On Sheep and the Definitely Indefinite Definition

Written for ENG-W170, taught by Kate Goldstein. The writing-intensive course is based around the theme of civil rights. I’m rather pleased with this essay, as it earned me a 98 .

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In December 1962, The Progressive, a prominent liberal magazine, published James Baldwin’s essay “My Dungeon Shook,” though he wrote it as a letter to his nephew. It also served as the introduction to his book Fire Next Time. In his letter, Baldwin discusses the implicit and explicit meanings of words to highlight the ambiguity of definitions during the civil rights movement.

Baldwin accuses white people of imprisoning blacks with words. Generally, definitions are used to facilitate understanding, but in this context, they are often used to place strict boundaries around the entity being defined. As an example, the stigma surrounding the very word ‘black’ was such that Baldwin expresses to young James–and his African American readership– his opinion that it “spelled out…that you were a worthless human being” (21). This was because white society propagated the negative historical connotations that were associated with being ‘black,’ like slavery and segregation. Also, in a religious context, the relation of the colors white and black to purity and evil respectively manifested itself in the American psyche as people drew parallels between the words themselves and the individuals who were so labeled. Thus, the history of oppression as well as their fear of evil incited white people to distance themselves from blacks, and they accomplished this not only through their actions, but also through the implications of their words.

Baldwin specifically addresses the terms ‘acceptance’ and ‘integration,’ both civil rights jargon used by the white population to suggest social compromise with the African Americans. Generally, these expressions were (and still are) commonly associated with the majority reconciling with the minority, but Baldwin redefines them in his own terms–from the minority perspective. However, he also advises his nephew to “take no one’s word for anything, including mine,” counsel that seems outwardly contradictory (22). The tone of the letter becomes one of individuality and thinking for oneself. While definitions are often concrete, they vary within different contexts, and not everyone will share exactly the same perspective. Baldwin comments on the tendency of society to adopt a common definition, with the correlation falling along social divides (in this case, race), and it is this definition that one sees the opposition expressing in their words and actions against those in civil rights movement. In those circumstances, the majority advertised the popular opinion in lieu of individual voices that were suppressed, and eventually lost altogether.

However individualized the thoughts of the white population were, many shared the same sentiment of aversion to African Americans. Because of this and because of the rigid implications of the word ‘black’ (i.e., subordination), the idea of the imminent change that could occur because of the civil rights movement terrified them. Whites had been dominant for so long that they could not fathom the thought of being equal with those whom they had oppressed. They would not accept the forcible alteration of the definitions behind which they had hid for centuries. Although they are liable to change over time, definitions have some permanence and do retain their original meaning. Baldwin’s illustration of the black man as an “immovable pillar” in white society demonstrates the kind of fear the white population held concerning revolution (23). Their staunch definition of black people did not allow for any movement up the social ladder, and much like a supporting beam of a building, if they were to move, society would conceivably come crashing down on itself. In outlining their fear, Baldwin also employs the metaphor of African Americans as a “fixed star” in the skies of white men (23). The metaphor of the star demonstrates how whites have distanced themselves from black people, both physically (exemplified in segregated schools, restaurants, water fountains) and mentally (regarding blacks as sub-human). Again, one sees the literal and metaphorical distance that whites have gone great lengths to place between themselves and the black population, in this case to deal with their fear and to maintain the status quo.

Baldwin’s message to his nephew is one of encouragement, but at the same time, he is asking society to think hard about the words that they use. Many white Americans followed the herd and simply absorbed the words they heard in media and on the street. Using them, people put no thought into what they might be implying and thereby unintentionally spreading. While the explicit definitions did not change much, the implicit meanings morphed into something ugly and suffocating, a process that could only be reversed through understanding and acceptance–real acceptance.

Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time. New York, Dial Press. 1963.

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~ by posaune on 28 February 09.