Between The World And Me Analysis

Words: 1044
Pages: 5
Open Document
Rachel Pastella
Kime
Coates Book Review
November 10, 2015
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates Between the World and Me is an inspiring letter written by Ta-Nehisi Coates to his son, which is evident through the first line of the story where he personally addresses him. In this literature, he captures what it was like for him to witness racism throughout his life, from childhood to present day, in order to teach his son the way American society functions. The book begins with an interviewer asking Coates what it was like to lose his body and throughout the rest of the book, he uses his experiences from growing up to explain to the reader what he means by that specific phrase, “to lose your body.” From living in the poor city neighborhoods of Baltimore, to reinventing himself at Howard University, to becoming a best-selling …show more content…
What exactly is the “American Dream?” Is it characterized by the people who believe in white pickett fences, reliable cars, beatiful homes, steady jobs, and always having a safety net keeping you away from the dangers of society? Or is it the seperation between the people who believe themselves to be “white” and the rest of the world? As a bystander in Coates’ reality, the reader gets a glimpse into his family life and how it has shaped him into the man he is today and also how he is trying to mold his son in hopes to encourage him to create his own path in life. He spoke of visiting his Nana in Philadelphia, something he had always dreaded. She was tough, strong, and had a rough voice; but she had to, she did not have much left.. Coates knew that his grandfather and two of his uncles were dead of unnatural causes, and even brought up later in the book about his friend, Prince Jones. All of these people fallen victim to the harmful affects of being a black man in society, unable to live out the American Dream that everyone so hopefully strived
Show More

Related Documents: Between The World And Me Analysis

Between The World And Me Analysis

Throughout the entirety of “Between the World and Me”, it has made me think deeper. Coates’ use of language is thought provoking and he highlights the issues of black America in an incredible, although rightfully dark, light. One passage that stood out to me is on page 137: This chasm makes itself known to us in all kinds of ways. A little girls wanders home, at age seven, after being teased in school and asks her parents, “Are we niggers and what does this mean?” Sometimes it is subtle-the simple…

Words 617 - Pages 3

Between The World And Me Rhetorical Analysis

Countless examples of Coates’ thought and reasoning behind his opinions are expressed in his memoir, Between the World and Me. Coates employs a variety of tactics to express his logos, whether it be cold hard facts, semantic slanting to make his own opinions seem the obvious conclusion, or plainly laying out his argument with no fluff, Coates’ favorite form of logos seems to be to look deep into an event’s causes, finding not just the immediate explanation of an event but the long-forgotten or unnoticed…

Words 324 - Pages 2

Analysis Of Ta-Nehisi Coates Between The World And Me

In the novel Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates the quote “Our current politics tell you that should you fall victim to such an assault and lose your body, it somehow must be your fault.” explains what Coates was trying to explain in his book. The quote explains that no matter if you were right and you did no wrong you are the one at fault just because of the color of your skin and not the person you are. He talks about constantly about how African American’s are constantly killed by police…

Words 240 - Pages 1

Analysis Of Between The World And Me By Ta-Nehisi Coates

In the novel, “Between the World and Me”, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Coates lectures his 15-year-old son about his feelings, symbolism, and realities associated with being black in the United States. Reading this book really opened my eyes to things that I didn’t think about. One of the most powerful messages was that hate gives someone their identity “hate gives identity” (152). This stood out to me because today’s society outlook on African American people and labels them based on the negative…

Words 502 - Pages 3

Geek Love Figurative Analysis

an infinite amount of ways to combine them. Unlike other subjects, there is no definite answer or analysis due to the array of possible explanations. Mathematics and science courses often have one certain solution, but English requires more than numbers and formulas. In comparison to other subjects, one can always develop his or her fundamental skills as the course load and difficulties rise. Analysis, comprehension and writing are essential to language in general. Students tend to overlook major…

Words 1867 - Pages 8

Personal Narrative: Improving My Writing Skills

over the course of our 3 essays. I need to have a good set of writing skills for when I become a teacher so I can grade effectively and correctly. Welcome to the Matrix has helped me improve my writing skills drastically over the course of the semester. In the beginning of the semester, we started off with a analysis essay and I did not do well on the concept of the essay. I was confused and ended up giving more of a book report. As said in my Turkle paper, “Many children will just look down in…

Words 1085 - Pages 5

Rhetorical Analysis Of Station 11

can’t wait to find out the truth of the subtle relationship between the man and the girl. Indeed, her mysterious identity intoxicates the readers, but the musician seems to already know everything. He eats and stares at the girl without saying a word. His silence is intriguing, but it also implies the tacit understanding between the girl and him.…

Words 952 - Pages 4

Veeterinarians Persuasive Speech

Persuasive Speech for Veterinarians I. Introduction A. Attention Getter Imagine a world where every purr, wag, and chirp is a testament to health and happiness. I work hard to make the world better every day. B. Credibility Statement Through volunteering at shelters and gaining experience in clinics, I've comforted animals and contributed to their healing journey, demonstrating my passion and skills. C. Thesis Statement: I stand here excited to bring my hands-on experience, educational background…

Words 255 - Pages 2

“the Case for Contamination” by Kwame Anthony Appiah Essay

In “The Case for Contamination” the author Kwame Appiah analyzes and points out the many ways in which the world is becoming globalized. He uses many extensive examples to show that the world is getting ‘contaminated’. By ‘contamination’ he means that the mixture of all the innovative values and traditions are damaging and eventually destroying what our ancestors have left us. In his analysis, he describes the gradual transformation of many cultures and different religions to support his points but…

Words 1386 - Pages 6

The Influence Of The Civil Rights Act

historians such as Johnson developed personal hypotheses therefore carefully selecting specific sources was more difficult, which led me to follow various historic journals such as the Journal of American Studies by professor of History and traditionalist Harvard Sitkoff. This was particularly useful to me as Sitkoff highlighted many of his personal opinions allowing me to associate this against the significance of the Civil Rights movement and make comparisons across the late 1960’s. Sitkollf critically…

Words 697 - Pages 3