Ta-Nehisi Coates “Between the World and Me”

The author reveals all the controversial past of black people in the United States and as Coats highlights, that Racism is still the main issue of the American culture. That all kinds of privileges and racial profiling are still held in society. In the book, Coates writes a letter to his son, hoping that he will understand that the world is unfair and he has to struggle every day as most African-Americans. Coates states (page 6) “When Abraham Lincoln declared, in 1863, that the battle of Gettysburg must ensure ‘that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,’ he was not merely being aspirational.

At the onset of the Civil War, the United States of America had one of the highest rates of suffrage in the world. The question is not whether Lincoln truly meant ‘government of the people' but what our country has, throughout its history, taken the political term ‘people’ to actually mean. In 1863 it did not mean your mother or grandmother, and did not mean you and me.” By this statement, Coates means that ‘the government of people’ is an illusion by what government stands for; the word ‘people’ never meant the people, and the declaration of Abraham Lincoln did not mean black people, his show that through the eyes of his family. I can strongly agree that racism still the big reason of most misunderstandings and conflicts between different races, ethnics and minors.

In Between the World and Me, the author uses different stylistics to cover the main issues. To show emotion and self–interest through pathos, ethical appeal through the ethos and to show proof and evidence, he uses logos. In the book, the author opens the continuous impact of racism in his life and many other African-Americans with the usage of ethos stylistic. He starts off his letter by addressing his son. Coates starts by saying, (page 5) “Son”. It explains that the whole book is a letter to his son. This helps Coates to build a relationship between him and his aiming audience, to share his opinion and experience. This letter shows that he is a warm-hearted and caring parent, and shows him the naked world. Especially, we can highlight it, when Coates states, (page 5) “But race is the child of racism, not the father.” This time, Coates exposes the theme of racism and its effects in the lives of African-Americans in the 21st century.

Another way Coates earns the trust of the audience is by sharing his past. He says, (page 10) “That Sunday, with the host, on that news show, I tried to explain this as best I could within the time allowed.” This particular statement shows the intention to share his past and things he experienced and suffered. Coates uses his past to connect with the reader, and it shows how he dealt with racism and how it affected and influenced his career. Coates also brings the historical facts to the readers, to display that racism has been around for long period, and was the main thing in the United States and the main issue nowadays.

Through the usage of ethos, Coates shares his experience, knowledge, and how he educate himself throughout his life, and through this, he explains to us that racism is the main problem in the United States and in today’s world. 

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