Du Bois's tone, though generally respectful and informative throughout The Souls of Black Folk, provides some insight into how he views his fellow Black Americans—particularly those less educated than himself. While demanding that Black people in America be afforded important educational opportunities, he simultaneously reveals through tone that he looks down on those less educated than himself, despite understanding the reasons for such widespread Black illiteracy.
In Chapter 4, for instance, he discusses the poor, rural Black people he met while teaching, approaching their lives and problems with condescension, as a white anthropologist might. Despite taking pains to educate their children, it is clear Du Bois views the people there as simple, in need of saving:
I saw much of this family afterwards, and grew to love them for their honest efforts to be decent and comfortable; and for their knowledge of their own ignorance.
While clearly Du Bois cares about this family and wants the best for them, his tone is rather paternalistic. This is exacerbated by the academic, literary elements of his writing that seep into how he talks: as a Fisk and Harvard graduate, the man is highly educated, a fact that comes across in his tone and feeds into the more condescending, paternalistic elements.
