Summary:
A synopsis of Richard Wright's book Black Boy, in which Wright tells of his life growing up as an African American in the 1920s and his urge to change social, political, and societal traditions. Wright influences the reader's views through a biased view on his life, evoking in the reader pity and sorrow through his negative interactions with white people.
Richard Wright is compelled by his thoughts and literary knowledge to challenge everyday Negro life during the early 20's. In "Black Boy", by Richard Wright, Richard writes about his life as a Negro in the 20's, and the urge he has to change social, political, and traditions of society. Richard influences the reader's views through a biased view on his life.
Richard' strife to modify the thoughts of society is evidenced when he chooses to publish his story, "The Voodoo of Hell's Half Acre." The publishing of his story challenges the very foundation of Negro life during Jim Crow Laws and symbolizes the many changes to come in history. Richard's story defies accepted Negro behavior on many levels of society. In Richard's family, religion is the adhesive property that binds his family together. Books were believed to be the writings of the devil in his household. Richard was always seen as the lost one in his family, and their views are only reassured when Richard actually writes a book, and chooses to include the word "Hell" in his title. In the Negro community, he is now seen as someone who believes he is white. This is shown when Griggs tells Richard "You don't act like a black..." Life for a Negro was all about work and getting by day after day. Books are seen as a luxury that has no purpose in this type of lifestyle. Richard's ability to read and write results in him being called an Intellect and white because this is a life style that whites had. In the white community, however, Richard is given little attention, but is now marked. Richard Wright is trying to say that we can be different and we do anything the whites can do. In writing his story, Richard is also provoking other Negroes to speak up and show their true potentials.
Richard defies religion throughout his life. When Richard was young, his aunts took him to church, but he refused to go because there is no proof that god exists. He tells his Aunt that he will believe when he sees an angel with his own eyes. Later he is forced to be baptized in love for his mother. Richard goes through life without believing in any religion. Richard Wright, the author, is trying to write that religion is no longer sacred, but is almost secular. Through his writing he suggested that if there really was a god, then how could god have let his mother, a loyal church goer, be punished this way.
Richard Wright uses a biased view through his life to influence the reader. The first technique he used was pity. Pity is first used when Richard receives a life of poverty. This gives the reader a feeling of sorrow for Richard and an urge to want fortunate things to happen to him. Bias is shown through out the novel constantly. Richard's interactions with the white people are always negative. When a somewhat positive thing occurs, a negative follows right after as if the writer is constantly reminding us that the white are bad. An example of this is when Richard gets a job in a diner. The white people there treat him as one of their own and everything goes well, but this couldn't last long and a new negative occurs right after. The white chef in the diner spits into everything she cooks. This constant reminder of white people being bad is repeatedly inscribed into the reader's mind.
This is the complete article, containing 584 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
