Prejudice Exposed In James Baldwin's Notes Of A Native Son

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James Baldwin’s piece “Notes of a Native Son” encapsulates his personal experiences in society as a Black man facing prejudice, as well as his relationship with his father and how American civilization impacted it. As discussed in class, the majority of Baldwin’s opinions on his father stemmed from his father’s experiences with prejudice prior to his passing. Throughout the piece, the audience learns with Baldwin where his preconceived notions of his father originate from as he experiences racism himself. Similarly, Langston Hughes’s poem “I, Too” displays a desire for Black people, including himself, to be incorporated into society and not discriminated against. A third piece I discovered that blends nicely with these two is “The Melting Pot” …show more content…

Regardless of this minor difference, they are able to talk about similar themes, but in different manners. The two poems are written using symbolism to get across their points. In Randall’s poem, the entire preface is about a symbol that represents society wanting to integrate people of other backgrounds and ethnicities, except for Black people. His poem reads, “There is a magic melting pot where any girl or man can step in Czech or Greek or Scot, step out American” (1309). Through the use of the so-called “magic melting pot”, Randall’s use of symbolism seeps through without him needing to say exactly what he is referring to. However, in Baldwin’s piece, he is straightforward in explaining his experiences, where he simply states what happens, its effects, and how he feels. For example, Baldwin said, “The idea of going through life as a cripple is more than one can bear, and equally unbearable is the risk of swelling up slowly, in agony, with poison, And the trouble, finally, is that the russ are real even if the choices do not exist”

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