Ta-Nehisi Coates adopts a letter writing format in the book Between the World and Me to denote the awareness or racism issue. Coates begins his writing with one word “Son”, which indicates the primary audience is his son, Samori. However, Coates intends to notify …show more content…
In this book Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates reveals “in America, it is traditional to destroy the black body---it is heritage” (Coates 103). Coates uses words “destroy the black body” and “heritage” to provoke his audiences. This use of rhetoric conveys his strong message of African Americans live under injustice and discrimination for a very long time. This “heritage” can be traced back to the Colonial Era when enslaved Africans were forced to work in the plantation due to the triangular trade (Globe Fearon American History). In the triangular trade, Africans were brought to America and became properties of landowners, most of whom were whites. Because landowners considered blacks as their properties, it was rational to strip African Americans’ rights and “destroy their bodies.” This inherited and orthodox view results in the racism within black community by taking advantage of African American’ rights. Therefore, Coates concludes that “race is the child of racism, not the father” (Coates 7). This quote implies Americans have a traditional idea on what African Americans used to be, so that it causes white people feel blacks are different from them. Due to the belief of race diversity, whites consider it is acceptable to neglect African Americans’ rights, which leads to discriminate blacks nowadays. …show more content…
What’s more, narrative writing style provides readers intensive feelings of inequitable instances happen around Coates and within black society. Until today, African Americans still need to struggle for their rights, freedom, and equality. This belief is hidden in the book Between the World and Me through a father’s intimation to not only his son, but also all the black young