Examination of Invisibility in Between the World and Me
Between the World and Me is a series of letters written to his Son, that was published as a book. In this book Coates teaches his son the things that he has learned throughout his journey in life. There many things that he witnessed that shaped him and helped him become the person he is now. Coates is transparent with his son; some of these things are his realization of the oppression around him that demonstrates the subaltern, within his life. The Subaltern means “A term conceived by the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, who because he was in prison and his writings subject (,) to censorship used it as a codeword for any class of people (but especially peasants and workers) subject to …show more content…
Joanna Rowles and Changming Duan write an article together for the American Counseling Association about the effects that racism had on African Americans; “Perceived racism can be a threat to encouragement. It is difficult for an African American individual to maintain a healthy self-concept or feel competent when he or she is consistently confronted with unjust prejudice and negative discrimination” (Rowles and Duan 12). They argue that because of the effects of perceived racism that it will have a negative effect on African Americans. Racism is a product of post colonialism, which created the “Subaltern”. Coates could see this same fear in his surroundings, he states “I heard the fear in the first music I ever knew” (Coates 15). He was able to recognize not only was this fear in his father, but in the lyrics of the music he listened to; Coates realized this same fear was in the people around him. In the streets, everyone had a rough exterior, but this was a defense mechanism, to hide the fear they were all containing. This was the effects of trauma caused by post colonialism that carried through generations of African Americans, but also carried racism through generations. These people did not live as they are and want to be but live how they need to
Between the World and Me is a series of letters written to his Son, that was published as a book. In this book Coates teaches his son the things that he has learned throughout his journey in life. There many things that he witnessed that shaped him and helped him become the person he is now. Coates is transparent with his son; some of these things are his realization of the oppression around him that demonstrates the subaltern, within his life. The Subaltern means “A term conceived by the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, who because he was in prison and his writings subject (,) to censorship used it as a codeword for any class of people (but especially peasants and workers) subject to …show more content…
Joanna Rowles and Changming Duan write an article together for the American Counseling Association about the effects that racism had on African Americans; “Perceived racism can be a threat to encouragement. It is difficult for an African American individual to maintain a healthy self-concept or feel competent when he or she is consistently confronted with unjust prejudice and negative discrimination” (Rowles and Duan 12). They argue that because of the effects of perceived racism that it will have a negative effect on African Americans. Racism is a product of post colonialism, which created the “Subaltern”. Coates could see this same fear in his surroundings, he states “I heard the fear in the first music I ever knew” (Coates 15). He was able to recognize not only was this fear in his father, but in the lyrics of the music he listened to; Coates realized this same fear was in the people around him. In the streets, everyone had a rough exterior, but this was a defense mechanism, to hide the fear they were all containing. This was the effects of trauma caused by post colonialism that carried through generations of African Americans, but also carried racism through generations. These people did not live as they are and want to be but live how they need to