You are the Critic!
Did you enjoy reading Between the World and Me? Why/why not? Did you enjoy studying Between the World and Me? Why/why not? What is your biggest takeaway from the essay? Should it be read in high school? Should it be included in the American canon? Why/why not?
I enjoyed reading BTWAM, I feel like I learned more terminology as vocabulary, and more info about how american runs on our labor. I see that we are shown the white side of America as their the ideal people and live the Dream lifestyle. I enjoyed studying it partially, its not a lot of work as I follow up with my annotations. My biggest takeaway from the essay is the unknown carry's so much endless possibilities that has led the world to new inventions and progress with what people don't know. It should be read as it opens up the human eye to systemic racism and how its primordial. Info for the other person of race. I feel like it could be in the American canon, its a very informative book. I think "black" people should really read this as you learn more about your own history. - Joaquin
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about learning new vocabulary from reading the book.
DeleteBefore reading BTWAM I thought I knew what racism was and the extent of it; Only now I realize I was dead wrong. While it may not have been a "fun" book or a book I would choose to read before knowing it's contents I feel like reading through it and studying it is essential. After writing an essay about it I only now understand this what it means to explore the unknown. This is how you get a more nuanced view of the world, see through the lies of "the Dream." -Areg
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point. The book gave us a new definition of racism, saying that it is just an excuse to justified cruel actions towards other group of people. Although the book is not as fun or interesting to read for some people it certainly is an informative book that teaches us about the importance of history and how one action (for example redlining) could influence the lives of many.
DeleteI agree with you. I feel like we all thought our understanding of racism was correct but the new perspective opened our eyes and mind to new ideas. With my previous understanding on racism i don't believe i would've chosen to read BTWAM but im glad we studied it since it gave us a clear and better understanding of the cruelty of racism.
DeleteI didn't really enjoy reading between the world and me. This is because I felt like I have read on this topic a lot of times which sometimes gets boring when you repeatedly read about the same topic. I did enjoy studying about it though this was because I felt like once you look into book itself more you realize how the American dream lifestyle is more in depth. My biggest takeaway from the essay is that you truly wont know what the value of the unknown is until you experience it. I think it should be read in high school because it shows you how society truly is with racism. I feel like it should be included because it teaches you a lot of how the society is now and it cant be changed unless the people who started it will stop it.
ReplyDeleteYeah I completely agree with your idea of how reading multiple books on the same topic can be tiring and unmotivating, and how this book should be studied in high school due to it giving a new way of thinking about different topics like racism, environment, and even fear! Although I disagree with your personal feelings on the book I love this review!!
DeleteI agree with your last few statements, I definitely think this should be taught in High School since it teaches people/students other perspectives on the human body. It allows them to connect with one another and feel their same struggles.
DeleteI definitely agree with some parts of your statements on the book such as when you mention the unknown is something you don’t know unless you experience it, however I do feel that the unknown can also be seen as events that you don’t want to go back to or see again because you want that left Unknown to others. When it comes to us learning it in school it should definitely be taught due to the fact as so much is changing fast, with new things coming out we need to adapt and grow but also warn them what happened in the past so they can avoid certain situations such as Coates mentions in his letter to his son.
DeleteI agree with the part you said it should be in the American canon. It should because it teaches you of society and how black people get treated less than white people. If its in American canon it'll expands peoples knowledge about racism the world has.
DeleteThat's so real of you to be honest, I see your point of view on how this topic could be repetitive especially growing up in a diverse area. But glad that you enjoyed studying it just as much as I did.
DeleteI did enjoy reading between the world and me because now that I have read the book, I have a clearer understanding of racism and how it can affect someone. Even though the language was a bit difficult to understand, I feel like I understood the main points of the book. Studying the book was very informative because it allowed me to see race through a different perspective. It also allowed me to see how specific groups view the American Dream and it’s lifestyle. My biggest takeaway from the book was understanding how racism affects specific groups. After reading the book, this allows me to see race through the eyes of someone who has been greatly affected by it.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with you on the part where it gave a better understanding of how racism affects one's life and even one's way of thinking as Coates and many other people of color had to change and adapt to different lifestyles due to racism.
