The Souls of Black Folk 2

Towards the end of the text, I found the last few chapters difficult to follow. I had to reread a few of them to try to understand what was going on because Du Bois often times switched the focus of the stories, making it tough to follow who is doing what. However, even though the last chapter shifted from a narrative tone to a more subdued, historical tone, I still really enjoyed how all of the chapters were tied in together through their importance as a “sorrow song”. By tying each of the stories into the sorrow songs sung by the “Negros”, the stories became not just about the characters in them but the entire African American community that not only sang them but lived them. The stories are not just accounts of the characters in them but of the hardships of an entire race. I was also surprised that I recognized some of the songs used as examples in the last chapter, many of which I did not realize were sorrow songs of this time period. For example, I recognized “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” as the song that the bird in The Lion King sang when he got trapped with the bad lions. I did not know, however, that the true origins of the song came from this time of slavery and racial oppression; I probably did not really think about it that much when I was a small child watching the Lion King either. However, I found it especially astounding that such songs are still remembered and being sung today. It is amazing to see how these songs have been passed down and how their history has been preserved.

The Souls of Black Folk

Both stories that we have been reading, “Up From Slavery” and “The Souls of Black Folk” have explored the period in American history shortly after the abolishment of slavery. Although they are both discussing the same topic, they use very different strategies to express the situations and events of the time. So far in “The Souls of Black Folk” the author has remained almost emotionless throughout the text. For the most part it feels as though events are being explained in a very bland manner with the majority of the explanation being a listing of pure facts. It almost feels similar to reading a history textbook. On the other hand, “Up From Slavery” is a much livelier, personal account.
The two texts also differ in the tone which they give off concerning their feelings toward the African Americans of the time. The author of “The Souls of Black Folk” expresses how the African Americans fought desperately for the betterment of themselves as well as for their race. He celebrates the African American culture by opening each chapter with what could possibly be a song sung during slavery or an account of the hardships of slavery. “He [a freed slave] would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world.” (page 215). Du Bois, author of “The Souls of Black Folk”, stresses the importance of fighting the hardships while still carrying the pride of the African American heritage. Booker T. Washington, author of “Up From Slavery”, is almost the opposite in his text. It seems like any African American who does not join the Tuskegee Institute is made out to be detracting from the image he is trying to set. It almost feels as though he is looking down upon a majority of his race who are not following his agenda. I have not decided which story I like better yet because Washington’s is more engaging but is sometimes offsetting in his viewpoints and Du Bois’s is less interesting but has a more positive take on the efforts of African Americans.