This is the same section of my RA, revised and with the inclusion of context and evidence. My final draft is something that shows a lot of development within my writing ability. The final draft of my RA has been arranged to be more focused on a particular aspect of the book. I chose to focus more on the Dream and I explained the concept of the Dream in a lot more detail than in my rough draft. I believe this enhanced my essay by honing in on a certain focus with the outside sources easily being able to interweave with the argument. This essay is the apex of including quotes, evaluating them, and being as specific and concise as possible thus far.

The source of the destruction of black bodies began with the “lie of the Civil War” which Coates calls the “lie of innocence”; the Dream (102).The overall concept of the Dream demonstrates that two races, enemies in the past, can now live happily. During the Civil War, whites enslaved blacks and exploited their bodies in inhumane conditions for their own benefit. Ever since blacks integrated and gained their rights, whites believed everything was okay within their country. They pronounced America as “land of the free” where everyone was capable of living peacefully among each other. Dreamers are the ones who will continue to believe this lie at the black people’s expense. Within Coates’ life he notices that regardless of how much time has passed since slavery took place, life  for a black is more difficult compared to a white.  He blames white historians, media, and novels, for conjuring the Dream as a shiny facade for how whites go about their everyday lives. For Coates, he realizes that the lives of blacks and whites were, well, as different as black and white. He explains the childhood of an average white; “they were utterly fearless” (102). Contrasting this with his own childhood, Coates recalls that he lived in a neighborhood in which he was constantly full of fear. The streets were dangerous and required an acquisition of a new language as a means to survive. “The young men who’d transmuted their fear into rage, were the greatest danger” (22). There was no way to feel safe unless they were “loud and rude” walking through the blocks of their neighborhood since it was only through this “loud rudeness that they might feel any sense of security and power” (22). The only way that blacks would be able to feel as if they are in control of their bodies would be through the destruction of other bodies. Certainly, white people didn’t have to endure the brutality of the streets. Instead, “the galaxy belonged to them”, while terror was communicated to the blacks, mastery was communicated to the white children.

    Although Coates lived through hell and back, he knows that Samori has it much better than he ever did. Coates says that the “grandness of the world”, the “real world” is a known thing for Samori. Samori has been able to grow up living almost peacefully among other whites, “almost” being the keyword. Samori expressed distress once he found out that the killers of Michael Brown would go unpunished. Indeed, this was not the only time Samori experienced that blacks were terribly treated and killed, often for no good reason, with their attackers held unaccountable. He has witnessed “Eric Gardner choked to death for selling cigarettes” and others just like him being murdered, simply for just being human (9). Misunderstanding or not, the foolish policy enabled officers with the authority to destroy the black body. Regardless of this knowledge, Samori was characteristically “not afraid of people”, or even rejection, and this was something Coates admired him for (69). When Coates was around Samori’s age he recounts that “one-third” of his mind was constantly concerned with his manner, presence, and daily actions so that he would not endanger his body.  This generation gap between their two very different lives has been the driving force behind this letter to Samori. No matter what happens in life, Coates reminds him to always “struggle” so that he can “truly remember the past in all its nuance [and] error” (70). Remembering how much whites have taken away from him and his ancestors is the only way he can make a difference in the world and continue to embrace his black body. Coates tells his son that the struggle is “all he has” to offer since it is the “only portion of this world” under his own control (107). Samori cannot force the Dreamers to awaken, nor banish the existence of racism, but he can choose to struggle everyday only “for the memory of your ancestors.” Samori is able to choose his own place in the battle,  however, it isn’t guaranteed that his side will win. The reason he must live this way all comes from the fact that he is a black boy and Coates tells him that he must be “responsible for [his] body in a way that other boys cannot know” (71).

    Coates has never wanted to tell Samori that “everything will be okay” once Samori has began to grow into consciousness and realize that living as a black is a lot riskier than living as a white. The reason for this style of parenting stems from Coates desire to mold Samori into a “conscious” human who has the ability to “understand that to be distanced… from fear is not a passport out of the struggle” (127). The struggle needs to be felt and acknowledged everyday since this is how blacks have and may always live in this country. The United States prides itself on the foundation of equality, justice, and opportunity for every citizen; however the past does not represent this fantasy at all. America, this freedom-oriented country, views itself as God’s doing, but “the black body is the clearest evidence that America is the work of men” (12). Blacks have been oppressed and seen as the “below” of the country ever since the Civil War. Such attitudes to a certain group of people cannot be simply abolished, since people will always have their own opinions and pass down these opinions as facts to their children and so on. America is not error-free, however, Dreamers prefer to turn a blind eye to the past and pretend that everything is perfect in the present day.

