Read the excerpt from Notes of a Native Son. In that year I had had time to become aware of the meaning of all my father's bilter warnings, had discovered the secret of his proudly pursed lips and rigid carriage: I had discovered the weight of white people in the world.. I saw that this had been for my ancestors and now would be for me an awful thing to live with and that the bitterness which had helped to kill my father could also kill me. Baldwin's use of the word "weight" helps readers visualize the effects of racial prejudice as a burden that creates tension and strain in the body. builds muscle mass in the body. causes an inability to react to stress. eases up and lightens over time.