Double Consciousness

W.E.B. DuBois informs us of his upbringing as a black man in the world of the white man. This causes him to have “double consciousness” since he lives in America, a white man’s country, and he’s black. He looks to tell how African Americans are affected by how the white man treats us in their home land. He also mentions how easy it is to give in to stereotypes placed on the black community. He feels as if his identity has been divided as he was brought up. It makes it hard for him to really figure out who he is in life. W.E.B. DuBois basically feels as if black men have one true heritage, and said heritage lies within Africa. I believe he wants one to understand the effects that bring rose with multiple cultures. One may not be able to only live one specific way since he has to appeal to different crowds. 

What I found interesting was that Kai Davis gave support to Dubois’s claim. Take her school example for instance; if a black person acts in an educated or sophisticated manner, like speaking with big words, they get looked at differently by his fellow African American peers and usual in this case “different” is not good. This can cause one to rethink his entire personality. Do I want to take the risk of possibly not being accepted by people I have to interact with on an everyday basis for all these years just for good grades? Being the valedictorian of my high school, I could really relate to this. Throughout all my years of school I went to schools that were majority African American, so being smart made me stand out. I remember thinking was there a line between smart and being a part of the “in” crowd that was just not to be crossed. It’s hard for me to imagine the turnabout, if I lived during W.E.B.’s time period. The racism literally might be strong enough to tear one apart from the inside. If I excelled further or faster than my white counterparts, what would have been done to make. Would I have been able to go on and learn, or would they have sunk as low as necessary to keep me from achieving my potential? I still wonder to this day.