The_Discovery_of_What_It_Means_to_Be_an_American

The Discovery of What It Means to Be an American Truth In Distance In his essay, “The Discovery of What It Means to Be an American”, James Baldwin writes about how he personally came about discovering his true identity. One of the first things he says is, “I left America because I doubted my ability to survive the fury of the color problem here. I wanted to prevent myself from becoming… merely a negro writer. I wanted to find in what way the specialness of my experience could be made to connect me with other people instead of dividing me from them” (Baldwin 46). Baldwin thinks he hates America. I think that he is instead blinded by the constant discrimination he faced growing up in 1950’s New York. During all those years he just listened, and he was never taught how to deal with it all. When he realizes that putting distance between himself and the country he hates is a good idea, then he has started the road to recovery. At this point he is about to undergo a big psychological change, much like I’ve been doing during these past six months. I think that this change I have made, while think, life, i’m, one, now, home, been, because, about, new, baldwin, time, out, know, living, i’ve, every, ever, america, while, way, true, people, never, made, find, before, back, until, thing, sure, something, says, right, months