DeleteI agree with you Justin YIN, this book was a opportunity and gateway for me to delve into what goes on within my community even till this day. The book definitely helped me understand the American Dream more, and the real history behind it.
DeleteI agree with you Justin, BTWAM is hard to understand but if you know what you are looking for it should be easier. Coates explained many things in his letter to his son such as the American Dream and its not really what it seems like it is.
DeleteI agree, you make really good points here!!! Reading Between the World and Me also gave me a deeper insight into the impact of racism on people's lives and studying this book helped me gain a new perspective!
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ReplyDeleteOverall, I would say that I did enjoy reading Between the World and Me because I thought that the author's writing was meaningful, and I liked his use of rhetorical devices to help express his ideas. However, I did not entirely enjoy studying Between the World and Me because it did not fit into a genre that I particularly like reading about. My biggest takeaway from the essay is that exploring the unknown can change someone's life, and offer lots of opportunities. I am unsure about whether or not Between the World and Me should be read in high school and included in the American canon. - Maria
ReplyDeleteI agree, I also liked his use of rhetorical devices. I enjoyed his extended metaphor of the American Galaxy which to me was fun to imagine. I also really liked how it was used throughout the book for example near the end of the book he describes the plane when he visited France as a starship.
DeleteAfter reading and analyzing the book by Ta-nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me, I have come to enjoy the book. He was able to capture his whole argument through a variety of evidence that portrays the struggle he felt. I enjoyed how throughout the book we see him growing up and how his childhood further affects him. Coates grew up internalizing the “laws” he needed to follow for survival which we see how in the future those laws come more into the light as he makes new experiences. We not only get to see his struggle but also his development as a character. We experience both love and fear along with him and how his love for other people brought him further out of the bubble of fear he lived through without forgetting that racism is always going to be a factor in the lives of colored people. His continuous allusions only furthered his claim that white america has led to the destruction of black bodies. Overall I found this book to be a good portrayal of the struggles he faced as a black male in America and I enjoyed reading and following his journey.
ReplyDeleteI heavily agree, having Coates' experiences of growing up is incredibly important to the points that he makes throughout the book. It makes it all makes sense when you step back and look at the big picture. Without this part in the beginning of the book Coates' arguments and points would be significantly weaker in my opinion.
DeleteI strongly agree with you, I love how you summed up the topics discussed in the book.
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ReplyDeleteI mostly enjoyed reading Between the World and Me because of how it was written as a letter to his son and how descriptive Coates is with explaining his experiences which added to the different tones throughout the book. My biggest takeaway from the book is how Coates talks about how the violence he experienced throughout his life connects to fear. I think it should be read in high school because it gives a different perspective on the American Dream than how we know it as. I think it should be included in the American Canon because it relates to the American Dream, and I think that the history that Coates talks about on the American Dream is important as it still impacts people today.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Coates being descriptive with explaining his experiences.
DeleteI agree with you when you mentioned that it should be read in high school. As well as when you mentioned how the American dream continues to impact peoples life till this day.
DeleteI agree with you about how descriptive he was about his experiences and how you could clearly imagine what he would be talking about. His words in this book just did made you feel a lot of things.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading Between The World and Me due to it being a letter to his son to help his understanding of the world. I think that just holds a strong emotional value but I also like how it better the reader's understanding of the American Dream, the racism embedded in the police systems, and the fear that comes from one's environment. Coates gave strong and clear examples that came directly out of his life to better his argument and it worked. I also loved how his idea was portrayed in different ways and parts of the book. Although I've read multiple books on this topic, this has to be my favorite. This book was a fun and interesting book to study!!
ReplyDeleteI agree, the book being a letter to his son gives his words and points more impact in the long run. It gives it a double meaning; talking to his son as well as talking to all of the other black teens, such as his son, around the world that also need to learn the lessons that he has learnt and the possible experiences that they could experience.
DeleteI agree with how Coates gave strong and clear examples. I liked how he added his own experiences which made the book more interesting to me as well as the number of allusions to other real events that happened.
DeleteI agree with the idea of the book having a strong emotional value. Since Coates throughout the whole book talks about the fear his parents had when he was little and later on we can see that Coates develops this fear within his own son.
