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DuBois and Washington : Realism in Fiction

In both DuBois ' work , The Souls of Black Folk , and Washington 's work Up from Slavery , the reader is presented with viewpoints of emancipation from the oppressive slavery of being controlled under the harmful influences of the white elite . The stories of rising above one 's personal struggle and finding freedom during a time corrupt with racism and classism are illustrated by both authors . In reading these tales one is presented with a picture of the importance of the

black person with the spiritual journey in finding personal meaning and pride in an environment of hatred and misunderstanding . While DuBois presents the black situation somewhat like a folktale , with more instances of fiction being woven throughout the realism of the work , Washington presents a work more related to nonfiction , with stronger elements of realism which strengthens the truth of his writing

The way Dubois crafts his tale is one of passion and imagery , beautiful prose with aims to serve the senses as much as the intellect . However in this way , he is prone to flights of fancy and wandering from realism and the important points of social justice . Although he describes his own personal situation quite well and in colorful detail , one is sometimes left wondering about his point , whether he is aiming to make a strong contribution to a cause or a simply a strong contribution to the love of painting with words . He writes that the social walls...