The Beautiful Struggle, written by Tanashi Coates is a memoir published May 6, 2008. Coates’s memoir gives you some insight of the upbringing and maturation of his life. In general the memoir gives you an outlook of how Coates and his siblings were raised including the struggles Coates went through that ultimately created a beautiful future for himself. This memoir also portrays the life of a conscious black family growing up in the 80s. Coates’s blunt style of writing expresses the authenticity of the narrative being told.
Coates lived in a rough neighborhood in West Baltimore. His father, Paul Coates being the biggest influence on his life was on a mission to make sure his boys were ready for the world. Paul Coates had seven children by …show more content…
Coates established his father’s credibility of being a strong disciplinarian by sharing with his readers that his dad was a Vietnam war veteran and a member of the black panther party. Coates writes, “But Dad was unapologetic, and there were larger forces in play. Here we were in the throes of a second Maafa or maybe an extension of the first. All around us thee old order of black fathers was tilting toward disgrace, trading in their wake legions of boys, dizzied, angry, and confused. But Dad resisted the heathen call, parted the stagnant lake of fallen knights, and reached for his blade.” This quote explains how Paul Coates made sure he wasn’t going to be a horrible father to his boys. His job was to raise his children to the best of his …show more content…
Coates talks about the different style of living as a black people. In this particular quote Coates expresses his emotion behind the topic. Coates writes, “because of your size you will do things that will be seen as a threat. You need to be conscious especially around white people.” This quote emphasizes the importance of black boys being self-aware of how they might be perceived as threats. Coates addresses the stereotype of the thug and how society responds to those who fit the stereotype. Black boys cannot be true to themselves around white people in most cases. Black boys have to make sure their appearance is validated by white people in order to be considered safe. Coates gives much needed insight as far the struggles black males go
Coates lived in a rough neighborhood in West Baltimore. His father, Paul Coates being the biggest influence on his life was on a mission to make sure his boys were ready for the world. Paul Coates had seven children by …show more content…
Coates established his father’s credibility of being a strong disciplinarian by sharing with his readers that his dad was a Vietnam war veteran and a member of the black panther party. Coates writes, “But Dad was unapologetic, and there were larger forces in play. Here we were in the throes of a second Maafa or maybe an extension of the first. All around us thee old order of black fathers was tilting toward disgrace, trading in their wake legions of boys, dizzied, angry, and confused. But Dad resisted the heathen call, parted the stagnant lake of fallen knights, and reached for his blade.” This quote explains how Paul Coates made sure he wasn’t going to be a horrible father to his boys. His job was to raise his children to the best of his …show more content…
Coates talks about the different style of living as a black people. In this particular quote Coates expresses his emotion behind the topic. Coates writes, “because of your size you will do things that will be seen as a threat. You need to be conscious especially around white people.” This quote emphasizes the importance of black boys being self-aware of how they might be perceived as threats. Coates addresses the stereotype of the thug and how society responds to those who fit the stereotype. Black boys cannot be true to themselves around white people in most cases. Black boys have to make sure their appearance is validated by white people in order to be considered safe. Coates gives much needed insight as far the struggles black males go