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Assignment 2 “Between the World and Me”

Throughout the process of reading “Between the World and Me” I was able to locate myself in the exchange brought about by the author. Race has raised a popular debate in the modern society and I believe that most readers can relate with racism in the modern-day America. The reading located me on a position that holds that race itself is flawed and thus, a useless concept. Coates depicts race as nothing but a excuse for racism. In the first parts of the reading, Coates argues that, “Race, is the child of racism, not the father” (Coates 7). Such an argument leads to the position that race has been an important issue in the American history, as well as in the definition of the identity of the American people. The reading led to the notion that if the Early United States of America did not use race as a means of identifying people, racism could not have resulted. Additionally, the reading depicts race as a flaw because even those who think they are being discriminated against are upholding racism, although in reality they view themselves as the victims.

The letter is able to engage the reader in most of the themes, especially in relation to the events happening in the contemporary society. From this point of view, Coates helps the reader to gain a historical understanding of the themes of race and racism. Such is a good engagement because he is presenting issues that are still impacting the modern society, especially given the raging debate of racism in America. The reader is further engaged because they are influenced to premeditate about the increasing racial diversity within America and the impacts it could possibly have on the society.

The author is able to address the contemporary reader and invites them to respond to the particular issues of concern. The most obvious theme in the letter is the racial divide that is still a dominant issue in the contemporary America and which most Americans are concerned about. The author is able to capture the extension of the early history of the United States of America from the time when blacks were slaves to the modern day where most blacks are under pressure of threats with the white society practicing values that undermine the humanity of blacks with the aim of maintaining the spurious original American dream. Furthermore, the author addresses the contemporary reader by making the distinction that racism leads to race as opposed to the view that potential readers would have that it is racial diversity that leads to racism. Such strength in the writing clearly brings out what the contemporary society believes that white people are absolutely white. However, according to the author, white people develop this notion because they have the thinking that they are white, which in turn is purported to give them privilege and power over blacks. From this point of view, the reader is able to understand that racism is deceptive because people who think they are black might not view themselves as racists. Moreover, the author invites the reader to respond to the issue of the Dream. It is the belief of most readers in the modern America that the American Dream exists and should be upheld. Coates tries to engage the reader in a contrary discussion about The American Dream. Although to most readers the American Dream sounds good on the surface, the author proposes a deeper understanding of the truth behind it. Subsequently, Coates writes that the American Dream entails a fortunate lifestyle. However, it was created by historians and popularized by Hollywood. Moreover, he proposes that it is upheld dearly by whites although it is built on racial divide. By bringing out this analysis, the author engages the reader in developing a more critical thinking about the genuineness of the American Dream and thus, every American has the ability to develop their own views and perceptions towards this particular issue.

However, there are some openings in the writing in the image that is depicted of Coates. Coates is a writer, as opposed to an activist. He has had expansive experience and following in matters of writing and thus, one would expect that he offer more solutions in this text, as opposed to bringing out views that derail real revolution against racism. For instance, by holding that without races there could be no racism, Coates brings out a subjective argument that racism cannot end. Such is a seriously subjective argument that derails efforts to discourage racism. Moreover, the book lacks sufficient coverage of the experiences of black women because it mainly covers the experiences of black men who used to work as slaves.

In the context of this book, the author is able to achieve considerable success while meeting the demands of the readers. Most of the readers today are informed that the issue of race in America is becoming more popular, especially in the wake of the increasing integration of races across the globe. As a result, readers would be interested in gaining a better understanding of the history of races in America, which might in turn help them to discourage racism.

Works Cited

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Random House Publishing Group, 2015.