What Is The Souls Of Black Folk Summary By W. E. B. Dubois

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Approximately forty years after emancipation, The Souls of Black Folk was formulated through a collection of essays by W.E.B Du Bois, a leading Renaissance African American sociologist, activist, and historian. Hence the title of the work, The Souls of Black Folk foreshadows the notion throughout the publication of whether African Americans were less than human and embodied a soul. The problem that was expounded upon throughout the fourteen chapters of this work is the problem facing the twenty century of the color line. The main question Du Bois asks is “How does it feel to be the problem?” The purpose of this collection was to examine the meaning of being Black and existing in a society which considers you not only unequal and inferior …show more content…

xxix). Throughout the institution of slavery living in captivity resulted in a loss of the sense of self and inability to reach a self-potential. Thus when it comes to the veil, for African Americans only, educational attainment and fighting for constitutional rights could solve the problem of Black identity. Du Bois continues on to his experience as a school teacher in the rural South, probing the shift of African Americans desire from simplicity to economic advancement and wealth. The veil plays right into the theme of the color-line (racial segregation) and double- consciousness (split identity of being African and American). As he continues through his work, he begins to show the reader a look into the development of the African American society in the South. Through religion, political attainment, and education, the African American is able to achieve a comparative level of success in America. In addition to examining the collective Negro experience, Du Bois also provides a look into individual black lives and their distinct experiences, including himself to allow the reader to fully understand the predicament of the Black American in the twentieth

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