Good Critical Thinking On Analytical Essay

Race is something that is evident in the book, “The Souls of Black Folk,” on the book, DuBois’ book and “The Chinese in All of Us” by Richard Rodriguez. In the first chapter of the book, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” the author cites that there is only one question that most of the white people would want to ask the black men. This question is that, “How does it feel like to be a problem?” (DuBois, p 1). In this sense, there was racial discrimination that was all over the place. This problem was so much severe as the black people never liked it. The whites always referred to the blacks as the problem. They are seen as the source of all the problems in the society. No one ever asked this question but it was clear that everyone wanted to know the answer to this question.
In the book, when DuBois realizes that he was the “problem” as they put it, he was still in the elementary school. When he was enrolled in an integrated school in Massachusetts, there was a student who was enrolled one year later, there was a new student who as enrolled in the same school. He was requested by the teacher to share the cards with one another. The girl however refused to share with DuBois because of his skin color. The author says, “ In a wee wooden schoolhouse, something put it into the boys’ and girls’ heads to buy gorgeous visiting-cards—ten cents a package—and exchange. The exchange was merry, till one girl, a tall newcomer, refused my card,—refused it peremptorily, with a glance.” (DuBois, p 2) This show how there was racism in this society. There was a lot racism in the society and that no one was willing to share anything with the blacks, as they were termed as problems in the society.
In the book by Richard, “The Chinese in All of Us, A Mexican American Explores Multiculturalism,” The author says, “Last year, I was being interviewed by Bill Moyers. “Do you consider yourself American or Hispanic?” he asked. “I think of myself as Chinese,” I answered.” (Rodriguez, p 1). This shows how the Chinese also were discriminated, as they were being asked whether they are American or Hispanic. If one was not either an American or Hispanic, he was greatly discriminated, showing how much the theme of racism was portrayed in the book. Veering off one’s culture was also something that one could not think of. When an individual loses culture, he will be ridiculed as he does not knew where he or she belonged. Racism was the main thing that was portrayed in the book.
In the first chapter of his book, DuBois keeps asking himself why God chose to make him as a problem. The author says,
“With other black boys the strife was not so fiercely sunny: their youth shrunk into tasteless sycophancy, or into silent hatred of the pale world about them and mocking distrust of everything white; or wasted itself in a bitter cry, Why did God make me an outcast and a stranger in mine own house? The shades of the prison-house closed round about us all: walls strait and stubborn to the whitest, but relentlessly narrow” (DuBois, p 2)
Many blacks hated themselves for the fact that they are blacks, and they lived to regret to God why they were created as blacks. They could cry to God for the fact that they were created black. He could not figure out the reason as to why the Negro was created in the shadow of all of the other races. He says, “After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world..” (DuBois, p 3) He says that he was created with a double consciousness, and that the blacks were always looking themselves through the eyes of the other races.
According the DuBois, being born as an American Negro, it was not only a problem, but also a symbol of struggle. They were born to struggle in their lives. They were trying to reach self-conscious manhood after a long period of captivity. They were also trying to merge the two conflicting identities to be one which is much better off. Furthermore, the whites in the United States were worried that the newly freed blacks will have to Africanize the Americans. They suffered racism and that the whites did not want to see them as free people.
In Rodriguez’ book, the narrator also suffers racism, as the ethnicity and race has taken over the land. There was no any place that one could not be asked about his or her race and ethnicity. When he went to the class, he was always regarded as a minority, making himself lack self esteem. The nun wanted him to use English in a proper way, since his pronunciation differed with the rest of the people.

Works cited

DuBois, W.E.B. 2015. 'I. Of Our Spiritual Strivings. Du Bois, W. E. B. 1903. The Souls Of Black Folk'. Bartleby.Com. http://www.bartleby.com/114/1.html.
Rodrigquez, Richard. The Chinese in All of US, A Mexican American Explores Multiculturalism. 1-6. Print.