In class, we discussed how Baldwin does not use a lot of big, complex words in his language, but how the words that he does use are still quite powerful. We also discussed how Baldwin can be irreverent and even insulting in the his rhetoric. Considering these points, what struck you most about pp. 15-27 of “The Fire Next Time”? Try to pinpoint exactly what it is about his writing that you feel the most. If you do not feel it, discuss what is off-putting about his rhetoric.
11 thoughts on “Response to “The Fire Next Time” (pp. 15-27) by James Baldwin”
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His rhetoric is not off-putting but rather something that does evoke anything out of me. The language is not disturbing to me but it’s actually boring to me. It might be because he is using the language of the time and I just don’t find it interesting. It might because I was reading it while I was incredibly sleepy and tired. I understand how it would have a tremendous impact on those that took part in the civil rights movement. I also don’t understand some of what Baldwin is saying. I just don’t really have a reaction to it.
I liked the whole structure of the story and how it developed. The fact that he includes his own story into this writing is what made me feel the most. The part where he writes, “I did not intend to allow the white people of this country to tell me who I was, and limit me that way, and polish me off that way” stood out to me. And right after he replies to himself, saying that he knew he was being pushed around without any effort. The way he writes that gave a strong impact because he knew that he couldn’t do anything at that point when he was younger to stop this oppression. Also when he writes about the fear of the parents for their children, he includes himself and the fear he saw in his father’s eyes and it just seemed like he can still remember that time.
Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time” is clear, concise and easy to follow. He introduces how going to church at the age of fourteen influenced the way he looked at the world. Baldwin’s simple language helps the reader imagine what life was like for Baldwin without him actually giving too many details. For example, he speaks about what members of the church could become and that it never “occurred to [him] that [he] could become one of them” (16). This is used to foreshadow that comes into play later when he says that no matter what Africans did, they never reached their potential.
It didn’t take me long to read the piece and arrive at an overarching theme related to racism and the lack of opportunities.
In this excerpt, I thought that Baldwin’s use of simple language allowed him to convey his point more clearly, and directly towards the readers. The part that stood out to me was where he wrote, “Long before the Negro child perceives this difference, and even longer before he understands it, he has begun to react to it, he has begun to be controlled by it.” (26) highlights the suppression by whites over blacks. It emphasizes the fact that the oppression has reached such a degree, that a black child who had just entered the society is unknowingly swept into a world of terror.
I believe that while Baldwin’s use of more simple words allows for his work to reach a wider audience, in this piece specifically, I don’t believe that his words are particularly simple per se. The majority of words that may be regarded as complex are mostly adjectives or adverbs. While there are definitely situations where utilization of more complex language is beneficial to the literary works, more complex words are often over-emphasized for the sake of sounding more intelligent. The ability to convey a message without the need or want to utilize longer and more complex words shows a certain degree of confidence in their own words. By making solely adjectives and adverbs complex, it allows the reader to gain a sense of complexity while still allowing for more general audiences to still understand the message that he’s trying to convey.
Personally, I found Baldwin’s rhetoric to be very “matter of fact” and straightforward, but at the same time humorous. He initially states the ideas he believes in as true and gives anecdotal and logical support, rather than building up to his claims. These two characteristics often played off each other, which makes it very believable for me that people find Baldwin’s rhetoric to be offensive. For example, “In the same way that the girls were destined to gain as much weight as their mothers, the boys, it was clear, would rise no higher than their fathers” (18). He then goes on to explain the significant changes his peers went through while trying to cope with their oppression by “the man” , leading to their lack of academic success.
Baldwin’s words bring me back to my teenage years when I attended Church very frequently and saw with my own eyes the strict nature of being catholic. His words bring back memories and this is what makes it powerful for anyone who has lived a similar experience as his. His rhetoric makes it feel like he’s reflecting on past experiences, taking you on a journey of his life and that makes it compelling as if it were a story he was telling.
Baldwin’s ability to create an atmosphere of objectivity, in my opinion, despite his rather demeaning description of both “white” and “black” folks as well as America itself is what stuck out to me the most. Normally, you could, and probably would, only associate irreverence with emotions. However, with James Baldwin’s style and voice, he manages to use irreverence as a tool to evoke logos and establish this atmosphere of objectivity. In terms of the actual content, I think that Baldwin’s remark on the white folks inability to “accept and love” each other, which would in turn be the same inherent flaw in their character that would prevent them to also accept and love black folks, stuck out to me the most(22). This is followed by his remark in the following page where he states that ” the virtues preached but not practiced by the white world were merely another means of holding Negroes in subjection”(23). If I had to pin-point the feeling that I get from his writing, it would have to be this astonishment as to how a society plagued by inequality derived from structural racism paired with white supremacy is being condoned, or, more rather, accepted.
I think Baldwin does a great job at illustrating the reason behind his views. I liked how he used his “prolonged religious crisis” to show how hypocritical society can be and then use it to introduce white oppression. Also, his use of thought-provoking words effectively add intensity to the story and make the reader connect to what he wants to convey. For example, when he says his friends were “fighting the man” referring to how black men were oppressed by white men or how the “negro problem” will only cease to exist when white people start loving themselves. He directly addresses the problem.
I believe that James Baldwin words where easy to understand. He formulated clear, simple, and concise sentences. When he used some type of “complex” word it had a well-detailed context so the word was understood. For example in the following quote, “Those virtues preached but not practiced were merely another means of holing Negroes in subjection.” I don’t know the exact meaning of the word “Subjection” on its own, but in this context, I understand what he is trying to say. What I liked the most about his writing was the good use of metaphors and how he described the moments in a very well detailed form. One example is “And there seemed to be no way whatever to remove this could that took between them and the sun, between them and love and life and power.”
“The fire next time” was kind of interesting to me. what interested me was when he talks about his church life because I grew up going to a catholic school and a Catholic Church so I kind of relate but not really. For example, how going to church changed the way he viewed society. I liked how he was really easy to understand, and very detailed. When he talks about his past memory, I kind of pictured it in my head.