DeleteEven having studied this topic before, it's clear this book still stood out as a favorite among many being one of mines too!!! I also found it eye-opening, and an interesting read!!
DeleteI agree, this book does bring out some key points in fear and struggle for black people; the way they are treated because of "race" and can't be gone due to the social Construct . It also helps his son later avoid the things that Coates might've not.
DeleteI agree with how you brought up the fact that Coates try's to use emotional value throughout this book so the readers can understand. I feel like he does this through the tone that he uses.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading Between the World and Me. Throughout my life I read countless books and narratives about race and racism in America, or any part of the world for that matter. Despite this, Coates' book was an eye opener. It turned such a horrific topic into an even more horrific topic and insightful too. Coates' journey that he takes throughout the book; the experiences that he went through, The Mecca, New York, his son, it all makes the ideas behind racism so "human", when it never seemed like that to me. Throughout the book, Coates places an emphasis on perspective and I entirely see why. Perspective is the basis of understanding something, be it how you want it. I also really loved all of the allusions and analogies that Coates used through the book, it really brought it to life and felt like I was going down a road of stories all collectively adding on to and crafting Coates' own story.
ReplyDeleteI agree Jalen ROMAN, Coates use of his logic and credibility enforced all his points even more, and I agree with the utilization of his rhetorical devices. Coates employed vivid and heavy imagery in his book and it helped me connect ideas with a real visualization of what he's talking about.
DeleteI enjoyed BTWAM because its my first time reading a book that is written in a epistolary form and because I got a better understanding how bad the racism was in America back then. There were a lot of rhetoric devices such as tone, apostrophe, anaphora, ethos, pathos, and logos, etc. But it was hard finding the rhetorics if you don't know what you are looking for. I did enjoy studying it because Coates gives a lot of details of his life and his son with all the fear, racism, and losing bodies. My biggest takeaway in BTWAM is the fear of the unknown, Coates and people fear because the unknown is all over the book and Coates talks all about it. Yes, I think BTWAM should be read in high school because the books have history and racism in it that not many people know about.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading BTWAM because of his story and the idea of black bodies that he consistently mentions throughout the book. This was also the first epistolary piece of writing, and Coates is smart for writing this novel this way to leave us with something to think about after reading it.
DeleteI enjoyed reading Between the World and Me since it was the first time I ever read a book in a form of an essay to his son, Samori. In the beginning of the book I was very invested into it since it had real life current events and he used his own experience and living in Baltimore. Yet even though I liked book there were some parts that caught me off guard. Such as the reference to 9/11 compared to his friend Prince Jones, besides that the book has to be one of the top books I have ever read since we got to learn a lot such as the unknown, the human body, trauma and the American Dream while enjoying and reading a well written biography book.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading and studying Between the World and Me because I really enjoy epistolary novels and through his book, Coates talks about issues such as police brutality, and racism in society that we can see today. One of my biggest takeaways was gaining a deeper understanding of the fear and vulnerability felt by black people in America. Between the World and Me should be included in school curriculums and American canon because it helps people learn about racism and its impact through someone who has experienced it
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, there was a lot of discussion about racism and I believe that it should be taught more in school curriculums and shouldn't be pushed away.
DeleteI enjoyed "Between the World and Me" because Coates did not sugar coat his opinion on discrimination and racism in Balitmore. The biggest takeaway from this essay is don't make the idea of oppression based on race stop you from doing what you want. This book should be read in high school because it talks about a controversial conflict that some black kids are going through. And it should be included in American canon because it uncovers the cenorship of America.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed that BTWAM wasn't sugar coated which helped show how authentic his point of view is and how personal this is to Coates. This authenticity helps me see the depth of his points and effects of actions of the past, while other books would sugar coat their point causing over generalizing and not having much depth within their points. I like your takeaway but I believe there are more depth into his takeaway about how the effects of slavery effects who can achieve their dream and how the american dream is built on the backs of the slaves.
