Childhood Story

When trying to think of a childhood story to talk about, I realized that the majority of the stories I was familiar with were about either about animals or about men and boys. The few stories I knew where the main character was a girl were about how the girl was waiting for her “prince charming” to come along and save her or some variation thereof. Examples of these scenarios include Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.

Cinderella has to wait on her aunt and cousins hand and foot. Her only hope to get out of this demeaning role is to have the prince fall in love with her. At the ball, Cinderella appears gorgeous in her beautiful dressed and she dances gracefully with the prince. The prince instantly falls in love with her and they have a wonderful time until she has to leave at midnight before her beautiful clothes disappear and she becomes a common peasant. Cinderella loses a slipper in her hurry to escape by midnight and the prince finds it. He is determined to find to whom it belongs. He goes through the town checking everyone to see if it belongs to them. Finally, when it he tries it on Cinderella, it fits her perfectly. He realizes what class she is from, how she is poor, and how she is not from the upper class. This does not mean anything to him because he only cared for what was underneath. In the end, Cinderella is saved by her prince charming and no longer has to clean and cook for her evil aunt and cousins.

In a way, this story teaches girls that they can be who they are and not have to try to impress people for someone to like them. They do not need fancy clothes or have to dress a certain way to be accepted. True relationships, friendships, or love should not be based on social class, appearances, or clothes; they should be based on understanding the other person and accepting them for whom they are.

Also, these types of stories make it seem like the only way a woman or girl can get out of a difficult situation is to find a man and marry him. These stories make it seem like the man always saves the girl. There never seem to be any situations where the woman is valued for her brains and personality as a means of success. Success seems to depend on being beautiful so as to attract a man. Then, although the couple appears to live happily ever after, the woman is dependent on the man and the relationship seems shallow as it is never developed in these stories.

Emerson's Nature

The lines I chose were…

“In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, -- no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintances, -- master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.”

I picked these lines because I can relate to them from my experiences. Every summer I go to Wyoming to a dude ranch where I spend much time outdoors in the surrounding Grand Teton National Forest. If I ride horses or hike through this national wilderness preserve, I feel at peace and forget about the pressures and time constraints at home or about anything else that is bothering me. I am able to relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery and the perfectly deep blue sky. I, like Emerson, stand in awe of nature. I wonder how the towering, snow-capped peaks high lighted with wispy, feathery clouds came to be. I marvel at the countless varieties of intricate plants I encounter on my hikes. I am amazed at how the bison, bears, elk, and moose make this rugged land their home. Being so close to all this natural wonder makes me content and peaceful. I feel like nothing can bring my spirit down or ruin my mood. Being in Wyoming makes me feel like I am part of this striking Nature.

Starry Night- Vincent Van Gogh

The painting that I chose is Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. I have liked this painting ever since I was little. First, I am moved by the use of curves in this painting. It makes the night sky seem exciting, vibrant, and undulating. The curves even make the landscape look like it is rolling and changing. Even though the curves add a dynamic appeal, the painting still feels peaceful and calm. There is a sense of serenity. Next, I like this painting because of Van Gogh’s use of blues and yellows (blue is my favorite color). The different shades of blues and yellows give the sky a majestic feeling. It makes me feel like nature is a magnificent, yet uncontrollable force. Lastly, the stars remind me of how bright the stars are at the dude ranch where I go in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here, the stars shine so clearly and brightly against the dark wilderness. There are no reflections from city lights or car headlights to diminish the impact of the heavenly stars. Van Gogh’s orbital swirls of his painting remind me of the celestial beauty of the Milky Way that I see each summer at the ranch. This painting reminds me of the blissfully quiet and peaceful nights in Wyoming. It makes me appreciate nature and realize how small man really is.

Wright's Realization

At the end of the novel Wright realizes that the Communist Party has many limitations and he no longer wants to be one of its members. He first joined the Party because he thought communists did not have racial prejudices; and he was accepted even though he was black. However, he realized that the communists were prejudiced against his education. They considered him an “intellectual” and wanted to fire him from his writing job because he wouldn’t conform to their way of thinking. They did not like the tone of his thoughts. The Party members were afraid of him for having independent thoughts and not conforming to their mold. They “habitually feared a man who stood alone” (373). Even those members whom he thought were his friends accused him of being a Trotskyite and a traitor. Despite the fact that Wright “had officially (been) accused of nothing, he was an open enemy in their eyes” (381). Finally, Wright was physically thrown out of a demonstration march the communists were holding. This was the last straw. He realized these men were ignorant and did not understand that Richard was only trying to write about blacks and party members as human beings. He was only trying to understand their feelings and reasons for joining the Party.

