Racism in a Talk to Teachers by James Baldwin Essay Example

James Baldwin applies his personal experiences of discrimination to accentuate the prevalence of systemic racism in “A Talk to Teachers.” Likewise, Baldwin constructs pathos as he attempts to “liberate” African-Americans from the shackles of the education system, which he classifies as how the “aims of society” guide the school system instead of the desire to foster contemplative thought within students. In “A Talk to Teachers,” Baldwin employs anecdotes to reveal the prevalence of the racial inequities that he endured throughout his childhood, in an attempt to apply them to the political landscape of the 1960s; furthermore, he creates pathos as he appeals to the reader’s emotional side and urges them to take action against the ineptitude of the education system to acknowledge racism in America. 

Accordingly, Baldwin implements childhood anecdotes to foster pathos as he amplifies the reader’s cognizance of the extent to which racism affects African-Americans. As Baldwin describes the inequities he encountered in New York, he evokes pathos through a personal anecdote: “None of this is for you”; “doors of opportunity slammed in his face” (Baldwin 214). Here, Baldwin recounts an anecdote that reveals the divergence in the economic status between his neighborhood and the white neighborhood. In this way, Baldwin parallels the racism African-Americans face in their childhood with the limited “opportunities” they receive throughout the rest of their lives. In this example, Baldwin implements an anecdote to display instances of racism common to his childhood and the collective racism Africans-Americans face, which establishes pathos. Likewise, after he characterizes typical stereotypes of African-Americans, Baldwin creates pathos as he employs another anecdote that rallies his audience of white schoolteachers against the institution: “Some mistake”; “I was not a ‘n-----’ even though you called me one” (215). Here, Baldwin offers his resentment of common  African-American stereotypes that he encounters. In this way, Baldwin reveals the societal narrative that restricts African-Americans from true independence and creates a false system of beliefs that he seeks to “change”. In this example, Baldwin manufactures pathos through an adolescent anecdote to highlight the divergence between the white and black worlds, which affects other facets of society such as the education system. Furthermore, after he discloses a bildungsroman story, Baldwin proposes another theoretical anecdote where he creates pathos with the reader: “aims of society”; “change the curriculum … Negroes learned more about themselves”; “liberating not only Negroes … white people” (212 & 215). Here, Baldwin offers a hypothetical anecdote -- his second on a single page -- that illustrates his main argument: to dismantle the education system’s systemic racism. In this way, Baldwin juxtaposes the effects of his proposed change to the national curriculum with the status quo to demonstrate the intolerable “mistakes” of the education system. In this example, Baldwin implements pathos to bestow a sense of urgency in the reader to take action against the education system’s refusal to educate black history. Therefore, as Baldwin administers provocative anecdotes, he creates pathos and deepens the reader’s knowledge of racism’s grasp on both society and the education system.

As Baldwin condemns the internal racism of the education system, he utilizes anecdotes to create pathos; thus, he engages the reader with his sentiment against the education system. Consequently, Baldwin urges teachers to “liberate” their students and not perpetuate the “aims of society” through his pathos. Ultimately, Baldwin fabricates anecdotes from his personal experiences with racism to manufacture pathos with his audience: white school teachers.