Letters From Prison Sparknotes

Eldridge Cleaver was a well-known African American writer and political activist. He received considerable recognition for his book Soul on Ice. He was a member of the Black Panthers and was a notable leader in the organization. Eldridge Cleaver was an editor of the Black Panther’s newspaper, which gave him significant influence in the party. He confessed to raping several white women because of his hate for white America. His writings give a unique insight to the consequences of black oppression in American Society. Eldridge Cleaver is an extreme example of the negative feelings that black Americans had at the time. He decided to resort to violence to get his revenge on the white man. Eldridge Cleaver gives a necessary account of his journey

as a young black man in a white-dominated society.

Cleaver decided to split the essays up into four sections. In the first section, “Letters from Prison,” he delves into his personal experience with crime and penitentiaries. He explores his realization of his position in white America and the limited opportunities he was offered as a result of the color of his skin. He talks about how he was not aware of the social classes that existed in America. He became aware when mass demonstrations began and he developed a fervent hatred for America. He also talks about the isolation from society, his family, and his friends. Eldridge Cleaver speaks about his initial disbelief of the news of Malcolm X’s assassination. In the second section, “Blood of the Beast,” Cleaver talks about the interracial relations and black liberation theology. He relates organized sports in America to the ancient Roman gladiators. Eldridge Cleaver attempts to analyze the origin of the appeal for spectator sports. He criticizes the U.S. for

participating in the Vietnam War and accuses them of misleading the American people. He believes that the U.S. sent black soldiers to Vietnam in order to kill them. He then goes on to discuss the sheer size of the black population in America and the possible leverage they could use to gain more influence in society. The third section, “Prelude to Love,” shows Cleaver’s love letters to his attorney. In the fourth and final section, “White Woman, Black Man,” Cleaver expands on his account of the birth of mankind. He then transitions into the formation of societal classes that controlled American society. Eldridge Cleaver then goes on to list his reasons for the divide between races and several contributing factors. He talks about the black female sexuality and the masculinity of African American men.
Hatred is a major theme that Eldridge Cleaver uses throughout the book.

The fact that he hated the white race so much that he needed to exact his revenge speaks to the seriousness of the issue. He chose to target white women in order to carry out this revenge. He says, “All our lives we’ve had the white woman dangled before our eyes like a carrot on a stick before a donkey: look but don’t touch” (p.28). This is a deeply unsettling comment and shows what was going through his mind as a young adolescent black man. He dehumanizes white women and sees them as targets. He resents the fact that he does not have the same physical attraction to black females. He says that the other black inmates shared his affinity for white females over black females as well. Eldridge Cleaver gives some of the reasons that caused him to seek out retribution for the wrongs done to his

people.
Social class is another major theme that is present in Eldridge Cleaver’s life. He sees himself as a by-product of his environment and blames the American society for his bad behavior. He says, “The onus of teaching racial supremacy and hate which was the white man’s burden, is pretty hard to bear” (p.79). Eldridge Cleaver had to experience a unique place in history when he was perceived to have less worth than the white members of society. His essays speak to the feelings of black America at the time and their animosity toward white people. The social stratification of American society is definitely a major contributing factor to the outward acts of aggression from young black men during this time. Young black men, like Eldridge Cleaver, felt that social class was white America’s way to keep young black men in a continuous cycle of crime and lower socio-economic status.
Eldridge Cleaver wanted to encourage the unity of the black community. He was well aware of the African American population size and wanted to push them to be more outspoken about their rights. Eldridge Cleaver elaborates on an encounter between him, a couple of his contemporaries, and an elderly black inmate. He says, “There was something in his style, the way he carried himself, that we held in contempt” (p.183). This comment illustrates the need for African Americans to resist the submissive behavior that black people from previous generations had fallen victim to. This behavior only exacerbated the discrimination against the black community. Eldridge Cleaver wanted African Americans to stand up for their rights and to adamantly resist all forms of institutional racism that existed in American society.
I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book. Eldridge Cleaver held a strong stance on how African Americans should act and overcome the social barriers in society. It was very interesting to read about his transformation from a young black adolescent with very little self-awareness. He becomes one of the prominent leaders in the black community and gives valuable comments on the reasons for his hatred of white Americans. It is horrifying to see the type of individual that discrimination and racism can bring about. The deep loathing of American society drove Eldridge Cleaver to do horrible acts in order to seek out his revenge. This work definitely changes my perception of the civil rights movement and the plight of the young black men in American society.