America was based on racism, driven by slave labor, which allowed “whites” to experience “ dream ". More than a century after the 13th Amendment ended slavery, African Americans were still oppressed, sent to ghettos and imprisoned en masse or murdered. As this continues to happen, it starts to become normal and people turn a blind eye. In the book Between the World and Me, author Ta-Nehisi Coates writes a letter to his son about the issues of the American dream, racism, and white privilege in order to teach his son how to survive in this world. This not only concerns African American targets of oppression in today's society, but also any individual who identifies as a minority who can relate to Coates on a deeper level. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Traditionally, the American Dream referred to building a country on the foundations of freedom and equality. The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they are born or what social class they are born into, can succeed in society. Instead, the book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates adds its own twist to the American dream. For the author, he emphasizes that this country was built by the exploitation and oppression of the African-American people. The people who built this country built it on violence and theft. They stole the black bodies of men and women only to degrade them as property, selling them and forcing them into slavery. That these same “American people” created this concept that race is real and exists in the natural world. But Coates is trying to make us understand that Americans have created an entire culture based on the idea of ​​"race," a false structure that has done a lot of damage to our society, but has the greatest impact on people. African Americans. The American dream is universal in the sense that everyone hopes to have a positive and equal experience, but in reality, “the dream” victimizes people for being what it is today. Ta-Nehisi Coates awakens his readers to the belief that America is not the great free country it is supposed to be and how people might be ignoring that. He used metaphors to express this in his writings. Many like me can agree when he says: "America believes itself to be exceptional, the greatest and noblest nation that ever lived, a lone champion standing between the white city of democracy and the terrorists , despots, barbarians and other enemies of civilization.” America puts herself on a pedestal and thinks highly of herself, like she's a champion and nothing can compare to her because she's so great. Coates expresses how this is wrong because of how many people suffer from inequality in America. He declares: “the Dream rests on our backs, the bedding made of our bodies”. Coates' use of personification added more character to the context, which in turn allowed me to understand his point of view on a deeper level. I felt like I also carried the weight of American heritage on my back. This dream is at the root of racist issues and the actions of people who follow America's heritage. The only time Coates felt like he belonged was when he went to Howard University. He was part of “the Mecca,” a diverse community of educated African Americans. This is where Coates truly found inspiration, and although he did not graduate from Howard University,the legacy of Mecca would remain with him throughout his life. While studying at Howard University, he experienced a vast sense of "black power." He learned what it meant to be "black" and fully understood the concept of being "black" throughout history and also the teachings of great leaders like Malcolm and being black which influenced him. him as a writer. He even goes so far as to name his son Samori, after Samori Tour'e, who fought against French colonizers for the right to his own black body. In Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, he writes about the violence he fears on a daily basis as a “black man” in this American community. Coates, as a theme throughout the book, examines the "black man" degraded into a mere body, a physicality. The same degradation existed in slavery and it now exists in acts of police brutality. The prejudices displayed during the era of slavery have been implanted in the “white man” of today. He talks about his fears as a black man, because no matter what he does, his body could be destroyed for any reason. The fault would still be attributed to him because of the color of his skin. This fear was passed down to him from older generations when he was a child and witnessing the racial injustices that plague society. It describes how the same people who are supposed to serve and protect us harm and murder black bodies. Coates uses powerful examples to convey his fear to his readers. He chooses to name real victims of race-related murders like Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin including a good friend, Prince Jones, but the list does not end there. He feared that one day his son's name would be on that list. I was able to relate to him as a parent because Coates creates this sympathetic piece as a letter to his son. For one day, I too will warn my children against similar injustices. This letter is unfortunately intended to let Samori know that things were like this and that there was nothing that could be done when he said: "And you know now, if you didn't know before, that the police of our country have been given the authority to destroy your body. This can make someone angry and sad, which makes its use of pathos effective. Coates carefully describes the police shooting of his friend Prince Jones; leaving the reader saddened, but more so by the frequency of race-related murders like his across the country. Regardless of the incidents, he doesn't blame the officer who killed Prince Jones: "All you have to understand is that the officer carries with him the power of the American gaze and the weight of the American heritage. . They only follow the “rules” implemented throughout American history, which separate us based on skin tone and complexion. Regardless of how Coates grew up, with the fear he endured every day and the amount of police brutality; he just wanted his son to be able to live freely, without race defining him. Later, Coates describes his trip to Paris and how he realized at that moment that he was "alive." For so long, all he knew was Baltimore, where he was connected to a particular race and connected to the oppression they suffered, but in Paris he felt he was finally his own person. There existed a world outside racism, outside race. He then returned to Paris with his wife and son, but the main reason for his return was for his son to experience that life-changing feeling of peace, away from fear. Coates admired his son's dreams and goals because it was something more than what”.