The Souls of Black Folk Group

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pretty1920
pretty1920
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College - Freshman

W.E.B. Du Bois The Souls of Black Folk what was the authors purpose?

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Posted by pretty1920 on Monday February 2, 2009 at 5:55 AM and tagged with the souls of black folk, what was the authors purpose.

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  1. litelle209 Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    We have to be careful when we begin to speculate about authorial intent or purpose ( this is called the intentional fallacy). We know a number of things about the Souls of Black Folk. First, it originates within the framework of Postbellum America or after the Civil War. Within ethnic texts such as Du Bois' we quite often find authors that point out the injustices of a society that does not operate in accordance with its own democratic ideals. This is quite typical since this era also represents the rise of realism. To be specific then, the text is less a reaction than a series of descriptions of economic, sociological, and psychological insights of what it is to be Black in America. There is a definite force of exclusion that is repeatedly pointed out- the white man. Think e.g. of "The Coming of John" which is a story about white male entitlement and purposelessness in contrast to the African American struggle.

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    Posted by litelle209 on Tuesday February 24, 2009 at 6:15 PM