tallahassee coates between the world and me

And violets like castanets will echo me.” Sanchez wrote this eulogy for Malcolm X, following his assassination. I don’t believe in dying though, I too shall die. The book begins poetic lines by Sonia Sanchez preceding the chapters of the book is titled “Malcolm”: “Do not speak to me of martyrdom, of men who die to be remembered on some parish day. We can still see evidence of poetic influence in Coates’ writing through the use of words phrases and such as “the Mecca,” “the Dream,” and “those who believe themselves to be white.” Further, these words and phrases used throughout Between The World and Me echo those of Malcolm X. He would absorb new ideas through literature and his experiences at the Mecca, then visit coffee houses throughout Washington D.C. Living in this constant sense of dread developed a heightened sense of awareness that followed him into adulthood, a similar sentiment that echoes Malcolm X: “If you’re born in America with a black skin, you’re born in prison and the masses of black people in America today are beginning to regard our plight or predicament in this society as one of a prison inmate.”Ĭoates first utilized poetry as a means of expressing his feelings and thoughts as a student at Howard University. As a result, he grew up with the expectation that violence would be an inevitable part of life, fearing for his own safety because of the color of his skin.

He feared the violence of the streets every day–the street gangs who threatened him and his property, physical punishment at home by his parents–an immense amount of time just trying to avoid being targeted and hurt. According to Coates, fear was the motivating factor in his youth. On a deeper level, he also asks how he can transcend the fear and racism that he has experienced through his life and find a way to live peaceably in a world that does not appear to want him. The essential question of Coates’ memoir is “How do I live free in this black body?” He asks himself and other black people how they can live freely, without a constant presence of fear in America. The image of a young Malcolm dressed in a sharp business suit, tie hanging askew with one hand parting a window shade and the other holding a rifle, communicated everything that the writer aspired to be: “controlled, intelligent, and beyond the fear.” The desire to overcome his sense of ever-present fear led the author to search for role models who appeared to have overcome theirs. After all, Malcolm X became Coates’ favorite writer. The entirety of Coates’ letter writing and consciousness in Between the World and Me shows the influence of the provocative writings and speeches of Malcolm X.

Tallahassee coates between the world and me