A full copy of my Research Essay

Kennedy Jacquet 

Professor Sonja Killebrew and Robert Balun 

FIQWS 10108 

December 01, 2021 

Research Essay 

The concept of ‘self and other’ can often find itself portrayed in various forms of literature when writers attempt to convey numerous societal factors and the possible effects, they have on oneself. This concept can be found in the writing of James Baldwin, Rudy Francisco, and Sylvia Fulton in Nothing Personal, To the Man Standing on The Corner Holding a Sign that Said “God Hates Gays”, and As Black Lives Matter Turns 8, understand us. Each piece highlights the perspective of Black Americans existing in a society that is built in favor of its white inhabitants, whilst illustrating their external challenges and personal opinions.  

Nothing Personal is an essay comprised of James Baldwin’s critique of American society and its functionality. This piece particularly evokes the theme of ‘self and other’ by bringing to light the troubles Americans face of finding oneself in an illusion of lies, guilt, and confusion built by those of our nation’s past. Baldwin’s description of the difficulties of finding one’s sense of identity in this nation can be found when he writes, “Therefore, the truth cannot be told, even about one’s attitudes: we live by lies. And not only, for example, about race-whatever, by this time, in this country, or, indeed, in the world, this word may mean-but about our very natures. The lie has penetrated to our most private moments, and the most secret chambers of our hearts. Nothing more sinister can happen, in any society, to any people. And when it happens, it means that the people are caught in a kind of vacuum between their present and their past-the romanticized, that is, the maligned past, and the denied and dishonored present. It is a crisis of identity. And in such a crisis, at such a pressure, it becomes absolutely indispensable to discover, or invent-the two words, here, are synonyms-the stranger, the barbarian, who is responsible for our confusion and our pain” (Baldwin 54). In this excerpt the theme of ‘self and other’ is specifically directed towards Baldwins belief of Americans sense of self being forced to invent itself amongst the falsity the past of our nation has built itself upon. Baldwin also provides examples as to how easy it is to lose oneself when facing the difficulties of our society when he states, “how did they become-these faces-so cruel and so sterile? they are related to whom? they are related to what? They do not relate to the buildings, certainly-no human being could; I suspect, in fact, that many of us live with the carefully suppressed terror that these buildings are about to crash down on us; the nature of the movement of the people in the streets is certainly very close to panic. You will search in vain for lovers. I have not heard anyone singing in the streets of New York for more than twenty years. By singing, I mean singing for joy, for the hell of it. I don’t mean the drunken, lonely, 4-AM keening which is simply the sound of some poor soul trying to vomit up his anguish and gagging on it. Where the people can sing, the poet can live-and it is worth saying it the other way around, too: where the poet can sing, the people can live. When a civilization treats its poets with the disdain with which we treat ours, it cannot be far from disaster; it cannot be far from the slaughter of the innocents. Everyone is rushing, God knows where, and everyone is looking for God knows what-but it is clear that no one is happy here, and that something has been lost.” (Baldwin 52). 

To the Man Standing on the Corner Holding the Sign That Said “God Hates Gays”, is a poem written by Rudy Francisco about the present-day population of conservative white Americans finding a sense of identity and self in the prejudice the exude towards others. This piece brings up the concept of self and other through its discussion of White conservative Americans finding external factors to align with their internal beliefs they possess in order to find a sense of identity outside of their own minds. Rudy attempts to convey his theme by providing examples through religious aspects, specifically pertaining to the characterization of God, such as when he writes, “I bet your God is a politician from Arizona. I bet his high school served racism in the cafeteria and offered ‘hate speech’ as a second language. I bet he has a swastika inside of his throat and racial slurs tattooed on his tongue just to make intolerance more comfortable in his mouth” (Francisco 66). Rudy even goes further to describe the lack of acknowledgment White individuals possess about the ideological and religious connections they make about their beliefs when he states, “Sooner or later you will realize that you are praying to your own shadow, that you are standing in front of mirrors and are worshipping your own reflection” (Francisco 67).  

Lastly, As Black Lives Matter turns 8, understand us is a piece written by Sybrina Fulton describing the effects the Black Lives Matter movement has had on her life and ideals after the loss of her son due to police brutality. This piece showcases the theme of self and other by providing Fulton’s first-hand knowledge and feelings towards her own experiences as the mother of one of the most prominent victims of brutality, Trayvon Martin, in a society teeming with systemic racism. Fulton specifically provides this perspective when she writes, “When your child is stolen from you, it disrupts the natural order of things. A mother is not supposed to outlive her son. When Trayvon was killed in 2012 in Sanford, Florida, it took my breath away. I was overwhelmed by both grief and anger. The hole left in my heart, the empty seat at the dinner table, and the pain that walks with me every day never goes away. Families carry the pain and relive parts of that torment every time another Black life is stolen.” We are also offered perspective as to how the external tragedy she experienced affected her internal drive towards a truly equal society when she states, “I see BLM as my chorus, as a way to make my voice louder, as a way to continue to make Trayvon’s name resonate throughout the world. I want my son to rest in power. I want his name and his spirit to rise, to change the world. I appreciate the chorus. I appreciate those who help me to think about what policy change can look like. I appreciate those who are working to make sure that one day soon, no mother will have to face what I endure, that their sons will grow into all of their greatest potential.” 

When viewing these texts side by side, we see all three pieces bring to light varying forms of systemic discrepancies present in American society, particularly pertaining to race, and the development and contribution of prejudice in our nation. We are able to learn about the theme self and other through the similar ideals each piece shares that Americans find and create their own senses of identity in a society surrounding them in webs of negativity. Americans must decide whether our identities will succumb to the darkness present in our everyday lives or learn to rise above it. 

In conclusion, the theme of ‘self and other’ has manifested itself in various forms of literature, but in pieces such as Nothing Personal, To the Man Standing on The Corner Holding the Sign That Said “God Hates Gays”, and As Black Lives Matter turns 8, understand us, they are linked through their talk of how our identities as Americans are shaped through the past, current, and potential effects the negative aspects of American society have on who we deem we are as people.