A Comprehensive Analysis of the America’s Actions in The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

James Baldwin wrote The Fire Next Time in 1962. America was a nation in crisis at the beginning of this decade. The decision to send troops to Vietnam caused much debate across the country. Integration of schools began the previous decade but had been meant with misgivings, fear, and often violence. America was still segregated by color, as Blacks and Whites were not treated equally. James Baldwin was an angry black man who desperately wanted Blacks to be treated as equals. He wrote The Fire Next Time to wake up White America and proclaim the black man s existence as a superior human being. He also wrote to the black man telling him to no longer accept second-class status. It was time to fight for their rights. To illustrate this point, Baldwin related the atrocities the white man had inflicted upon the black man in America. His work contains many racist slurs directed toward the white man, how the black man related to White America up until the 1960s, and illustrated the immediate changes needed to claim his rightful status in American society.

James Baldwin makes it clear in The Fire Next Time that White America s inability to care is the reason for their mistreatment of Blacks. White people in this country will have quite enough to do in learning how to accept and love themselves and each other, and when they have achieved this which will not be tomorrow and may very well be never-the Negro problem will no longer exist, for it will no longer be needed. Another words, White Americans treat Negroes poorly because they treat their own race poorly. To some extent this is true. It is a common everyday occurrence to turn on the television and see violence between white men, as well as violence against the Black population. His idea to love and accept themselves and each other is an excellent rule to live by. It certainly would be nice to listen to the news and hear of good deeds by man instead of violence. Where Baldwin falls short is in his lack of discussion of the violence between black men. Reports of violence between black men dominate the news reports just as all other violence does. The white man must learn to love and accept his own race, but so must the black man.

Black men were not only treated unequally when this book was written, but as second-class citizens. It was not unusual, especially in the South, for black people to have to use different water fountains and bathrooms. Refusal to serve in restaurants and hotels deemed For Whites Only was a normal part of daily life. Baldwin sees such irony when he compares this situation to the holocaust. White people were, and are, astounded by the holocaust in Germany. They did not know that they could act that way. But I very much doubt whether black people were astounded-at least in the same way. It is understandable black people feel this way. Americans were shocked at how Hitler treated the Jewish in the Holocaust. For no reason other than their religious beliefs, Jewish people were robbed of their homes, positions in society, reduced to second-class citizens, and in many cases put to death. Yet, in America, Blacks are refused service, denied a home in some neighborhoods, and overlooked for employment opportunities. German Jews were tortured because of their religion, and American Blacks are tormented because of the color of their skin.

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The civil rights movement had just begun as Baldwin wrote The Fire Next Time. Years of life as a second-class citizen were pent up inside him and his hostility at White America was expressed in very angry words. His reoccurring theme was the need for power. Power was the subject of the speeches I heard. We were offered, and the Nation of Islam doctrine, historical and divine proof that all white people are cursed, and are devils, and are about to be brought down. This certainly brings to all American s conscience that an enormous problem exists. Baldwin complains about the white man being racist, and there is certainly proof that this is true. When he states, however, that all white men are devils, he categorizes himself as a racist also. Baldwin makes it clear he wants to overthrow White America, not work together to accept and love themselves and each other as he earlier stated would be the answer to the problem. He, like many people in today s society wanted the fastest, explosive approach to solving all problems. He was not willing to work slower to develop a more peaceful solution to equality. He goes on to say, I know my robe is going to fit well, I tried it on at the gates of hell. Again, he displays his hatred toward an entire race. His words have enlightened White Americans to the plight of Black America, but his attitude makes it difficult to work together to find a solution.

James Baldwin forcefully relates his point that white men are bad and the black man has suffered tremendously and really is a good and productive human being. In this, he was effective. However, he carries the hatred theme to the extreme. Comments such as, The white man s world is the black man s hell and, Throw off the chains of my slave master, the devil... fill the entire book. Baldwin evokes a sense of anger from both the black man and the white man alike, although for different reasons. For the black man, Baldwin serves as an inspiration. He encourages Black Americans to stand up and demand the rights the United States Constitution gives them. For the white man, Baldwin serves as a fearful warning. Without change toward acceptance and equality of Black and White, America could face a second civil war, this time Black versus White.

There are a few times in the book where Baldwin s comments lean toward working within the system to reach equality. I ought to love the Lord because I love him, not because I am afraid of going to hell, and When we were told to love everybody, I had thought that that meant everybody. But no, it applied to those who believed as we did, and it did not apply to white people at all, sound like a more non-violent man who is devastated by the treatment of his people. Baldwin also tells white people that, Negroes are not more simple or spontaneous or Christian than anybody else-who were merely oppressed. In this statement he is revealing his point in a much calmer approach. His style is less confrontational as was Martin Luther King Jr. when he stated, People should be treated by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

James Baldwin died November 30, 1987 of stomach cancer. In his lifetime he never saw the civil war he proclaimed would free the black man in America. He did see civil unrest, riots, and a stronger and more united voice for black people. Changes did begin to occur in the 1960s and are continuing today. These changes have not been overnight and probably too slow for Baldwin. It would be interesting to hear his opinion of White Americans, and what should be done to create more equality for the black man as the twenty-first century begins.

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