DeleteI found "Between the World and Me" to be a captivating literary work. Its unique form, resembling a personal letter addressed to the author's son, Samori, immediately drew me in. The book's opening resonated with me as it delved into contemporary world events and the author's own experiences residing in Baltimore, providing a multidimensional perspective. Despite my initial intrigue, the narrative took some unexpected turns, notably when 9/11 was juxtaposed with the story of the author's friend, Prince Jones. These plot twists added layers of complexity to the reading experience. Nevertheless, I consider "Between the World and Me" to be one of the most outstanding books I've had the pleasure of reading. It offers profound insights into various subjects, including enigmatic phenomena, the intricacies of the human body, the endurance of challenging life experiences, and the elusive concept of the American Dream. This biography, crafted with exceptional literary skill, left a lasting impression on me and provided a rich source of intellectual engagement and entertainment. I would recommend this book to others!!!
ReplyDeleteI also liked when Coates talked about his experience growing up in Baltimore and his time during the Mecca because his experiences there led to his comments about the police during 9/11 and regarding the murder of Prince Jones. By learning about his experiences, we can start to become empathetic and understanding as to why he has certain opinions.
DeleteWhen I started to read Between the world and me I felt the book was boring and overall didn't enjoy it. It has good info about the different perspective of racism. Furthermore it about how the world is different from person to person because of their race. These can be see in some examples in the Between the world and me like the idea of redlining, and how Prince Jones dies from redlining because of his race. A successful young black African-American killed by police because he was black. Coates talks about how redlining was the cause of this death, it was because he lived in this ghetto place it and because he was black the police killed him. This was just one example of the idea of racism that has a bad effect around society. Coates ideas inspires many African-American and other races to never give up your dreams even if your race is preventing to get their. Even tho Coates ideas are good, it does not mean if fun to read.
ReplyDeletePersonally I disagree with you Daniel ZHUO since BTAWM was interesting in my point of view since Coates goes into depth about racism with the usage different figurative languages and artistic language which help demonstrate how deep the effects of racism is present till this day
DeleteI disagree with this statement, I believe it does goes into depth while also being fun. Maybe it is the way i view the book, but i enjoyed reading it. I do agree with the ideas being good though,
DeleteI think that the book was also very boring in the beginning because of a lack of thought and understanding for the book, but after reading more and taking notes I slowly realized that the book wasn't all that bad, because it connected to many things that happened in real life, and finding those connections is what made me hooked onto the book and enjoy it more and more.
DeleteI disagree with Majeedur RASHID since BTWAM because it was boring even about all the different view Coates use to go in depth about racism. It was too informative and repetitive to the point that is was boring.
DeleteI enjoyed reading BTWAM because it allowed me to have a more thorough grasp on the reality of America. Despite the overall enjoyment and insight, studying the book was significantly more difficult than reading it due to the numerous allusions of victims to brutality and references to black culture. My biggest takeaway from the essay about the unknown was that the possibilities of the unknown are the drive for human improvement and advancement. To gain a deeper understanding of the undertones of the American Dream, BTWAM is necessary to be taught in a high school environment. The values and quality of this book is undebatable, therefore I believe it can be included in the American Canon. -Ziting Lin
ReplyDeleteI also believe it helped me have a thorough grasp on the reality of America. It opened my eyes more to what America really is and how it was really built. I also agree that this book should be included in the American Canon because personally it changed my perspective in a positive way and I believe it would do the same for many other people.
DeleteI agree with the difficulty to understand the references and allusions, sometimes it was hard to understand what he was saying since there was always a specific reference to it.
DeleteI agree with how it truly was an eye opener it did in fact make me also have a grasp in the reality of America. It showed me how America really works and the hidden truths that people don't talk about. Most of the time I feel like people don't really tell you what's going on with racism but BTWAM did tell you.
