In Balwin's essay he discusses language and its broad meaning. Language can have many different ways in which it can be defined or looked at. Baldwin explains that language is a part is part of what makes a person who they are and how other people may see that person. A person can be judged by their language and how that person chooses to use their language. People change their language and their word choice based on their environment or the people they are speaking to. For instance, one usually will not use the casual language while speaking to an authority figure that they would use while talking to a close long time friend.
He also talks about how people can speak the same language (such as English) but not always necessarily be able to understand what is being said by someone else. For example, in the essay he compares white and black languages. Neither would be the same without the other. However, at the same time the different ways that the languages are used by these two groups are not always understood fully by the other group. A lot of the language barriers within the same language have a lot to do with cultural barriers, and different interpretaions for the words being used.
Baldwin draws in the reader by not just filling the reader's mind with information but by giving statements that make the reader think about the subject of "what is language" in depth. He also makes a great point by arguing that the "white language" would not be the same without the influence contrbuted by the "black language".
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A really excellent post, Jessica. You do a good job of summarizing Baldwin's approach to the nature of black culture in America. But, more imporantly, you evaluate the effect of his points on the reader's perception of the issues. Indeed, you recognize that Baldwin is making a few different arguments. He is arguing for the respect of his culture, but he is also conducting an analysis of the question "what is language." Logically, he needs to find a way to define this word for the reader in a way that will then be suitable to the further arguments he wishes to make.
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