In his essay, Baldwin explores the importance of artists to modern society and how they are the only people capable of seeing the truth without the illusions. He starts his essay by asserting that despite his dislike for words such as "artist", "courage," and "integrity" he is simply an artist (Elam, 2015). He concedes that there is something behind this words, but the sad thing about them is that individuals interpret their meanings differently. It is here that Baldwin makes his case that artist are the only people who know the truth about humanity. He claims that statement, priests, and soldiers do not know the truth, but only artists. He uses the discovery of the Oedipus complex by a Greek poet to illustrate that it was not Sigmund Freud who did it. Secondly, Baldwin proposes that art is an essential element of life because it helps humanity overcome the illusion of safety. Since artists do not believe in any system, they are the only people who can help us overcome the illusion of safety. Using his example, Baldwin claims that an artist realizes that he/she does not belong anywhere (Elam, 2015). It is here that Baldwin calls artists dreamers because they cannot settle for what other people settle for.
He says that artists are misfits because artists cannot fit into societal expectations. Since they are willing to face the facts that other people are not willing to. He calls an artist a misfit because he/she starts to understand the truth even before learning to walk or talk. It leads the society to give up on the artist, but before it does so, Baldwin claims that an artist is compelled to deal with what it hurt them. By dealing with what it hurt them, artists attempt to connect with other people. However, it is not easy for artists to discover himself and use their personal experiences to help other overcome their pain (Elam, 2015). It takes many years before an artist is capable of articulating what they suspect he/she is. It may take several broken friendships, divorces, thousands of drinks, and some form of exile for an artist to articulate who they are finally.
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The context of Baldwin's remarks is modern civilization. His arguments are aimed at the problems facing modern civilization where everyone is expected to follow expectations or toe the line. For him, artists are misfits because they are capable of seeing the truth that society does not want to face. He seems to be criticizing the political correctness of modern civilization. He claims that it is difficult to distinguish between what is right and wrong because another person's right may be the other person's wrong. He continues to criticize the hypocrisy of modern society. He claims that before an artist achieves fame, he is despised and starved by the world (Elam, 2015). However, it changes rapidly when they have heard your name. Even the phone that never rang starts ringing constantly.
His ideas are applicable because they point at the weaknesses of modern society and urges people to follow the dreams. It urges people not follow what other people are saying because no one knows the exact truth. Personally, Baldwin's ideas apply to my life because it stops short from urging individuals to make mistakes. It is through mistakes that we can understand who were are. If one can follow the example of an artist, he can discover his true potential. It is true because if we follow other people's dictates, we will never discover our talents. In a society that values political correctness, being true to one's self is vital.
Reference
Elam, M. (2015). The Cambridge Companion to James Baldwin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015