DeleteI liked it. The reason for m is because he brought up the issues of the world (specifically U.S.A with the "black" community). I enjoyed the life experiences he has t give it a more immersive feeling in the story as if you can see it first hand. I enjoyed studying it as doing so helped me understand it. My takeaway from the essay is how there are so many problems and issues america has and the unspoken ones have some of the greatest effects like the effect that fear has on the black community. I think it should be read in high school. I think it should be put in the canon as there is a lot of allusions that teach about significant figures.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading BTWAM because Coates was blunt when it came to his opinions on the discrimination brutality of black people in America. When it comes to serious topics like that, I feel this is how that topic should be approached, even if Coates did get really pessimistic at times. I had actually read it during my sophomore year, however I only read and wrote about it for the sake of a grade, and after reading it again this year, going through it together as a class and during my free time, I see that I missed out on a lot of things. The amount of rhetorical devices used by Coates to establish his arguments and claims is something to admire, from allusions to black victims of brutality such as Eric Garner, to the constant use of the words, “The Dream”. My biggest takeaway from this book was that there are two ideas of America. There is the American Dream, and there is the American Nightmare. The American Nightmare was created from the ideas of the American Dream, and this nightmare will haunt us if we don’t address it, if we can even address it. This book should definitely be read by high schoolers, but it should be studied by juniors and/or seniors. It should be included in the American canon because this book is unique to how it approaches racism on black people. This book provides lots of opportunity to brainstorm and to display many different perspectives after reading it.
ReplyDeleteNice analysis on the two sides of America. I completely agree about the part that the book should only be open to juniors or seniors since a lot of the stuff is pretty difficult to decipher especially when it is only your 1st or 2nd year of high school. I've also struggled with catching up everything at first due to the immense amount of allusions Coates is referring to but as the book goes on the allusions tend to go towards one topic which gave me a better understanding about his idea.
DeleteAt first the book seemed boring due to the lack of understanding of the material but as book progresses it caught my interest. The structure of the book is built like a puzzle, with the beginning of the book being filled with immense allusions and an unclear topic but as the chapters past the information and key ideas began to piece themselves together (like a puzzle) forming the central idea: Racial inequality. My biggest takeaway from the book is learning about the different perspectives of America. Normally America is only known for their great sides such as freedom, American dream and opportunities but the book presented a different perspective about the world that wasn't widely shown to the common people. Although I've read some topics about this idea it is still fascinating to see other people's unique interpretation on this particular issue. The book should is a must read especially in America to let the residents know about this side of America, informing them about the history of America and what they could do improve the situation. However the course of the book might be hard to understand so the book should only be recommended to juniors/seniors since they have a better understanding of topic from their previous classes.
ReplyDeleteI can agree that the story in the beginning was a little boring, but the more and more I read the more I managed to connect it to other real world events and how interesting it was to see it all relate even if Coates didn't mention it, it still had those connections and detail that I liked.
DeleteI for one found the book engaging from start to finish. I can definitely see how one might see the beginning of the book as vague and informative in some area's but he does a great job as delivering the message in every subject. Like how he speaks of the scars left on society from slavery, or how the American dream is fixed and focused on benefiting the non colored population.
DeleteI agree with this. At first the book seemed very confusing to me so I was not intrigued by it. When I started studying the book and annotating more, I found myself getting more into my senses with the book. I think it all comes down to the matter of analysis.
DeleteI agree with you Leo and how it was boring. At the beginning of the book I didn't really get it but as time goes on. I started to have some interest in the book but not enough to say that it was good. So for me it was boring overall.
DeleteI really enjoyed BTWAM due to the way Coates points are told and
ReplyDeleteexplained. I enjoyed his usage of literary devices and figurative
language which helped paint an image of his perspective. I like how
Coates goes into depth and combines his life experiences with other
people's experiences and past history to demonstrate the effects of
racism. Coates writes this essay in a format of a letter to his son Samori.
It gives his essay and personal feeling (pathos) which helps me feel
more connected with his stories and analogies since it seems like he is
writing the letter to me. I like how Coates doesn’t hold back and shows
raw experiences and points. This rawness helps show the authenticity
of the stories used to prove his perspective.
I enjoyed studying BTWAM due to the artistic way of writing and the
depth his writing has. Being able to understand and visualize his points
made it enjoyable studying BTWAM. Many books do not use as much
figurative or artistic language which sets this book apart, making it
more enjoyable to study. I enjoyed studying BTWAM since his points
are through and shows how the effects of slavery are still present till
this day and affect African Americans in the current time.
The biggest takeaway from the essay I got was that the lives of black
Americans have been affected from the days of slavery. From the
constant generational fear over their bodies, which still causes African
Americans to fear whether their lives will be taken by the system which
was built on the backs of their ancestors. The systems which
systematically affect african americans disproportionately have been
created to do so. Coates says that since systematic racism is profoundly
ingrained in American society from slavery, Black people have not had
equal access to the conventional American Dream, which generally
implies upward mobility, stability, and the promise of a brighter future
through hard work and effort.
