The Fire Next Time Analysis

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The Fire Next Time is a biography by James Baldwin talking about a time in his life where he questioned his religious choices. It seems as though Baldwin was trying to tell the reader about extreme racism on the other end of the spectrum throughout the African-American community. In addition, he talked about how the church in Harlem was run more like a “lucrative business” rather than a place of godly worship. In addition, he includes how the black, Muslim community felt about “the white man,” and how his time of power was soon over. Overall, the book is making an effective argument that racism is not just an issue solely associated with whites’ feelings towards the blacks. The begin, Baldwin wrote about his internal struggle of his feelings towards God, and was set into motion by the fact that the church in Harlem was a “lucrative business” rather than a place of worship and repentance. Sadly, the is still true, even today, because some pastoral sermons feel more like a Go Fund Me pitch than a lesson for the public. This particular epiphany lead him to become interested in the Muslim community and their message of a “black God” that has only tolerated the whites. He talked about how it was believed the white man’s reign of power was soon to be over, and the blacks could assume their rightful role on Earth. Baldwin …show more content…
He shows the fact that the black population was just as guilty of racism as the whites, which is interesting to see because few pieces on racism show it on the other side of the spectrum. In addition, he talked about how, in the bigger scheme of things, everyone could learn to get along, and the main problem was the fact that everyone has problems in their life. However, instead of solving them on their own, they project them on to others. All in all, talking about the Black Muslim community’s beliefs on the white man’s place helped validate his argument even