Comparing Fire Next Time And The Tree Witness Everything

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Individuals are constrained by the social conditions that make them invisible. By connecting with nature, gaining freedom, and resisting any oppressions, individuals can make themselves known in society. Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time” and “The Tree Witness Everything” by Victoria Chang highlight these social conditions and how individuals can overcome them. Embracing one's inner strength and connecting to nature can lead to visibility against the social conditions that do not make it so. Victoria Chang uses her poem “The trees witness everything” to show that by connecting to nature one can be able to identify who they are and be more aware of their surroundings, making them visible to society. She stated, “Nothing about the wings was about …show more content…

She has no control over nature and it is not hers to take or make decisions about. Nature has its own purpose. It is not there to fulfill the basic needs of humans and should be appreciated by humans. Individuals often use nature for their own benefit and discard it when they are done. Individuals should become one with nature, which will lead to a feeling of fulfillment, hence becoming more visible and rising upon the social conditions that make one invisible. Baldwin talks about freedom and that if individuals come together, they can use that force to gain liberation and become more visible in society. He writes to his nephew and encourages him to be welcoming to the white community, even though he may not receive the same treatment. Baldwin states, “There is no reason for you to try to become like white people and there is no basis whatever for their impertinent assumption that they must accept you. The really terrible thing, old buddy, is that you must accept them. And I mean that very seriously. You must accept them and accept them with love” (Baldwin, The Fire Next Time, …show more content…

He talks about his resilience to be better, stand his ground and not succumb to the wishes of the white people. He discusses accepting his “place” in society, which is the bottom line. This demonstrates how Baldwin has autonomy over his life and how he would not let the dehumanization of his society dictate who he will be and the position he has in society. This shows how Baldwin had the power to become someone in the society that he finds himself in, even with the social conditions that make him invisible. He was able to persevere through it all. Baldwin had autonomy over his life, but that does not mask the fact that society made it difficult for him to become someone other than what they saw him to be. He lists the reasons why a black person cannot deviate from the community's expectations. And he states, “You were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black. The limits of your ambition were, thus, expected to be set forever. You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity. that you were a worthless human

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