The Fire Next Time
By: James Balwin
Abby Lewandowski, Taylor Lang, Teddy Rosales, Liz Athern
Main Arguments
1.) Religion- He argues that his religion and the church are corrupt and do not follow their own preaching.
2.) Race- He argues that although white people claim blacks are going to hell and are overall horrible and useless, Baldwin believe that black people are strong and intelligent.
3.) Fear- He was afraid of working on the street, so he used that fear to join the church. White people are afraid of blacks so they restrict their rights and discriminate them.
Rhetorical Devices
1.) Repetition- Baldwin repeats "Protect your women" throughout all of page 77 to get his point of hypocrisy across.
2.) Simile- "...Which were at once as chill and joyless as the Russian steppes and hotter, by far, then all the fires of Hell." Pg. 17
3.) Rhetorical Question- "Had they? All of them?" pg. 35 shows they that all had not been following the Christian way and makes the reader think about the situation more.