"Between the World and Me" - A Critical Analysis
“Between the World and Me” is a book written in the form of a letter by Ta-Nehessi Coates. The author wrote the letter to his son to explain to him the sufferings of black people in the US. The text analyses several themes such as racism, black bodies, education, the American Dream, and gender. These are social issues, which are experienced in the US and the whole world. The text provides an insight into the lives of African Americans as well as the stereotypes used to demean them.
Gender
The female gender has no voice in the black community. Women rarely report incidents of sexual assault, which is common. Coates also says that black women realize that love is complicated for them due to sexual assault events, whether they report them or not. In Mecca, black women experience discrimination in the cafeteria, in the dorm rooms, classrooms, and the library. African American women are taught that a man who loves you can also hurt you. Female students were not expected to talk back, and nobody was interested in them as a person. The author adds that learned men posed a higher risk to female students in the Mecca compared to the non-educated ones (Cottom). Men only talked about polls and papers, not wombs and dorms.
The author’s description of the plight of women in higher learning institutions represents the black community’s attitude towards the African American woman. Black women are expected to settle for less than they deserve. Coates mentions that African American women are expected to understand that someone who loves them can hurt them. The notion explains why many African American women in society are in abusive relationships, whether with friends or lovers. They expect their loved ones to hurt them and do not retaliate or abandon the relationship because society demands that they tolerate ill-treatment.
Moreover, the fact that men only talk about polls and papers, not wombs indicates a more significant problem in today’s society. Men in leadership positions are not concerned with women’s issues. Nobody talked about women unless the men were asked about them. In short, women were inexistent to African American men. Referring to female matters as “wombs” is derogatory in that it shows how the society perceives women as only child-bearing individuals. The violence against women is a non-issue to most men as they only speak about politics and papers. The author also explains that the learned brothers are more dangerous to women than the uneducated. One would expect that educated people are enlightened and would speak out against gender-based violence. However, they make the situation worse. The education does not make them realize that women need to be treated humanely. Learned individuals become arrogant and use their influence to exert their chauvinistic ways.
In addition to this, African American women are taunted for their looks. In the book, the author talks about a girl who was told by her parents that she has to be smart since she could not rely on her looks, as a young woman, the same girl was told that she was beautiful for a dark-skinned woman (Grevlee and Henderson, p.16). Coates’ words indicate that African American women were not regarded as beautiful. Also, the fact that her parents said that her looks could not save her means that most black women depend on their physical appearance to be successful. The notion implies that the majority of African American women hoped to marry wealthy men to make it out of poverty. The book indicates that many people find it odd that black women can be beautiful.
Racism
Coates speaks of racism in the law enforcement department when he mentions an incident where violence against black people is not punished as the perpetrators go free. He recalls an incident when his friend from Howard University was shot dead by a policeman in Prince George County who mistook him for a drug dealer. Coates was angry because the policeman was not charged with murder. His friend was 6’4” and 211 pounds while the suspected drug dealer was 5’4” and 250 pounds (Lehman 13). The policeman’s “mistake” is difficult to believe since the two people (the suspect and Coates’ friend) had two distinct body builds. The drug dealer was rather short and plump while Coates’ friend was tall and slim. The fact that the courts did not charge him is questionable since his evidence of mistaken identity was not credible.
Other people who died in the lands of law enforcement are Elmer Clay Newman, Gary Hopkins, Eric Garner, John Crawford, Marlene Pinnock, and Renisha McBride. The PG County Police claimed that Newman died by ramming his head into the wall of a jail cell. In Hopkins’ case, the police claimed that the victim went for the officer’s gun. Eric Garner died as a result of a chokehold. Coates also writes about the questionable behavior of the police such as shooting construction workers and slamming suspects through glass doors of shopping centers (Grevlee and Henderson, p.18). The author reminds his son of the moment when Michael Brown’s killers were not charged with any crime. Instead of comforting his son, Coates told his son that law enforcement agencies have the authority to destroy his body and the assailants will rarely face the consequences (Grevlee and Henderson, p.10).
Coates talks about police brutality by referring to the several incidents where injustices against black people have gone unpunished. He presents the issue using relevant cases to inform the readers that black people are not free in spite of the abolition of slavery. African American people continue to suffer in the hands of the very individuals with the mandate to protect them. Who should the black community turn to when the protectors turn into the victimizers? The overall lack of conviction of people who perform violent acts against the African American community encourages racist people to hurt black people. Hence, police brutality against black people promotes racism.
