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James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time”, A Modern American Prophecy
“The Negroes of this country [America] may never be able to rise to power, but they are very well placed indeed to precipitate chaos and ring down the curtain on the American dream.”
-James Baldwin, “The Fire Next Time”
James Baldwin, in his work, The Fire Next Time, writes, “The Negroes of this country [America] may never be able to rise to power, but they are very well placed indeed to precipitate chaos and ring down the curtain on the American dream.”
This is perhaps the most stilling assertion within his short but powerfully telling book, which consists of two letters that deftly speak upon everything from the hypocrisy of American piety to the intricacies of Black nationalism. After finishing this timeless work, I decided I would definitely write my opinion of it.
However, I knew that I needed time to allow its contents to sit upon my soul for a time. So I gave myself about a week to allow his spirit to be fully digested by my own.
Baldwin, if you are unaware, requires more than just a cursory read. One needs to allow his messages to marinate within one’s psyche to quietly compare the…
