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Mason Millar: James Baldwin 2 = James Baldwin (2) =

James Baldwin Biography
James Baldwin was born in the year of 1924 on August 2nd, and died on November 30th, 1987. James Baldwin was born within New York, and his death took place within the city of Saint-Paul-de-Vance within France. James Baldwin was a very famous writer and a great leader during the 1960s. He was famous for speaking out for the Black Community within the United States. He was one of the few people during the Harlem Renaissance that could speak out and help out with the issues of segregation, social issues, and other racial issues as well. Many of his writings and ideas came from the social issues he faced in his surroundings. James Baldwin was born to Emma Jones, but he never knew his biological father. Then when Baldwin was only three years old, Emma Jones married a Baptist minister named David Baldwin. His mother never told him who his true biological father was. As Baldwin started growing up, he had hobbies and jobs as a preacher for his father was a Baptist minister during the ages of fourteen to sixteen. However, after Baldwin graduated from high school, he decided he wanted to write as a career for the rest of his life.

James Baldwin met an author named Richard Wright, who provided for Baldwin to get a writing award which later gave him enough money for him to start his career in literature. Afterwards, Baldwin went to Europe which led him to write three amazing books of his time, //Go Tell It on a Mountain, Notes of a Native Son,// and //Giovanni's Room.// After he wrote his books, he went back to America and then his life supporting the civil rights of African Americans began. Baldwin was overwhelmed by the violence, and angered by the response the White Community had for the Black Community. With this approach, he wrote //Nobody Knows my Name, The Fire Next Time,// and //More Notes of a Son.// Many of his books intimidated the South, and caused lots of commotion throughout the nation as the hatred for races became more violent.

When Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcom X were assassinated, Baldwin's life had a great turning point. Many of his dreams and hopes were crushed, therefore he moved to France to start a different kind of life. As he was within France, he wrote a few more books called //If Beale Street Could Talk, Just Above My Head, No Names in the Streets, The Devil Finds Work,// and //The Evidence of Things Not Seen//. Many of these books still were about his deep passion for the civil rights of the Black Community within the United States, while they were also for the loss of his three friends.

James Baldwin was famous for many repeated themes within his writing. Many were about the racial issues and conflicts between the White Community and the Black Community, but also much about love. James Baldwin was also famous for writing about homosexuality and the love between two different races. Many of his writings in his early age were about religious views and family issues and conflicts. His views always had a good and evil, and they were always correct. However, on the year of 1987, Baldwin died of stomach cancer. He died within France but he was still buried within Harlem. Without James Arthur Baldwin, there would be no United States of America, the land of freedom, or any themes that touch the soul and show the differences between good and evil. James Arthur Baldwin is a legend that lived in the past, in the present, and will continue into the future. His work, passion, and soul will never be forgotten.

Poetry Analysis
"Some Days" By James Baldwin

Some days worry some days glad some days more than make you mad Some days, Some days, more than shine: when you see what's coming on down the line!

Some days you say, oh, not me never! Some days you say bless God forever. Some days, you say, curse God, and die and the day comes when you wrestle with that lie Some days tussle then some days groan  and some days don't even leave a bone. Some days you hassle all alone.

I don't know, sister, what I'm saying, nor do no man, if he don't be praying I know that love is the only answer and the tight-rope lover the only dancer. When the lover comes off the rope today, the net which holds him is how we pray and not to God's unknown, but to each other: the falling mortal is our brother!

Some days leave some days grieve some days you almost don't believe. Some days believe you and you don't Some days worry some days mad some days more than make you glad. Some days, some days, more than shine, witnesses, coming down the line!

Analysis
James Baldwin was a very important figure during the Harlem Renaissance, and even after. He created many different kinds of writing as well. However, during this time period, life wasn't easy for the Black Community. Even after segregation was over, and the Harlem Renaissance fixed everything, many people were still in pain. There was a great amount of violence that caused a lot of depression and sadness to the people around the area, and James Baldwin was one of those people. His life wasn't easy, as he grew up with a strict religious father and a very lonely mother. James Baldwin grew up in poverty, as his family barely had enough money to support him and his life met many different conflicts.

Baldwin uses the phrase "Some days" (1) repeatedly throughout the poem, and lots of emotions are released throughout as he uses lots of details and words. He uses the word "shine" (8), "mad" (5), and "glad" (2) which all seemed to represent something of Baldwin's past and how he judged the days that passed by. The use of "rope" (32) seemed to resemble suicide as a key issue within the world. The depression and hardships within the world were resembled by the "rope" (32).

There were many other statements where some days God will "bless" (14) or you wished he would "die" (15). This resembled the hardships between good and evil, and the conflicts that stressed out the people of the Harlem Renaissance. Many of the people were affected by the conflicts and violence around the area, and people began to worry about the future. Some became furious while some wished for the best. The optimistic views were dim, and the negative ideas kept on passing in their heads.

James Baldwin made a legend. Without his cunning skills and great ideas, there would have been no support for the United States of America. James Baldwin was a great seeker for the truth, and he always made sure that his "some days" were the best they could be.

Work Cited
"All Things James Baldwin.." //All Things James Baldwin.//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <[]>.

"James Baldwin Biography - Biography.com."//Biography.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <[]>.

"James Baldwin Biography - life, children, name, school, son, old, information, born, movie, time." //Encyclopedia of World Biography//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <[]>.

Title. "James Baldwin - About the Author | American Masters | PBS." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .