Mentioned at least once in most of the essays, it means that, "the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second sight in this American world, -a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others”. The veil seems to be a metaphor for the separation and invisibility of black life and existence in America. It is also a major reoccurring theme in many books written about black life in America. Du Bois examines the years immediately following the Civil War and, in particular, the Freedmen's Bureau's role in Reconstruction.
Apparently he concludes it would not. In his aim to represent the African-American people to mainstream America, Du Bois offers his own narrative, in a variety of voices, to represent the whole. His various means of expression represent his particular experience, which is in many ways exceptional and outside of the norm for his time. This sets him apart from the mainstream of black America, yet also highlights his experience of dualism as an African American. Despite the fact that as a cultured Northerner he has access to the resources of white America, his testimony shows that he is "bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh of them that live within the Veil."
He is, in fact, protected and harmed by The Veil. Nearly a century later, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., himself a Harvard scholar, addresses the anomaly of the Afro-American as he has existed for the past two centuries; that the Black American's greatest obstacle is the lack of self determination. The inability to define oneself will undoubtedly lead to an unhealthy dependence upon the definition of a biased party that will apply an erroneous definition. Gates states that "the Afro American's attempt to gain self-consciousness in a racist society will always be impaired by the fact that any reflected image that he or she seeks in the gaze of white Americans is refracted through 'the dark veil-mirror of existence'..."(Du Bois, xx). Since 1945, in what is defined by literary scholars as the Contemporary Period, it appears that the "refracted public image"(xx) whites hold of blacks continues to necessitate ... ... middle of paper ... ...one existing trapped within the view of hegemonic society; angry, but powerless so long as he remains in this state.
Du Bois believed the contradiction between these two identities didn’t allow African-Americans to be able to realize their true self and potential. Du Bois explained, “He would no Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would no bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity close roughly in his face.”2 Du Bois saw the only solution to the internal conflict of double consciousness in African-Americans was the lifting of the “veil,” which meant the recognition of blacks as Americans by the prominent white society
The challenge faced during this time was how to deal with the now freed slaves who once had no rights. DuBois states that African-Americans merely wish “to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly i... ... middle of paper ... ...outcast group of that set range attempt to conform themselves. The meaning of who is an American continues to change gradually over time, embracing different cultures and races into that definition, but the task is nowhere near completion as long as the hyphenated racial classifications and double consciousness still exist. Works Cited Bumbaugh, Steve. “Barack Obama: Next in a Long Line of Bi-cultural Black Leaders.” The Washington Post.
Dinesh D’Souza‘s assertion that racial discrimination against African Americans has diminish due to culture rather than racism is contradicted by Derrick Bell argument that “black people will never gain full equality in this country”. Derrick firmly feels that a meticulous examination of African American and Caucasian associations supports that racism is a permanent feature of American society. Both Derrick and Dinesh made valid points and used examples throughout history to get their point across. Although both made valid points, I agree, and maintain that racism still exist in modern society. Growing up I have witnessed racism with my own eyes and have personally went through it.
I seldom answer a word.” He continues, “Being a problem is a strange experience - peculiar even fro one who has never been anything else, save perhaps in babyhood and in Europe.” Social media has only meliorated the way African American persons are viewed, for Dubois and today, as a problem. From Duboisian experience in 1903 to Social Media and the Black Experience today, progress and problems persist.... ... middle of paper ... ...BIBLIOGRAPHY Congress, T. L., & Willis, D. L. A small nation of people : W.E.B. Du Bois and African-American portraits of progress. New York, NY: HarperCollins. David, M. (2007).
Langston Hughes once said in his poem, The Black Man Speaks, “I swear to the Lord / I still can't see / Why Democracy means / Everybody but me.” This quotation by Hughes is able to perfectly depict inequality which was just one of many struggles African Americans faced during Hughes’ time. Although literary critics felt that Langston Hughes portrayed an unattractive view of black life, the poems demonstrate reality. Hughes’ poetry contains many issues that typically plagued blacks at the time including racial abuse, lack of opportunity, and segregation. Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Poems.org stated that Hughes’ parents were divorced when he was young.
All slaves are equal at birth and have no social status in society. DuBois had explained that the average life for blacks in America was a hardship. DuBois had a different take in the fight for equality and the struggle for the abolishment of racism. Some people that wanted black to be submissive and others strived for a "separate black nation." DuBois only wanted fight and passion from blacks to find equality.
According to Du Bois “The Negro is a sorth of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted the with second-sight in this American world, a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world”( STC, PG 351). The black man still tries to figure out who he is as a person as the white men constitently put him down. To close this research, Du Bois’s studies do a great job in portrayed the inner battles African Americans deal with. His three concepts exist amongst the African population and and his multideminsional work on racial behavior reinforces it. W.E.B Du Bois acknowledges that racism is indeed a structural force, therefore his rational factors and collectivist theorys are significant even today.