Analysis

“Perhaps more significant than what they taught is what they believed. As Trent says, “”They held visions of us that we could not imagine for ourselves. And they held those visions even when they themselves were denied entry into the larger white world. They were determined, that despite all odds, we would achieve.”” In an era of overt racism when much was denied to African- Americans, the message drilled into students was “”the one thing people can’t take away from you is what’s between your ears.”” The teachers of both men insisted that they must achieve because “”you must do twice as well as white people to be considered half as good.”” (Lisa Delpit, The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse 549).

This passage from Delpit’s essay, is talking about how racist the world is against African American education, that even though they may be smart, no one thinks of them as being that way, thus making them have to work twice as hard as a white person to prove their intelligence and ability to learn.

While we are in the 20th century and most claims to racism are, or appear to over, Delpit’s article about literate discourses bring up an overt type of racism against African American’s and their ability to learn. According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, Overt means, open to view: manifest, and racism means, a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. So Delpit is stating in her essay by saying overt racism that people are being open or blunt about being racist towards African American intelligence or literate discourses. Delpit quotes a guy named Trent in her essay. Trent’s main point is that white people had visions for what African Americans can achieve that even African Americans themselves did not understand or foresee happening. How could a person of a different ethnicity set a goal for someone who they think are so inferior to them. The white people set these goals that even if it were met by a member of the African American ethnicity still wouldn’t be accepted as worthy of being compared to white standards. However all though they were told that they weren’t as smart or as educated or as prominent to succeed to learn as a white person the African American people should not give up but have the will power to move forward and succeed with their education to prove to the white people they could do it. The quote “the one thing people can’t take away from you is what’s between your ears” Is really an eye catching well written quote. No matter what people tell you, you can’t do, you can do, and you won’t succeed in. No matter how hard someone tries to change you or who you are, the one thing no one can ever change about you unless you want to change, is your brain. Your brain, that thing between your ears, gives you the power and the intelligence to do whatever and succeed in whatever you put your mind to. That’s the beauty of it, and this essay. African American’s like all people have brains and therefore should not be held back by any literate discourse; because just like white people they too have brains.