Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me

Introduction

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ss a letter to his 15-year-old adolescent son (Alexander). In the letter, Coate explains to both his son and the readers of this awakening regarding the truth about his place in American culture based on his experience (Alexander). The letter adequately illuminated the past worlds, bracingly explains the present, and transcends the vision of the reader for a way forward several years from now. Presently, speaking about and reflecting on racism is identified to be complicated. Through the letter, Coates being a black man is put in an uncomfortable situation where he explains his experience being a black man and how he had to deal with racism and police brutality, among other issues. About Coate’s experiences on the unjust laws, he had to deal with in the community allows the readers to be open to hear and understand Coates ideas and be ready to examine their conduct based on their reaction to the book. Coates convinces his readers in his use of pathos and ethos successfully.

Coates uses of pathos

Pathos, also referred to as emotional appeal, entails the ability of the writer to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions (Gottweis 237). Authors prefer to use pathos for them to evoke the audience’s sympathetic feelings on different ideologies developed by the author. About the emotions that are generated by the author, the audience gets the opportunity to have a correct response developed (Gottweis 237).

Coates, in his letter to his 15-year-old son, depicts symbolism, feelings, and realities of being black in America (Alexander). In his writing, he uses a bleak tone that reciprocates the violence that is primarily associated with African Americans and the high number of police brutalities reported among African Americans. He uses negative words such as “befouled,” “sink,” “sink,” which allow the reader to be on a personal journey as the vivid images that are used are personified to the writer (Alexander). In his letter, Coates uses different variations of cumulative sentences to establish pathos in his work. Therefore, as a reader, one gets the feeling of every analysis that is described in each anecdote in intricate detail. Moreover, he prefers to use commas on the quotes to emphasize the idea of descriptive paragraphs developed adequately.

Coates provides the reader with an opportunity to be more direct of his conviction as an African American in the United States at the time. For example, he refers to Atlanta as a maiden to give personification of the city (Alexander). Additionally, he explains men are on a running race as they are continually striving to achieve something that they currently do not have. In essence, Coates explains the current state of the nation does not provide equal opportunities for the African American people in comparison to the whites to live the American dream. African American persons are allowed to get their self-satisfaction after the rest have attained their goals.

Coate’s description of how African Americans had to be treated by their counterparts, the whites, sparks anger on the current generation (Alexander). There was no equal treatment as the whites were more privileged despite them being in a similar environment and expected to perform the same. It was common for the blacks to be required to work twice as hard as the whites to get the same credit, which was not a guarantee they would be given equal treatment. He preferred to offer different quotations in his work to explain to the readers of his experience in his current world (Alexander). As readers, a question that keeps being asked is trying to have an understanding as to why he choose to write the letter to his son to explain his experiences as a young man? He intended to showcase his son on the disparities of the world that existed between the worlds of the whites and the blacks.

Coates uses of ethos

Ethos, also referred to as an ethical appeal, is used as an avenue to convince the audience of the developed writers’ credibility (Amossy 12). Therefore, authors are keen to provide the content they produce is credible, and the readers need to adhere to the writings that are conducted. Hence, writers are required to select a language and a tine that will be appropriate to the audience and ensure the content introduced is not biased. The writer strives to show his or her accomplishments (A mossy, 15).

Coates uses a lot of personal experiences and observations of the world in his immediate community to explain to his son the current state that he had to endure (Alexander). The laws at the time were unfair, and the words selected by Coates were a reflection of his tone, and given his tone is bleak throughout the entire letter, he is optimistic of a positive future. While he is describing how his white friends wore creates a mental picture to the reader on the economic variation that existed between the two worlds. The white group of boys was described to wear “full-leathered coats,” “big putty coats,” that allowed them to showcase how wealthy they were. His choice of words indicates the current materialist world that existed at the time, and there was a need to help African American youth to still consider themselves as wealthy despite the little available expensive materials they had. When the whites young men wore these outfits, it acted as armor against the world. Naturally, most African American boys did not associate with them as they did not recognize them as one of their groups.

According to Coates, there is room for reconciliation between the privileged whites and the under-privileged African Americans (Alexander). His initiative to write to his son his experiences in a racially unjust community was to showcase how these unfair laws impacted his progress. Thus, the material intent is to provoke a discussion that will hopefully be carried for to the next generation, which is keen to ensure the laws that are currently being developed to promote social justice and equality. Preference of Coates to use his experiences gives the readers a unique sneak peek of his time as a young Black American who was trying to live and thrive at the time.

In summary, Coate’s ability to use both pathos and ethos allows the reader to comprehend the subject under discussion of racial inequality fully. His ability to use his personal experiences enables the reader to have a unique opportunity to understand what Coates encountered in his strive to explain how society was unjust at the time. Thus, it is prudent for America to progress; it is paramount for it solves the racial inequality issues and ensures they are well adjusted for the progress of the community. The divisions between the two worlds, both African America and the Whites, can only be solved if the issues are discussed upfront to reduce any form of repetition in the community.