On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln publishes a statement that will forever change the coarse of American politics and history. On this day, as the bloody battles of the American Civil War rage on, The Emancipation Proclamation is enacted. With the creation of this document, the wildest dreams of millions of enslaved Americans look to be soon realized as it is proclaimed that, All persons held as slaves... are, and henceforward shall be, free"(Lincoln National Archives and Records Administration). Yet, even after the Civil War is concluded two years later, and slaves across all American states are released from physical bondage, no formerly enslaved person can truly consider themselves liberated. They are free, in the sense that nobody can
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Through describing the demise of individuals in past generations due to their acceptance of predetermined racial roles, the letter serves as a call for future generations to push the boundaries of such stigmas regarding race in order to prevent their own destruction. Early on in the chapter, Baldwin establishes this purpose by utilizing a comparison between his nephew and father, to startle readers into …show more content…
In particular, knowing that his audience is likely young and prone to distraction, Baldwin immediately opens his letter with a startling show of emotion as he confesses," I have begun this letter five times and torn it up five times"(Baldwin 3). In eloquently portraying the great passion with Baldwin writes his letter, the opening line draws readers in, effectively creating a connection between them and the author on a purely emotional level. As the letter progresses, this feeling of intimacy only increases as Baldwin simultaneously conveys the great love he feels towards his family as well as his anger towards what society has forced them to endure because of their race. Lines such as, "But no one 's hand can wipe away those tears he sheds invisibly today, which one hears in his laughter and in his speech and in his songs"(Baldwin 5), evoke in readers empathetic sorrow so deep, that they cannot help but continue reading. Later on, as the letter proceeds to discuss the complicated reality surrounding racial inequality, Baldwin intersperses personal reflection with well wishing commands and periods of scholarly philosophical discussion in order to effectively convey both the gravity of the subject as
Through describing the demise of individuals in past generations due to their acceptance of predetermined racial roles, the letter serves as a call for future generations to push the boundaries of such stigmas regarding race in order to prevent their own destruction. Early on in the chapter, Baldwin establishes this purpose by utilizing a comparison between his nephew and father, to startle readers into …show more content…
In particular, knowing that his audience is likely young and prone to distraction, Baldwin immediately opens his letter with a startling show of emotion as he confesses," I have begun this letter five times and torn it up five times"(Baldwin 3). In eloquently portraying the great passion with Baldwin writes his letter, the opening line draws readers in, effectively creating a connection between them and the author on a purely emotional level. As the letter progresses, this feeling of intimacy only increases as Baldwin simultaneously conveys the great love he feels towards his family as well as his anger towards what society has forced them to endure because of their race. Lines such as, "But no one 's hand can wipe away those tears he sheds invisibly today, which one hears in his laughter and in his speech and in his songs"(Baldwin 5), evoke in readers empathetic sorrow so deep, that they cannot help but continue reading. Later on, as the letter proceeds to discuss the complicated reality surrounding racial inequality, Baldwin intersperses personal reflection with well wishing commands and periods of scholarly philosophical discussion in order to effectively convey both the gravity of the subject as