A letter to My Nephew James Baldwin analysis

Baldwin’s letter is inspiring because of condescending to his nephew, he tries to connect to the younger James, and empathizes with him. Racism is an issue that is affecting greater parts of the world, but the United States is the most affected by this issue, according to Baldwin. Each day there is an occurrence of new grades of racism, and through this, we have seen individuals come up with the ways they can to address this issue. James Baldwin wrote a Letter to His Nephew talking about what racism is and how the nephew should deal with it. According to my opinion enlightening the nephew that there is racism is the 1st step to prepare him, which will help him deal with racism. According to Baldwin, discrimination due to the color of the skin is what defines racism; there is a phenomenon known as cultural amputation, whereby people try to adapt to the environment of racism unconsciously so that they can be “as white as possible.

” Why? This is because the standards have been set by the racist individuals and being white acts as a benchmark, where if you don't look white or follow the American culture then you don't belong. “You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity and in as many ways as possible that you were a worthless human being. ” This shows how volatile the issue was during that time, which means the nephew was to be very keen and open-minded when dealing with these people in a society that perceives you as a worthless human being. The Letter to My Nephew by Baldwin, is rather a vague depiction of the illegal arrests, the killings and segregation of the African Americans, whereby there were white schools and colored schools, or whereby African Americans were not allowed to visit the dentist, instead of going to the veterinary officer to act as a dentist.

Baldwin enlightens and encourages the nephew to be self-aware and be very cautious and careful. Keeping in mind that the salves are the ones who build the country’s economy up to where it is right now. This is a method which will work, being able to take on white supremacy through attaining good grades or landing that promotion, this will show them that there you are on the same level, or maybe a level higher than most of them. Whereby psychologically being at the same level will bring cohesion, whereby there will interactions within all races because you are friends with a different person who will help you understand each other more. Baldwin states: “It is up to the African American to acknowledge the whites as their brothers with love.

“They are in effect still trapped in a history which they do not understand, and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it. ” As stated, it is important for the African American community to learn about their history, to understand, where it all started, the racism. The slave boats, the auction of black slaves and the cotton fields and precisely which part of the African continent these individuals were taken from. In conclusion, the Letter by Baldwin will convince the Nephew and give him a positive attitude towards life, which is through spreading positivity to everyone whether racist or not. That is how the Nephew would have managed to cope with living in a racist neighborhood. Thus, we should follow his example. Placing this issue on a level fair common ground, it is safe to say that how individuals perform is solely based on the decision-making process by life choices.

The Letter by Baldwin, might not have completely helped the nephew completely, due to it scenarios whereby the Uncle tries to humanize the white people, which I think it is ineffective. This would be better if Nephew himself takes own analysis on white people. Which he was to find from his own experience. Ed. Zoe Trodd. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006.