The Dream We Choose to Live In
Liam Voycey
12-06-19
English
O’Connor
The Dream We Choose to Live In
In the eyes of Ta-Nehisi Coates, the dream is a state of oblivion in which the brutal history of enslavement is justified or forgotten to remove any guilt one might have. He depicts this dream as white picket fences and Sunday barbecues in which white people are asleep to the damage they have inflicted upon African Americans. On Page 29 Coates says, “Fear ruled everything around me… this fear was connected to the dream out there.” I don’t think this fear is one of violence or death, but more of a realization that white people believe that their actions have been justified. The dream then becomes a nightmare when looking upon the divide between the white picket fences and the slums of utter poverty.
Coates analyzes this sense of justification of slavery on page 33 where he says, “ Mistakes were made. Bodies were broken. People were enslaved. We meant well. We tried our best. “Good intention” is a hall pass through history, a sleeping pill that ensures the dream.” I find this quote particularly powerful due to its brutal honesty. Coates uses these statements in the beginning of the quote to show the unapologetic attitude that most white people have towards slavery. In reality, the evil of slavery and racism should the first thing that is acknowledged to create a better understanding of the true effect enslavement has on current society. Instead, Coates describes this “sleeping pill” of justifications that keeps White people unaware of their true actions.
The Dream has a lot of components, it keeps people unaware of their actions, and hides them from the true essence of slavery, but the dream is even more damming according to Coates, “The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate anwsers. The Dream is the enemy of all art, courageous thinking, and honest writing.” (50). Here, we see a deeper explanation of The Dream: a way of denying the truth. The Dream was put into place to deny any idea that would contest America and make them the bad guy. It almost seems like a form of propaganda as this dream spreads the idea of lies that glorifies the same people who have enslaved countless of generations of human beings.
12-06-19
English
O’Connor
The Dream We Choose to Live In
In the eyes of Ta-Nehisi Coates, the dream is a state of oblivion in which the brutal history of enslavement is justified or forgotten to remove any guilt one might have. He depicts this dream as white picket fences and Sunday barbecues in which white people are asleep to the damage they have inflicted upon African Americans. On Page 29 Coates says, “Fear ruled everything around me… this fear was connected to the dream out there.” I don’t think this fear is one of violence or death, but more of a realization that white people believe that their actions have been justified. The dream then becomes a nightmare when looking upon the divide between the white picket fences and the slums of utter poverty.
Coates analyzes this sense of justification of slavery on page 33 where he says, “ Mistakes were made. Bodies were broken. People were enslaved. We meant well. We tried our best. “Good intention” is a hall pass through history, a sleeping pill that ensures the dream.” I find this quote particularly powerful due to its brutal honesty. Coates uses these statements in the beginning of the quote to show the unapologetic attitude that most white people have towards slavery. In reality, the evil of slavery and racism should the first thing that is acknowledged to create a better understanding of the true effect enslavement has on current society. Instead, Coates describes this “sleeping pill” of justifications that keeps White people unaware of their true actions.
The Dream has a lot of components, it keeps people unaware of their actions, and hides them from the true essence of slavery, but the dream is even more damming according to Coates, “The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate anwsers. The Dream is the enemy of all art, courageous thinking, and honest writing.” (50). Here, we see a deeper explanation of The Dream: a way of denying the truth. The Dream was put into place to deny any idea that would contest America and make them the bad guy. It almost seems like a form of propaganda as this dream spreads the idea of lies that glorifies the same people who have enslaved countless of generations of human beings.
"The dream then becomes a nightmare when looking upon the divide between the white picket fences and the slums of utter poverty"
ReplyDeleteThis statement touches on the idea of class and how it relates to both race and the Dream. Between the World and Me is about Coates' experience growing up African-American in America, but to what extent is it about class/wealth as well as race? For example, think about how Coates writes about the poor areas of Baltimore vs. the wealthy Prince George's County. What might he be saying about how class and race interact to influence people's life experiences?