A Talk to Teachers

“Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time. Everyone in this room is in one way or another aware of that. We are in a revolutionary situation, no matter how unpopular that word has become in this country.”

Baldwin begins the essay by calling attention to the nation’s current social and civic upheaval. The word “revolutionary” underscores Baldwin’s feelings and intent. By using “we,” Baldwin also makes it clear that he is not isolating the problems to any one sect of people. He is instead calling attention to the fact that America is a vast community that needs to recognize it is grappling with issues before it can do anything about those issues.

“The society in which we live is desperately menaced, not by Khrushchev, but from within.”

On the heels of stating that America is a country in a revolutionary situation, Baldwin deepens what he means by that. He reminds readers that America has an internal enemy that is far more menacing and lethal than any outside force. He creates a metaphor of an internal monster, a proverbial beast in the belly that Americans need to fight together.

“To any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible—and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of young people—must be prepared to ‘go for broke.’ Or to put it another way, you must understand that in the attempt to correct so many generations of bad faith and cruelty, when it is operating not only in the classroom but in society, you will meet the most fantastic, the most brutal, and the most determined resistance.”

Baldwin uses the colloquialism “go for broke” to emphasize that this is not a fight to occur in the lofty halls of academia or the jaded corridors of political centers. He is speaking in informal language and utilizing local phrases to help readers recognize that this fight is for every American citizen because everyone is being harmed by the disjointed and prejudicial way history is being taught.