The book Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, was written in letter form to his son about his life of being a black American. Coates throughout the book gives his personal views about different topics that negatively affect the black American race. The book’s purpose was to explain to his son about the troubles that Coates himself had to go through before his son was born and during his life. It is meant to be served as a warning about what is to come to his son’s life. Three main themes that are discussed in the book by Coates is the topic of racism, white privilege, and police brutality. Coates argues his point of views through his own personal experiences which may contradict his argument. In three different articles from newspapers
…show more content…
Coates explains multiple times throughout his book on how he feels the black body is endangered and how opportunities of black individuals are limited. In an article from The Sunday Independent, a newspaper in Johannesburg, South Africa, that discusses the concern of racism states, “Racism is the gravest threat to man, the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (“Racism”). Racism is an idea that creates a maximum amount of hatred for a reason that cannot be identified. Coates would agree with this being personally on the side that gets treated differently and never getting a clear answer as to why. The author brings an opinion to this article by telling the readers, “Racism makes you sick. It’s a disease. Racism permeates all aspects of your life. It’s poison” (“Racism”). Coates would agree with because he feels as if his life is not equal to an average white American. Coates states, “But race is the child of racism, not the father. And the process of naming “the people” has never been a matter of genealogy and physiognomy so much as one of hierarchy. Difference in hue and hair is old. But the belief in the …show more content…
The article defines white privilege, saying, “It means that we are born in well-stocked, well-staffed hospitals. White privilege ensured that we got good jobs, further access to loans for housing and cars, medical care, relative safety and freedom of movement” (“Facing”). The author is stating that by just being born white, white South Africans are already a step ahead of other minorities. Coates’s argument over white privilege would agree with the author’s statement because Coates mentions frequently how white people either have more opportunities or “rights” than African Americans in the United States. Coates backs up this claim by saying, “I saw them lost in conversation with each other, mother and father, while their sons commanded entire sidewalks with their tricycles. The galaxy belonged to them, and as terror was communicated to our children, I saw mastery communicated to theirs” (89). By Coates saying this, he is referring to the white American population in the United States and how differently their children are raised just because they were born white. In another situation in Between the World and Me Coates describes when him and his son were at a theater, his son was pushed down by a white woman who was in a rush. Coates could not react in the way he wanted because he explained
Coates explains multiple times throughout his book on how he feels the black body is endangered and how opportunities of black individuals are limited. In an article from The Sunday Independent, a newspaper in Johannesburg, South Africa, that discusses the concern of racism states, “Racism is the gravest threat to man, the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (“Racism”). Racism is an idea that creates a maximum amount of hatred for a reason that cannot be identified. Coates would agree with this being personally on the side that gets treated differently and never getting a clear answer as to why. The author brings an opinion to this article by telling the readers, “Racism makes you sick. It’s a disease. Racism permeates all aspects of your life. It’s poison” (“Racism”). Coates would agree with because he feels as if his life is not equal to an average white American. Coates states, “But race is the child of racism, not the father. And the process of naming “the people” has never been a matter of genealogy and physiognomy so much as one of hierarchy. Difference in hue and hair is old. But the belief in the …show more content…
The article defines white privilege, saying, “It means that we are born in well-stocked, well-staffed hospitals. White privilege ensured that we got good jobs, further access to loans for housing and cars, medical care, relative safety and freedom of movement” (“Facing”). The author is stating that by just being born white, white South Africans are already a step ahead of other minorities. Coates’s argument over white privilege would agree with the author’s statement because Coates mentions frequently how white people either have more opportunities or “rights” than African Americans in the United States. Coates backs up this claim by saying, “I saw them lost in conversation with each other, mother and father, while their sons commanded entire sidewalks with their tricycles. The galaxy belonged to them, and as terror was communicated to our children, I saw mastery communicated to theirs” (89). By Coates saying this, he is referring to the white American population in the United States and how differently their children are raised just because they were born white. In another situation in Between the World and Me Coates describes when him and his son were at a theater, his son was pushed down by a white woman who was in a rush. Coates could not react in the way he wanted because he explained