James Baldwins Notes of a Native Son Essay example

James Baldwins Notes of a Native Son demonstrates his complex and unique relationship with his father. Baldwins relationship with his father is very similar to most father-son relationships but the effect of racial discrimination on the lives of both, (the father and the son) makes it distinctive. At the outset, Baldwin accepts the fact that his father was only trying to look out for him, but deep down, he cannot help but feel that his father was imposing his thoughts and experiences on him. Baldwins depiction of his relationship with his father while he was alive is full of loathing and detest for him and his ideologies, but as he matures, he discovers his father in himself. His fathers hatred in relation to the white American†¦show more content†¦The white world had shut the door on him and he finally conceded the burden of being black. Baldwin affirms, I had discovered the weight of the white people in the world (222). Baldwin realized that his father was not trying to pa ss along his racist beliefs. He was simply trying to save them from the agonizing conduct of the whites towards them. He found the reason behind the bitterness in his father. Baldwin also became aware that the bitterness, which he had once hated in his father, was now a part of him The bitterness which had helped to kill my father could also kill me (222). Baldwin did not want live a lonely life; the fear of becoming, what his father once was, dwelled in Baldwin. He realized that he had to free himself of the bitterness, before the bitterness distanced him from his family (like it had, for his father). Baldwin felt torn between the feeling of hatred that he had always felt for his father and a gnawing feeling of guilt for not being able to understand the reason for his fathers detached behavior. He emphasizes, The moment I saw him I knew why I had put off this visit so long. I told my mother that I did not want to see him because I hated him. But this was not true. It was only that I had hated him and I wanted to hold onto this hatred (230). Baldwin was afraid to admit that his hatred was meaningless; but that feeling of hate had resided in him for as long as he could remember. Baldwin was not sure if heShow MoreRelated James Baldwins Narration and Analysis in Notes of a Native Son1233 Words   |  5 Pagesand hate in James Baldwin’s essay â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† Throughout this essay James Baldwin continually makes references to life and death, blacks and whites, and love and hate. He uses his small experiences to explain a much larger, more complicated pict ure of life. From the first paragraph of the essay to the last paragraph, Baldwin continually makes connections on his point of view on life; beginning with the day his father died, to the time that his father was buried. James Baldwin is anRead More James Baldwins Life in Notes of a Native Son Essay1374 Words   |  6 Pages James Baldwin lived during an extremely tumultuous time where hatred ruled the country. Race riots, beatings, and injustice flooded the cities that he, as well as most African Americans, was forced to live with every day. Many people, out of fright, suppressed their opposition to the blatant inequalities of the nation. However, some people refused to let themselves be put down solely because of their skin color and so they publicly announced their opposition. One such person was James BaldwinRead MoreInfluences of Racism in James Baldwins Notes of a Native Son644 Words   |  3 Pagesto school or even work? Yes, another set of influences. In Notes of a Native Son we see all these things come into play as we read about how James Baldwin tries to understand racism. In the beginning Baldwin describes his father as a mean person and he begins to question and try to understand why his father was the way he was. We see how the father tries to pass along his racist beliefs to Baldwin when he is speaking to his son, he became more explicit and warned me that my white friends inRead More Reviews of Notes of a Native Son Essay1238 Words   |  5 Pages Reviews of Notes of a Native Son Notes of a Native Son, a widely acclaimed and celebrated book by James Baldwin was subjected to many reviews upon its first publication. There were many opposing views between reviewers but almost all came to the conclusion that Baldwin’s use of words was extremely eloquent and intelligent. Specifically an article titled â€Å"Rage unto Order† by Dachine Rainer was very adamant about Baldwin’s genius as a writer but hardly did anything to explain or exemplify thatRead MoreEssay on Analyzing Notes of a Native Son1485 Words   |  6 PagesAnalyzing â€Å"Notes of a Native Son† James Baldwin is a highly renowned African-American essay writer who is best known for his ability to interweave narrative and argument into concise well-written essays. He had his first book published at the early age of 19 and has published some astounding literature during the time of civil rights activism. He succeeded himself to rise out of his poverty to become an amazing writer through self-determination and courage. In his essay entitled, â€Å"Notes of a NativeRead MoreEssay on Hatred in Notes of a Native Son1156 Words   |  5 Pagesthe written word. But James Baldwin, a popular black writer during this time period, does not harp on this subject. Instead of preaching about his hatred for white America, Baldwin utilizes his narrative and analysis techniques to illustrate the destructive nature of the black society’s hatred for white society in â€Å"Notes of a Native Son†. The hatred many African Americans possessed during the 1950s caused multiple riots. Baldwin touches on this in â€Å"Notes of a Native Son†, by mentioning the HarlemRead MoreEssay about Notes of a Native Son: Stubbornness Vs. Persistence788 Words   |  4 Pages In James Baldwins essay Notes of a Native Son he tries to show how his father has affected his life. Baldwin does not think that his father will or has any effect on his life. It is not until after his father dies that Baldwin realizes what his father had continually told him is actually be true. Baldwins relationship with his father is very similar to most child parent relationship. Children often think that their parents know nothing and it is not until something actually happens thatRead MoreThe Impact of James Baldwins Writing on the Civil Rights Movement1323 Words   |  5 PagesJames Baldwin is looked upon by many as the first of the great Black writers to have had a significant impact on the Civil Rights movement. James Baldwin work was very important to the civil rights movement and he was influenced by the civil rights movement. Born in 1924, Baldwin moved to Paris, France in his early twenties and it was from there that he did most of his important writing (Boyd). Baldwin began his writing career as a novelist and his personal goal was always to attain a status as aRead More Baldwins Father in Notes of a Native Son Essay1670 Words   |  7 Pagesby writers to convey their experiences to an audience. James Baldwin is a renowned author for bringing his experience to literature. He grew up Harlem in the 1940’s and 1950’s, a crucial point in history for America due to the escalading conflict between people of different races marked by the race riots of Harlem and Detroit. This environment that Baldwin grew up in inspires and influences him to write the narrative â€Å"Notes of a Native Son,† which is based on his experience with racism and theRead MoreNotes t o a Native Son1226 Words   |  5 Pagesthe last paragraph in the biographical section on page 51 that starts with â€Å"In ‘Notes of a Native Son,’† was most useful to my understanding of this essay because it gives a brief summary of Baldwin’s essay. However, the first couple of sentences on page 49 gave me an idea of what kind of writer Baldwin is: â€Å"took on the responsibility of speaking as a black American about the ‘Negro problems in America.’† 2) Baldwin’s father is a minister whom he never gets to know as a true loving parent. There