James Baldwin: The Greatest African American Literature Of James Baldwin

James Baldwin In the early nineteen hundreds, nobody would ever think that a gay black man from Harlem named James Baldwin would be able to make it a as a renowned writer among other things. It was the fact that he grew up in such poor conditions that helped him to go on to write some of the greatest African American literature of his time. He used his prowess in writing to help better voice the black community in way never done before. By conducting thorough research, one might be able to recognize how Baldwin was influenced by firsthand experiences with racism, his step father and his travels around the world observing oppression in various forms. Baldwin was born in on August twenty third, nineteen twenty four in Harlem New York to a mother

Although David Baldwin might have not been the best role model for a young Baldwin he would help start his son on the path to literary achievement. As it was put in Lisa’s biography on Baldwin “In addition to being afraid of his step father James became convinced that David found him ugly and worthless” (Rosset 20) Baldwin also thought that his father despised him showing his cruelty to his stepson. Later on, Baldwin goes on to say that “The one thing my father did for me was that he taught me how to fight…I had to know how to fight because I fought him so hard” (Rosset 20) showing exactly how his step father influenced him in his life. Baldwin also then stated that the reason his father was so harsh like that was because of the racism of the world. The treatment Baldwin received from his father lead to him becoming greatly invested in books. David Baldwin would not let his children enjoy most of the simple pleasure of life at the time so Baldwin had to find something else to occupy his time with (Rosset 20). This would lead to his love for writing and eventual lifelong

In an article done by Abur-Rahman, Aliyyah Simply Menaced Boy it has become apparent that Baldwins book Giovanni’s room had some flaws within it. It is brought to light the exaggeration of characters and themes throughout the novel. Especially in Giovanni’s Room where “Giovanni's Room to reveal that label "homosexual novel" and the critical obsession with the novel's white characters have obscured many of the novels underlying critiques of the machinations of power.” (Abu-rahman). This quote talks about how the context of the novel gets to the point where its misinforming the reader on how the white society is as a whole. While one might say this, an individual might be able to recognize proper cultural appropriation in the Baldwin’s writing style. Baldwin was mostly spot on with his appropriation of cultures because when he was alive these things were true about the American people and how they treated homosexuals and African Americans in their society and also how the world treated them. In Giovanni’s Room the whole point is to tell a story about a man struggling with his so he goes to Paris to go find out who he really is. Since Baldwin can attest to this himself he accurately displayed the story to the best of his