I know, which is much worse, and this is the crime of which I accuse my country and my countrymen, and for which neither I nor time nor history will ever forgive them, that they have destroyed and are destroying hundreds of thousands of lives and do not know it and do not want to know it.

In the opening of “My Dungeon Shook,” Baldwin states that racial oppression in America is not only a problem of intolerance and animosity, but also of willful ignorance. He claims that white people in America are not aware of many of the layers and facets of racial prejudice and do not want to be aware of it. If they were to acknowledge it, then it would reveal that they are not morally superior. For society to move toward true equality, white people will be forced to reexamine their understanding of the country and themselves. There cannot be progress as long as the willful ignorance continues.

Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure, does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity and fear.

In the closing of “My Dungeon Shook,” Baldwin tries to caution his nephew against believing any of the racial/hateful rhetoric that white people project. He states that the beliefs and actions of white people demonstrate their inferiority and wretchedness as opposed to any deficiency in his nephew, James. He is trying to comfort James, because he knows that he will continue to face adversity entirely due to his ethnicity. James will likely become callous and mean under such pressure and degradation. Since there is little James can do to change how white people treat him, he must change his understanding of why he is treated so poorly.

One did not have to be very bright to realize how little one could do to change one’s situation; one did not have to be abnormally sensitive to be worn down to a cutting edge by the incessant and gratuitous humiliation and danger one encountered every working day, all day long.

In the opening of the first part of “Down at the Cross,” Baldwin describes the toll that racial prejudice can have on the oppressed. He argues that no matter the individual (or how sensitive they are), anyone can become bitter, mean, and dangerous if they are degraded on a daily basis. The quote serves as both an acknowledgement and a warning. The lack of opportunities and crime in Harlem are also affected by the way that Black people are treated. Becoming a criminal seems like a reasonable choice when one is not going to be treated fairly or with respect. Following the principles that white people claim to live by will not give one success or respect. 

If one cannot risk oneself, then one is simply incapable of giving.

At the beginning of the third part of “Down at the Cross,” Baldwin describes the nature of giving. He states that to give, one must be vulnerable (risk oneself). He states that most people prefer to be guarded and to keep things for themselves. For the United States to progress, especially in terms of racial tension, white people need to be more willing to give. This is not a simple question of financial reparations or other charity, white society must be willing to give up some control. White society will need to recognize Black people as equals and at the same time, reflect on the elements of white society that are designed to oppress Black people. Baldwin notes that this will be a difficult process, because most people enjoy feeling superior.

Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, which is the only fact we have.

At the end of the third part of “Down at the Cross,” Baldwin claims that people try to avoid accepting that death is inevitable. He supplies a list of concepts that people rely on to avoid thinking about mortality and impermanence. He states that humanity trades its intrinsic beauty for such concepts out of fear. Baldwin finds little value in all of the items listed and believes that they hold back humanity from embracing the cyclic nature of life. People should approach life with love and understanding instead of relying on beliefs that constrain others and separate people.

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