In my opinion BTWAM should be read in highschool since it has so
much value and depth which a highschool student can learn and take
something away from. During high school this is the time where
teenagers are starting to become adults and the world around us isn’t
all sunshine and rainbows. Having an understanding of others
perspectives and being able to obtain value from people’s point of view
is an important skill needed in the future. BTWAM also encourages
high school students to reflect and question the world around them
and not be complacent. This is very important since it causes students
to start having their own beliefs and assumptions of the world. This
causes students who become adults to have more perspectives of the
world around them. In order to prepare them to become
knowledgeable and involved citizens who can contribute to good
change in their communities, the book challenges students to think
critically about difficult social issues. BTWAM helps create discussions
in class about topics allowing students to be able to publicly and
openly speak and defend their beliefs while understanding others. This
helps create more understanding and more comprehending students.
I agree with you, I also enjoyed his usage of literary devices and figurative
Deletelanguage. It helped get an understanding of what he was trying to communicate, to us the reader.
I also agree with your comment because it really did talk about things that should be talked about. Furthermore, it'll increase the level of learning people will learn about as Maj spoke about.
DeleteI agree with what you said and throughout the book he uses lots of Allusion.Throughout the whole book he brings up many names of people who when searched up all have stories of there life being taken or greatly affected because of the color of there skin.
DeleteI enjoyed reading the book btwam and studying it, because this book is filled with life lessons and unfairness to black bodies, the constant fear of having to protect yourself, to not end up dead. My biggest take away from this essay is that it showed me many people have different opinions and pov's on things. This book is a great book to start in high school since it expresses racism and children should know more about this topic. It should be in the American canon because its a book about the fear of living in America as a black person.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading Between the World and Me because it really opened my mind to a new perspective on a lot of things. Yea it was confusing at times bit I believe I learned a few things reading this novel. That maybe dream isn't something people believe to be. That race was just a concept created. His amazing writing should be read in high school because it gives a lot insight to new perspectives and maybe give people growth in some ways.
ReplyDeleteI think that Between the World and Me was a great story about Coates warning his son about the dangers of this world, full of racism and discrimination that still exist today. I think that the many examples that Coates uses in the book as examples are really significant and important. I think my personal favorites are Prince Jones, and how his death had impacted him and many more. I personally recommend this to Juniors and Seniors because I think this book may relate to many others. Even if you're not black discrimination still exists for other ethnicities, hispanics, asians, arabics, etc.. all experience some form of discrimination from time to time, and so I'd highly recommend this to other students.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the experiences Coates went through, both good and bad were great in the main idea of informing his son about the unknown of the world. Furthermore, the story about Prince Jones was very engaging and persuasive in the message in how corrupt the world is, and how harmful it is to "Black Bodies".
DeleteI greatly enjoyed reading the "Between The World and Me" book. The atmosphere around the book is so well put together. Ta-Nehisi Coates does a great job at taking us on the journey of his youth, to adulthood, to present day. I have never read a work of epistolary before, and at first questioned how you could tell such a long story, thats meant to be a letter, while keeping your audience engaged the whole. I was expecting it to be a drawn out work of literature but it proved to be the exact opposite. The message of division in the world, how the American dream plays a role in it all, and how Ta-Nehisi Coates was made into the man he is today is all perfectly told in my opinion. This is a wonderful book to be read amongst high school students, and should definitely be included in the American canon for how thought out it is, how it resonates and engages with both the reader and his son while remaining in first person, and includes us in the feelings of all his experiences.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed ready "Between The World And Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Coates's ideas that he came up with throughout the book are interesting to read. His stand point on different social constructs is different than what one would normally see making the book interesting. I liked studying the book because when answering questions we got to analyzes Coates's ideas and put together the meaning of different things in the book. My biggest take away from the essay is how fear can be represented in different ways. It should be read in high school because it gives the reader a different perspective because of the difference in Coates's beliefs vs. society. Plus it makes you think further on. It should be included in American Canon because of the different ways it makes you think about things after reading it.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy reading "Between the World And Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I enjoyed reading this because Coates goes over the reality of being a black person in America. I liked how passionate he was towards his points. I did enjoy studying this book as well because Coates uses a very particular sense of language that should be broken down. My biggest takeaway from this essay is that black people were not meant to benefit from the American system. I Also took away a big lesson from "the Dream". I think this book should be read in high school because it really teaches kids a lesson about fear and helps spread awareness of many things. This should be an American Canon because i feel like this book covers the topics that every American should be aware of. It spreads a big lesson to all and is also a good way to know your history.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the novel "Between the World and Me" because I think it's a excellent educational book for young readers to understand about the system in America. I personally thought I knew everything about racisms against black people but this novel really shows and deep understanding of the history of America. When reading this novel I often related to Coates a lot and was shocked. I think this is a great book to read in high-school because it teaches young readers their environment. This novel should be included in the America Canon because it really expands someone's opinion about serious topics such as race and the American Dream.
