The new spirit is awake (Metaphor)
During last ten years the image of African Americans has changed. It is connected with the new social conditions, growing democracy and liberty of discussion. People are not afraid to speak their mind anymore and they can state and protect their point. The narrator calls this process “the new spirit” which “awakes” the masses, this spirit claims that there is no more race privileges – all people are equal. The metaphor is used for the strengthening of the effect of utterance, for making a logical stress on the issue of freedom and social changes which bring new beliefs and new values.
More of a formula than of a human being (Simile)
The image of the so-called "Old Negro" had been accepted and treated differently in society. For many generations in America, the vision of African Americans has been “more of a formula than of a human being”. The simile compares African Americans with a formula in order to generalize his image and show his distinctive features and role in American society. People treated them more like the topic for debates and arguments, something to be protected or criticized, something to be afraid of, something to be kept down and so on rather than just the same people.
The vital inner grip for prejudice (Metaphor)
The metaphor is a representation of changes in minds of Americans for recent decades and their struggle between new tendencies and old prejudices. While several years ago, the narrator says, the society was covered with the chrysalis of suspense and stereotypes toward African Americans, now people accept them normally but still sometimes they are aware of them because of this “vital inner grip of prejudice”. People are tend to doubt in everything they see and know and it is hard for them to be convinced in something for sure. But nevertheless, the author is sure that this grip of prejudice will be broken in a few years and people will perceive each other absolutely equally regardless of their race.
Spiritual emancipation (Metaphor)
Humans tend to be in constant search of self-identity, of something that simultaneously differs us from others and makes us similar to them. When we react to a new person, who is not like us, who is completely different but still we accept this person, we fell, like the author called it, “spiritual emancipation”. Why? because we realize that our point of view and our way of living are not the only one – there are many other people who don’t agree with us and that’s absolutely fine. The narrator believes that it was a spiritual emancipation what people, who accepted the "New Negro," felt. This understanding makes us humans. The metaphor represents the changes in human mind when they accept something they are not agree with, something they don’t understand.
White opinion (Metaphor)
The metaphor vividly shows the social gap between African Americans and other representatives of American society. The “white opinion” dominates in the society because it is the thought of majority. They influence all spheres of life and poorer black people have no choice but to obey their influence in order to become members of society. The idea of importance of white opinion and its struggle with apparent black opinion is essential for the understanding of the main message of the essay – race is not the argument, it shouldn’t determine the way of life and future of the person. The long way of "The New Negro" to his recognizing in society is an example of violent discrimination and meaningless struggle.
