Literature Analysis #1

Black Boy by Richard Wright

1. Richard Wright endured a violent and painful childhood. He was the biggest trouble maker in the family, and his family didn't value him as much as his younger brother. At age four, he set his house on fire and forced his family to move to different states in the south. Wright's dad left his family, and they never knew anything about him. At age six, Wright was an alcoholic and got drunk everyday. His family faced poverty, which forced Wright to get his act together and find a job to help his family. While working for white people he learns about racism and how to adapt to it. By age 16, Wright proves to have an obsession of reading and writing. His dream is to become a writer and move North. Wright steals, cheats, and lies to get enough money to travel north to Memphis. Wright finds and quits jobs repeatedly in Memphis. His obsession of novels grows and he isolates himself, which results in having problems socializing. Wright realizes that in order to achieve his dream he would have to move to Chicago. Wright was shocked when he arrived in Chicago because everyone was treated equal. He finds several jobs, but then the Great Depression hits and he ends up without a job. Later, Wright finds a job in a hospital and joins the Communist Party. He faces several threats from the Communist Party and decided to quit. Wrights solution is to write and that's exactly what he does.

2. The major theme of this novel is racism. Racism deeply affected the way Richard Wright lived and his personality. For example, one of his bosses would force Wright to fight another boy named Harrison. They were separated once they were at a point of collapsing of exhaustion. Racism prevents Wright from interacting normally. He is constantly worried of doing or saying something wrong in front of people because he fears he might get killed or severely punished.

3. I chose this book because I like reading about how blacks were treated back then. Once I read the first few pages, I knew I was going to like it because the way Wright lived really interested me. My friend recommended this book to me and said it was very fascinating and inspirational, so I decided to read it.

4. This book was realistic because it is an autobiography based on Richard Wright's life. Racism still takes place till today. Racism still exists in many countries like the U.S. For example, Rosa Parks can be a connection to this book because of the way whites treated her. Wright and Park both lived their lives dealing with racism and trying to stand for what is right.

5. The author's tone was depressing and inspirational, but quite humorous. The tone was depressing because Wright loses hope of being successful and would get tired of the way he lived like of starvation and poverty. "I held my life in my mind, in my consciousness each day, feeling at times that I would stumble and drop"(253). Wright was inspirational throughout the whole book. No matter what he faced, such as mistreatment or starvation, he would never give up and fight for what was right. "I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of the hunger for life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human"(384). In the beginning  the tone is humorous because of all the bad things Wright says and does as a child. While his grandmother was bathing him, he said, "When you get through, kiss back there"(41). Wright obviously didn't know what that meant because he was young. He eventually got punished for saying that.

6. simile-"The days of my past, of my youth, were receding from me like a rolling tide, leaving me alone upon high, dry ground, leaving me with a quieter and deeper consciousness"(382). This basically means that Wright's past was now forgotten and that he was going to start a new life.

hyperbole-"leaving an aching streak of fire burning and quivering on my skin"(41). This explains how hard and painful Wright's Granny hits him.

metaphor-"I could fling a spark into this darkness"(383). This statement explains how someone could bring something positive to a bad day. For example, if someone is having a bad day, someone can bring that person a cupcake to bring happiness into a dark day.

simile-"whites regarded Negroes as animals"(188). During this time, whites would treat blacks as if they were not humans. They would kill them if they would tell a lie or simply punish them for stating their opinion.


 Direct Characterization

•  "I became angry because I knew that they knew I was lying"(269). This is direct characterization because it reveals that Richard did not like to lie and felt sinful. He lied in order to don't lose his job as a porter and to protect himself.


• "I was dreaming of running and playing and shouting, but the vivid image of Granny's old, white, wrinkled, grim face, framed by a halo of tumbling black hair, lying upon a huge feather pillow, made me afraid"(3). This basically describes how Richard Wright's grandmother looked and how much he feared her. She would constantly beat him, which made Wright scared to even make noise when playing with his toys.

Indirect Characterization

• "Here, take this dollar and buy yourself some food," he said
• "No sir," I said
•  "Don't be a fool," he said. "You're ashamed to take it. God, boy, don't let a thing like that     stop you from taking a dollar and eating."(232). This explains how Richard feels it is not right to take money, that he has not earned himself. Even though, he is starving, he is not willing to take the money. He felt ashamed and embarrassed to take the money.

• When Hoover threatened to drive the bonus marchers from Washington, one negro Communist speaker said:
• "If her drives the bonus marchers out of Washington, the people will rise up and make a revolution!"
• "You know that even if the United States Army actually kills the bonus marchers, there'll be no revolution!" I said
• You don't know the indignation of the masses!" he exploded.
• "But you don't seem to know what it takes to make a revolution," I explained. "Revolutions are rare occurrences."
• "You underestimate the masses," he told me.
• "No, I know the masses of Negroes very well," I said. "But I don't believe that a revolution is pending. Revolutions come through concrete historical processes..."
• "You're an intellectual," he said
• This conversation shows how Richard grows as a person. When he was a young teenager, he would be scared to state his opinion. In this conversation, Richard demonstrates he has grown by not being afraid to speak for what he believes.

2. Yes, Wright does use diction throughout the novel. He used diction by showing how one acts, the scenery looks, and describes the characters in different ways. For example,  in this statement, "Suddenly Griggs reached for my arm and jerked me violently, sending me stumbling three or four feet across pavement." His diction can be interpreted in several ways. The white man did that to teach Richard a lesson. His diction can also be imagery. This statement provides a picture in your mind of how a man can throw a child and trying to hurt him. His diction allows you to read on about  how Richard is growing up and learning about life.

3.Richard is a dynamic character. In the beginning of the novel, Richard is disrespectful and stubborn. He was always punished through physical violence for his bad behavior. Nobody in his family really valued him or loved him because of his personality and behavior. He was went through emotional isolation. He would always burry his feeling deep in his body and never let them out. Reading and writing allowed him to open up about his feelings and make his life more meaningful. He changes throughout the story. Towards the end, Wright becomes a more positive person. He developed a high self-esteem, in which he believes he could do more, be more, and achieve more. His high- self esteem allows him to accomplish his dream of becoming a writer. He also becomes definitely more mature and responsible. For example, when the book starts he lights his house on fire, gets into fights, and gets drunk. His character throughout the story changes.

4.  After reading this book, I felt that I have met Richard Wright. Whenever he was in a situation, I sort of knew what he was going to do because I knew his personality well. I felt like I was traveling with him through his journey of life.

Enduring Memory

I expect to remember how hard and  painful life was in 1912 through 1937for the blacks. Wright endured a life full on isolation, racism, and violence. He is a role model because he was very poor and managed to become a successful writer. Richard never gave up no mater what obstacles he faced. For example, he failed to meet the requirements to work at the post office because he was underweight. Within a year he persevered his goal of reaching 120 pounds by stuffing himself with food when he was already full. This novel made me realize how thankful I should be for having a good, healthy life. I am quite thankful that racism isn't an enormous issue where I live, but it still remains an issue in other parts of the U.S. I am thankful that my family actually provides me with things to be healthy and successful such as plenty of food, medical attention, and school supplies. On the other hand, Richard had to start working at the age of twelve to pay his families bills and provide them with food. So, I expect to remember Richard Wright at an example to follow.