The Strivings of the Negro people by W.E.B DU BOIS was an essay where he described how hard life is for African Americans in the American society. Blacks were not accepted as people in the society, they were looked at as another breed of some kind. Du Bois was not only a author and teacher but was also a political leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He believed that blacks did not feel like they belonged in American society.

He talked about”Double-consciousness” in the beginning of his essay. Basically saying white leaders believed American was white. That blacks were of African decent but necessarily American. This made blacks feel left out in society cause they were looked at as if they were not the same as whites. When talking about this concept, he stated: “This sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity”. This gave blacks a feeling of not having an identity in the society and would judge themselves by whites standards which would then lead them to think to themselves that they are inferior.

He gives a personal story where he was at school in England. The students were told to buy some nice visiting cards which they would exchange with one another at school. He tried to exchange with a girl but she refused it because of the color of his skin. That’s when he realized that he was different from everyone else and was shut out from their world. He uses pathos in this example to further prove his point of blacks not able to have an identity.

The point Dubois is trying to make is that the black experience is very emotional and is a battle. When you have a double conscious it feels like you are two different people in the world. You have to wake up and go through each day thinking to yourself that no matter how educated I am and the skills I possess I am still a problem. I am still not considered American. This can be a pathos appeal towards the audience when they look at it from his perspective which is very important.

W.E.B wrote this essay to prove a point that which is that blacks goal is to be both black and American without being spit on or treated differently and without losing the chance of self-development. This is a powerful point that he makes and he does it through using rhetorical appeals such as ethos and pathos.

The Strivings of the Negro people by W.E.B DU BOIS was an essay where he described how hard life is for African Americans in the American society. Blacks were not accepted as people in the society, they were looked at as another breed of some kind. Du Bois was not only a author and teacher but was also a political leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He believed that blacks did not feel like they belonged in American society.

He talked about”Double-consciousness” in the beginning of his essay. Basically saying white leaders believed American was white. That blacks were of African decent but necessarily American. This made blacks feel left out in society cause they were looked at as if they were not the same as whites. When talking about this concept, he stated: “This sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity”. This gave blacks a feeling of not having an identity in the society and would judge themselves by whites standards which would then lead them to think to themselves that they are inferior.

He gives a personal story where he was at school in England. The students were told to buy some nice visiting cards which they would exchange with one another at school. He tried to exchange with a girl but she refused it because of the color of his skin. That’s when he realized that he was different from everyone else and was shut out from their world. He uses pathos in this example to further prove his point of blacks not able to have an identity.

W.E.B wrote this essay to prove a point that which is that blacks goal is to be both black and American without being spit on or treated differently and without losing the chance of self-development. This is a powerful point that he makes and he does it through using rhetorical appeals such as ethos and pathos.

• Warrant- unspoken values a writer thinks he shares with his readers. These warrants are steeped and come out of the discourse of their specific discourse community.
• Argument style (evidence, reason, format, genre) comes from the discourse community.
• Knowledge is made thru discourse and creates multiliteraces for individual members to use

W.E.B Dubois

• Issue: That white leaders believed American was white. Blacks were of African decent and not truly American.
• Gap: What does the writer thinks the reader doesn’t understand? black don’t feel like they have an identity in the society and feel judged by whites standards and would then think to themselves that they are inferior.

Class response

• The issue is lack of opportunity. The work it takes to get the basic dignity, opportunities or treatment by the law.
• The readers could be wealthy African Americans and white Americans.

Readers:

• The claim is that black and whites cannot be one because they have differences. Whites are superior
• He did not want the blacks to be educated
• Reason- He suggest that blacks should go back to where they came from in order for there to be no conflict between them and whites. He also says that they have no knowledge, so they should not be able to vote. He said lack of achievements in art, science and other things.
• Evidence- “have been arranged by the hand of the Creator. These God created differences generate a natural aversion between the races” (102).

Class response of “The Race Question in the U.S”

• Claim- Blacks are inferior and should not give them right to vote
• Reason- Fighting between races has increased post- civil / Emancipation
• Evidence- The history of races from all over the world.

W.E.B Dubois “The striving of the negro people”

• He uses rhetorical appeals such as logos (reason) and pathos (emotion). His evidence is in first person. This is Anecdotal (personal experience) evidence.
• I think he uses these appeals so that he can really prove the message he is trying to give us in a meaningful way. Another reason is that there were not a lot of African Americans published at that time.

