americans.

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Another issue that the NAACP and Dubois had was with lynching. Through “The Crisis”, Dubois was able to expose many of the horrors of lynching and have it out there for the general public. Through his many anti-lynching pieces, Dubois was able to garner a significant amount of support against lynching and this eventually led to an anti-lynching law. This was a huge win for all African Americans. In addition, Dubois also helped African Americans culturally through his pieces promoting black creativity.

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W.E.B Du Bois explains that African Americans are not relative to the human population according to whites. The vast veil is a metaphor for separation and indiscernibility of African Americans in America. Black life and culture seem to not exist. He explains that blacks are the “seventh son born with a veil” (534) following the “Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and roman, the Teuton and Mongolian” (534). With blacks becoming the seventh son, they face two forms of separation from whites: psychological and physical.

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They are conflicted between their cultural background and that of the oppressors leaving them feeling like they have two identities. For African Americans, double consciousness would be one part of them feeling more African and the other feeling more American. Some may choose to force away one of the two identities, some are left torn between both, and some have found a healthy balance between the two– accepting themselves as both. Examples of these can be found in “Kiswana Browne.” Readers learn there is an issue when her mother calls her Melanie rather than Kiswana.

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1542 Words | 7 Pages

Double consciousness is a term coined by W.E.B. DuBois in his The Souls of Black Folk. He describes it as, “a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity”(2). The theory of double consciousness is the idea that the African American must navigate the voyages of life from within a form of “two-ness” (2), because he is both man, and black.

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For example, using these single narratives of minority groups, especially in the aspect of economic success, leads to a double consciousness, causing minorities to view themselves in the eyes of the majority group rather than their own viewpoints as a minority group member (DuBois 1899). I would say, “this double consciousness resulting from your single perspective leads to members of a minority group feeling as though they cannot create a true identity for themselves in a society that views them very differently from how they view themselves, which leaves a very harmful mark. Although you used a single perspective which detrimentally leads to double consciousness, there is a way to find a solution for this damage. This solution can be found in redemption, which is a healing process found through apology and action by the perpetrator (LaDuke 2011). In this situation, you will carry the guilt of causing harm to and creating identities for people of a minority group highlighted in the statements and actions you have demonstrated tonight.

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