Baldwin Uncle Analysis

Struggling to write a persuasive, yet a perfect paper to his nephew, Baldwin, the uncle gives him an insight of the unjust suffering both his father and the grandfather have encountered by the Whites, and how he should overcome racism in America. Before the grandfather died, of who Baldwin had never met before, he believed so much of what the Whites said about him that he carried on the grief and defeat in his heart, which is part of the reason why he died. On the other hand, the father, who used to laugh a lot as a child, now shed invisible tears because of what society had done to him. The uncle acknowledged that the Whites had destroyed many of the Blacks’ lives and that they would never be forgiven for their actions. He also acknowledged …show more content…
The uncle says to the nephew, “You must accept them and accept them with love.” As peculiar, and off-guard, this may seem to Baldwin, the uncle wants him to show love towards the Whites, even though they have done so much evil in the Blacks’ lives. It is like God saying, in the Book of Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” to those who have been forsaken by others. Another merit of Baldwin uncle’s argument is patience. The uncle says to the nephew, “We cannot be free until they are free.” He is saying that the Whites must be free from hate, racism, and anger in order for the Blacks to live freely in America. This is the most compelling, yet powerful closure of the letter because he wants the nephew to remember his duty, and whenever he feels like giving up, that quote will be like a constant reminder of the reason why he should continue to push until something happens. As Baldwin uncle exhibit several merits in his argument, one of the flaws is saying, “Whites will never be forgiven.” He expresses his anger to the nephew about how cruel the Whites are and they are the reason why his use-to-be happy brother is sad; therefore, they deserve no forgiveness. However, towards the end of the letter, the uncle mentions how America is an innocent country and that the Whites are trapped in an era that they do not understand (in other words, they do not know why they behave cruelly to the Blacks), which is an irony. Another flaw of Baldwin uncle’s argument is saying, to the nephew, “The limits of your ambition…expected to be set forever.” This may appear true but saying “forever” and then implying to the nephew later on in the letter to show love towards the Whites, in an attempt end the racial cycle, is unredeemable. What does the nephew gain if he spend all his life trying to end the cycle and his ambition is “set in stone” as to never, ever being