Freedom In James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time

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The Fire Next Time Essay James Baldwin is one of the best and the most passionate writers of his time. His writing style, in the form of extended essays, is unmatched. His writing is very straightforward and relentless. The Fire Next Time is an in-depth, detailed extended essay on the Black Man’s experience in America. Baldwin analyzes many forms of suppression, through the various systems of control such as Family, Religion, the Police and Self-hate. Growing up in Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s he relies on his experiences to establish the points he draws throughout the book. My dungeon shook sets up Down at the cross because he starts off by writing a letter to his 15 year old nephew. He explains to him the realities of life and what to …show more content…
For example, recently an epidemic of police brutality has swept America. Every day there is a new case of police using excessive and unnecessary force, most typically on a black person, that is caught on camera and it sparks much outrage. Endless cases, similar to, Eric Garner’s, Mike Brown’s and Sandra Bland’s are popping up everyday in America. Even today, approximately 50-60 years later, blacks are still facing unjust treatment, even though it is not to the same degree that it once was. The Fire Next Time is an essential literary piece in American history and a staple for African-American literature. It challenges the racial situation of the time period. It provided all people the chance to open their eyes and empathize with the situation of black people in America. It added fuel to the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. The Fire Next Time challenges white superiority and calls for change so that black people have the chance to grow up in this country equal to whites and be treated with the same standards. Baldwin uses the past to show the need for change in the

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