Baldwin does not use a lot of big, complex words, but his rhetoric is still quite powerful. Baldwin is also known for being irreverent (almost insulting) in his prose. 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 resonates with you the most. If nothing resonated with you, discuss what is off-putting about his rhetoric.
19 thoughts on “Blog Post #5: The Fire Next Time (Baldwin), pp. 15-27”
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The thing that struck me the most about Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time” is when he talks about the emotional and pyschological impact that learning about the truth of the world had on him. More specfically when he wrote “challenging the white world’s assumptions, was putting himself in the path of destruction (Baldwin 27).” Also “are taught really to despise themselves from the moment their eyes open on the world (Baldwin 25).” He is very raw, honest and does not sugarcoat things to the point that the connection is clear for how one thing leads to the other. For example the internal consequences which is that they learn to not love who they are then has external consequences such that their decisions can become self destructive.
James Baldwin’s bluntness in “The Fire Next Time” struck me the most. He begins casually: relaying his experiences with the Christian church and recognizing that the Avenue is filled with “whores and pimps and racketeers”(16). This language clarifies Baldwin’s fear of falling into that life because they’re “produced by the same circumstances”(16). That summer, he realizes that there is not much of a barrier separating him and the possibility of being a criminal. Baldwin suggests that it’s very easy to fall into that life in a world constructed by the whites. And when whites have this “criminal power” (23), blacks are consequently taught to hate themselves and see/react to the world through this lens of fear.
I definitely agree that Baldwin does not use a lot of big, complex words but his use of rhetoric is still very powerful. It worked because I found myself reading through it quite easily and enjoying it. One of the things that resonated with me was when he talked about feeling “conditioned” to not be something great. He almost felt like he had to be what everyone else expected him to be, even though he didn’t want to go down the road most people around him had. He said, “I had been well by the world in which I grew up, so I did not dare take the idea of becoming a writer seriously.” He then goes on an explains that all he could think about is how he was expected to become one of the sordid people on the Avenue but he did not want that for himself. Even though he felt some sort of oppression, he still knew deep down what he wanted
Baldwin’s understanding and acceptation of the way things work between negroes and whites in the “The Fire Next Time” struck out to me. When he wrote, “those people to treat you as they presumably wanted to be treated; only the fear of your power to retaliate would cause them to do that” (21). He explains that Negroes do not wished to be liked by the whites but simply not to be beaten by them. He then says until white people learn how to “accept and love themselves, and each other” the “Negro problem will no longer exist, for it will no longer be needed” (22). The white world claims to live in one world while they express it by not living “by these standards” (22).
When Baldwin discussed in “The Fire Next Time,” one aspect that struck out was his perspective on racial equality he’s realised overtime. In the reading Baldwin had wrote, “White people hold the power, which means that they are superior to blacks and this world has innumerable ways of making this difference know and felt and feared” (Baldwin 25). Baldwin realized that no matter how good a black person is, whites will always be considered the outstanding race. Because it was the blacks who were stepping out into a “white’s world,” they had to grow up prepared to face challenges that the majority of whites would never have to face. I resonated towards Baldwin’s mindset and his vision of the world. He seemed to understand that life isn’t always fair and that there are many obstacles that you may have to face while others may not, and you just have to accept it.
The part that struck me most in Baldwin’s, “The Fire Next Time” was when he discussed how many black people conform to society, or white people’s standards, and believe that they don’t have a way out and resort to harming their lifestyles. Baldwin writes, “a cousin, mother of six, suddenly gone mad, the children parcelled out here and there; an indestructible aunt rewarded for years of hard labor by a slow, agonizing death in a terrible small room…” (Baldwin 20). Another part that struck me was towards the end when he describes how young kids want to overcome the stigma that white people achieve more but they don’t do the same to their parents because they are the kids’ only source of defense.
