Between the World and Me Pg.1-25
In "Between the World and Me" the author is writing to his son and speaking on several things. Not only is he discussing his past and some of the things he experienced in his lifetime. He talks about the neighborhood he grew up in and how everyone he knew was black and they were all afraid of the world they lived in. He did not share these experiences with his son because he wanted to scare him but rather as a way to give him hope and show him that the future is his. These statements about the fear that they had really hit home with me because that is something that I have never experienced.
The author also talks about the reason he is writing this piece. He was writing it because his son was starting to get to the age where he understood things and witnessed some of the unfairness in the world that afflicted those with their body as the author describes it. I found it very powerful when he talks about how he did not want to tell his son it would all be okay when he really didn't believe it himself. He simply told his son that it was his country and body and that he would have to find a way to live within the world. The question he says is how to do that and it stuck out to me when he said that it was actually unanswerable. The mere willingness to ask the question and search for answers gave the author satisfaction and freedom.
Part of what Coates is also trying to do in this part of the book describes a situation between himself and a TV host. Throughout the interaction, he is trying to explain things to her but she simply cannot comprehend what he is trying to say. In his words, she cannot see anything other than the "Dream" which means she can't see anything other than the ideal American lifestyle. This leads Coates to feel like he has failed and even goes so far as to say that he even expected to fail. He then goes on to list the sadness that this gives him as many Americans cannot see outside of this Dream and he knows this will affect his son someday too. This entire discussion he has about the Dream and the inability for some people to leave the Dream and for others it is an inability to live inside it. That all was very impactful for me because it makes me think a lot about the things that I have experienced compared to other and the sheet that can be pulled over all of ours so to speak if we allow it to be.
I can agree that I am not used to talking about race the way Coates did. Being able to take your own person experiences and use them to teach a child or someone that is lacking the knowledge on the topic is a good way that I am not used to experiencing. In my personal opinion I do not view my friends or family of color any differently than I would if they were white. There is no difference in our genetic makeup, but the only difference is the amount of melanin we might have in our skin. The beliefs that we might have, have caused a divide between us causing us to grow further and further apart even though there is really no difference. Fear is something that I feel drives the issues of race to the point of no return. The host not being able to comprehend many of the things Coates talked about also makes me wonder how much we might not actually understand about others.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this portion of the text, I felt that Coates was writing to his son in an effort to explain his past experiences. Coates eludes to never speaking on the hardships they as black Americans will endure because Coates worked hard to ensure his son had a different experience and future then he, himself did. Even though times have changed and his son had a different upbringing then Coates, Coates recognized that his son will in fact have those same hardships as a black American. And just like you mentioned, Coates now is seeing his son understand and recognize that the colour of his skin will unfairly impact his life.
ReplyDeleteI also found it very difficult to read the part where he didn't want to tell his son it was okay. I can't imagine how hard it would be to do that. The reading made me curious to see how many people I knew were under the spell of 'the dream.' It definitely made me want to evaluate the little things that I take for granted in my everyday life, and use that knowledge to better understand how hard the world can be for others.
ReplyDeleteGood empathizing and connecting here. As a parent I feel the hurt and struggle in different ways in knowing how to appropriately teach my kids that the world is not always safe. As a sexual abuse therapist, I especially don't shield them from the dangers that I know are present in the world of this type of violence. Good reflections.
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