Comparison Between Ta-Nehisi Coates Between The World And Me

Between the World and Me , by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a letter that’s written to his fifteen year old son, Samori who witnessed the sudden deaths of Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and John Crawford. This letter explains, through experience and historical findings how it is living in White America in a black body. Throughout Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi expresses his personal struggles on how it is being black in America. To him It was a constant struggle and at a young age he began to realize, via news and the societal changes around him, the unrealistic bar set by society for black people. That through his story on discrimination acts as a cornerstone of discussions for inequity. For Coates, in order to start the conversation about discrimination it has to start with the individual. From this novel, Coates hints towards the confines of intersectionality and pressure of being black in the U.S.
Living in Baltimore was like being “naked before the elements of the world, before all the guns, fists, knives, crack, rape, and disease” (17). Could you imagine being surrounded by nothing but violence in a distressing environment? It’s terrifying to know every day isn’t given. From an interview on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman,
Coates tells her all the troubles he’s had to deal with everyday walking the streets in such a dangerous area, specifically revealing his concerns,”....and having an entire ritual totally devoted to making sure I was safe—you know, concerns about what I was wearing, concerns about who I was walking to school with, concerns about how many people I was walking to school with, concerns during lunchtime about where I was sitting, where I was spending my time”. This shows how conscious he had to be day in and day out.
Through the midst of all of this turmoil, there was a vital question Coates struggled to answer the most - how can I live freely in this black body? - that kept lingering on and on in his mind. Lingering on to the point where,”..have asked the question through my readings and writings, through the music of my youth, through arguments with your grandfather, your mother, your aunt Janai, and your uncle Ben” (12). This very profound and quite complex question and unanswerable to Coates but not pointless. It was difficult for Coates to understand and reason for this being that he is afraid of losing his body to the streets. In other words plundering. Why? Cause at any given moment his body could be taken. He’s been in fear his whole life and he saw fear in, “extravagant boys in my neighborhood” (14). Everything from the materialistic things to the slang were all forms of fear seen. He even felt fear from his father when he was beaten after slipping away from the playground and later being found by a family. After his father says that it could be him to beat him or the police. And it’s only natural for his father to say that because it has been constructed over the years that the destruction of the black body is known throughout American history so it’s right to have his father brand that lesson into Coates.
The streets deemed to be one of issue but the education system another. From his perspective in order to succeed in the school system there was this idea that blacks had to be “twice as good”: twice as smart, twice as dependable, and twice as gifted, than any other race if they wanted to be apart of “The Dream”. For decades black parents have told their children that with hope of raising them without a victim mentality. Coates is well aware that being black or a minority in America means that any mistakes worsens their situation more and they were not only destroying their future but setting up their bodies to be consumed by the streets later, “...fail to comprehend the streets and you gave up your body now. But fail to comprehend the schools and you gave up your body later” (Coates, 25).
This leads him to resenting the school system because the ideas and subjects taught in school were too vague.
He felt the administration valued compliance more than self-discovery. They cared nothing for the wellbeing and development of the minds for African American childrens because to them, blacks would forever be stuck in the endless cycle of failure alongside ignorance. Coates felt the school system, a place for learning and growth, were not in favor for blacks. The result of the poor education quality from schools led black children to be disengaged from schools on account of being unsuccessful and more involved with the criminal justice system , “Fully 60 percent of all young black men who drop out of school will go to jail” (Coates,
27).

So where did Coates catch his break? How did he become the man he is today, well-informed and aware? Through “The Mecca” or to say, Howard University. Coates refers to Howard University as “The Mecca” because it deemed to be a safe haven for black people where they can flourish without being oppressed or fearful of losing their bodies, accept their culture, be proud of who they are, love, and learn. It’s quite easy to see why Coates wants to compare Howard University to “The Mecca” for African Americans. Howard University is a very prestigious school that serves to nourish the minds of any student there. To Coates, Howard University serves to be an academic institution and a stimulating community made from a diverse population of blacks from every social class and cultural orientation. Being in the midst of all of this gives Coates a sense of belonging and this is what inspires him to do better.