James Baldwin story “The Fire Next Time” is very blunt and straightforward showing the raw situation most people were facing at the time. “Just before and then during the Second World War, many of my friends fled into the service, all to be changed there, and rarely for the better, many to be ruined, and many to die. “(20) this reality in which people thought going to war would change would be in shock over what really will happen to them. Another part that also expressed his bluntness was when bring up the subject of race “the Negro problem will no longer exist, for it will no longer be needed”(22) explain that race has always be a problem an will be one till the end of time or till its not needed anymore.
I found that “James Baldwin’s story, “The Fire Next Time,” was very easy to read and understand. I found that his description about the lack of equality between Black and white people resonated with me the most. He wrote, “(One would never defeat one’s circumstances by working and saving one’s pennies…It was absolutely clear that the police would whip you and take you.”(21). Baldwin explains here how no matter how hard a Black man would work society would always find away to suppress them. He wrote that money would not save them and that the police would always find a reason to beat and arrest them. I really resonated towards this since he is giving an accurate description of the issues since he saw it with his own eyes.
In his story “The Fire Next Time,” James Baldwin discussed the disparity between Whites and Blacks, as well as how many people tried but failed to change people’s perceptions of certain groups. It struck me as particularly impressive that he aspired to equality and recognized the power of education to transform one’s life, saying, “Many of us tried, but few succeeded” (24). Following that, the author explained that Whites are the ones who wield power in society, which is also why many Blacks are afraid of them because they can use this power against them, as well as anyone who tried to change how Blacks are perceived, “This world is white and they are black. White people hold the power, which means that are superior to blacks… difference known and felt and feared” (25-26). James Baldwin, on the other hand, did not give up and continued to fight for it, stating that “fear…conquered by it; fears must be faced”.
A line that struck out to me was on page 23 when Baldwin says “And those virtues preached but not practiced by the white world were merely another means of holding Negroes in subjection.” He speaks on the importance of religion for him and other boys this summer when boys his age are realizing that they need to occupy themselves with something to do in order to cope with their fears, the fears of being criminalized. Yet, he later on questions the Church and those Christian virtues because he realizes that those beliefs relied on the subjugation of others and that the Church was really another tool in keeping this racial disparity. Baldwin also says later on, “It was another fear, a fear that the child, in challenging the white world’s assumptions, was putting himself in the path of destruction.” This line also reemphasized the struggle of black Americans in being free from a society where white people rule and that they were expected to be silent.
In James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time”,he describes the social context in which he grew up, using the word “fear” to describe the society of the time, “…all the fear with which I had grown up, and which were now a part of me and controlled my vision of the world, rose up like a wall between the world and me” (Baldwin 27). This reflects his true thoughts about the world. In the society of the time, blacks were inferior to whites. Blacks were born inferior to whites, and a quote from the story shows how inferior black families were at the time, “are taught really to despise themselves from the moment their eyes are open on the world. This world is white and they are black” (Baldwin 25). The world is white, all blacks have is fear, but you can’t run away from fear, learn to conquer and overcome it.
Baldwin’s vivid rhetoric spoke to me as I read the passage. Although there were not any complex words for me to get hung up on his point came across clearly and concisely. As I read I was able to feel the truth that he was writing and I was able to place myself in the situations he had explained. I was able (while not being from his background) to understand his cause and feelings. This being said, how it was written definitely aided me in the clarity of the passage in turn letting me focus on what the passage was about, oppression and inequality.
In Baldwin’s, “The Fire Next Time”, there is numerous descriptions in which Baldwin uses similes and metaphors to explain what he is trying to describe, which resonated with me the most. For example, on page 17, Baldwin describes how the religious girls go through a dramatic change and uses a simile to compare it “as chill and joyless as Russian steppes and hotter, by far, than all the fires of hell.” The use of this simile is just one example in Baldwin’s piece that shows how he gives a deeper meaning into all his descriptions almost as if he wants you to imagine exactly what the story is saying. These metaphors allowed me to resonate and understand the story much deeper.
