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Similes
Chapter 3: Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others
Explanation and Analysis:
Du Bois's writing style reveals his high level of education at every turn, from the inflated prose and frequent use of figurative language to the wide array of references to classical literature, including quotes from Goethe in the original German:
Entbehren sollst du, sollst entbehren. (Deny yourself, you must deny yourself.)
Du Bois also includes poetic excerpts at the beginning of each chapter, contributing to this tone that revels in the storied history of Western literature. At the beginning of Chapter 3, he inserts a quotation from Byron:
From birth to death enslaved; in word, in deed, unmanned!
Hereditary bondsmen! Know ye not
Who would be free themselves must strike the blow?
With knowledge of the fact that Du Bois is a Black man himself, the style of his writing contrasts starkly with his detailed descriptions of the utter lack of educational resources available to Black people in America. As a Black man facing racial discrimination, Du Bois likely felt that he had to utilize such stylistic elements in order to make his work palatable to the general literate public—consisting mostly of white people. In other words, if Du Bois had not chosen to use a style that revealed his education, it might have been used against him to discredit his work.
Chapter 5: Of the Wings of Atlanta
Explanation and Analysis:
Du Bois's writing style reveals his high level of education at every turn, from the inflated prose and frequent use of figurative language to the wide array of references to classical literature, including quotes from Goethe in the original German:
Entbehren sollst du, sollst entbehren. (Deny yourself, you must deny yourself.)
Du Bois also includes poetic excerpts at the beginning of each chapter, contributing to this tone that revels in the storied history of Western literature. At the beginning of Chapter 3, he inserts a quotation from Byron:
From birth to death enslaved; in word, in deed, unmanned!
Hereditary bondsmen! Know ye not
Who would be free themselves must strike the blow?
With knowledge of the fact that Du Bois is a Black man himself, the style of his writing contrasts starkly with his detailed descriptions of the utter lack of educational resources available to Black people in America. As a Black man facing racial discrimination, Du Bois likely felt that he had to utilize such stylistic elements in order to make his work palatable to the general literate public—consisting mostly of white people. In other words, if Du Bois had not chosen to use a style that revealed his education, it might have been used against him to discredit his work.
