The Fire Next Time
by Andrew Martinez and Darnell Dail
Main arguments
Racial Inequality - He would argue that white men would disrespect them and the blacks would always call them the "devils" and he also that the white would never learn to be happy and live in a free country until they integrate the unity and happiness of nigger in they community.
Political Views - Baldwin talks about the war against communism, the Vietnam war and such and how that has shaped his country by changing people's views on certain people and fear of communism.
Media Connections
Rhetorical Devices
Parallel Sentence Structure: "This past, the Negro's past, of rope, fire, torture, castration, infanticide, rape; death and humiliation" (Baldwin, 98) Baldwin structures this sentence almost as if it is a long list of grievances towards the Negroes in America which exemplifies the pain and suffering they had to endure for centuries.
Diction: "And when I sat at Elijah's table and watched the baby, the women, and the men, and we talked about God's-- or Allah's --Vengeance..." (Baldwin, 103) Baldwin uses the word vengeance to show the justice that god can do is not always nice and it is sometimes harsh and punishing.
Hyperbole: "Someone at the table said, 'The white man sure is a devil. He proves that by his own actions.' (Baldwin 65)" It's an example of a hyperbole because the white man isn't a devil, but is called one because he had committed very bad actions which give him a terrible reputation. This achieves his overall purpose of explaining how bad the white men actually were to the black men.