The Fire Next Time
Jonathon Cynthia and Eastin
Rhetorical devices
Empathy- page 73- "I suddenly had a glimpse of what white people must go through at a dinner table." Baldwin puts himself into the shoe of the "white man" and makes the joke that he is able to understand how they feel when they "try to prove negroes are subhuman." This is Baldwins way of showing the reader that the white peoples rationing against negreos is absurd, but he pretends to be empathetic about it.
Hyperbole- page 92- "The negro can precipitate this abdication because white Americans have never, in all their long history, been able to look on him as a man like themselves." Baldwin is over exaggerating by saying that all white men have never been able to look at the negro equally. Clearly Baldwin is emotionally fueled but he uses the exaggeration in order to emphasis the inequality that he feels are between the two races.
Media Connection
In Baldwin's Fire Next Time one may say that a key theme seen is the American dream, but this American he speaks of is broken in two parts, the black American dream and the white American dream. Baldwin also speaks of how other's in high ranking places manipulate others who are in need o hope to secure their wealth in the world like Elijah. In this TED talk Maggiacomo talks about only people in power being able to achieve the "American dream" because they have the authority to do and say as they please later he also speaks about civil rights ad goes into little detail of the inequality I the world do to the corruption in society. This is similar to Baldwin's claim though it may not be religious its the same structure someone in high power feeds on the weak for their own benefit.
Main Arguments
Eastin May
Main Argument
1) Religion- Baldwin argues throughout the book that if God cannot make us love more and bring us together, why is he needed? He suggests that it is time we got rid of him because society at the time was completely separated. He also argues that the Bible was forced upon them and that it should be helping white people become more loving but since it isn’t, it mustn’t be that good.
2) Tolerance- Baldwin argues that black people should not try and be like the white man and it’s not about white people tolerating black people, its black people accepting white people and accepting them with a sense of love. He continues to embed that black people cannot let white peoples beliefs knock them down and justify white peoples actions but instead their inhumanity
3) Truth- He argues that white Americans have brainwashed themselves believing that their ancestors were all freedom loving heroes. He claims that Negroes know far more about white people and what they have been guilty of in past, and that following generations must know the truth.