27 pages • 54 minutes read
A Talk to Teachers
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Literary Devices
Paradox
One of the first literary devices that Baldwin uses in “A Talk to Teachers” is paradox. One of the essay’s most famous lines comes from Paragraph 2: “The paradox of education is precisely this—that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.” As a paradox is self-contradictory, Baldwin is acknowledging that education is a necessary thing, but what is also necessary is that people question the very elements and supposed truths that education provides. The contradiction is that a student must trust their education but also approach it with a healthy amount of distrust and skepticism.
Tone
Baldwin’s tone in “A Talk to Teachers” starts with a sense of urgency and resolve, and it remains that way throughout the essay. The essay starts with Baldwin clamoring for someone to pay attention, stating that we need to “begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time” (Paragraph 1). Such an insistent statement has a dual purpose: trying to get people to recognize the nation’s peril and inspiring action to address the peril. Baldwin maintains the sense of urgency by following up with mentions of Khrushchev, a frightening figure who loomed over the nation in a threatening way and whose name and rule is forever associated with the evil of atomic weapons. But beyond larger-than-life figures, Baldwin maintains the sense of urgency by drawing comparisons to the Third Reich and by making connections to another politically charged epoch: the Reconstruction Era.
Repetition
Baldwin skillfully uses repetition throughout the essay to bring attention to key elements and themes. The word “society” is used 18 times. By definition, the word “society” generally refers to an organized group of people or community, typically with the same aims and goals. Society in Baldwin’s essay is first introduced as a collective that lives in fear of such exterior menaces as Khrushchev. But then Baldwin delves deeper to discuss society as the conglomerate that mankind cannot live without. Humans are, as Baldwin states, social animals, and society provides essential comforts. However, Baldwin complicates the paradox of society further when he emphasizes that it is also something that humans must constantly examine. While society is essential for human beings to thrive, society often forces total allegiance, so that human beings must fully accept that society is always functioning as it should. Society, however, needs to be examined, reexamined, and then altered as needed in order for both humankind and society to thrive.
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By James Baldwin
