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The Souls of Black Folk
Term Paper ID:39418
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Essay Subject:
This paper provides a synopsis of the main views of W E B Du ...... More...
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3 Pages / 675 Words
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Paper Abstract:
This paper provides a synopsis of the main views of W.E.B. Du Bois in his seminal manifesto, The Souls of Black Folk. Du Bois’ main themes on race relations in America, strategies for reclaiming black identity, and opposition toward the accommodation promoted by Booker T. Washington are addressed.
Paper Introduction:
The Souls of Black Folks Introduction William Edward Burghardt W E B Du Bois\' The Souls of BlackFolk represents a manifesto of sorts in which the author paints a pictureof what it is like to be black in racist America in the early s DuBois famously declares in the book that the problem of the twentiethcentury is the problem of the color line p v In The Souls ofBlack Folk Du Bois encourages blacks to forego accommodation towhites and insists it is
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75354 The Souls of Black Folks Introduction William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois' (1961) The Souls of BlackFolk represents a manifesto of sorts in which the author paints a pictureof what it is like to be black in racist America in the early 19 s. 16). As Du Bois (1961) tells his readers,"I have stepped within the Veil, raising it that you may view faintly itsdeeper recesses" (p. v). He advocatesblacks reclaim their art, literature and music as a means of knowing whothey and who their ancestors were despite being an oppressed minority in aracist culture. Washington and other black leaders of the era promoted education andaccommodation as a means of progress for blacks, even acceptingsegregation, Du Bois remains adamantly opposed to accommodation as theroute to progress for blacks. C. While other strategies of leaders like Booker T.Washington have faded in popularity since Du Bois' era, those outlined byDu Bois in The Souls of Black Folk continue to inspire black leadership andthe black community in contemporary times. New York: Fawcett Publications, 1961. Du Bois' (1961) discussion of the double-consciousness and veilimposed by white racism is meant to illustrate to blacks that they need toreconstruct and reclaim their own identity, one that reevaluates the selfand black culture outside the perspective of whites. Through education and the refusal to fight for rights thatare inherently those of all human beings, Du Bois maintains that blacks cantranscend the socially constructed color line, lift the veil of darkness,and exist where all people have a right to - under blue skies ofopportunity.ReferenceDuBois, William Edgar Burghardt (W.E.B.). v). Conclusion At one point in The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois (1961) asks, "Howdoes it feel to be a problem" (p. In a society whose social institutions areoppressive toward blacks, Du Bois thinks it is beneath the dignity ofblacks to fight for rights that are inherently those of all human beings.Instead of making progress in slow, accommodating increments, Du Bois(1961) shows his desire to tear through the oppressive veil of darknessimposed on blacks by developing his own potential to be as good as orbetter than anyone else. In The Souls ofBlack Folk Du Bois (1961) encourages blacks to forego accommodation towhites and insists it is beneath the dignity of blacks to fight for rightsthat are the natural rights of all human beings. Whereas BookerT. 16). The Souls of Black Folk. It is only then they can throwoff the "veil" and claim the inherent right of all human brings to life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 16). DuBois (1961) famously declares in the book that the problem of the twentiethcentury is "...the problem of the color line" (p. 15). Body In a number of chapters addressing the historical and politicaloppression of blacks, Du Bois (1961) maintains a double-consciousness hasdeveloped among blacks from having to view themselves through the eyes of adominant and racist white majority. Onlythrough self-sufficiency and a reclaiming of black art, literature, andsong can blacks reclaim their natural and rightful place in the order ofsociety. As he writes after his visitor card is denied, "Ihad thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through; I heldall beyond it in common contempt, and lived above it in a region of bluesky...That sky was bluest when I could beat my mates at examination time,or beat them at a foot race, or even beat their stringy heads" (Du Bois,1961, p. Ward, (Ed.). Du Bois (1961) maintains, however, that progress for blacks willnot be forthcoming without the right to participate in politics, a systemof education that is based on ability and equal rights for all Americans. As Du Bois (1961) writes, "It is apeculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always lookingat one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by thetape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity" (p. inferior) to whites (p. It is only whenblacks are able to construct an identity free of white influence that theywill be free to fulfill their potential. In this book, he encourages blacksto reject accommodation and develop their own abilities. Du Bois (1961) maintains that racism keeps blacks behind a "vastveil" that limits opportunities and serves to reinforce blacks at all timesthat they are different (i.e.
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