Between The World And Me Analysis

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Between the World and Me Essay “The blood, sweat, tears, and suffering of Black people are the foundation of the wealth and power of the United States of America” a quote by Huey Newton. Huey Newton was an African American civil rights activist that co-founded the Black Panther party. In early United States history African Americans were treated very poorly. They were considered inferior to White Americans because they were enslaved and had no rights. In Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates it compares the unfair and unjust treatment in non contemporary society and in contemporary society. Coates uses current events and historical events in order to show that the times have not changed and the Black body is still worth little to …show more content…

He uses many cases of African American males being killed and how the killers were not punished. “Trayvon Martin’s hoodie got him killed. Jordan Davis’s loud music did the same. John Crawford should have never touched the rifle on display. Kajieme Powell should have known not to be crazy.” (130) This shows how something so small can get an African American killed. A hoodie or loud music should not be enough to end the life of another. It shows how easily the Black body is disregarded and how little it’s worth is. “our current politics tell you that should you fall victim to such an assault and lose your body, it somehow must be your fault.” This shows how society views the Black body and how it defends the people who kill African Americans. “And they would rather subscribe to the myth that Trayvon Martin, a slight teenager, hands full of candy and soft drinks, transforming into a murderous juggernaut.” (105) It is always the victims fault, not the perpetrators because society believes that the victim is always the aggressor. In reality is is not the victim's fault. Because our society almost never prosecutes those who had committed the crime, it shows how little the Black body is worth in

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