(92 -- 93) There is rage toward white America in that because of the prejudice many black were not able to fulfill their potential or even live simple lives unimpeded. This is the kind of rage that is expressed in his poetry, such as "Dream Deferred." It is not so much that he has specific hate, at least not expressed here, but that he has rage because he knows more of the strength and beauty of his own people that is denied and undervalued by the white majority of that time.
Baldwin's rage makes him reflective. This entire piece is a type of reflection; it is a short memoir. Baldwin does what most artists do: he channels his rage into his art. Baldwin works through his rage, uses his writing a...
He is not a victim his rage to a certain extent. He certainly feels it and the roots of it very intensely, but he does not come off as totally angry, or that rage is the only feeling that he is capable of. We can learn from his rage that some people are not born angry or that a type of people (culture, ethnicity, race) are not naturally or inherently angry or full of rage, but that their feelings can come because of injustice and pain. We can learn from his rage that all humans are connected and that the pain of others, in some way, is our own pain, and in this way and others, humans, despite their various differences, are fundamentally…
