James Baldwin, Notes of a Native son/ - Essay Example

8 July s of a Native Son” by James Baldwin Racial Issues in s of a NativeSon: Then and Now James Baldwin has discussed numerous issues of racial discrimination against the blacks in America in his book. Opportunities for the blacks were far less in number than those for the whites and blacks’ assistance in several places was denied. Blacks’ entry into the famous restaurants was considered unacceptable. Discrimination was so obvious that many buses would not allow blacks a seat. The discrimination was particularly evident in big cities like New York and Detroit where one could notice a significant disparity between the quality of job and residence offered to blacks and whites.

Baldwin has placed special emphasis upon the need for policemen in those years to appear on the streets to control the possible breakout of any sort of violence. There is sufficient discussion of the horrible riot in Harlem that instigated a series of riots in America. This social conflict caused a manifold increase in the incidents of violence. Black Americans were also offended by the government’s resolution to send black soldiers abroad for fighting. Black soldiers were often vilified and their rights were subdued.

In Notes of a native son, James Baldwin has discussed America’s encounter of the violence resulting from the chauvinism against blacks. Now, that more than 55 years have passed since the publication of this book, so much has been done in America to earn blacks their due rights that racial issues identified in Notes of a native son are almost non-existent today. Blacks today are wealthier, educated and are enjoying prestigious jobs like white Americans. There is no discrimination between black and white Americans in army.

With the passage of time, blacks in America have attained the status that was previously reserved just for whites. Background In Notes of a native son, Baldwin has discussed his concerns regarding the sufferings of the African American community in America. He starts from the discussion of his agitated and paranoid father who passed away of tuberculosis when Baldwin was 19 years of age. While working in New Jersey, Baldwin was caught in a number of unfortunate incidents that included clash with a waitress.

Baldwin was worried because the blacks hired in the military in the South were frequently humiliated. Baldwin regrets that he had to attend his father’s funeral on the very day, he turned 19. Basically, by writing the non-fiction book Notes of a native son, Baldwin has tried to kill the long cultivated feeling of despair and abhorrence towards his father. Three underlying reasons that explain why James Baldwin wrote this book are; Baldwin’s desire to write a self narrative account, recapitulation of the white supremacy in the decade following the year 1940, and analysis of the actual role of the black community in America.

Notes of a Native Son made James Baldwin stand among the top black essayists in the history of America. Baldwin has confessed in the introduction that he included into the book’s 1984 edition that originally, he had no intention of writing an essay book. Baldwin wrote a range of magazine articles addressing the issues of black Americans, driven by his desire to understand his own significance as a black writer in the culture of America. Works Cited: Baldwin, James. Notes of a native son. Beacon Press, 1984. Print.