The True Meaning Of Being An American
Dashanna Cooke
ENGL 110AQ
Mr. Jones
11/28/2017
Journey to Self-Discovery: The True Meaning of Being an American
In 1948, James Baldwin left America at the age of 24 and settled in Paris, France as an expatriate after dealing with American prejudice his whole life. Living as an openly gay African-American man during the Jim Crow era in Harlem, New York, Baldwin sought to escape from the racial discrimination in America. Baldwin also wanted to liberate himself from becoming “merely another ‘Negro writer’”. Baldwin, following the tradition of several American writers and artists, found inspiration and refuge in Paris. This period in America, post-World War II era, was particularly burdensome for artists and writers as the McCarthy hearings …show more content…
His experiences in Europe has significantly impacted Baldwin as he is now able to view America through a changed, foreign perspective. Being able to immerse himself in the vastly different European way of life, Baldwin composes his own perceptions of the differences between American and European culture. Baldwin proclaims: “to be as American as any Texas G.I.” and becomes very patriotic as he discovers that several expatriates and/or writers shares similar experiences with him and that they share the same way of thinking that he does. As Baldwin is able to transcend racial and class barriers he realizes that he can make use of these experiences to connect with people instead of driving him farther apart from them. He comprehends that all Americans, whether black or white, were trying to find their own sense of individuality. Although Baldwin does make a distinction that “we were both searching for our separate identities”, thus conveying his belief that him and the “Texas G.I.” was seeking different identities. However, this does not erase the commonality amongst Baldwin and the others by sharing an American identity. Baldwin also distinguishes America from European society through Europe’s long, upstanding academic tradition which he believes “does not exist in America”. Baldwin clarifies that the reason why America has “a deep-seated distrust of real intellectual effort” is because that would completely shatter “that myth of America to which we cling so desperately”. Baldwin makes another comparison between the two cultures by remarking that “European society has always been divided into classes in a way that American society never has been”. Further proving his point he observes “American society is more mobile than Europe’s, it is easier to cut across social and occupational lines there than it is here”. With
ENGL 110AQ
Mr. Jones
11/28/2017
Journey to Self-Discovery: The True Meaning of Being an American
In 1948, James Baldwin left America at the age of 24 and settled in Paris, France as an expatriate after dealing with American prejudice his whole life. Living as an openly gay African-American man during the Jim Crow era in Harlem, New York, Baldwin sought to escape from the racial discrimination in America. Baldwin also wanted to liberate himself from becoming “merely another ‘Negro writer’”. Baldwin, following the tradition of several American writers and artists, found inspiration and refuge in Paris. This period in America, post-World War II era, was particularly burdensome for artists and writers as the McCarthy hearings …show more content…
His experiences in Europe has significantly impacted Baldwin as he is now able to view America through a changed, foreign perspective. Being able to immerse himself in the vastly different European way of life, Baldwin composes his own perceptions of the differences between American and European culture. Baldwin proclaims: “to be as American as any Texas G.I.” and becomes very patriotic as he discovers that several expatriates and/or writers shares similar experiences with him and that they share the same way of thinking that he does. As Baldwin is able to transcend racial and class barriers he realizes that he can make use of these experiences to connect with people instead of driving him farther apart from them. He comprehends that all Americans, whether black or white, were trying to find their own sense of individuality. Although Baldwin does make a distinction that “we were both searching for our separate identities”, thus conveying his belief that him and the “Texas G.I.” was seeking different identities. However, this does not erase the commonality amongst Baldwin and the others by sharing an American identity. Baldwin also distinguishes America from European society through Europe’s long, upstanding academic tradition which he believes “does not exist in America”. Baldwin clarifies that the reason why America has “a deep-seated distrust of real intellectual effort” is because that would completely shatter “that myth of America to which we cling so desperately”. Baldwin makes another comparison between the two cultures by remarking that “European society has always been divided into classes in a way that American society never has been”. Further proving his point he observes “American society is more mobile than Europe’s, it is easier to cut across social and occupational lines there than it is here”. With