In an article published in the Western Journal of Black Studies, Stanley Gaines argues that President Barack Obama has successfully balanced both his white and black heritages. Gaines references W.E.B. Du Bois' theory of African Americans struggling to reconcile their African and American identities. Gaines shows how Obama serves as a model for peacefully embracing both aspects of his multiracial background. The student provides a positive evaluation of the article, agreeing that Obama has been wrongly accused but finds it may confuse general readers due to undefined terms.

1. Last Name 1
First Name Last Name
Professor Weigand
English 69
13 March 2016
Author of
article
Publication
Company
Title of
Article
Summary and Evaluation
In the article published by the Western Journal of Black Studies, “The ‘two
souls’ of Barack Obama,” Stanley Gaines reports the common criticism of Barack
Obama that he embraces only his white heritage or his black heritage. Gaines
attempts to prove, using various quotes from Obama’s speeches and
autobiography, that Obama has a strong balance of both heritages. Gaines
references W. E. B. Du Bois’ theory on the two souls of African Americans: that
they have trouble reconciling their African heritage with their American heritage,
which can have detrimental damage upon the psyche. Gaines shows how Obama is
an ideal example of how one can be at peace with both “souls.”
This article is highly theoretical and spends much of the essay discussing
various philosophical/psychological concepts, not all of which he applies to Obama.
E
V For example, he spends some time discussing William James’ theory about the
A
L “soul” being different from the “self,” which could have been mentioned very
U
A briefly. This article also needs to define certain key terms earlier on to avoid
T
I confusion. I agree with the author’s opinion of Obama and am glad to see him
O
N defend the president against pointless accusations. Overall, this article would be
interesting to an audience already familiar with key tenets of psychology but
perhaps confusing to a more general reader.
Introduce
publication
company,
title, and
author.
No opinion in
the summary
(first
paragraph).
Answer who,
what, where,
when, why,
how.
In the second
paragraph—
the evaluation,
include your
opinion. Did
you like it or
dislike it?
Why? Do you
agree or
disagree?
Why?
Was it well
written?
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y