Black Bodies
The author analyses the exploitation of black bodies. The book outlines Coates’ concerns as an African American father as he provides a new perspective to the nation’s current crisis and history. The author mentions that the US is built on race, a falsehood that destroys the country but mainly victimizes the bodies of black men and women. In the past, these bodies were exploited via slavery and discriminations. Presently, they are continuously threatened, murdered, and locked up for the minor reasons. How does it feel to be in a black body? How can black people free themselves from the burdens that come with their race? The book informs Coates’ adolescent son of the atrocities suffered by the African American community. The author provides an insight into the state of the country by mentioning several revelatory experiences such as Civil War battlefields, Howard University, his childhood experiences, the South Side of Chicago, etc. (Resources to Engage Your Students 3). The theme of black bodies enables the reader to understand human identity and the Black community. The issue also encourages Americans to research historical ethnicity and race problems in the US. Presently, most people are aware of the problem of racism in the US, but very few understand it. Minority communities and ethnicities, e.g., black people, are subject to extreme suspicion and are murdered and locked up. Non-Hispanic white individuals may not comprehend the plight of minorities in the US. Nonetheless, a study of how the atrocities suffered by these communities in history and the present time will enable non-minorities to understand the plight of black people in the US.
The American Dream
Coates mentions that the American Dream is inaccessible to the average black man such as himself and his son. Coates states that the Dream is the enemy of honest writing, courageous thinking, and art. White people in the US used the Dream to justify their actions. The author mentions that for him to achieve the American Dream, he has to represent white claims (Grevlee and Henderson, p.14). The statement means that the only hope that black people had of living the Dream was abandoning their culture and ideas, and adopt white claims. He adds that most Americans would rather see the country abandon black people so they can conserve the Dream but do not want to admit it. They use the phrase “good intentions” to hide their actual sentiments (Grevlee and Henderson, p.13). For this reason, the Dreamers use black people’s bodies as currency as it is their tradition. Slaves were the down payment for America’s freedom. After the Civil War, back people were used as mortgage during the Redemption of the South and the reunion. Presently, black people account for 8% of the world’s prisoners (Grevlee and Henderson, p.31). The author’s perspective of the American Dream reveals how black people have been exploited for their value but do not benefit from their struggles. During the Civil War, Americans fought to abolish slavery. The War is the reason why minorities in the US can vote, as well as participate in other activities without racial or ethnic segregation. Many black people died during the war; however, the African American community continues to suffer.
Education
Lastly, the book analyses education in the African American community. Coates stated that he was more of a library than classroom student because the American education system does not favor black people. Opening up classrooms where students could understand the text was challenging, more so if the majority of the class was comprised of white students. The author states that instructors should create an atmosphere where all students (regardless of their race) are encouraged to be open (Kaplan 3). Furthermore, Coates indicates that elders taught black children that schools were not centers of high learning, but escape points from penal warehousing and death. He adds that 60% of African American men who drop out of school end up in jail, but the matter does not worry the country (Lehman 12). The author challenges the fact that the American education system does not support the black student. The African American community has a negative attitude towards schools as individuals view the institutions as an escape rather than places for intellectual advancement. The country does not care about black men as a significant number of them are imprisoned if they drop out of school.
The author also describes the existence of “black colleges” in the US. He was admitted to Howard University, which is an institution of higher learning concerned with Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. However, the institution was based on the rules of the Mecca, which was created to gather all black students in one place to form a student body. In the Jim Crow era, Howard University enjoyed a monopoly of African American talents (Cottom). Coates’ explanation of “black colleges” indicates that racial segregation in the education sector still exists. Jim Crow rules called from the separation of different races in schools, parks, and trains. As much as the Jim Crow rules were abolished, Americans till practice them. If the converse is true, why is it that colleges do not have a racial composition that represents America’s statistics?
Conclusion
“Between the World and Me” is a book by Ta-Nehessi Coates, which talks about the issues facing the African American community. Racism is evident in the US due to several incidences that show discriminations towards black people. The author explores police brutality as law enforcement officers who commit crimes against black people are rarely acquitted. He also mentions how black people have and continue to suffer in the US in spite of the abolishment of slavery. Coates also talks about how the American Dream does not favor the ordinary black man and the state of education in the US. Moreover, Coates explores the plight of women in the African American society; they are victims of sexual harassment and insults on their looks.
Works Cited
Cottom, Tressie McMillan. "Between the World and Me Book Club: The Stories Untold." The Atlantic (2015). .
Henderson, Lance Gravlee and Katherine. "Reader's Guide to Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates." 2016.
Kaplan, Sharon. "Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me: A Teaching Guide." 2016.
Lehman, Dave. "Between the World and Me." NSRF Connections (2016): 3-14.
"Resources to Engage Your Students." 2016. .
