Previous
Motifs
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Chapter 3: Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others
Explanation and Analysis—Gaining Respect:
In Chapter 3, Du Bois draws readers' attention to what he sees as the central paradox of Booker T. Washington's work, a contradiction that bleeds through into the rhetoric of his followers:
The way for a people to regain their reasonable rights is not by voluntarily throwing them away and insisting that they do not want them; . . . . the way for people to gain respect is not by continually belittling and ridiculing themselves.
As Du Bois points out above, there is an inherent paradox to wanting—even demanding—equal rights, equal access, and equal protection under the law, yet simultaneously diminishing oneself. Such a rhetorical strategy is not without purpose: appeasement may seem, in the moment, a more effective means of improving one's standing in the eyes of an oppressor. This approach may appear more desirable, or may be suggested as a means of mitigating the immediate violent backlash that comes with outspoken resistance and demands for freedom. As a long-term strategy, however, this approach soon undermines its own premise and falters. One cannot gain respect and equal consideration by conceding them, Du Bois suggests, much less so if the concession is favorable to the oppressor that revoked those rights in the first place.