Although he had “suffered a public physical assault”, he was not “belligerent” as he realized he had “outgrown (his) childhood”. Wright knew that these people were blind and their purpose was wrong. Communism was not about helping people to become better or to help them stand on their own feet and think. Rather, it was about accepting the party’s rules and fitting into the party’s mold. Being a Communist was a blind commitment to a faith that was ill-conceived. Wright realized he would “never again make so total a commitment of faith” (382). He was growing up and would have to search and figure out where he fit in. He would have to get back to analyzing and writing about how “to live a human life”. He had a “hunger for a new way to live”, yet it scared him. He was not sure what to do or where to go. He only knew he wanted a better life. When he realized this, he tried to write, but his feelings got in the way. He wanted to be able to choose the right words to express his thoughts, but it would be a struggle. Yet, he would be hopeful and wait until he knew what to say. Through his writing, he would use his words to “build a bridge” between himself and the “world outside” to keep alive what was “inexpressibly human.”

Arists and Politicians at Opposite Poles

If you apply Wright’s theory that artists and politicians stand at opposite poles to the communist part, then it is true. An artist would spend time thinking about life and how it worked. They would concentrate on the enhancements of life and then the politician would use this information. The politician would then organize people into different groups and if the artist’s information was not accurate or sufficient, then the politician would get upset. The artist would be striving for something not harmful, but something that would help explain things better to people. If the politician did not like it or agree with it, then he would think the artist as an enemy of communism.

Also, on a bigger scale, a writer writes what they see and view of life. They write their opinions and do not particularly change their thinking for the readers. Once they write something, it is permanent. They cannot change it and people will be able to read it. However, politicians typically say what they think their listeners want to hear. If they give speeches, they can change what they say from place to place just to get more people to like them and agree with their opinions.

Parenthesis Passage

Starting with part two of Black Boy, Wright uses the technique of making analytical comments through passages in parenthesis. In Chapter 15 Wright in concerned about not having found himself yet in his life. Wright has just moved to Chicago in the North and must learn that his view of the separation of white and black is based on his southern values. These values cause him to be suspicious of whites and constantly feel a sense of racial attack. He says that he would rather live in a feudal system because it would have defined him, limited him, ranked him, and would have given him a function in society as opposed to living in America where “culturally the Negro represents a paradox” (272). In America, Wright sees the irony that even though blacks are part of the nation, they are excluded from the culture since they are not given the same opportunity and are considered socially and intellectually inferior.

Wright also talks about how “color hate” has defined black life and how this hatred forms. This prejudice against skin color has made black life socially below that of white people and has caused black people to have self-hate. He talks about the reason why blacks hate themselves is because they are in a predominately white culture that hates them. Since they feel all this hatred towards them, it makes these black people hate themselves. They hate the fact that their lives are so thoroughly conquered by the whites that their lives are conditioned by the white’s attitudes. This in turn causes the blacks to hate the whites for evoking their self-hatred. This self-hatred causes blacks to be at war with themselves and with reality. It makes them hate themselves for thinking they can get somewhere in life when in reality they can not. None of their dreams are possible as the blacks have been molded into a second-class life form created by whites and the blacks do little to rise above this situation.

The quote I liked most from this chapter was “And, slowly, it was upon exactly that nothingness that my mind began to dwell, that constant sense of wanting without having, of being hated without reason” (267). Wright is just beginning to realize that he wants to write about the plight and suffering of the Negro race. Wright wants to explain and express the unconscious suffering that blacks have endured; he wants to reveal their “psyche pain” caused by their environment. He wants to show them as humans and as an important part of American culture.

End of Part 1

I think the change that happens at the end of part 1 for Wrights is good morally and mentally, but I am not sure if it is good logically. It is a good decision for him because he is getting out of the South. He no longer has to act how white people perceive him to be. He can be himself. He no longer has to try to read white’s minds, worry about someone killing him, or cover himself. He has the opportunity to make something of himself if he times it right.

However, when going to the North, Wright is not guaranteed a job and is taking another risk. It could be tough for a black man to get a job. White people might not hire him because they do not like the idea about how black people are coming north and are competing with white people for jobs. Even though it is the north, it does not mean there won’t be any discrimination or prejudices. He might not get as good as a job as he had at the optical company. There he made decent money and he made money to bring his brother and mom to Memphis.

Wright Steals!

I think Wright’s reasoning behind his stealing made sense. He realized what stealing meant and it took him a long time to get the courage to do it. He thought about how if he got caught, he would probably not even go to jail, but he would be killed. He never thought about directly being dishonest or breaking the law until he was so fed up with trying to act how a “black” person should act towards whites and he kept losing his jobs. He knew that he could no longer control and hide his emotions towards white. He figured if he would stay any longer, his chances of being caught by saying the wrong word or doing the wrong thing towards a white person would come. He did not want to think of what the consequences would be.