What struck me the most about “The Fire Next Time” by Baldwin is how personal and provocative he is. He goes into depth about how he felt and the systematic oppression and limitations surrounding him. He originally equated religion to “safety” which resonated with me a lot for someone who grew up in a religious household. (Baldwin 10) However, the moment that he began to feel afraid about the possibility of becoming someone he was not supposed to become, the supremacy that oppresses him, his environment, and his self-awareness all come together to give powerful and personal insights on the mental and religious shifts that he went through.
Baldwin’s writing style is very raw and straightforward. I also noticed that he tends to use repetitive, run-on sentences to make certain points come across with more power. For example “For the wages of sin were visible everywhere, in ever wine-stained…in every clanging…in ever scar..in ever helpless…in every knife…in every disastrous…” (20). Baldwin does not use complicated, advanced language that requires deep thought to completely understand. While some people may say that this is a weakness, I personally feel that it gave his heavily personally statements more strength. One part that really struck me is where he says,” …are taught really to despise themselves from the moment their eyes open on the world. This world is white and they are black” (25). These simple, yet enormously meaningful words make it clear to the reader that Baldwin was conditioned from the beginning of his life to believe that he was less of a human being than his white counterparts. That he had no hope of living a free, equal life.
Although nothing resonated with me in particular, Baldwin does have an unorthodox rhetoric. First of all, he mentions God and religion quite a lot in the first half of the story. It is rare for me to see authors incorporate belief with their stories, so it sticks out. He is also profound with some of his language, with the n-word being used at one point and further discussions of race in Harlem. Baldwin also examines scenarios in his life heavily, almost like he is giving us an exact recording of what happened. It submerges the reader in the story, and I like that he is detailed when telling his stories.
What struck me the most in “The Fire Next Tiem” by Baldwin is the straightforward way he addresses the issue of being black in a white man’s world. The line “lost, and unable to say what it is that oppressed them, expect that they knew it was the man – the white man”, struck me the most when reading the first few pages because it gave me a clear sense of what he was describing in the paragraphs leading up to it. He did not try to use complex vocabulary involving big words but instead used the language he was most familiar with. He was not afraid to use language like “whores and pimps” and “wine, whiskey, or the needle” when writing his story, which shows that he did not want to hold back his thoughts when writing. This kind of writing resonates with me because writers might avoid using vulgar language in order to make their story more audience-friendly, which takes away from the reading experience. The straightforward nature of his writing along with his language use make the story have a lasting impression and showcases the difficulties of being black to everyone without trying to avoid the reality of the situation.
Baldwin’s way of describing emotions is what I took notice of when reading “The Fire Next Time”. He doesn’t describe the emotion directly compares it with another emotion or idea. For example, on page 23 he states, ” white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and profited by this theft every hour that they lived, had no moral ground on which to stand. They had the judges, the juries, the shotguns, the law- in a word, power. But it was a criminal power, to be feared but no respected, and to be outwitted in any way whatever.” In this quote, he compares different forms of ‘power’: power that comes from fear and power that comes from respect. By differentiating between the two, you feel the anger he has from the hypocritical actions of white people and the determination he has to overcome his fear. Additionally, when he described his father’s voice on page 26, he states that his father’s voice contained a fear “not at all like the fear I heard whe one of us was ill or had fallen down the stairs or strayed too far from the house. It was another fear, a fear that a child, in challenging the white world’s assumptions, was putting himself in the path of destruction.” By showing the reader situations that produce a different type of fear, Baldwin is able to convey to the reader the type of fear he wants them to feel, which is more effective than just outright saying ‘He felt fear.’
Something that resonated with me is how he doesn’t give negative emotions towards white people and what they’ve done. His idea of moving on and learning from the past instead of dwelling in the past is something I completely agree with. We see a lot of history being repeated especially with racism and inequality. His work is very easy to grasp and you can understand all of his experiences and how he is a credible writer for this topic.