ith the nature of his very existence. "My pride as a man dissolved and my whole fragile structure seemed to collapse, completely shattered. That is why I started to write. To save myself" (27).
             Secondly, Cleaver's work delves into America's identity crisis during the 1960s as it seeks to explore the primeval roots of the America's racial caste system. Specifically, Cleaver critiques the Uncle Tom "Negro leaders," explores the underlying sexual tension between whites and blacks and unravels the roots of stereotypes of the "Super-masculine Menial" – black man – and the "Omnipotent Administrator" – the white man.
             Cleaver, fed up with oppressive white supremacy, deplores the views of the Uncle Tom "Negro leaders" because they acquiesce to the white power structure. Cleaver issues a broad critique of the black elite for accepting the white power structure and condemns them for standing in the way of real progress. "The 'Negro leaders' and the whites who depended upon them to control their people, were outraged by the impudence of the students. Calling for a moratorium on student initiative, they were greeted instead by an encore of sit-ins, and retired to their ivory towers to contemplate the new phenomenon" (71).
             Cleaver suggests that sexual tensions are a major factor in the conflict facing whites and blacks in America. He states that black men yearn for sexual relationships with white women, and black women similarly seek sexual interactions with white men. The source for these desires rests largely on the restrictions imposed by white society. For example, because black men have been denied any sexual freedom to associate with white women, it's only natural that black men's desire for white women increases exponentially.
             "All our lives we've had the white woman dangled before our eyes like a carrot on a stick before a donkey: look but don't touch."
             Th...