Socratic Seminar : Between The World and Me
In response to #3 I think that this book did not elicit any type of hope within the reader or his son about positive relations between races, most specifically black and white. Hope is not what Coates was trying to convey to readers, he wrote this book to prepare his son for his life and what he should expect as a young black male, he did not write it to comfort him and give false hope. Coates explains his fear and what elicited that fear, he talks about all the prejudice and injustice that happens to the black body. His whole book is full of negative ideas regarding race relations and he closes his book going back to his hometown of Baltimore feeling the same type of fear he did when he was young. He ends the book with no reassuring words or hope for uplift. He explains to his son how life was when he was young, what he experienced as an adult, and how he thinks the future of the black body will go. He makes it clear that no matter how much we think we've progressed, racism and prejudice will always find a way to be apparent. He reminds his son that the life of African Americans is treated unfairly and is unlikely to change. The goal of the book was not to elicit or convey hope but to prepare his son and in specifics, the young black male.
I agree with what you said that racism and prejudice will always find a way to be apperent. I feel the same way, since this country was built on racism there's no way of escaping it, no way of escaping the minds of these people, their words and actions. I fully agree that Coates was trying to help his son be prepared for life itself, not for hope.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you put that sentence together where you say, "Coates explains his fear and what elicited that fear, he talks about all the prejudice and injustice that happens to the black body." I STRONGLY agree with what you said about racism and prejudice always finding a way to be apparent. Just like the good makes the world spin, so does the bad and that's just the true reality of America. If our country was built on racism it's obvious that that's how it will operate, no? In the book, Coates was simply just preparing his son for the hard reality of life, not hope.
DeleteI also don’t think the book was about hope. His motive was clear. It was all his reality and essentially the reality of young black males, but I also think he exaggerated when he spoke about all the wrong doings in America. I’m not saying they didn’t or don’t happen, but it’s not ALL corrupt. There are good, non-racist people out there. In general though, minorities will always struggle. Struggle to be successful, struggle to reach whatever dream. His book brought the harsh reality to our eyes, but it’s important to understand that we can find hope within ourselves. I think, in between the lines, he says that.
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