Question

Read the excerpt from Notes of a Native Son.
In that year I had had time to become aware of the meaning of all my father's bitter warnings, had discovered the
secret of his proudly pursed lips and rigid carriage: I had discovered the weight of white people in the world. I
saw that this had been for my ancestors and now would be for me an awful thing to live with and that the
bitterness which had helped to kill my father could also kill me.
Which best expresses the connection that Baldwin makes between the historical context of racial prejudice and the
physical effects it has on his father?
His father's premature death reflects the rapid disappearance of racial prejudice in early 20th-century America.
His father's immunity to stress reflects the immunity of Black Americans to the effects of racial prejudice.
The tension in his father's body reflects the tension between oppressor and oppressed in early 20th-century
America.
O The weakness in his father's body reflects the weakness of the riot against discrimination in Harlem.

Answer 1

In the excerpt from "Notes of a Native Son," James Baldwin expresses the connection between the historical context of racial prejudice and its physical effects on his father by highlighting the tension in his father's body. This tension reflects the broader societal tension between oppressors (white people) and the oppressed (Black Americans) in early 20th-century America. Baldwin reveals how his father's posture, proudly pursed lips, and rigid carriage symbolize the weight of white people in the world, signifying the oppressive nature of racial prejudice. By emphasizing the physical manifestation of stress and bitterness in his father, Baldwin illustrates how the historical context of racial prejudice directly impacts individuals on a personal and physical level. The tension in his father's body serves as a metaphor for the larger systemic issues of racism and discrimination faced by Black Americans during that time. This tension not only affected his father but also had the potential to harm Baldwin himself, as seen in the statement, "the bitterness which had helped to kill my father could also kill me." Therefore, the connection Baldwin makes between historical racial prejudice and its physical effects on his father lies in the representation of the tension, stress, and weight of white oppression manifested in his father's physical demeanor, symbolizing the broader societal struggles faced by Black Americans during that period.