Ultimately, be yourself

DuBois’s first chapter focuses on the veil separating those of the “American” and the “African American” race and the double consciousness he feels. He focuses on the difference between him and his female, white classmate. She refused to give him a card due to him not being of white. DeBois felt diminished by the feeling of being less than someone because of his race. He wants African American so stay true to them and be considered American. He disagrees with the idea of having to loose his heritage to be considered n American, and he’s right. America had thrived on the immigrants of all different countries; no one race should have been more American than the other. The belief of one more right than the other was what created the veil.

            DuBois’s concept of double consciousness is summed up with his quote, “the sense of looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” The constant thought of caring what others think of you is what makes you see yourself through other people’s eyes. Personally this stuck out to me because I do try to see myself through other people’s eye, especially my families. The thought of being a disappointment through their eyes is what pushes me to be more. They don’t create any intense strict standards for me, but since they are people I love, I care what they think. Socially, seeing myself through other people’s eyes creates a strong self of awareness. It’s a feeling in your own head that everyone is watching you, when in reality probably no one is. Being new to college, it was particularly difficult to get out of my comfort zone and have to look for friends instead of staying attached to my old friends. The sense of having to branch out gives a sensation of double consciousness because you never know how the new people feel about you. I start to try to see myself through their eyes, and that just makes me more nervous than just being my self.

            Kia Davis’s poem ties to DuBois’s because she feels she has to be someone she’s not because of the color of her skin. She hates that African Americans see her as someone less because she’s educated and “acting white”. She looks at herself through other people’s eyes and as herself as an outsider. She sees her race limiting them selves and making those who thrive to excel seem out of place. Michael Sam want to tell his story honestly. He was breaking the thought of not being a NFL player yet and coming out. He still hasn’t been drafted, and he wasn’t to go into what he loves as himself, not hiding who he is. He chose to sand up to all the people he use to see himself through and be honest to him. All three stories hit deeply to almost anyone. It may hit home for some more than others, but underneath it all they teach you to be true to yourself and to not settle for what society wants.