Within the borders of the United States’ limited, yet expansive history, there have been many cases of social injustice on a number of occasions. The relocation and encampment of Native Americans and the oppression of the early movements for women’s suffrage are two of many occurrences. Around the middle of the 20th century, a movement for equality and civil liberties for African Americans was kindled from the embers of its predecessors. James Baldwin, a black man living in this time, recalls an experience from within the heart of said movement in his essay, Notes of a Native Son. Baldwin conveys a sense of immediacy throughout his passage by making his writing approachable and establishing an enormous amount of ethos. Baldwin’s essay, which reminisces upon one fond memory that he acquired through an incident at a New Jersey diner, was very easy to read and comprehend. While Baldwin could have easily chosen to simplify his memory into layman’s terms, he was able to give enough description to draw the reader into his story. In one passage, he writes that, “And, with that sound, my frozen blood abruptly thawed and I was frightened." This sentence gives the reader a vivid image in their head of what had to have been taking place at that time, yet at the same time, it was not overly wordy and complex. Baldwin describes his experiences with a great amount of detail, but not quite enough to confuse the reader with unimportant tidbits of information. Notes of a Native Son becomes even more approachable as Baldwin includes many personal phrases, notably the word "I." His inclusion of I gives the sense that he is telling a story as if it were there to experience it first hand. Baldwin tells the story from his own perspective, as if he might've actually been there. This personal connection gives the essay an extremely close-knit feeling, similar to a story told by friends around a campfire. Even though the topic of the writing may no