• W.E.B was a political leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
• Lived 95 years of age (1868-1963) and was one of the smartest African Americans of the 20th century.
• First book was called The Suppression of the African Slave Trade (1896) which described the beliefs that whites had about the inferior African culture.
• He was fighting blacks right to vote and having better education.
• “Double-consciousness” was mentioned in his essay. White leaders believed American was white. Blacks were of African decent but American. Gave blacks a feeling of not having an identity in the society and would judge themselves by whites standards and would then think to themselves that they are inferior.
• “This sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity”
• Blacks goal is to be both black and American without being spit on or treated differently and without losing the chance of self-development.
• The double conscious is a very powerful concept that he tries to describe in his essay and will continue to remain to be one of the most influential ideas in history.

• Warrant: bigger brain means your smarter.  Scientific racism , biological determinism
• Warrant: shared values unspoken
• He is also writing this for other naturalists
• John Morgan was a senator, a soldier, former slave holder, lawyer.
• The reader: whites in the society or Democrats
• Gap: That blacks and whites were created by the hand of the creator, that there are differences between them not by just skin but skills as well.

Group response

• Gap: The effect of race on intelligence and social happiness
• He wants the white southerners to be afraid
• Rhetorical appeals; emotional, rationale (case logic), trust (creates a persona)

• 1890 Morgan defeated two bills: Blair and Force bill.
• His career started by joining the republican party (Whig party)
• The Blair bill was a bill that granted federal aid for education given towards the southern states where both blacks and whites suffered from illiteracy.
• Morgan did not like the bill because he did not want a lot of blacks to be educated.
• Force bill- deny black votes’
• In the year 1900, 180,00 blacks were able to vote but by 1903 only 3,000 were able to.
• Differences between races have been arranged by the creator.
• He said it is unnatural for blacks to be a part of politics just as it is unnatural for a black person to be part of a white family. They should go back to Africa, that way there will be no problems between races.
• The 14th and 15th amendment was there to help protect blacks rights and give them political rights as well.

• The writers thesis is that there are different biological differences between black and white people. That people can’t mix if they are of a different race.
• “Inter mixture of different races leads to final extinction of civilization”
• The audience could be those that are not the same race and have a relationship. Audience could also be people that are racist.
• He believes the researchers don’t understand that if you do intermix then babies will be deficient (mentally, physically) and morally. Believes that the nurture of the children will be damaged because he believe there are some bad qualities black people have.
• Prudential exhibit insurance: where he worked

• I think his claim is that races should not intermix because there will be consequences if they do.
• His reason is that black and whites have major differences. They don’t look alike so there must be differences between them.
• Skull size, blood type, if they can fight off diseases and cultural differences. This is not solid evidence though because he or other researchers never really got evidence to show if one race is more susceptible to diseases or if they intermix that their babies will not be of good character.
• The warrant is that people can not intermix because it would change humans biological structure and who they are as an individual.

Prompt 1: There are two groups in this reading: whites and blacks. Swales mentioned that the group has public goals and those that are very knowledgeable. The judges are the legal discourse communities in this case. They are the ones that are knowledgeable because they are the ones that help decide whether something is right or wrong. It this case they are the ones that look through or know the history of their country and determine whether whites and blacks are equal.

prompt 2: They looked through the Amendments, specifically the 13th and 14th amendment.

Prompt 3: They looked at other cases that involved the rights of blacks and whites. Limited laws based on the amendments, the amendment says this so we are going to follow it. If it says nothing about equal protection for both races then whites will get protection of rights but not blacks.

• It is good to try to read the abstract or the title of the book to get idea of what the reading will be about.
• Read the information twice: skim through it and read thoroughly. Then try to figure out overall what it is about and the most important parts that stand out.
• When I read, I usually do underline or circle key quotations or parts in the reading that could help me figure out what the main message is in the text.,
• When going through a text, you must analyze, interpret, synthesize and evaluate.
• Sometimes after I read something, I’ll write a quick summary on what the reading was about so that I won’t forget.
• Fact- a true statement
• Opinion- based on facts but also the writers interpretation
• Belief- a opinion or conviction
• Ethos- appeal to the character of the writer and his attitude
• Pathos- the emotional appeal, to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions
• Logos- to convince an audience by use of logic or reason.
• Diction- Word choice
• Can use formal diction for serious matters such as reflective essays, research papers or speeches. You can use informal diction for things like poems.