Black Boy Essay Research Paper One main

Black Boy Essay, Research Paper

One main point of the United States Constitution was missing from the

Jim Crow South: equality. The Constitution clearly states that “all

men are created equal,” but in the Jim Crow era blacks were

continuously persecuted for something that would be acceptable in

today’s society. In the early 20th century the South was a place of

racial prejudice, discrimination, and hate; blacks could be punished

for simply looking at a white person in the wrong manner. Punishments

included arrest, beating, even lychings were a common part of the age.

This is how life was while Richard Wright was growing up; but in his

autobiography Black Boy we learn that despite his being a black boy in

the Jim Crow South, born on a Mississippi plantation, he is eventually

able to achieve success. Although independence was a crucial factor

that enabled Richard Wright to succeed, his rebelliousness,

intelligence, and perseverance were also important contributing

factors.

Richard Wright was an independent person by nature. Throughout the

book Richard never seemed to have an extreme emotional attachment to

anyone. It was as if he did not need or want anyone’s assistance or

approval, except his own. Ever since Richard was very young he was

forced to be independent. When he mother had her stroke, Richard was

forced to take charge and become the person of the house and he would

accept no one’s help. “Though I was a child, I could no longer feel as

a child, could no longer react as a child…When the neighbor’s offered

me food, I refused, already ashamed that so often in my life I had to

be fed by strangers.”(pg.97) While Richard was living at his Granny’s

his independence really started to show through. All Richard ever

thought about was leaving to go to the North; especially after being

ridiculed for writing his story, The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre. No

one supported him. He wanted to be able to do what he wanted to, by

himself. “I drea! med of going north and writing books and

novels.”(pg.186) Once Richard was on his own he felt free of the

burden, of other people’s opinions that had tied him down his entire

life.

Along with independence, his rebelliousness was another beginning point

of Wright’s drive to make it in a white man’s world. The very first

sign we see of the rebel in Wright is when he is only four years old.

Richard and his brother are playing with a stray cat one day when his

father orders them to get rid of the cat because it is making a lot of

noise and Mr. Wright is trying to sleep, he even remarks, “Kill that

damn thing!” (pg.18) That is just what Richard intends to do. He

knows his father was just speaking figuratively because he was upset,

but Richard also knows that if his father could not punish Richard

without risking his authority. A second point at which Richard shows

the rebellion in him was when he was about to graduate from the ninth

grade. Richard was chosen as valedictorian of his class. As class

valedictorian, Richard was responsible for delivering a speech at his

graduation, to be held at one of the local public auditoriums. One day

shortly before! the graduation ceremony is scheduled to take place

Richard is summoned to the principal’s office. The principal hands

Richard a speech he has prepared for Richard to read. Richard has

already written his one speech and refuses to read the principal’s

work. When told that he will not be allowed to graduate without

abiding the principal and reading his speech, Richard’s reaction is:

“…this ninth-grade diploma isn’t going to help me much in life. I’m

not bitter about it, it’s not your fault. But I’m just not going to do

things this way.” Again, Richard has triumphed over an adult, this

time simply by defying an adult’s decree and doing the right thing.

Being an independent and rebellious youth, Richard also became a

success due to his intelligence. Richard’s intelligence was not only

acquired but also gifted. As a very young boy without any formal

education he already had a real hunger for knowledge and desired to

learn all, and anything, he could. Richard’s aptitude was first

described in Black Boy at the age of four. One morning Mrs. Wright

informed Richard that while she was at work coal that she ordered was

to be delivered to the house and that Richard would be responsible for

paying the man. When the coal man arrived with the delivery, Richard

gave him the money that his mother had left. When the man asked how

much change he owed Richard, Richard replied that he did not know, he

could not count. So the man began to teach Richard to count.

“He counted to ten and I listened carefully; then he asked me

to count alone and I did. He then made me memorize the

words twenty, thirty, forty etc., then told me to

add

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