“Being a problem is a strange experience”- W.E.B Du Bois

I had the pleasure of reading the entirety of “The Souls of Black Folk” by W.E.B Du Bois,  last year in my cultural diversity class. Yet, I was never given the opportunity to truly dissect this book for what its worth. Du Bois touches on several topics about African Americans from lifestyle, religion, and most importantly the race line in America that affected them.

Du Bois was a brilliant man who was sadly plagued by the never-ending racism of the United States of America. Better said in Du Bois’s words, “He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly in his face”(Du Bois). I often interpret Du Bois speaking out desperately for change in the country, appealing with soft-spoken and heartfelt words. He wanted development in his community and to be a proud black man in America. Especially considering that Du Bois lived in segregated America at this time, with the Ku Klux Klan at their prime and racism the cornerstone of the nation. His words were not only a mere protest but in itself a full fiery rebellion

for peace. He risked his life by speaking out openly about the problems of the country for this. Du Bois wrote himself that, “The Nation has not yet found peace from its sins; the freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land” ( Du Bois). Which he further explains the trial and error process in which black folk had to endure just to vote. Yet, it was not enough to be truly free in this country.

Du Bois goes on to invoke powerful passages of Biblical references to compare the struggle of black folk with the Israelites. This was done to help persuade the white audience to help black communities.  Du Bois goes on to say, “The ideal of human brotherhood, gained through the unifying ideal of Race; the ideal of fostering and developing the traits and talents of the Negro, not in opposition to or contempt for other races, but rather in large conformity to the greater ideals of the American Republic, in order that some day on American soil two world-races may give each to each those characteristics both so sadly lack” (Du Bois).  These are especially powerful words considering the tragedies and hardships Du Bois faced by the white race at the time. To add on from my personal readings, Du Bois loses his firstborn son because of the refusal of white doctors to help a black child. Yet, he seeks brotherhood and healing rather than destruction with his fellow man. The whole book is filled with the optimism of a better future in America. Sadly, we have yet to see this type of America for ourselves.

Zora Neale Hurston’s account of realizing her blackness, as well as her response to it and the historical burdens it bears differs exponentially from that of Du Bois. In Hurston’s “How it Feels to be Colored me”, she recounts her earliest encounters with white people, as they pass through her town. Because Eatonville, Florida was primarily occupied by a black community, seeing white people was a spectacle for Hurston. She was also aware of the spectacle her black community was on the white tourists, but instead of cautiously hiding away from their view, she embraced it and encouraged their peering with performance. Hurston, aware of her blackness, innocently gave into the stereotypes of her race and entertained the brief guests with performative blackness–dancing and singing on command. As she matured, she reveled in the differences between herself and her white peers, stating “[…]to know that for any act of mine, I shall get twice as much praise or twice as much blame”. She took the attention that her skin color brought her in amusement and found excitement in it. In doing so, she disconnected her identity from the slavery that had only ended sixty years prior, referring to it as a price that her ancestors paid for her, but denying ownership of their struggles.

W.E.B. Du Bois recounts an opposing experience and perspective in his “The Souls of Black Folk”. The precursor to his recollection of the moment he became aware of his blackness is his feelings of what it is like to be a problem. This description of negative experience follow him throughout his realization of being a spectacle (as Hurston would have stated it), as well as throughout his growing up. Unlike Hurston, Du Bois was made aware of his societally perceived differences by being shunned for them, as opposed to others’ entertainment by them. He describes it as a veil which includes the suffering of his slave ancestors, tying into his current identity– a clear opposition to Zora Neale Hurston’s experience. Instead of reveling in it, he used it to work harder as a child, aiming to be better than his white counterparts. Du Bois describes seeing himself constantly through the eyes of others and does not enjoy the idea of others looking on in amusement. Hurston expressed her enjoyment of this idea, whilst Du Bois aimed to separate from it.

