Essay about Dubois and the Color Line

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3.) According to DuBois, “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” Using several representative examples, consider how American writers (of any color) since the Civil War have addressed this problem.

DuBois's quote, "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line," tells a great deal of how Americans in general felt towards segregation -- each side had suspicions about the goings-ons of the other race. Blacks had a stronger sense of such hesitency because of their history with Whites, and Whites were generally afraid of anything different than themselves, thus the enslavement. Hughes, as a writer, dealt with this problem in a way that few had done, and fewer had done successfully -- …show more content…
This Veil has many implications on seperation, as it literally blocks the view of one side to the other, and anything that can be gained or learned from the other has simply been ignored by the building of said wall. The Veil also represents the unequal freedoms between the two kinds of Americans. DuBois writes in a reactionary sense, with a strong feeling of contempt for all those who are beyond the Veil. However, DuBois' point is not only that of White Americans view of Blacks is skewed, but that Blacks view of themselves is skewed. The Veil works both ways: Whites cannot see Blacks beyond their skin color, as Blacks cannot see Whites beyond their skin color. The personality behind that skin color is what gives a person a soul, or rather, gives that person a relative form of humanity. What is beyond the veil, what is inside, is what makes us human. The inability to see beyond the veil to what is inside results in neither side being able to see the other as human.

DuBois' incredible writing style, along with his intense fury and anger fueling his writing, shone like a beacon to those who had found themselves in a situation with such unequal power. DuBois addressed the problem of the color line with a viewpoint of how one side saw the other side, and then understanding why there was such a viewpoint in the first
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