This was my first time reading this piece, and I thought it was brilliant and extremely well written. The emotion with which Baldwin writes makes the reader feel engrossed and personally connected.

What I thought was most meaningful about the piece is that the author, the uncle, repeatedly tells his nephew that he cannot be defeated unless he lets everyone’s comments get to him. It is an extremely powerful message- we are in control of our own emotions and reactions. We are in control of our position. Other people might be trying to knock us down, but we are only knocked down if we let them knock us down. They can’t do it without our permission.

Another part that I found brilliant was when he said “they are trapped in a history that they do no no understand, and until they understand, they cannot be released from it.” I found this metaphorical language comparing the history to a prison- something that they are trapped in- very strong.

It also lends to the topic because it makes a comparison to the fact that the African Americans were trapped- trapped in the positions they were thrown into, trapped in slavery, and trapped in the stereotypes of society. But although the the White people seem to have been the free ones- not in slavery of any sort, they are too, trapped. There are all kinds of trapped- and in this case, it may not be a physical imprisonment, but rather, being trapped in the racist history of their ancestors.

Going even further, this lends to common ground between the two groups. While one may  have been the slaves, and one the slaveowners, they are both trapped in the same history, and both are having a hard time being released.