W.E.B Du Bois begins his seminal work The Souls of Black Folk with a forethought that directs the “gentle reader” that his book is about the meaning of being black in the 20th century. By address the reader as gentle it is clear Du Bois is speaking to a non- black audience. He says that “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.” By this, he means that the problem in modern times is the divide between races that ensure that black people receive inferior treatment compared to white people. He states that the line has been solidified since the time of slavery but it may be slightly unstable. Du Bois is suggesting to a primarily white audience who may assume that issues of race and racism are irrelevant to them that this is far from the truth because as long black and white people live alongside each other the line between them will fracture and eventually break in the face of blatant inequality. 

Du Bois then outlines his book and states “need I add that I who speak here am bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh of them that live within the Veil?” Du Bois is clarifying to the reader and all the publishers he mentioned beforehand that he has personal experience as a black man. He ends his forethought dramatically to prove to the reader that he has been a victim of oppression based on the color of his skin and he too has lived in the Veil and experienced the injustices he is about to discuss. This gives Du Bois an added sense of ethos, that his work is credible due to personal experience. 

The most prominent symbols in The Souls of Black Folk are the color line and the Veil. While the color line is the physical representation of the divide between white and black people the Veil is the psychological manifestation of this phenomenon. The color line exists in the world and limits people’s access to opportunities, education, bathrooms, and even water fountains. The color line manifests in “whites only” signs like the one to the right. The Veil however lives in people’s minds. It is what compels white people to structure society in a racists manner. The Veil prevents white people from seeing black people as human beings with rights and privileges while also preventing black people from seeing themselves outside the negative frame of racism. This leads to the double-consciousness where black people view themselves through the frame of racism and through their own eyes which leads to internal conflict. The Veil is subconsciously in many people’s brains but they don’t feel as if they are doing anything wrong. This leads to a racists undertone in the way we structure society that still exists today. 

Although Du Bois wrote this book in 1903 his messages are still relevant today in 2020. We as a society have cracked the color line but we must individually work on the Veil in our minds. The color line is slightly broken but the Veil is completely intact as made clear by the Black Lives Matter protests of this year. We as individuals must work to be actively anti-racist rather than just not being racists. We must identify racial inequalities that an inherent in our society and champion anti-racist ideals that will demolish those inequalities. We have to stop thinking that we are simply not racists and confront the racist ideas that have been ingrained in us and that veil our thinking. 

Du Bois knew that the color line and the Veil were the biggest obstacles to equality. He also knew that the Emancipation of the slaves wasn’t the end of the struggle for equality. We as a society have begun to trudge past signs outside of restrooms but we have a long way to go to create an equal society and that process must start but breaking the color line and lifting the Veil in our minds. 

Emerson mentions how the landscape is viewable by all men. However, he does specify that the poet owns the landscape. The landscape is owned by the poet because only the poet can properly do the landscape justice and reveal its deepest truths in a way that respects nature. He is able to respect nature by providing an honest and unfiltered perspective. Emerson says that only the poet can “integrate all the parts” of the landscape. This demonstrates his belief that poets have the power to implement the big picture while also all of the small details within their writing, whereas other owners might only see one side to the property. For example, a farm owner might only appreciate the produce his/her property provides him/her, while the poet, paying attention to all parts of the landscape, can figuratively show his/her gratitude of everything the landscape offers through their writing. In addition, Emerson mentions how the landscape is separated into different parts to show the significance of each section. The farm and fields provide food while the woodland’s creatures maintain a balance in nature. By doing this Emerson is able to emphasize how these different components need to come together to thrive as one setting: the landscape. This connects to the poet and his/her purpose in creating a flow that illustrates each part and its beauty while at the same time, portraying the entire system as a whole.

While property can physically be owned by a person with a contract binding relationship, the landscape belongs to the poet in a metaphorical way so as that the poet can cherish the landscape as any other owner would cherish their property. Another difference in the ownership relationship between the landscape and the poet is that the poet does not truly the own the area, meaning they have no obligations toward it. Their sole responsibility is to depict it so that others can see its purpose and virtues. Like nature, the landscape cannot be owned by man. Its fields can be watered and its soil dug but it cannot be owned as it is its own owner. So, the poet can own the landscape in the sense that they know how it should be seen in the public eye by describing it in their work in the rawest and purest way. The poet can never physically own it, because the landscape already belongs to nature.