    The injustice that ensues within this country is due to the laws set in place that are out of the typical moral code of conduct. Martin Luther King, in a letter to the clergymen of Birmingham, explains that there are two type of laws; just and unjust. King explains that citizens have a “legal and moral responsibility to obey just laws.” These are the kinds of laws that will protect citizens and promote a higher standard of living. Unjust laws are “out of harmony with the moral law” and “degrade human personality.” Citizens also have a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. The unjust laws King is talking about in this letter deals with the issue of segregation. Even though this was an extreme law set in the past, blacks still do not receive the same treatment as whites in Coates’ lifetime. The unequal treatment of blacks compared to whites within a country that emphasizes equality is certainly a mistake on the government’s part. However, the network of laws set in place by the government and tradition led by the Dreamers has easily enabled white Dreamers to subconsciously treat blacks as if they are lesser than themselves. Since this is an issue, Coates has urged Samori to not “struggle for the Dreamers” but to “hope and pray” that someday they will eventually learn to “struggle for themselves” (151). The black community must continue to attempt to fight for change and hope that the Dreamers will someday admit to their wrongdoings which shall pave the way for true, free equality.

    Much like Coates’ and King’s views of America as being hypocritical, Malcolm X presents the same kind of judgment in his speech “The Ballot or the Bullet”. Malcolm X delivers this speech addressed to his African-American followers for the purpose of empowering them towards their unified goal of justice. He says that the “government has failed” them. Since they have been inhabiting their home country, being discriminated, protesting for their rights, and singing “We Shall Overcome” is an obvious sign that the government has failed to govern their nation correctly. Malcolm also alludes to the American Dream, the Dream that MLK had in mind; one of equality and opportunity to choose however they desire to live their lives. However, he says that he has not experienced this American Dream. Instead, he has only experienced the “American nightmare”, being excluded from enjoying the “fruits of Americanism” and becoming the “victim of America’s hypocrisy.” Malcolm knows that the newest generations have taken notice of this injustice and are “not afraid” to say that it is completely erroneous.

    Blacks have been excluded from receiving the same respect and favorable circumstances in which whites have been so privileged to have. A critic who reviewed “Between the World and Me”, Michiko Kakutani, brought it upon herself to define the Dream as she has interpreted it, even though Coates never explicitly defined it. The Dream, in her words, is “an exclusionary white dream rooted in a history of subjugation and privilege.” This definition isn’t very far from the truth of what Coates and Samori have both experienced in their lives. The very simple explanation that Coates has to offer for this treatment is based on blacks belonging to the lower class; the “below” of their own nation; their only home. Coates goes on to say that there is no uplifting way to say that destruction of the black body is “heritage.” Blacks are never safe, and Coates knows that this may never get better. Within this claim, there is pessimism and fear.

    Coates admits that he is “afraid.” Afraid that disembodiment will eventually shatter his body as well as many others in danger of this specific terrorism. He bluntly says that “murder is all around” them and they could do nothing about it (114). He apologizes to his son saying he is “sorry he cannot make it okay”, but this information is necessary to know, if Samori will grow into consciousness. Even though his body is highly valuable and easily can be destroyed, this vulnerability is able to “bring [him] closer to the meaning of life”; something whites simply cannot experience. In a way, this is “true of all life”, yet he “does not have the privilege of living in ignorance of this essential fact” (107).

    Samori and millions of other blacks all have to overcome this struggle, but they will not back down alone. Coates explains that the “defining feature of… being black… was the inescapable robbery of time” (91) Coates constantly had to keep his guard up and this constant tentativeness robbed his of time in which he could have been his true self. This realization took place during his childhood, when a young “boy with small eyes reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun” (19). Within this moment, Coates knew his life could be taken away in an instant and his actions were the determinant of whether he was able to live. Coates writes this  letter in order to tell Samori what he can expect in the future, and what he can be doing now to prepare for it. The main point he got across was the act of the struggle. This is the only facet of life Samori truly has control of. Being black in a hypocritical nation definitely is grueling, however it provides a deeper meaning of life and will give him a greater appreciation that he is able to live. Coates does not guarantee a brighter future, nor does he encourage optimism that one may be possible. The greatest piece of advice was to live within the all of it, for what it is. It’s the only kind of life he will ever sincerely know.

