James Baldwin Life With His Father Analysis

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Baldwin organized his essay with a literary device of starting and ending with his father as the subject matter topic. Baldwin completes a long circle of personal narratives with his father as book ends. The different stories he narrates are justifications and explanations of the overwhelming rage and hatred that permeate his life. The function of the stories are to engage the reader into some detente or understanding of the incessant pressures on Baldwin. The stories are autobiographical episodes of his life such as his 3 firings with the NJ RR. His father’s disapproval of his young friends and his school teacher taking him to the theater. His feelings of rage because his skin color caused him not to be served at restaurants although he got take out food at some. He discovered his murderous impulse to kill or be killed at the white restaurant after he threw the water pitcher at the white hostess in Trenton NJ. He detailed his silent treatment…show more content…
He also used adjectives like exacerbated, intransigent, dissonant anarchy, vindictive, bitter and incessant. Baldwin described his anger to his father as incongruous, sardonic, bitter, paranoia, fearful despair and appalling. Baldwin described anger as all consuming and dangerous to a heart because the ultimate loser is the hater. The(pg.59) relationship between black and white America and his own father is a story of loss, anarchy and hate. He regrets that he could not overcome the obstacles in his personal narratives. His description of the riots and waste of stores being looted is typical of the outcome he expects. However he is hopeful in some of his poetic prose because he uses a preacher’s penchant for rhythm and resonance in biblical passages. “But as for me and my House”,(pg.59) is an example of Baldwin blending in this entire paragraph of his message not to fall into the trap that is of hate and the immutable

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