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Alex Kallen AP English Mrs.Rigolo 14th November, 2011 Baldwin and Thoreau: Personal Experience vs. Personal Views These two men, both non-followers of the white man, named James Baldwin and Henry Thoreau, were abounding with thoughts of what government and society should be; why it was wrong at their distinct eras of time. Baldwin who strictly spoke based off personal experience shown in his work A Talk to Teachers, contrasted with Thoreaus speaking of personal views shown in his work Civil Disobedience. In A Talk to Teachers Baldwin criticizes the educational system naming it a paradox by how that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated. He talks about how society doesnt want individuals; it wants a citizenry which will simply obey the rules. Baldwin says how blacks cannot go through the educational system without developing schizophrenia, meaning that they are told anyone can be president, anyone can be something but than they are told their history means nothing; they are just happy, shiftless, watermelon-eating darkies who loved Mr. Charlie and Miss Ann. Baldwin clearly explains the stereotype of an African American as he uses himself as an example showing that even if you dont fit the description of an African American, you are still considered the stereotype because your skin is black.

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Thoreau does not focus on education but he focuses on the fact that government is like a machine. He does in fact speak of how the individual needs to get things done in society because the government has never accomplished anything in history, the society has. He also says that government just gets in the way of the people making their own decisions like how Baldwin says that education teaches the kids to stay average and not individualistic. The paradox of praising a soldier and calling him a good man, even though he doesnt want to be in the war in the first place, is much like Baldwins educational paradox.

Baldwin speaks with unity using words like we for all African Americans, and you for whites showing them they are separate and making sure they know that they can only imagine what its like to deal with the daily problems of a black man. When he talks about the hardships African Americans go through, he uses his personal experiences of his childhood in Harlem and makes an allusion to Rosa Parks as pathos to invoke an emotional response from the white teachers. Thoreau also uses the us and we with the government versus the society like Baldwins we relating to the African American people and you relating to the Caucasian. He does not use personal experience except for once when he spends a night in jail and realizes how half-witted the government is and how the guards werent sure how to act in his time spent there, being more distressed then he was. As they could not reach me, they had resolved to punish my body; just as boys, if they cannot come at some person against whom they have a spite, will abuse his dog. This shows his transcendentalist ideas of questioning society towards a more productive one, feeling that jail is not really a confined space at all.

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Baldwin states in his speech If this country does not find way to use that energy, it will be destroyed by that energy. This theme that if the people do not use their sovereignty for the good of the society making it better than that power will destroy them by it being taken away by the hierarchy is perpetual throughout both Civil Disobedience and A Talk to Teachers. Baldwin uses this when he talks about communism and how America is becoming a nation. Thoreau uses this when he talks about how oppositionists to slavery need to act not just wait around for someone else to do it. Thoreau brings up how citizens have a problem with slavery, they know its wrong but when it actually comes down to fighting for whats right There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say that they know not what to do, and do nothing. Baldwin brings up a similar topic stating that the teachers know they are creating a non-individualistic society yet they dont stop it and adults know how blacks are treated is completely unjust, but nothing is done on their part to stop it because of the social norm. Baldwin also states how when he was a child he knew something was wrong with their being two park avenues The park avenue I grew up on, which is still standing, is dark and dirty and the park avenue with Tiffanys being literally in the white world, but he didnt know why it was wrong and he didnt know what to do about it. Baldwins personal experience told in third person brings out another view of the situations for the teachers who cant imagine what its like. In todays society Thoreau is viewed as a transcendentalist having all views just from personal ideas, and being against materialism in society. Baldwin on the other hand, did not have the luxury of material items, and he could never reach the height of Thoreaus wealth. He said

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how Negroes started at the bottom and havent moved up yet, saying the only possible career is a criminal. Thoreaus transcendentalist ideas about the government being like complex machine and the problems of slavery are much like Baldwin talking to teachers who know what they are doing yet he actually has never taught before. Thoreau and Baldwin both believe that the society needs to involve themselves in these issues or the issues will never be solved. They both know that the citizens think slavery, and racism, and the educational system are unjust, illogical concepts but the citizens say they know not what to do or just wont admit to being easily fooled because we are so anxious to be fooled as Baldwin stated. The methods of which these enriched thinkers use to invoke these feelings of patriotism and feelings that something needs to be done is different. Thoreau uses logos and rhetorical questions to make people think what they are doing is wrong and question themselves. Baldwin uses pathos and personal experiences of his childhood to invoke emotional feelings from the teachers to make them feel bad about what they are doing and urge them to change their ways unlike Thoreaus logical questioning. In both of these controversial pieces, problems in society are harshly attacked by firm believers in the right of society. Thoreaus right being a productive government that doesnt try to control all that happens in a society, and Baldwins right being an educational system that doesnt teach children to be like everyone else, letting them create their own ideas about life and citizenry that isnt racist treating blacks like property or things of lesser value then the white male. The white wealthy male whos racist and conformed to society is primarily what Baldwin is attacking in A Talk to Teachers, unlike Thoreau attacking the society as a whole specifically the people who feed the machine of the government and allow the government to control everything without attempting to stop it regardless of what their thoughts are on the problem.

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These two enhanced thinkers knowing more about the inner workings of society then the rest of the half-witted people believe that there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. Thoreau firmly believes it needs to be stopped right now without holding back, yet Baldwin thinks it should be more methodical. A Talk to Teachers and Civil Disobedience both are calls to action opening the eyes of society to whats really going on, attempting to invoke a response of wanting to repair these flaws in society and change peoples mindsets to the moral and logical not the average and incessant.