Critical Review on the Souls of Black Folk Essay

The American society suffers from a wide range of social problems and challenges. The problem of race has always been among the most controversial and motivating, and thus has been rising true abundance of appropriate research. Souls of Black Folk by William Edward Burghardt Du Bois presents an unprecedented critical research of the black community in the United States conducted at the very dawn of the twentieth century and published in 1903. As David W. Blight described it, “It is a moving evocation of black American folk culture, a poetic rendering of African American history since emancipation, a critical response to the racism and economic subjugation afflicting black Americans at the turn of the twentieth century, and an analysis of political leadership” at the same time (Blight 135). This ground work refers to sociological, anthropological, sociopolitical and historical traditions, though American science has never experienced anything like that before.
Souls of Black Folk was a brand new research aimed at penetration into the very depth of Afro-American culture, mentality and ethnicity in context of modern U. S. civilization. By its ardent and evocative manner, the work can be compared with no earlier work, except, perhaps, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) by Harriot Beecher Stowe, which had a tremendous effect on further anti-slavery activity and then Civil Rights movement. Souls of Black Folk appeared to be one of the early serious works of this kind in American social science.
In his groundbreaking book, Du Bois tried to find a new approach to understanding the mental code of the black population, taking into consideration the focus of human nature and society in general. On the whole Du Bois conducted his study looking for answers to the critical question of what it is like to be African American in the society of modern United States (in forty years after the civil War); the statement he was going to prove was that the 20th century is the problem of color-line – “the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea” (Du Bois 36) and thus he wanted to find out why and how it happened the way that color became decisive in a way to success and social adoption.
Besides, Du Bois’ intention was to see the development of two cultures, African and American, being mixed and integrated in a very specific way resulting in so many problems as wide as the society itself. Hence, the framework of taking race as a social construct has been put into the basis. It means that the author was motivated by total social injustice reigning around and ethnic prejudice dominating in the thoughts of the nation. The subject, as it goes, was not chosen by chance, on the contrary, it has been for long the very pain of W. E. B. Du Bois himself. Before printing a book, he expressed his exciting ideas in essays published in the Athlantic Monthly. With new essays, they contributed to the new work and made up fourteen prose pieces, one of which is a fiction short story providing a symbol of tragedy of being an African in white society.
To collect the data for the book, Du Bois has conducted thorough empirical research. Much of the factual material that made up a study was taken directly from Du Bois’ own experience. In particular, he has shared his experience of teaching in rural Tennessee, which stimulated him to give critical analysis of rising materialism and pragmatism of Atlanta education programs and hence, by inductive method, he criticizes the total system where money solves everything and becomes more important than human dignity, morality, spirit and other higher values.
What is more, qualitative research was based on historical data. Historiographical and retrospective methods are applied to make up the first three chapters, which are devoted to the description of black reality in the past and present, government politics and specific policies hereafter (for example, here are the realities of Dougherty County, Georgia). In the first chapter Du Bois introduced his outstanding metaphor of the veil. According to it, the African Americans have been living with blinkers on their eyes, as they had to adjust to the surrounding culture and look at themselves the way they are accepted by the whites. And though their world view as for economics, politics, culture, differed from the prevailing one, the Blacks had to sacrifice their own vision; in this way the image of veil is used to give an evidence for a color line. Herein, Du Bois also provides critical analysis of the activities of Booker T. Washington who assisted in building schools for the African Americans, but did care only of industrial education for them and called upon submission to the rules of the whites for the sake of peace and quietness. Addition of classical education is sharply advocated by the author. In the next chapters sociological studies are provided; they demonstrate how segregation and racial bias, stereotypes and discrimination influenced the lives of the black community representatives. Moreover, the Freedmen’s Bureau policies during reconstruction are also “analyzed in even-handed way” (Wright and Arbor 55). Further on, the methods of interviewing and survey are used to reflect the true reality of the people under consideration; some chapters include the retold stories of the witnesses. Particular chapter is devoted to religion which is viewed in culturological aspect. In the opinion of Du Bois, the Church is something like a last residue of tribal being; it promises salvation after death and keeps them away from struggle for better living; it is not right, by Du Bois, therefore, they should not seek for salvation after life, but they should live and live better and seek integration and vote for their dignity.
One more significant source is the artworks of the African Americans; namely, these are songs, or spirituals, which penetratingly express the pains, sorrows, and troubles of the community.
Having thoroughly studied the sources, having gone through heartbreaking experience and collected enough first-hand bloodcurdling stories, Du Bois has come to the conclusion that the entire life, social and spiritual is conflicting and dual. They have been living in the society of double standards; they have been learnt to develop double consciousness, which comes from looking at their selves through the eyes of others. As Rampersad states, “One ever feels his twoness, – an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder” (93). They have adjusted to relegate their thoughts and feelings to the background, and thus they had no much chance to progress and entering new, really free life. The obstacles build in their own heads have become very high and difficult, but still possible to overcome. The analysis of political issues has convinced the author that the problem also came from the mismanagement through the Reconstruction era, which influenced all the aspects of their lives, starting with the church and ending with schools. Du Bois shows that the actions of those who spoke for the race came out to have counterproductive outcomes. Being learnt to tolerate, to adjust and submit, they have found themselves without vote and civil status, without access to higher education and other rights.
As a result, the racial portrait of the Blacks is drawn by the author; sociological accounting of their lives is summed up; and on the whole the attempt to “probe the black American mind” is made. It is eloquently outlined that “After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world” (Du Bois 20). Above all, it is stated that indeed racial differences are not coming from nature, but they are artificially created to suppress those who by chance get into a weaker position; and just this fictitious reality is a “reality which was constructed by and, equally important, which helped to construct, our social, political and educational institutions” (Warren).
Additionally, it is important to underline that Du Bois not only criticizes the things they are, but he also provides a consistent line of advice, which can make the living of the black community better. For instance, he explains how Church can assist in real estate questions or how school can apply the system of “Talented Tenth”, which can help to make race relations better and more adequate (Du Bois 199).
All in all, both factual data and perspectives together with recommendations provided by Du Bois sound sober and sensitive; the evidence gives enough reasons to believe the conclusions of the author and is really provocative.
In fact, the facts presented by the author can be interpreted in some other way, and the very roots of the problem can be seen in real difference between the civilization of white people and that of African continent, which is now objectively less developed and more closed. According to some theories, human races are really not equal and thus their aspirations to equality are utopian. Selectionism, for example, insists on hierarchy that can help to escape social conflicts (Stoler 213). It is difficult to say that the facts gathered by Du Bois can absolutely deny the assumptions of socioanthropology and evolutionism; nevertheless, the outcomes of his study look rather convincing and offer a wide range of questions to be studied further. On the one hand, this book is mostly autobiographical and thus motivation is clearly seen, while the author may also have some biased attitude to the problem; but on the other hand, he provides rich data to support his own views and ideas, and the importance of the book had spoken for itself. It has reached the eyes and hearts of those for whom it was intended to know that their voice can also be heard and considered; in addition, Du Bois has made an essential contribution to the whole social, anthropological and historical sciences of the United States, and has skillfully worked out the subject in his other works.