Baldwin's Personalization in The Fire Next Time Essay Example

"The Fire Next Time" is a non-fiction writing in 1963 by James Baldwin that galvanized the nation and gave a view on the passionate voice to the emergence of the civil rights movement. "The Fire Next Time" is written from a perspective of James Baldwin, who was devoted to racial integration, love, and equality. In this writing, James Baldwin offers a critical examination of the racial relations in the United States as he draws the event on his experiences that often evoke his relationships with people as a way of exploring ideas on American Identity. Being intensely personal and provocative writing, Baldwin split the book into two writings written as letters. The first letter is entitled "My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation" while the second letter is entitled, "Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind." In as much as the two letters are involved, they derive classical literature that not only delivers the actual themes and message of the author but also delivers real perceptions. It ensures that the readers can connect to the situation of the author in terms of racial segregation among other events leading to the oppression of the blacks in the United States.

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However, James Baldwin has maintained a personalization of history and the issue of black oppression in the United States in almost the entire writing. In connection to the then affairs during the scripting of the book, Baldwin wonders about the issue of black oppression "Negro Problem" which in different contexts defines racial tension. In the first writing or letter, the author is directly addressing his nephew (Baldwin, 1963, p. 11). Within the section, Baldwin begins by personalizing the scene by stating that his nephew reminds him of his father and brother who shared a similar connection. As the events unfold, Baldwin attempts to warn his nephew against following into the footsteps of his father and brother since they found themselves entangled in the black oppression defining that they were overcome and downtrodden by their mistreatment in the hands of the whites. Primarily, Baldwin counsels the nephew to avoid developing a vengeful attitude towards the white men by telling him to take an approach of love and peace to the white even though they remain willfully ignorant of their misdeed. According to Baldwin, he describes his advice as a way of persevering the difficulties of being a black man in the United States since his parents chose to raise him with love and passion despite the fears, they had considering the then racial segregations against black people. Thus, depicting on some of the ways through which Baldwin personalizes history and the issue of black oppression in America.

Additionally, in the second letter, "Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind" Baldwin personalizes history as well as the issue of black racial segregation in the United States as he describes his experiences. In the essay, Baldwin reflects on religion in connection to his encounters as he starts with his conversion to Christianity (Baldwin, 1963, p. 23). Within this letter Baldwin states that at the age of fourteen, he felt overwhelmed by the misery and crimes surfacing around him in Harlem, and he had the perception that the only option he had was to leave his community through a skill which could be either, join a life of crime, join the church or music. In most of the occurrences, he and his friends encountered obstacles in their possibilities imposed by the oppressive environment surrounding them. As a result, he followed the footsteps of his religious father by turning to the Christian church for solace to the extent of preaching in the church. However, with the development of time, Baldwin was illusioned with Christianity and feels that it is a way of escaping reality since the concept of God could not bring people greater freedom as he expected. Through such details, they conform to the various ways through which Baldwin personalizes his experiences and history into describing the issue of black oppression in America.

Furthermore, as the book proceeds, other events are depicting the results of Baldwin's personalization of history and the issue of black oppression in America. From the details within the book "The Fire Next Time" Baldwin's personalization results in intensifying his account's impact and individual response, mainly as he both letters. As Baldwin summarizes his experience, he makes his points clear within the writing by noting that the central issue in the black oppression is the white people ignorance. Baldwin claims that the whites live in denial of their practices especially in harming the black people in various endeavors as they feel the black people are inferior to them. Through the diverse experience according to Baldwin, it is easy to tie them to individual experience particularly concerning the issue of racial segregation and exploitation. In different extents, Baldwin's personalization impacts personal response as he tries to give that the best solution for the black oppression is for the black people o recognize the beauty in their painful experiences and past and love while the white people need to learn from African Americans and understand their struggles.

References

Baldwin, James, 1924-1987. (1963). The fire next time. New York: Dial Press, print