An analysis in the literary works of James Arthur Baldwin
All authors are influenced by the world around them and have unique experiences that shape their personality. Issues such as education, culture, sex, race, religion, and socioeconomic status largely influence a writer’s works.An analysis in the literary works of James Arthur Baldwin reveals a noteworthy connection between his writing and his experiences as a black man in a white-dominated society. Thus, an author’s writing is significantly an expression of their upbringing and life experiences.
James Baldwin was born in Harlem on 2nd August 1924. The area was famous was its African American culture; it was once a culturally vibrant society of actorsand musicians. Moreover, it was deeply characterized by poverty and violence(Baldwin, 1957).Racial segregation and the obstacles hindering black Americans’ success from impoverished backgrounds repeatedly occur throughout the individual’s writing.For instance, the short story, Sonny Blues, is set in Harlem like most of his works. The story depicts a struggle between failure and redemption. After the Second World War, thousands of black American soldiers returned to their communities.Contrary to their expectations, they found vast urban slums and a society that did not respect equal rights as people’s houses were demolished to build housing projects. Similarly, the main characters in the story both serve in the war, but on returning home, they find a different lifestyle in America(Baldwin, 1957).Sonny Bluesis Baldwin’s testimony to the frustration of life in America and the conversion of that transformation into a political movement.The demolition of houses in Harlem led to the formation of civil rights movements that spread across the nation as African Americans started to demand equal rights.
In 1948, Baldwin moved to Paris. On his arrival, the author only had a few dollars in his pockets. However, the individual realized that in the foreign land, he could easily affirm his identity as an American citizen(Baldwin & Troupe, 2014).The individual began analyzing the complexity of his racial inheritance.In The Discovery of What It Means to Be an American, the author uses his life experience in France to describe the feeling of being separated from American social norms and adjusting to the European lifestyle. In Paris, the writer freely speaks to persons from all social classes and parts of the country.Moreover, in the essay, the writer alluded that such experiences made him a better author and changed his perception of the “American dream.” Additionally, the writer states that his profession is less suspicious in Europe(Balfour & Balfour, 2001). In the essay, the individual claims that in Europe, writers and everyone else are free to do as they please and still get respected; every person knows their place and can change it. Although classes exist in Paris, they play a different role from classes in America.In the thirty-seventh page of the essay, Baldwin states, “The American Negro and white do not, therefore, discuss the past.”Europeans are concerned about the societal system, healthcare and education that their people desire(Baldwin & Troupe, 2014). Baldwin makes people see the flaws in America’s society by comparing it to his observations in Europe.Through his writing, the individual attempts to privilege national over racial identities.
Baldwin evaluates the role of a language in If Black English isn’t a language, Then Tell Me, What Is?He argues, “Individuals evolve a language to define and govern their circumstances” (Baldwin, 1997).Moreover, languages enable individuals to describe their views and feelings to each other; thus, they can survive and succeed. The author suggests that being in situations where a person does not comprehend the language being used makes them feel lost.Additionally, the author admits that language is a symbol of authority and can also be dangerous.The is angered by the racial society in which he grew in and revealed his distaste in this essay when he states that white Americans sound the way they do because of Black American’s influence. Regrettably, he notes thatwhite people only educated black Americans when such education served their selfish interest; the whites taught the black people their language to enslave them since language can give the power to mistreat.The harsh treatment of the white masters elicited the need to have Black English so that slaves could interact with each other to escape from slavery(Balfour & Balfour, 2001).According to Baldwin, language is essential as long as it is understood between the parties communicating even if other people understand it.The individual gives his own childhood experience to illustrate this point; the author remembers times in his past when his relatives needed to alert himof theloomingdanger he faced from white people close to him. They did so by using indirect tones of language that made it difficult for white people to understand(Baldwin, 1997).The author despises the use of language to classify persons with diverse social backgrounds and class.
In conclusion, a person’s life experience plays a critical role in modeling their writing.Individuals often write things concerning the observations from their environs. As a child, James Baldwin lived in a highly racial society characterized by distinct differences between the white and the Black Americans. The author observedthe harsh living conditions of African Americans due to poverty. The author also went to foreign lands and carefully observed their interactions. The experiences enabled him to compare life in America and life in other countries through his writing.
Baldwin, J. (1957). Retrieved 2nd August 2020, from https://uwm.edu/cultures-communities/wp-content/uploads/sites/219/2018/01/SonnysBlues.Baldwin.pdfhttps://uwm.edu/cultures-communities/wp-content/uploads/sites/219/2018/01/SonnysBlues.Baldwin.pdf
If Black English isn’t a language, then tell me, what is?. The Black Scholar, 27(1), 5-6.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00064246.1997.11430831?casa_token=DAjTsf3gQV8AAAAA:nLaIVKjmWYznwIwuh2rviTOYqtsW2pUEBLFXlhRT34r5lwWIjNfumghhD5q5OORYWPsTxInbGCCePdRwmw
Baldwin, J., & Troupe, Q. (2014). James Baldwin (p. 185). Melville House.http://armytage.net/lecture/m_lectcnt.asp?num=230&nat=8&term=&cnum=73
Balfour, K. L., & Balfour, L. (2001). The evidence of things not said: James Baldwin and the promise of American democracy. Cornell University Press.https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=f2tPjv5KKbwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=the+american+according+to+james+baldwin&ots=Z_NTTLgIJ3&sig=KIKJxcRB7Q8–2W6eC4iBKwn6OQ