“Ritual Violence”: The Recurring Habit of Violence in American Black Communities in Between the World and Me Anonymous 10th Grade

Martin Luther King Jr. states in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail” that “If this [non-violent] philosophy had not emerged, by now many of the South would, I am convinced, be flowing with blood”, and the non admission of whites would drive Black people “to seek solace and security in black-nationalist ideologies”, which he describes as a “frightening racial nightmare”. King acknowledges the inevitable consolation of violence within the black community; however, in Between the World and Me, Coates highlights the violence of the American society and the lack of recognition by the people. Coates utilizes an anecdote of Mable Jones, the mother of Prince Jones, metaphors, and irony to develop the message that the American society is full of violence and discrimination that occurs continuously until it is barely noticed to destroy the people in the black community.

Coates uses the anecdote of Prince Jones’ mother, Mabel Jones, in purpose of developing his own perspective of how destructive this society to not only those who are direct victims but also those who struggle to be included in this society. Coates speaks to Mabel Jones about the death of her son, Prince Jones, in which she stated, “‘I was unlike anything I had felt before’...