Literary Analysis Essay on the Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America

Introduction

Michael Eric Dyson's book on the politics of race in America is a reflection of the decisions that Barack Obama made to impact and the outcomes they had on the black American community as a whole. In his book, he compares him to Hilary Clinton and expresses his critical examination on the contributions Barack Obama made onto America; having become the first black American president in the US. The Roosevelt house event provides a platform in which Dyson's book can be critically examined.

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Summary of the Event

The event was centered on explaining what inspired Dyson to write the book under the black presidency and the politics of race. In the event, Dyson makes it clear that he believes Obama's campaign did not necessarily help in solving the issues that the Black American community faced. This is obvious in the way that Obama ensured his campaign was forged under an implicit bargain to ensure that the whites did not feel guilty of the experiences the blacks faced such as slavery and its effects. His choice to take such a direction, as explained in the event, was rather to uphold political sensitivity. Dyson, when interviewed by Tamron Hall, expressed Obama's choice as that of a political race dilemma.

To most people, at least 45% of the Republicans, Obama was barely considered to be of American origin. However, being of black origin, he was conflicted on how to present himself in a manner that was wise and easily acceptable. He expresses the dilemma in the way in which race is infringed upon politics. It would have been much easier for candidates like Donald Trump to publicly talk of being elected having killed a man on the streets. However, to a black individual, this would have been impossible to do; since each of their actions would be criticized upon their race and origin. It was in this light that Obama became confined politically by race to rise above the norms in which blacks were portrayed in America.

It was his racial identification that ultimately forced him to act in the way he saw fit to ensure he remained racial indifferent despite the constant challenges. In remaining indifferent, Obama, as believed by Dyson, lost the opportunity to recognize his race better. Comparisons of Obama to Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump in the event point out to the indefinite effects of race on American politics. An individual's races will in one manner or another tie them down as to what political strategies they would undertake. For example, Obama's race confined him into ensuring he could not be aggressive or angry publicly while Clinton focused on public policy and Trump could not care much if he was aggressive publicly.

These events are relevant in class in showing that despite the racial differences in politics, individuals will always vote to ensure that their interests are upheld. In any scenario, any politician, however great cannot be esteemed as more important than the journey of an entire people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I can state that I learned the exciting fact that political individuals are the result of their upbringing. This is interesting as it provides a different angle in which the politics of race can be looked at. It also creates the need to understand people's backgrounds as an attempt to know them well and have the knowledge required to ascertain why they behave or make the decisions they do.