Monday, April 9, 2012

Veil Over My Eyes

       The Souls of Black Folk, outlines W.E.B. du Bois feelings out the right of the Southern blacks. These people deserve equal rights and should be allowed to vote, go to a good school, and be treated like any other person. du Bois refers to himself as "different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world world by a vast veil. I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through; I held all beyond it in common contempt, and lived above it in a region of blue sky and real wandering shadows" (du Bois 2). This veil idea is referenced multiple times in The Souls of Black Folk. du Bois says that others see themselves through another person's visor. He refers to this as double-consciousness. "It is peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of world that looks on in amused contempt and pity" (du Bois 3). This veil du Bois mentions is one of a racial segregation. He sees the world as place of equals and equal opportunities which is why he believes Southern blacks should have equal opportunities as whites. However du Bois also realizes that the world has not caught up to his vision. There is still unrest between the different races. However, he is floating above the hatred in a world of happiness and acceptance. du Bois was truly a visionary and a civil rights activist. 


Question: Do you ever feel like you can see things more clearly than others and are able to hover above their veil? 

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