Baldwin's Essay A Stranger In The Village

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In his essay, " A Stranger in the Village", Baldwin conveys how he found racism to be prevalent in a small Swiss village. Although Baldwin is worlds away from the domineering influence of White America, there is still racism for him even in a small and unassuming town.Baldwin certainly has every right to be outraged by the way the villagers treat him. No one enjoys being treated as an outsider no matter how many times it may have happened in the past.

However, Baldwin is more amazed in the beginning to hear children shout "neger" and see the villagers treat him like an alien : " It must be admitted that in the beginning I was far too shocked to have any real reaction ", ( Baldwin 94). Many may say that Baldwin should just ignore this type of behavior, but his feelings of shock and even anger are valid. Being made to feel inferior since as far as he can remember is something so disturbing that it is not easy to simply dismiss.

It seems incomprehensible for Baldwin to ever return to the village. Yet, he does return for what he says is the quietness and affordability : " But I did return in the winter to work, the village offers obviously, no distractions whatsoever and has the further advantages of being cheap ", (Baldwin 94). However, Baldwin has other motives for returning. He does not consider himself a stranger in America, but returning to
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America's brutal tactics and ways in the past paved the way for racial wars and racial slurs that are still hurtful to this day. Baldwin conveys that because of Americans, black men were looked down upon, and the word "nigger" was created by Americans who failed to realize that blacks also have rights. This belief has spread world wide, even into small villages. Because of this, black and white people alike will never be the same as they once were, and the world has been forever

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