Concept Of Double Consciousness

Double Consciousness: A Concept of the Present “It is 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). While reading the novel, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois the reader is introduced to the concept of “double-consciousness”. Double-consciousness is a term used by Du Bois to describe African-Americans whose identities are divided into several different facets making it difficult or almost impossible for one to choose one identity. It also reveals the psychological and social divisions in American society in the past and present that allows for a better understanding …show more content…
Although, I grew up in post-slavery times the concept of “double consciousness” does very well still exist. A lot of my values and beliefs are based on the Black or African cultures which is separate from my American culture. A lot of what I do is rooted in the fact that I am black such as, my hair, my terms of respect, and religion. Speaking of religion, Du Bois brings up the topic of the Negro church; “the Frenzy or “Shouting,” when the Spirit of the Lord passed by, and, seizing the devotee, made him mad with supernatural joy, was the last essential of the Negro religion and the one more devoutly believed in than all the rest” (116). In this example, Du Bois describes a stereotypical black church, something a lot of my Caucasian peers have never experienced. Religion is a prime example of something that will make “double consciousness” more evident in African-American society. We have to decide between worshiping the way we have always learned from our elders or worshiping in a way that will be socially accepted by the people around us. We have to decide if we want to worship in a way that is beneficial for us or a way that will not deem us as the; “running around the church, speaking in tongues, or passing out in front of the entire congregation” followers of the Lord. Secondly, lets discuss Donald Trump. Trump is running for President in this upcoming …show more content…
Am I being “too white”? Can I say this without about being “too black”? Can I be myself an African-American woman around the Caucasian race? Will I able to speak my beliefs, practice my values, and follow my dreams as both a “Negro” and “an American”. No matter how I personally feel about my own race of African-Americans my thoughts will always be somewhat conditioned by white people. For example, when I see a black woman that does not dress or present herself like me, I automatically feel a tad bit uncomfortable because I have learned to switch my “Negro” consciousness off and my “American” consciousness on. Secondly, starting at a young age African-American children are living in a world of “double consciousness” where they do not know if they can be successful, “Black,” and “American”. It is the American dream for people to be able to do want they want and be successful at it, but African-American children are growing up in a world where they have to choose to be either a “Negro” or an “American”. But, the only way to improve this issue is to have teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, presidents, and astronauts that “look like them” that are embracing both of their identity’s “Negro” and “American. You cannot be African-American without having some sort of resentment towards the Caucasian race. No matter what the African-American people has been