ReplyDeleteI think that the book "Between the World & Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates was a great book. It was interesting to hear someone's life experience and to hear how they dealt with them is invaluable knowledge. Specifically in Coates' story he was on the ground but managed to build himself up, in a realistic way not a rages to riches story. His story happened very slowly and wasn't straight linear all the way to the top. To hear how much generational trauma effected him was so upsetting but awakening to how much Black Bodies were effected in our history. My hugest takeaway from this story is how much experiences and perspectives can effect you, and your ideas. This story really shows how much something can influence you and change you. I don't agree with all his ideas, his ideas are sometimes very broad and the justifications are sometimes not good reasons. I do believe though, that this book should be taught in high school because of how much you could learn about APLang in this book. The amount of rhetorical and literacy devices you could learn in this book are endless. There are many questions to be answered throughout the book and those questions really make you question your life and your experiences. I think this book is great for high schoolers overall, it really teaches you life lessons and how much our history was effected.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion. I enjoyed the overview of his childhood to his adulthood where he used many literary devices to express how much he experienced even from a young age. His growth as he grew up while still not forgetting the cruelty of all the dead bodies was something that he expressed really well. I agree with you; his ideas didn't always align with my own but he definitely made me think of different point of views that people could have.
DeleteBTWM by Ta-Nehisi Coates was an essay beautifully written that educated me in a new perspective. It's very excellent in making the reader empathize his pain. Although in some parts of the essay I did feel that it was slightly repetitive as he tries to prove his thesis over and over again making it a tad bit redundant. Reading it was simply not enough but analyzing the text made me comprehend it in a deeper sense on why Coates writes the way he does and how literary devices build onto his thesis. Learning from him, improves my writing. Of all of Ta Nehisi Coates thesis my biggest take away was that generational trauma affects the mindset and the performance of the individual. Coates proves this varies times in his experience and knowledge of life. I do believe this book should be studied in high school. It definitely altered the way I think and for some uneducated people this books is very realistic and touches upon problems in society that people don't account for like the continues impacts of redlining. I personally believe this book should be in the American canon as it is very informative. I also think it's very diverse and rich in vocabulary overall I rate this book an 8/10
ReplyDeleteI liked reading BTWAM because it was intresting all the things that happened to the author Ta-Nehisi Coates and how he dealt with them.He tells all these storys that happened to him and tells us in great detail that helps us feel for him in that situation and helps us see the world of an African American .He also brings up many people who have been affected by the police and when reading the things that happened to them it makes you feel bad for what they go through The form in which the book is written is cool because it is in the form of a letter so everything he says he says it like he would say if hes talking to his son.This is the first time i read somthing like thar
ReplyDeleteI did like reading BTWAM in the beginning just reading the first couple of pages it immediate caught my attention. I use to think because of how much we talk about racism I knew all about the topic. But reading this book it opened my eyes of a cruelty that is not described as much. Of how they have to live in constant fear for there bodies. Many of us do think that times changed and that the cruelty to others dosen't happen anymore but reading BTWAM you see that it is nothing like that, there fear continues and it will never truly be destroyed, it will just be hidden in the shadow but will always pop up. What I truly loved was how Coates made the book by joining a bunch of letters a dedicating each one to his, how he didn't sugar coat things he just told him how awful and cruel the world is.
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