Next

The Forethought

Summary

Du Bois offers an explanation of the text. His overall goal is to inform the reader as to the “strange meaning of being Black here at the dawning of the Twentieth Century.” He states that the “problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.” He acknowledges that some of the material has been printed before and expresses gratitude for permission to reprint each in the text. He presents the purpose of each chapter and how each is preceded with “a bar of the Sorrow Songs,” the “haunting melody from the only American music which welled up from black souls in the dark past.”

Analysis

Du Bois appeals to white readers by making it clear that they are a large part of the problems he raises. He assumes his audience might feel that issues of race are not relevant to them, but he begs to differ. In describing “the strange meaning of being [B]lack here at the dawning of the Twentieth Century,” Du Bois is asking white people for their ear and their empathy regarding the plight of Black people. Here, he first uses his recurring description of the Veil as a symbol for the divide between Black and white people. Du Bois uses this symbol to help readers understand what it is like to be Black in America and to understand the Black experience through his eyes.

Next section Chapter I

Take a Study Break