This thesis will focus specifically on Baldwin’s core works, namely, “Now Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Notes of a Native Son,” and “Nobody Knows My Name.” The specified works can be considered seminal in the evolution of Baldwin’s philosophy and his attempts at shaping the societal perception of race and justice. As a civil rights activist, Baldwin was quite prolific in terms of the writings and speeches that he wrote to further the argument regarding racism and racial profiling within American society. However, what makes the specified three works special is the complexity of the discussion and the author’s ability to connect the problem of racism to a plethora of social and sociocultural factors, thus demonstrating why the reality of American society at the time still retained a substantial amount of racism.
Moreover, the writings of Baldwin, specifically, the three pieces selected above, remain topical even to this day. The ideas that the author voiced several decades ago are still relevant to American society and the ubiquitous problem of racism within it. Therefore, by studying Baldwin’s reflection on the nature of racism, its link to slavery, and its traces in the American community of the time, one will be able to understand the nature of modern racism.
Consequently, the rampant nature of the phenomenon can become manageable and possibly o defeat, introducing the American community to the principles of equality, equity, and regard for the intrinsic value of human life. The books in question serve as a reminder of how the racial issue was addressed in the past so that comparisons to the current situation could be drawn, and so that essential lessons about prejudice and systemic racial oppression could be learned.
Reference
Tuhkanen, M. (2018). Losing real life: James Baldwin and the ethics of trauma. James Baldwin Review, 4(1), 114-127. Web.