Baldwins Notes of a Native Son Essay -- James Baldwin

In My Fathers EyesThe essay Notes of a Native Son takes place at a very volatile time in history. The story was written during a time of hate and variation toward African Americans in the United States. James Baldwin, the author of this work is African American himself. His writing, along with his thoughts and ideas were greatly influenced by the events happening at the time. At the extraction of the essay, Baldwin makes a point to mention that it was the summer of 1943 and that race riots were occurring in Detroit. The story itself takes place in Harlem, a predominantly black area experiencing much of the execration and inequalities that many African-Americans were facing throughout the country. This marks the beginning of a long narrative section that Baldwin introduces his readers to before going into any analysis at all.throughout Baldwins essay he strategically weaves narrative, analytical, and argumentative selections together. The effect that Baldwin has on the read er when using this technique is extremely powerful. Baldwin combines both private and public personal business in this essay, which accentuates the analysis and argument sections throughout the work. Baldwins ability to shift between narrative and argument so smoothly goes deal in hand with the ideas and events that Baldwin discusses in his essay. He includes many powerful and symbolic binaries throughout the essay that help to develop the key themes and principles pertaining to his life. The most powerful and important binaries that appear in this essay are Life and Death.The key themes of Baldwins essay are love, nuisance, rage, and anger. These themes quickly transform into recurring strands that Baldwin applies throughout his essay. These ... ... in the last paragraph of the essay. Here, he experiences an awakening. By combining heart and hatred in the same sentence, Baldwin weaves the terms that were once binaries into strands. He makes the terms fit together, rath er than making them clash. Baldwin says, This fight begins, however, in the heart and it now had been laid to my charge to keep my own heart free of hatred and despair (84). It is his duty to free his heart of any hatred and despair that he has experienced. He comes to realize that injustice is commonplace among mankind and that he moldiness continue to fight it. The fight begins in his heart, implying that he must let his heart be free of hatred and despair before he can begin to fight. Works CitedBaldwin, James. Notes of a Native Son. 1955. James Baldwin pile up Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York Library of America, 1998. 63-84.