I believed in hope and in those who worked hard to be enough to overcome almost any situation. While this may have some truth over time, I had no choice but to look at things for what they are and what I could realistically do to overcome them. No hope or effort helped at that moment and never will. It was something I had to deal with and to this day it's still a weight on my shoulders that I can't escape. Learning to manage it and live with it on a daily basis is really difficult. It's just a matter of being able to understand it from a logical point of view and realizing that sometimes some things are out of your control. You just have to accept some situations for what they are and hopefully reach a place where you come to terms with everything for the sake of your sanity. This is a similar process that Ta-Nehisi Coates went through to find answers to all his questions and be a role model for his son in hopes of helping him navigate life as a black man. His version of the Dream means reaching a place where you find comfort, a place where you feel like you truly belong and can freely be yourself. This is important because it teaches us that the fear that black people feel is greater than that of most of us. It is with wise words that Coates lets us into his and his people's truths and fears. It teaches us that unfortunately their story and its effects have been reduced to everyday incidents and the way he manages life in pursuit of the Dream. Ta-Nehisi Coates describes through images and his wise words the power of this topic through ethics and pathos. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The dream described by Ta-Nehisi Coates is that of a “perfect” life directed by and based primarily on white people. It's one of the ways I began to understand the truth of someone who came from similar circumstances to me compared to my whiter-skinned classmates when an exercise was done in class. Coates says: “I've seen the dream my whole life. They are perfect homes with beautiful lawns. It's Memorial Day cookouts, block associations and driveways. The dream is tree houses and Cub Scouts. The Dream smells like peppermint, but tastes like strawberry shortcake.” Basically, the Dream is life made up of materialistic things like houses, lawns, and a life in the suburbs, with people who are fundamentally free from worry because of their choice to ignore such racism and the hardships of those outside their world. This statement is made strong by the use of pathos. Most of the people capable of the Dream before his eyes are those of white descent because they don't have to worry about racism or biased judgment because of their color. Once again, the class activity on obstacles in life was truly eye-opening. Compared to the others, I and another classmate only got 3 "advantage" points which turned out to be a lot. Most of those with a greater number of advantage points were white children in the classroom because thanks to their parents they have a better chance of succeeding in life. Their work ethic matters, but in all honesty, it is well known that those of white color tend to have more resources and help in their lives because white color has always been placed on a pedestal associated with power and success throughout the world. America. history. Just as the effects of African American history still play a role in the lives of many African Americans today, the same is true of white history. This is supported by the following words of Coates:“I didn't understand it until I looked down the street… white parents… their kids commanding entire sidewalks with their tricycles. The galaxy belonged to them, and as the terror was communicated to our children, I saw the mastery communicated to theirs.” In addition to being more privileged and not having to constantly worry about the struggles he and his people face in life every day, he understood that they were not the same nor that they would ever reach that point of equality due to extremely different circumstances. Here Coates forcefully pushes his words with the use of pathos to show the intensity and depth with which this realization has affected him and further made his fear, not for himself, but for what his son will face and realize it yourself at some point. over time. The reality of what Coates discovered as he learned new things about his culture made him realize the truth of his and his people's dream compared to that of a white person. How it will be more difficult to get there and the chances of success in life will be higher. This is what happens and it crashes even more when Coates mentioned that Prince Jones was killed "by accident" in a case of mistaken identity. The vast majority of incarcerated African Americans tend to have more vigilant police officers because of their color. Once, in an old television interview, a police officer was asked how he would approach a gray Mercedes when there was a white man in a suit inside. He said he would approach him as he would anyone, calmly and then ask for licensing and registration, basic protocol, but when he was asked the exact same question and the white man was replaced with a black man he adjusted his posture a little more and nonchalantly said he would approach with one hand on his gun because "you never know what they might have on them." -unknown. The extreme consequences of racism have caused many prejudicial incidents, such as this one, towards people of darker skin and the loss of many of their lives. The fact that they can see beyond the "happy" representation of things and see them for what they are is something necessary for their survival. Coates describes a moment of chosen ignorance from a white reporter with this incident, '...the anchor showed a widely shared image of an eleven-year-old black boy tearfully embracing a white police officer. Then he asked me about “hope”. And I knew I had failed. And I remembered that I expected to fail.” That's when he realized that the reason many can't see something as it is is because they choose to ignore the facts and look the other way. They choose to see images like that to sugarcoat all the various injustices committed against the black community rather than being realistic and accepting that regardless of that image, racism is alive and well. A moment like that isn't the solution to everything. He effectively uses both ethos and a lot of pathos when expressing his loss and confusion as to why most of those people don't want to see things for what they are. Ta-Nehisi Coates' version of the dream is not as materialistic as those portrayed outside of his thoughts. He ends up realizing that there is much more to that dream than just a house or a well-mown green lawn. Coates' version of the dream is to be a free man, a free person, without the worry of being targeted. His dream consists of awareness and being able to feel safe and protected within his own body. Be happy in your own skin and not be afraid to be yourself while maintainingthe mentality that, yes, he and anyone of his complexion may never feel as safe, as comfortable, as privileged as the white race, but be able to get through life in a way that will keep him satisfied and fulfilled while still having to worry of his body much more than the others. “That was a moment, a joyous moment, beyond the Dream…more wonderful than any voting rights bill…We did something down here. We took the Dreamers One-Drop rules and turned them on their head. They turned us into a competition. We have transformed into people." (Coates 149), it is then that he realizes that there is more to his people's dream, even though the white people's dream depends on their sometimes falling into ruin. Coates is appreciating the good he has discovered and advises his son to do the same with an informed state of mind. Ta-Nehisi uses pathos through this discovery causing him to have a moment of pride, content, excellence and resilience all in one. A moment in which he and all the other African Americans at his university created and were in the same moment. It may be difficult for white Americans to accept only because they will never have the same knowledge of what black people do. Through. They have not had to worry as much as a black person about growing and thriving throughout their lives because they have always been superior since the beginning of conquering the land they now call “their” America. They may be able to see past some things, but nothing will ever compare to an experience that has nothing to do with or experience of its own. For example, all they may see in a black person living in the ghettos is that they are "lazy" or something and accuse this of being the reason they are not successful when in reality they need to learn to see things and the bigger picture. There could always be many more circumstances as to why a person of color may be where they are and understand that the majority do not have the same advantages as them. In these scenarios they like to see beyond the color when in reality it is the color that they should see with empathy and adequate reasoning to understand why they are the way they are and browse their life to then compare it with theirs. Two different worlds. Worlds that have no right to judge nor the people who live in them because they know nothing about them. Someone can tell them their experience and familiarize them with their world, but ultimately it's not valid enough for them to feel entitled to judge it. Coates has also previously stated that it is a choice to ignore things like the accidents repeatedly and daily caused to his people over something as minimal as a photo of a black boy and a white police officer. There was an interview done with an artist named Lil Wayne. He talked about a suicide attempt when he was younger and how a white police officer was the only one who ran straight to him while the other officers, black and white, continued to search the house for drugs. Because of that experience he was asked if he believes in racism or if he believes racism is still alive in the world and this correlates well with what Coates mentioned about selective ignorance. He responded by saying that there is no racism through his eyes, but if he had been given research strictly dedicated to lives killed versus those of someone from color to white, it would probably have helped him see things more factually. Yes, his experience may not have consisted of an angry white man yelling at him for doing it or asking him where he got the drugs when he was in a life-or-death situation, but only because Lil Wayne told him to no, seeing racism occur. In a certain sense,.