Writing Style of Notes to a Native Son

Thoughts of a Man

Life is a great tapestry of events and emotions that one feels and/or experiences on a daily basis. No day plays out the same way and no two people experience the same things. Certainly one can say that life is jumpy, if not completely unpredictable. In order to explain life or the things that go on in life, one must be able to communicate on not only a narrative level, but also an analytical level. Any great writer must possess the skill to fully and completely portray a feeling or idea. James Baldwin, an African-American writer born in Harlem in 1924, fully possessed this special ability. Baldwin is considered to be one of the best essayists of the twentieth century and wrote during a time of great racial injustice. One of his greatest assets was his uncanny ability to intertwine narrative and analysis throughout the course of his essays. In his famous essay, “Notes of a Native Son”, or “Notes” for short, Baldwin shows some of his best work in this style of writing. In “Notes,” Baldwin performs a masterful job of weaving analytical thought into specific events from his life or the public life around him. This style allows the reader to better understand the thoughts of a very intelligent, educated, and opinionated man who lived during a very difficult time in American history.

At first glance, “Notes” may seem to be a simple story about Baldwin’s father and the strained relationships that Baldwin and his siblings had with their father. But at a closer look, the essay serves a deeper purpose than initially expected, which can be seen in an analysis of Baldwin’s writing style. Baldwin uses a writing style that moves from story to analysis in order to paint a very specif...

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...eeded the guidance that sometimes only a father can give. This is an interesting idea and this tying up of loose ends is a powerful example of how Baldwin constructed and framed his essays. His style went from a specific example to a general feeling of some deeper meaning than the story or example alone could portray. The transitions from narrative to analysis that he used were logical and flowed well. As a reader, it was difficult to actually pick out the change without carefully reading and analyzing the essay as one reads it. This style, which really is more like a gift, paints a very vivid picture for the reader and places Baldwin among the best essayists of the twentieth century.

Works Cited

Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York, New York, Library of America, 1998. 63-84.