Between The World And Me Analysis

Between the World and Me, written by Ta Nehisi Coates in 2015. The book is basically an extended letter of advice from Coates to his son Samori. I believe the most important message Ta Nehisi Coates shared in “Between the World and Me” is that the African American body has not been and still is not valued in the United States because of the euphoric dream that mainstream America lives in. On page 5 , Coates begins the book mentioning a talk show host asking him what it meant to for him to lose his body. By asking him this, Coates felt that the show host was “asking me to awaken her from the most gorgeous dream”

She gives a hint that the whites were able to do whatever they wanted to the blacks during the time. She even goes on to talk about the brutal killing of her mother in a rape situation by three white men. She also talks about the difference in white and black education. White people would have better

Between the World and Me, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and dedicated to his then fifteen-year-old son, is engulfed in riveting and powerful messages. Bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote “Between the World and Me” with hopes and intentions of providing his son and his readers with pivotal guidance and wisdom, drawn directly from his personal experiences and formed perspectives. One may accurately attest that Coates achieved his intent. The impact had by the messages relayed in this book certainly confirm that testament. However, one can also argue that the personal experiences shared by Coates were what urged his messages forward.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a well-known author, journalist and educator. He supports African Americans and understands the black struggle. In the book, “Between the World and Me” by Coates, he delves into his journey as a child, explaining occurrences that lead him to his ending conclusion, being an African American is being placed at a disadvantage. The most powerful message sent is when he unleashes the theory about African Americans that states we are living in fear. Coates makes these connections through African Americans’ clothes, their ongoing disputes on “the streets”, and the beatings that the youths receive from their parents.

It is no secret that racism still exists today, it is not a thing of the past. This is not by chance but rather careful laid out by the institutions we have today. This has ultimately had two different effects on africans and whites Americans. It is like the domino affect first came the housing issues and unfortunately this lead to a series of events that still are in motion today, which can be greatly seen through education and banks. Let’s take a first look at how institutions have affect white Americans.

African Americans throughout most of their history have lived under the power of the crime-justice system according to Coates and not it’s authority. “Nisbet, distinguishes between “power” and “authority” … authority… is a matter of relationships, allegiances, and association… Power…is “external” and “based” upon force.” Although one can imply as to why he makes the argument, he does not provide any evidence or reasoning to back up his claim. One can imply from Coates saying “Power exist where allegiances have decayed or never existed at all.

Many people forget that African Americans in this country have been enslaved for longer than they have been free. Coates reminds his son to not forget their important history and that they will continuously struggle for freedom over their own bodies. They must learn to live within a black body. These struggles can be seen in the racial profiling and brutality among police officers in cases such as Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and countless of others. He goes on to describe his childhood and how fear was the root of black existence.

Even just by reading pages 5-12, I can tell that Ta-Nehisi Coates is a good writer because his essay is highly thoughtful and provocative, and the well-written narrative provides lots of powerful examples to depicts the racial struggle in the U.S. He told his son, “You must always remember that the sociology, the history, the economics, the graphs, the charts, the regression all land, with great violence, upon the body.” The concept of violence upon the body appears on every important point of my reading. This is more powerful than the examples of law enforcement and black Americans because it leads the reader to truly see the the fears provoked.

Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body, it is heritage”. (103) That quote comes the most compelling theme in Coates letter, it how and he describes the black body and how it is always under threat racism, Coates writes “so that America might justify itself, the story of a black body's destruction must begin with his or her error, real or imagined”. Coates goes on and writes on how in black American history that black men and women have had their bodies shackled, beaten, lynched and enslaved by America. Then he compares black history to present time here in America and now witnesses the current black experience with police brutality and senseless shootings, that play out on cable news.

Coates knew he wasn’t in his hometown, so he wasn’t able to act violently. At this point Coates feels he’s being restricted and is experiencing the black vail. Coates also feels like he’s incapable of doing anything about the woman who was vigorously shouting at Samori. Although Samori and Coates experienced numerous encounter that has to deal with racism, they are not the only African Americans that have experienced such things. A female by name of Abigayle Reese has undergone racist remarks against her from white people.

Coates is frequently lauded as one of America’s most important writers on the subject of race today, but this in fact undersells him: Coates is one of America’s most important writers on the subject of America today. This distinction might sound glib but is worth making, not least of all because Coates repeatedly informs us that he isn’t much interested in “race” as a subject of reflection in itself. “Race is the child of racism, not the father,” he writes—while race is a fiction of power, racism is power itself, and very

I say this because of what is portrayed in the media, the people I have been raised with, and racism itself in the black community. Keep in mind that this is from my own personal experiences and perspective so everything I say is just applies from my point of

“Racism distorts our sense of danger and safety. We are taught to live in fear of people of color. We are exploited economically by the upper class and unable to fight or even see this exploitation because we are taught to scapegoat people of color (Kivel, P).” This quote from the article, The Cost of Racism to White People, barely digs at one of the reasons why racism still occurs in today’s world. There are many motives out there for why racism still occurs.

Their skin color carries a long history of slavery, racism, discrimination, prejudices, and negative stereotypes. These factors have been taking black people's right to live freely for a long period of time. There is no hope for social change because even those who are entitled to protect the community and its people (law enforcement) are abusing of their power to destroy blacks. Blacks live constantly under fear of having their lives taken away from them at any

Racism is an ever growing issue in the world, and something we can’t hide behind. According to dictionary.com the defintion of racism is: “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.” Race was created socially by how people perceive ideas and faces people are not used to yet. It is the “hatred” of one person to another individual, solely based on that person's belief that the person is inferior because of their language, birthplace and skin colour. Racism is an issue that has lasted throughout history, providing justification for a group’s dominance over another.