‘And your people were not my people,’ she said; ‘but today---’ She paused. He was a man,--no more; but he was in some larger sense a gentleman,--- sensitive, kindly, chivalrous, everything save his hand and-- his face. Yet yesterday---” (McMichael 1115). The white woman says African-Americans were not her people. However, she realizes that today is different because today he is someone else, a gentleman, but his hands and face are still black. She realizes that yesterday was different from today, and him and her coming together as different races is changing history and the world. I believe this difficulty is necessary because these difficult times of African-Americans facing discrimination, inequality, and more racial problems needed change in the form of writing by making an African-American man a hero. Thus, Du Bois wanted to change who the hero was, and this was necessary because small changes needed to start before a big change could happen like breaking down the barriers of racial inequality and discrimination. Du Bois started those small changes in his writing, The Comet, and they eventually changed into big
‘And your people were not my people,’ she said; ‘but today---’ She paused. He was a man,--no more; but he was in some larger sense a gentleman,--- sensitive, kindly, chivalrous, everything save his hand and-- his face. Yet yesterday---” (McMichael 1115). The white woman says African-Americans were not her people. However, she realizes that today is different because today he is someone else, a gentleman, but his hands and face are still black. She realizes that yesterday was different from today, and him and her coming together as different races is changing history and the world. I believe this difficulty is necessary because these difficult times of African-Americans facing discrimination, inequality, and more racial problems needed change in the form of writing by making an African-American man a hero. Thus, Du Bois wanted to change who the hero was, and this was necessary because small changes needed to start before a big change could happen like breaking down the barriers of racial inequality and discrimination. Du Bois started those small changes in his writing, The Comet, and they eventually changed into big