He had to get out of the South, but the only way to get enough money to travel was to steal. One day, he was finally pushed to the limits. He decided to participate in the scandal with the movie tickets, he stole a gun, and he stole food and sold them elsewhere. He made enough money to go to Memphis.

His reasoning behind stealing makes sense because he understands his situation and he knows the only way to get out of the South before he does something that would get him killed is to steal in order to make money. In the end, it pays off.

"Learning to Live in the South"

By “learning how to live in the South” Griggs means that Wright should start acting like white people perceive and expect blacks to act. He has to be subservient to whites. Wright must listen to and do what the white people tell him. Griggs told him he must get out of their way and think before he spoke or acted. Wright had to be respectful of whites and make sure he said “no sir” and “yes ma’am” to them. He had to hide his emotions and the fact that he was upset when whites treated him unfairly. If he did not pretend to accept his lower status in this white society, it would make white people believe that he thought he was equal to them. This could lead to white people getting upset and maybe physically hurting him. Also, by not behaving as white’s expected him to act, it caused him to lose or quit several jobs.

Changing the way he behaved was hard for Wright to do. He normally he did not look at people and give much thought to whether they were white or black. They were just people and he did not treat them any differently depending on their color. Now, he realized that in the South there was a difference between what one could or could not do based on race. White people wanted to feel superior to the blacks, but how Wright acted made them think that he thought he was equal to them. Griggs said this would create conflict so Wright must adjust his behavior to survive in the white world. He knew Griggs was right but it was impossible for Wright “to calculate, to scheme, to act, to plot all the time.” Wright believed blacks were wrong in giving into whites and taking so long to stand up for their rights as equal human beings. He firmly believed the status of race and class was artificial.

Justified Refusal of Speech

I think that Wright is correct in his stance to not saying the speech. His principal told him to write a graduating speech to say at graduation. Wright did this, but only to find that the principal already had a speech made up for him to say. He did not like this idea. His principal thought the he had to write the paper himself because “white” people were going to be there, not just black. He stuck up for what he believed in and was not “bought” into dealing with something that was “unclean”. He risked graduating high school to prove his point that it is not right for the principal to write students’ speeches for graduation just because white people are attending. Wright thought the speech should be his own. He knew that the speech the principal wrote was better than his, but he believed the speech did not say anything. His was cloudier, but it said exactly what it wanted to. It had meaning.

Wright and Uncle Tom Conflict

Wright is angry with his Uncle Tom for trying to whip him for talking “sassy” when in fact Wright was not being disrespectful. Uncle Tom woke up Wright to ask him what time it was. Wright responded that it was eighteen minutes past five and he indicated that his watch could be a few minutes slow or fast. When Wright did not give him a precise answer, his uncle became enraged and said that someone should teach this sassy “black imp” a lesson. Uncle Tom proceeded to tell Wright that he would give him a whipping that someone should have given him long ago. Uncle Tom’s reaction puzzled Wright as he did not believe he had said anything sassy; Wright was merely talking to his uncle like he would talk to anyone else.

Wright did not believe Uncle Tom had any right to whip him as the latter had recently moved in to Granny’s house. Uncle Tom had never been a part of his life and as such should not try to control the way Wright lived. Wright had been working and trying to help his Granny out for a while. Wright was not being impolite towards his uncle. Wright was determined he would not be beaten wrongly by someone simply who did not like his tone of voice. In addition, Wright deeply resented his Uncle Tom for telling him that he would “never amount to anything” and would end up in the gallows. Wright had dreams and pride and his uncle was not going to shatter them. As such, Wright insulted Uncle Tom by telling him he was not an example to him especially since all he did was to repair the bottom of chairs so people could sit in them.

Wright Shares His Writing

Wright felt gratified after sharing his writing. Even though his piece did not include a plot or action and was instead about longing and death, Wright was excited. He liked it no matter how bad it was because it was his own creation. Wright was not concerned that the woman to whom he read his piece looked astonished and bewildered. She was baffled trying to understand why Wright would want to write, let alone why writing would give him a great sense of gratification. Nonetheless, Wright was proud of his writing and the fact that he created a piece of writing that was his own. He smiled because he realized that his environment had nothing odder than “writing or the desire to express one’s self in writing”. Writing would become the medium through which he expressed his feelings and dealt with adversity caused by his environment. It would help him cope and understand his world. In addition it would be the means through which he would rise above his lower social class and hopefully make a difference.