Annotated Bibliography

Kakutani writes her review for “Between the World and Me” ,by Ta- Nehisi Coates, while primarily focusing on the distant separation between inferior blacks and whites experiencing “the Dream”. The Dream was not what MLK has proposed, nor is it the “American Dream of opportunity”. Kakutani says that this “exclusionary white dream” is “rooted in subjugation and privilege.” Kakutani criticizes that Coates has “ignored changes” and progress made throughout history and pretending as if he is living in 1776, a time when living as a black man was a lot more difficult. Despite Coates’ negative view on life as black man, he “points out that his son has expectations and hopes”, as well as being blessed to know the “real world”. “The real world”, being a world in which he can live among whites a lot more peacefully than Coates was able to, growing up. In the modern day, whites and blacks can almost coexist, yet there is always a lurking fear in the shadows, and because of this, Coates urges his son to struggle, if only to keep his body.

Kakutani, Michiko. "Review: In ‘Between the World and Me,’ Ta-Nehisi Coates Delivers a Searing Dispatch to His Son." New York Times. N.p., 9 July 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.

“The Letter from Birmingham Jail” was intended to be a public letter from Martin Luther King Jr., responding to a letter of criticism from the clergymen of Birmingham. The clergymen claimed that they wanted the black community to “observe the principles of law and order”, and demand their rights within the court system. King contradicts this statement by pointing out that " . . . law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice, and that when they fail to do this they become dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress." King constantly brings up that blacks are excluded and ”oppressed” by a powerful white America. The black community has become “tired of waiting” for their “birthright of freedom” based on the “sacred heritage” of the United States; action needed to be taken. MLK’s response emphasized that the black community will not back down until they, too, have gained their rights as a human and a citizen of the United States of America.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter From Birmingham Jail." Letter to Clergymen of Birmingham. 16 Apr. 1963. MS. Birmingham Jail, Birmingham, Alabama.

Ta-Nehisi Coates writes this book in the form of a letter to his fifteen year old son, Samori. Although this book is explicitly addressed to one person, the audience can encompass and be seen as relatable for blacks and whites alike. The main purpose of this book was meant to elaborate on his own thoughts of how America has and always will treat those who appear to be black. Coates reminds his son that “destroying the black body in America” is simply “heritage” (103). In order to survive being in a black body, Samori is told that he must “shield” his body since it can so easily be destroyed and is, therefore, “precious.” Coates does not provide any comfort for his son, Samori or tell him that everything will be okay, since he “never believed it would be okay” (11). As Coates realizes that his son is “growing into consciousness”, Coates tells him that he wants him to “attack every day of your brief bright life in struggle” (108). The only way for Samori to survive within the dangerous skin of a black body is to live as a “conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world” (108).

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. New York: Spiegel and Grau, 2015.

“The Ballot or the Bullet” is the title of a speech performed by Malcolm X given in 1964. The speech’s purpose was meant to empower African-Americans to unite and fight for revolution to reach the goal of equality, taking violent means if necessary.  Malcolm explains that he is not a democrat, nor a Republican. Instead, he is a “victim of Americanism.” Since he and all other blacks were born into this country and are “citizens”, he asks why they don’t all deserve equal treatment. He explains that blacks do not see any “American Dream” they’ve “only experienced the American nightmare.” America, built on the foundation of equality, and justice, has only given this kind of treatment to whites and disregarding blacks. The hypocritical actions of the country has caused this new generation to stand up for what is obviously wrong, saying that if blacks are roaming the streets “singing ‘We Shall Overcome’, the government has failed us.”

Milestone Documents. "Malcolm X: “The Ballot or the Bullet”." Accessed October 25, 2016. http://www.milestonedocuments.com/documents/view/malcolm-xs-the-ballot-or-the-bullet-speech/text