The souls of black folk chapter 7 lit response

Markeia Scruggs

January 11, 2010

lit response

Ms. Brown

“The Souls of Black Folk” (chapter 7)

With race relations, political views and economic stance in mind, “The Souls of Black Folk” has been developed. W.E.B. Du Bois creates a work that satisfies the pathos of the reader. It also depicts the social and racial aspects of society and how they play a part in the lives of slave, newly freedmen etc. Social realism is key in the reading. In chapter seven, the social realism of the migration of black and the population boom in the south hits home.

Slavery was huge and showed no sign of ceasing. For instance, “How the Africans poured in! –fifty thousand between 1790 and 1810, and then, from Virginia and from smugglers, two thousand a year for many years more. So the thirty thousand Negroes of Georgia in 1790 doubled in a decade, -were over a hundred thousand in 1810, had reached two hundred thousand in 1820, and half a million at the time of the war. Thus like a snake the black population writhed upward.” (pg.106) Slavery was at it’s peak during the time period of the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s. The slaves seemed to have seen no end, so they escaped to the north. This is what Du Bois means by the black population writhing upward. Runaway slaves was a huge issue for the southern whites, but they saw it as an escape from captivity. They saw it as a new lease on life, like freedom. Du Bois also appeals to the pathos in a n attempt to make the reader feel sympathy for the slaves. He creates an image of a snake trying to make it up, but is constantly pushed down.

Du Bois appeals to pathos by making the reader an antagonist of the Europeans. He deems them as selfish, money hungry thieves. For example, “The Indians were removed to Indian Territoy, and settlers poured into these coveted lands to retrieve their broken fortunes.” (pg. 107) He in a way makes the Indians a friend of African slaves. Because the Southern Whites betrayed and dishonored the Indians and Blacks, we will stick together. He gives this notion indirectly through his text.

The peak of slavery has begun. The production of cotton in the south created an agricultural boom for the entire United States. With the assistance of African slaves, America would be more phosphorus. The text states, “For a radius of a hundred miles about Albanyj, stretched a great fertile land, luxuriant with forests of pine, oak, ash, hickory, and poplar; hot with the sun and damp with the rich black swamp-land; and here the courner-stone of the Cotton Kingdom was laid.” (pg. 107) The creation of the Cotton Kingdom has started and this begins a whole new era in slavery. With the production of cotton for the entire nation, slaves are worked harder and longer to satisfy demands. In due time this ends. Thanks to the Civil war, the Cotton Kingdom is destroyed and slaves are freed from bondage.

To conclude, Du Bois creates an image of the real and true world he sees around himself. This intertwines with the social realism of the post slavery South. At this time it seemed normal, but as we look at it today we are astonished. In this way, W.E.B. Du Bois appeals to the pathos of the reader. Du Bois paints a dreadful picture of society in this time.