Fire Next Time
by Lauren Gratzke
Main points
- religion = Baldwin shows how many people need to choose how they feel about church in life and the corruption that follows
- life= at one point or another, you will have to take a path in life and you might not realize when it is but its on of the most important decisions you will make.
- acceptance= in life, you may not truly be accepted. But the key to a happy life is learning to give acceptance instead of taking it.
I Am NOT Black, You are NOT White.
This clip connects to what Baldwin is saying about race and how everyone wants to be better than each other and label one another. But in the end, we just all want to be ourselves and accomplish things to have a good life as he tries to explain to his nephew.
Rhetoric Devices
- Diction- Baldwin's overall diction when writing t his nephew is strong. such as on page 21 where "Neither civilized reason nor Christian love would cause any of these people to treat you as you presumably wanted to be treated." Using this kind of language shows how serious Baldwin is about this and how he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish this task.
- Allusion- Throughout the work as a whole, Baldwin uses many references to the past. A biblical reference is used at the end of the piece as Baldwin is explaining how he feels as a whole. Using these type of writings helps connect with the readers and can provide an understanding for many different kinds of readers.
- Syntax- This overall sentence structure is complex. It is aimed towards a higher level education audience with longer sentences filled with detail. This kind of writing allows for many thoughts and opinions to be told as the truth and no be watered down. The reader can get a true analysis of what is going on in the world through Baldwin's eyes.