The Passing Of The First Born By Du Bois Analysis

The selection I chose begins with The Passing of the First Born. In this section, Du Bois recounts a very personal tale where he experiences his first born son’s birth and subsequent death within a very short period of time. The birth of his son instantly transforms Du Bois from simply a person to a father. Du Bois mirrors his wife’s adoration of the child. The child is born with golden hair, rather than Du Bois’ own black hair, which Du Bois views as a symbol of the veil. The child eventually grow sick, and despite his mother’s intensive care, the child dies. Through the death of his son, Du Bois expresses the fact that life is already difficult, and by adding death into that equation is just adding to that. The one bright side to the child …show more content…
The white man was a son of privilege, and enrolled at Princeton. The black man was not privileged, came from nearly nothing, and attended an unknown school. The black man struggles to do well in school. The two men breifly meet in New York, but the black man is asked to leave because he is black. The black man returns home, and now he understands the racial injustices people of his color face, and he attempts to enlighten the members of his community. He wants to open a school in his community to give back, but he is told he has to told follow a racially unequal curriculum that promotes the racial hierarchy present in the United States. The white man moves to New York, where he sexually assaults the black man’s sister, and is murdered by the black man. The black man decides to go to the North, where he is thought to be awaiting punishment for his …show more content…
The book aims to describe life behind the veil, where you can see how the other half lives, and see their position of privilege and how the do not even appreciate it, while they are unable to understand all of the issues that you are facing. This section speaks heavily to human social relations. The Coming of John begins with two very similar stories; two men who wish to further their education. The primary difference between these two men boils down simply to the color of their skin. One man is white, which positions him firmly in a seat of privilege. Without any effort, he is able to attend one of the most prestigious universities in the country simply because of who is father was. The other man is black. By the simple color of his skin, he already is forced to have to work harder to have to prove himself and become better. This simple section speaks to the human condition and social relations. As a society, African Americans have to try harder because the societal rules have dictated that they are not as equal and not as deserving as white people. Social relations have placed blacks lower on the scale based on the fact they they have a darker skin color. This book speaks to the manner of social relations between whites and