Question

Craft and Structure: What does Baldwin mean when he says in paragraph

10 that "the rage of the disesteemed is personally fruitless, but it is also absolutely inevitable""? What feeling does his choice of diction suggest?
(a) Baldwin means that the anger felt by those who are disrespected is unproductive and avoidable.
(b) Baldwin means that the anger felt by those who are disrespected is useless and unavoidable.
(c) Baldwin means that the anger experienced by those who are marginalized is unproductive but inescapable.
(d) Baldwin means that the anger of the disesteemed is useless and can be avoided.

Answer 1

Baldwin is saying that the anger of the disrespected is not helpful to them personally, but it is a natural and unavoidable response. His diction suggests a resigned acknowledgment of an inescapable emotional reaction to systemic injustice.

Step-by-step explanation:

James Baldwin's statement that "the rage of the disesteemed is personally fruitless, but it is also absolutely inevitable" means that while the anger of those who are disrespected or marginalized might not yield productive results on a personal level, such anger is a natural and unavoidable response to being devalued or disparaged.

The term disesteemed specifically conveys a sense of being held in low regard, which contributes to the understanding that the individuals he speaks of are marginalized or looked down upon. Baldwin’s choice of diction suggests a feeling of resignation to an emotional response that, despite being unproductive, cannot be helped because of systemic and societal mistreatment. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is (c), which states that Baldwin means that the anger experienced by those who are marginalized is unproductive but inescapable.