Emotion And Hate In My Father's Blues By James Baldwin

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Nothing compares to the feeling that is being treated less than human. For African-Americans, this has been the story since they came to this country: being enslaved, treated less than human, and not given the rights they deserve. Baldwin didn't experience this racism as a young child, but he did, however, see the effects it had on his father. Baldwin’s father had lived in the deep south during the peak of Jim Crow racism. Growing up Baldwin felt this anger and hate when he had an encounter with his father. His father never learned to live with this hate and not let it control every aspect of his life. Baldwin, through writing this essay and reflecting on his life, shows that learned from his father’s mistakes and learned to live with his hate and did not let it control his life. Although the foundation was laid for Baldwin to live in a mindset of total anger because of the way he is treated, Baldwin turned his path completely around and made sure anger would not …show more content…
Baldwin mentions the only white people were “welfare workers and bill collectors,” and his father would become so filled with rage because he felt their presence as a violation of his space that Baldwin’s mother had to deal with them. An even better example of this hate is when a white schoolteacher takes an interest in Baldwin and tries to take him to plays he usually wouldn’t be allowed to go to. Before his teacher comes over to talk to Baldwin’s parents the only thing his father is worried about is why the teacher is taking an interest in his son. He does not even acknowledge the opportunity his son is being given. After this event, Baldwin started to distance himself more and more from his father because he didn’t want to hold the same anger in his heart as he grew older. However, by Baldwin moving out, he would be faced with an even more difficult challenge; the challenge of the outside world and Jim Crow
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