Stuck between two worlds

Francis Espiritu

ENGL 48B

W.E.B Du Bois Journal

Author Quote: "With other black boys the strife was not so fiercely sunny: their youth shrunk into tasteless sycophancy, or into silent hatred of the pale world about them and mocking distrust of everything white; or wasted itself in a bitter cry. Why did God make me an outcast and a stranger in mine own house?" (Du Bois 896)

Internet Quote: "During his time in Atlanta, he also saw the overwhelmingly rural agricultural areas of Georgia, where most blacks worked on others' land as laborers andsharecroppers. Reflecting on their lives was part of what he expressed in The Souls of Black Folk, a meditation on the problems of race in American culture, which he defined as the problem of the twentieth century." (Wikipedia; W.E.B DuBois)

Summary: Du Bois grew up in the North and lived a privileged life and was able to receive a fine education. In this passage he said that it was rare for an African American boy to live such a privileged life, yet at the same time he felt cursed. For he was not like the rest of the African American boys at the time. He stated that most African American boys grew up knowing they were less than the white man, and all they could do was cater to the Caucasian individuals by "sucking up" to them or being a sycophant. Even if he did not grow up experiencing that, he felt different and left out from the African Americans in society by not being able to share the same struggle they were going through.

Personal Opinion: Du Bois has the right to say that he did not belong with the rest of African American society. Yet in a sense when he stated that the other African American boys' lives were engulfed with "sycophancy" I think that doesn't just go with them, but with all minority groups as a whole. The worst part is, that the same type of sycophancy is seen around today. Yet it isn't just minority groups but the Caucasian population as a whole. People tend to be sycophants when they are around their superiors, police officers, or when they are outnumbered by another group of people. See, everyone is prone to being stricken by sycophancy at least once in their lives, it is inevitable. But from what Du Bois is saying, the difference is that African American people tend to be more prone to it. It is a possibility that despite growing up privileged, he wanted to be able to belong. Nothing hurts more than being different, and unable to find a niche. Even if he was African American who grew up privileged, he was unable to be fully accepted by white society. If anything, he was not able to be accepted by the African American society as well because they would view him as a "sellout" or an "Uncle Tom". Sadly, even today this is a struggle that many people go through. We see various people of different ethnicities trying to hold on to what ethnic culture they may have, as well as trying to be accepted into American society. When we look around, we see a lot of Asians grasping the "Hip-Hop culture" that is seen as predominantly African American. So despite the fact DuBois was a stranger in his own home, he was not alone; for even today, many people feel like they do not belong with their own culture. That is why before I myself did not even know if I was truly American or Filipino; I was stuck in between the two. Yet I was able to learn more about myself and my culture and finally accepted the fact that I was not Asian or American, but I was the hyphen that brings together the phrase "Asian-American".