The Role Of Racial Tensions In James Baldwin's Notes Of A Native Son

Decent Essays
In “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin, the narrator discusses throughout pages 591 to 592 about the sense of animosity he felt from his co-workers and superiors during his time working in New Jersey. He mentions how he had not done anything to deserve it, but rather it is a result of his skin color. James gives another example of how the waitress would not serve him at the American Diner for the same reason. Some dismiss the problems James and other African Americans faced during that time period because segregation is no longer present today. However, is there any way we can relate these racial tensions to modern society? On a deeper level, how can we ensure that racial tensions do not become as severe of a problem in the future?

The

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    “… in Detroit, one of the bloodiest race riots of the century” (587). On June 20th, 1943 fights between black and white teenagers broke out at Belle Isle Park, an integrated amusement park on an island in the Detroit River. The conflict quickly spread off the island with the help of rumors and began to plague the rest of the city. After two days of violence, 6,000 federal troops were sent into Detroit to deescalate the situation.…

    • 1444 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many people in society today have become hyper sensitive to the race issue. Things such as whether we call someone black or whether we should call them African American are found everywhere. There are also issues about whether people are allowed to have pride in their race. We have to recognize that there are differences in our skin color and histories but we shouldn’t treat someone who is black or white or of any other race…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This conflict can take form in a common belief, or way of thinking, that makes others want to ignore the difference and conflict that occurs when white people and people of color interact with each other. Hawley and Nieto suggest a solution to this problem by saying, “changing a culture requires changing more than just attitudes and beliefs—it requires changing behaviors” (Hawley and Nieto 5). One solution to this problem could be to stop this negative behavior in the younger generation. A way to implement this solution is to get teachers to understand how to discover these behaviors and how to form the proper behavior, to those of different race and ethnic backgrounds (Hawley and Nieto 1). This solution will at least bring awareness of the wrong behaviors, if not cure the conflict.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When people migrate from their homeland or where they have live for most of their lives, they must make a decision. They either assimilate to the new place where they live or stay true to themselves by maintaining their heritage which forms their identity. Aminata Diallo, the central character of the novel, The Book of Negroes written by Lawrence Hill, has to make that decision. Aminata sits down to pen the story of her long life by writing down her journey from when she is abducted, enslaved, and finally when she decides to upon her hard life and put an end to slavery. Through Aminata’s journey she faces difficult hardships but maintains her identity by staying true to herself, which is an effective and powerful form of resistance.…

    • 1056 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Baldwin indicated white people as “innocent people” (8). Furthermore, he insists that white people are trapped in a history which they do not understand. Baldwin observed they are having a struggle from their history. It is very hard for white people to go against what is considered normal for over 40 years. He also reports that “They had to believe for many years, and for innumerable reasons, that black men are inferior to white men” (Baldwin 9).…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In what What Does It Mean to be American, James Baldwin is able to put forth his questioning of the state of American society versus European society. The specific passage that questions the state of writers in America as they focus to much on individualism and not society. Mr. Baldwin states “they do not describe society, and have no interest in it. They only describe individuals in opposition to it or isolated from it.” (141 Baldwin) America is plagued with the issue as Herbert Hoover said, “rugged individual” (Herbert Hoover) this is in our blood as a society and universally accepted.…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In comparison of Baldwin and Staples, one can see that the type of racism they experience, their age and maturity, and their response to racism differ entirely by noting the different time eras of racism that each encounters. James Baldwin 's and Brent Staples ' situations differ in the types of racism they encountered with conjunction to the time period. On one hand, Baldwin experienced the Jim Crow Era. Jim Crow Laws lasted for about a century; they were laws that kept whites and blacks separate by excluding blacks from using everyday facilities. The late nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries was a crucial time for the issue.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I have recently learned about and observed the unfair prejudices and racial violence many Americans faced in the past. Through the 1900s African Americans were judged harshly for having a darker skin color. Although slavery had been abolished in 1865, African Americans were still treated like slaves, and were not able to move up the social ladder. They were often given jobs in dangerous conditions, and had to work long, hard hours for very little pay. In many cases African Americans were brutally murdered, lynched, and wrongfully accused and convicted of crimes they never committed, just because they had looked at someone wrong, or been in the wrong place at the wrong time.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My interviewee knew very little about the American colonial period, for he never took an interest to learn about it throughout his life time. In high school my interviewee learned that there were many colonials in North American who got their freedom from Britain because they were differences. He also learned about all of the battles that the American colonists fought against the British Empire, and the colonist being the first ever Americans. The American revolutionary war fascinated my interviewee when he was in high school, so it created a patriotic spirit in him. He learned about the Native Americans, and the transformation of their livelihood.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the short story “Stranger in the Village” by James Baldwin, he talks about being the first black man to ever have stepped foot in the tiny Swiss village. He describes how the villagers make him feel distant and alone despite the numerous conversations and interactions with natives. He talks about the different attitudes toward black people between America and Switzerland because of white supremacy. As Baldwin arrives in the small town in Switzerland, with a population of roughly six hundred, he learns that they are unaware of the Black history in America.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Compare and contrast racial conflict in the South and the West. This essay will discuss and analyze some of the racial conflict that happened in the South as well as the West. There continues to be racial conflict throughout the world and it has been that way for quite some time now. So does racism, racial profiling and racial conflict differ depending what part of the world or country a person is from?…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1979 Baldwin essay 'If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What is?' insists the importance of the role of language and Black English's American History. Baldwin's arguments are still relevant today. This essay was written a few years after the African American civil rights movement. Baldwin has many strong viewpoints and conveys them very well in his essay.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Theme Of Racism In Sonny's Blues

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited

    The first example of racism that I came across was about the death of Sonny's uncle who was hit by a car driven by a group of drunken white people. The repercussions of the treatment received by black people in the 1950's in Harlem are present throughout the entire story. Another example of racism that occurred in this story happened to Sonny's dad. He is tormented by the memory of his brother's death and because of this he has formed a hatred for white people. I feel this is Baldwin's way of demonstrating to his readers that black America is justified in feeing the pain, suffering and hate brought about by a racist white…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Novelist and poet, James Baldwin, expresses himself on a hearty topic in his essay, “If Black Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” Through carefully-structured wording and literary devices such as allusion, James Baldwin depicts the intricacy of languages and the significance of the black language in America. Written in 1979, Baldwin enlightens the readers on the desperate need for man to be able to vocalize his thoughts through language, the importance of a specific language in America, and how it came to be. Baldwin sheds much light on a topic that many people in America live, yet have possibly never even thought about.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Fire Next Time is a collection of two separate essays written by James Baldwin released during the Civil Rights Movement. Both essays give a detailed examination of the ongoing racial struggles taking place in the United States at the time of their publication. Mr. Baldwin goes into great detail about the underlying issues which are contributing to the racial tension in the U.S. Baldwin also provides some worthwhile advice on how to go about repairing the crumbling American populace. Although the ideals and practices supported by Mr. Baldwin emerged from an era long ago, one must recognize how they came about, and how they can still be integrated into today 's society. To fully understand some of the darker concepts portrayed throughout…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays