Structural Issues and the Effects They Have on Others

What? In the passage Letter to My Son by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Coates’ central message about living in a black body centers around the idea of understanding the structural issues that come with living in a black body and the appropriate times to fight back against the issues. Coates mentions that there are many disadvantages with living in a black body. He states, “To be black in the Baltimore of my youth was to be naked before the elements of the world, before all the guns, fists, knives, crack, rape and disease. The law did not protect us. And now, in your time, the law has become an excuse for stopping and frisking you, which is to say, for furthering assault on your body.” If a person is born in a black body, they encounter many problems such as being blamed for many crimes such as drug, fights, and guns, as well as the increased possibility of sexual assault on the black body. He also states that even though people of color may be a victim of “fists, knives, crack, rape, and disease” the law will not protect a person of color. This is a structural issue he wants to share with his son because it is a structure that is flawed. However, when people of color try to rebel against these laws, they are often arrested or beaten or retaliated against by white people. People of color have no protection because the structures of society don’t work in their favor. The structures of having not government or law support for people of color are some things that have worked so well for white people, which explains why people of color are struck down anytime they try to question the structures. It is so crucial to tell his son these structural issues because these issues are something that exists in the society that his son is growing up in. If his son ever encounters any of these structural issues, it will not take his son by surprise. In addition, he wants his son to be aware of what will happen to him (his son) if his son questions the structural issues that exist in society. Therefore, I think that Coates tells his son about these structural issues as both an education of how the world works as well as a warning of the terrible structures set in place as a person of color living in the world.

The idea of the structural issues is related to the idea of critical consciousness and liberation because the structural issues that people of color encounter is centered around the idea of the corrupt structures set in place. I think critical consciousness talks about the problems a person of color experiences in society because of the flawed structures set in place. In Coates’ case, the structural issues that are set in place are the issues in which the government and law are not centered around protecting people of color. Because of this structure that has been set in place, many people of color become victims of sexual assault, rape, and violence, and they often have no one to protect them. Rather than placing the blame on just the people (generally white people that oppress people of color), critical consciousness talks about addressing and possibly fixing the structures that allow those oppressing people of color to do so without any consequences. Liberation is the other factor that comes into fixing the problem of the structural issues because it involves trying to fix the structures set in stone by society rather than only blaming the people who are causing the structural issues. Therefore, if liberation were a possibility in the structural issue of not having any government or law protection for people of color, that would address the structures behind why people of color are involved in so much violence without any protection, which would bring forth a solution for vulnerable people of color.

So What? Coate and Rauch can be related to one another because they both never had a great past. Coate was forced to grow up in a place where people of color were looked down upon by many, and Rauch was almost drowned by his mother. Because of the difficulties that Coate experienced when he was growing up as a child, he had a big desire to share all his difficulties with his son to warn him. Since Rauch had no parents, he grew up as a criminal to survive because he wanted to get back at all the people that hurt him. This is similar to what Coate explains about to his son about the fate of many people of color. Just like Rauch, many people of color grow up having to become criminals to survive, and many people of color end up becoming incarcerated, with no lawyer or person to help them get out of jail. Therefore, Coate explains to his son the importance of what can happen to people of his son’s race when his son is exposed to the world. Just as Rauch tries to look out for the animals that are in distress, so too does Coate have the desire to look out for his son by warning him of the difficulties he faced after living in the world for so many years. Rouche’s care for the animals parallels to Coate’s care for his child. Although Coate tells his child about all the dangers that he will face in the world, he does this out of love for his son so he (his son) can be aware of the troubles he will face when he goes into the world. Therefore, Coates’ desires to share these truths with his son are related in many ways to Rauch’s story and what he experienced in childhood.

It is so important for Rauch to care for the small critters he finds because he felt that he could communicate with animals much better than he could with humans. He felt that he could understand what an animal was thinking or feeling, and in a way, the thought of them as his friends. He thought of animals as friends and he loved having animals as his friends. Since he saw animals as friends rather than pets or something that he owned, he cared a lot about them. In a way, he understood the pain that the animals were also going through, and he wanted to be there to help those animals when they needed his help.

This shows that humans care about each other’s sufferings and feelings, and even the most evil people still have a caring heart burrowed somewhere inside of them. When he saw the animals, he was able to empathize and sympathize with them as well. His caring feelings shows that humans are very caring, and we as humans are able to reach out to others and help those in need. Although many people think of humans as selfish people, it is important to realize that all humans are also caring, and many humans have a good, compassionate, and caring side to them as well. Therefore, Rauch’s actions of caring for the critters and helping them when they needed his help emphasizes the care, love, and compassion that all humans have for one another and for all those who need their help.

Now What? I know that at my community site, many of the children there may come from families of undocumented immigrants living in fear of deportation. Coates talks to his son the possibility of the violence and sexual assault that may occur while his son is living in this society. Even though the two issues are not exactly the same, they both involve some threat that is placed on these people due to their status or race. Just as Coates warns his son about the dangers that exist in the world which he lives in, so too would the undocumented parents warn their children about the danger of being deported. Coates gives his son a lot of advice on how to act in certain situations and tells him not be shocked if he is ever involved in some issue regarding guns, fights, drugs, or sexual assault. By giving his son this information, it allows his son to be aware of these situations and be ready for these situations if they do occur. In the same way, an undocumented parent of a child at my community site who lives in fear of being deported may also tell their child about the dangers that exist in living in the United States. The parents may write in their letter telling their children what is going to happen if they are deported (just as Coates tells his son), and write what to do if they do get deported. The parents may also talk about how the structures set in the United States do not work for them and their children, and they have to be aware of those corrupt structures that are set. In passage, Coates also mentions the dreams he has for his child and he states “I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world.” In the same way, the parents of undocumented children may also tell their children about the dreams they have for their children in addition to the problems, warnings, and ways to approach the problem of deportation if that ever happens to their children.

Although I am not going through the same thing as the children, I have a desire to connect with them and help them in any way I can. I will be honest that it is hard for me to connect with these children since I am not in danger of being deported, so I am not one hundred percent sure how they feel. However, I can empathize with the children because if I were in the same situation as many of them, I would be very scared and vulnerable. Therefore, because of this feeling, I know that I have a big responsibility to protect them by providing the resources they need if they ever bring the issue up to me, or comfort them when they need to be consoled due to their fear of being deported.

Rauch’s life informs my understanding and thinking about the stories of the people I am working with because it brings me back to the idea that every child I am working with has had a very difficult life. I will be honest and admit that there were times where the children have been very rebellious to me, and it has hurt me a lot and tired me out. However, although these children may be acting like that, I know that it is important to be patient with them since many of them may be going through something difficult like Rauch. Due to Rauch’s life circumstance, he was chose to be a criminal in order to survive. Just because he became a criminal, that didn’t mean he was a bad person. He still cared for animals and treated them as critters rather than pets, or something that he owned. Therefore, Rauch’s story helped me to understand that although the kids may act a certain way, that doesn’t always mean that they want to be mean to me. Their life circumstances may just be difficult, and they may have many dangers they are facing, so it is important for me to be patient with them and be kind to them.