Question

What does Du Bois mean by the fact that every African American “ever feels his twoness”?

African Americans feel like both free Americans and enslaved people.

African Americans feel like both Americans and Africans.

African Americans feel as though they are being judged and measured.
[T]he Negro is … always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two warring souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled [unbalanced] strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body… . The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife,—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a

Answer 1

Du Bois's concept of "twoness" refers to the dual identity experienced by African Americans, characterized by the conflicting feelings of being both American and Negro. This idea captures the struggle of African Americans who live in a society that privileges whiteness while simultaneously having a rich cultural and historical heritage rooted in their African ancestry.

In his words, "two warring souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings" illustrates the inner conflict that arises from navigating between these two identities. African Americans often feel the pressure of societal expectations and judgments, which leads to the experience of viewing oneself through the lens of a society that may hold them in "amused contempt and pity."

This duality highlights the broader historical and cultural tensions faced by African Americans, emphasizing their unique experiences and contributions while acknowledging the challenges of acceptance and self-definition within a racially stratified society.

In summary, Du Bois emphasizes that African Americans grapple with their duality as both Americans and members of a marginalized community. They strive to reconcile these identities while acknowledging the distinct cultural significance of their Black heritage.