The Souls of Black Folk

“[F]or the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line.”

Du Bois argues that confronting racism and segregation is the most urgent problem for modern society. Most white readers would have found this pronouncement to be startling given their focus on modernizing the country, economic challenges, and industrialization.

“Leaving, then, the white world, I have stepped within the Veil, raising it that you may view faintly its deeper recesses.”

Du Bois introduces the metaphor of the veil to represent the separation in the worldviews of blacks and whites. Du Bois establishes credibility and authority, representing himself as a person capable of lifting the veil to allow whites to learn more about African Americans.

“How does it feel to be a problem?”

Du Bois identifies how challenging it is for African Americans that their identities are almost always represented as ones that cause a problem for American society. Such a question, even when well-intentioned or merely implied, underscores that African Americans are not seen as an intrinsic part of the nation.