For you there can be no real distance between writing and politics. And when I saw that in you, I saw myself.
-- Ta-Nehisi Coates (chapter 1 paragraph NA)

Importance: Coates employs the first-person direct address in "Journalism Is Not a Luxury" to establish trust with his reader. He is identifying an immediate point of connection with his audience, which affects an intimate tone. At the same time, this passage establishes Coates's overarching interest in exploring writing as a tool for connection, communication, and understanding.

And it is not enough to stand against these dissemblers. There has to be something in you, something that hungers for clarity.
-- Ta-Nehisi Coates (chapter 1 paragraph NA)

Importance: Coates employs a determined, assertive authorial tone in this passage to call his reader to action. He is also using the second-person point of view, which wraps his audience into his proposition for change. He is insisting that to combat systems of oppression and erasure, one must claim one's voice and...