Souls of Black Folk

African Americans have come a very long way. We have hit the very bottom in the beginning and have rose despite all of the opposition we faced, but this rise was not by any means easy. The depressing times were enough to weigh anybody down to their inevitable doom and this is how upsetting the story is. Using a realistic mood, this story reveals the turmoil that many knew about during the rise of blacks after slavery. The topic is a staid one with both good and bad illustrations of the life of the African American.
One of the reasons this story is how blacks are just shut down. They see no way of coming up in the world or in people’s eyes. The story brings out that, “Throughout history the powers of single black men flash here and there like falling stars, and die sometimes before the world has rightly gauged their brightness,” (Du Bois 47). This is a disheartening fact in our people’s minds. No matter what was done, throughout all time, it was forgotten before it even began. Our people have suffered greatly and have been put down many times. This adds a historic discouragement as if the European can kill thousands and be a hero, but an African can save tens of thousands and not be considered at all. Knowing that your own kind has been shunned for generations makes you wonder why you should keep going on, but this can be a wake up call as well. This sad fact can awaken the idea of reformation in our minds and give us the power to change the fact that our people were held down. The thoughts of many were to give up, “what need of education since we must always cook and serve?” while this evil was turned to good by teaching us the true ideas of social responsibility and a real meaning of progression, because they not only saw it, they lived it (Du Bois 51).
Another tone shown towards the end is that of faith and slight touch of mockery. America is mocked for its bitterness towards the race that was below the Europeans by the statement, “Would America be poorer if she replace her brutal dyspeptic blundering with light-hearted but determined Negro humility?” (Du Bois 52). America could still have its precious money if it were kind to others. Greed empowers our country and makes those who have it knock others down and those who do not knock others down in their way. In actuality, all people need to do is work together and they will be richer than ever in more ways than one. This entails hope towards many of the African descent. The other entail of hope is the progress that is being made by our own people. While we slowly learn and realize what we must learn, we become more powerful and able to go to the next level. These levels are entitled to the tone that is in levels itself—from the bottom up. These levels imitate the levels taken by black people to reach the heights it has come to today and ends with a heart-warming tone by saying, “let me on the coming pages tell again with loving emphasis and deeper detail, that men may listen to the striving in the souls of black folk,” (Du Bois 53).