It is dangerous to be an American Negro male. America has never wanted its Negroes to be men, and does not, generally, treat them as men. It treats them as mascots, pets, or things.
James A. BaldwinRead
It happened, as many things do, imperceptibly, in many ways at once. I date it - the slow crumbling of my faith, the pulverization of my fortress - from the time, about a year after I had begun to preach, when I began to read again. I justified this desire by the fact that I was still in school, and I began, fatally, with Dostoyevsky.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a gradual loss of faith through the influence of reading profound literature.
James A. Baldwin reflects on the subtle and multifaceted process of losing faith, particularly in the context of intellectual exploration. He relates this experience to his reading of Dostoyevsky, which he views as a pivotal moment that initiated the slow disintegration of the strong beliefs he once held, illustrating how exposure to new ideas can challenge and reshape one's worldview.
Themes
FaithReadingIntellectualDestructionBeliefs
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the impact of literature on personal beliefs.
More from James A. Baldwin
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Those kids aren't dumb. But the people who run these schools want to make sure they don't get smart: they are really teaching the kids to be slaves.
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Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it.
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The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.
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The trick is to love somebody.... If you love one person, you see everybody else differently.
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