James Baldwin: Diversity and Personal Identity
In James Baldwin’s letter to his nephew, “My Dungeon Shook” from The Fire Next Time, he identifies how race and class have significantly impacted the African American community. He writes of the Psychological destruction of his community and the segregated ghetto wasteland that they occupy, Baldwin voices the many horrors racism and despair, yet also writes of hope for the next generation. Baldwin’s brutal honesty offers us a look into what it meant to be an African American man in 1936.
For your first academic college essay, please write a well-structured, college appropriate essay of a minimum of 3-5 pages that identifies how your race/ethnicity/culture has shaped, impacted, and/or influenced you personal identity and/or your community’s. How is the difference and/or similar to Baldwin’s experience in america as an American man growing up during segregation? Since this essay is about you, using personal pronouns such as “I” is allowed. Please integrate a minimum of two quotes from “My Dungeon Shook” into your essay. Remember this is a compare and contrast essay, so you must integrate Baldwin’s experience into your conversation regarding your own experience.
Questions to Ponder:
- What type of gains and/or limitations have you experienced or faces due to your ethnicity/culture? How is this different or similar to that of James Baldwin?
- What type of perspective, like James Baldwin, do you have regarding your own reality an prospects for being in the world?
- Is your community impacted positively and/or negatively due to race/culture issues.
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About Me:
- 19 year old college student
- Live in Vallejo california
- Mixed race (black and filipino)
- Confused of mexican or native american
- Experience being judged of what people thought i was
- When seen african american dad people were surprised
- Constantly judged with my skin color
- Not only judged by non people of color but also people of color because my skin and texture of my hair
- Community is impacted negatively with race due to healthcare housing an finances