Introduction
Black Boy is an autobiographical work by Richard Wright. The author examines his life from childhood to the times when he joined Communist Party, his adult years in Chicago. The work concerns such issues as race in the South. It was first published in 1945 clearly reflecting the streams and atmosphere of those years. This essay will reveal the motif of one close read paragraph by Richard Wright from Black Boy, the language, and the way he conveyed the following idea â Richard has been a real inventor, thirsty for new experience leader, and willing for education since childhood.
Focus on a Motif
The black boy, living in poverty since his very childhood and suffering from race discrimination ever since Afro-Americans began to rebel, Richard was a person thirsty for knowledge. He loved learning new information and senses. As a child, he was a marvelous inventor as is stated further in the close read paragraph. Richard speculated: âI lived on what I did not eatâ, literally showing that reading replaces the need for food or any other physical necessity. Showing a hard life path throughout the entire work, Richard forces the reader to read between the lines of the following paragraph and understand that the protagonist was doomed to be a survivor since he was very young, this entailed his further resolute character.
Black Boyâs Close Read Paragraph
A paragraph under consideration starts with âI wandered listlessly about the roomâŠâ and ends âMy brother shook his headâ. This is one of those parts where the author exercises his ability to capture the reader with marvelous epithets and
descriptions. So, the language is descriptive so that the reader understands the mood of Richard and overall atmosphere. He, being a four-year-old boy âwandered listlesslyâ at the beginning, he was offended to not being allowed to fool around, yell, and scream as all kids like. The language is chosen precisely to convey the thought of complete boredom that took place in the room for Richard and his younger brother. Then some kind of interest interesting thoughts start evolving in boyâs head, the excitement builds up as Richard sees the embers, being âfascinated by the quivering coalsâ. The key word here is âfascinatedâ, it shows the evolving interest and a plan to play a game after a dull âroom had nothing of interestâ for boys. So, with the development of excitement, the author shows the way the boy seeks for adventures, he âhunted aroundâ and found what to burn in the fire â the broom. Since âburning straws was a teasing kind of funâ, Richardâs brother go involved, too. So, Richard has always been a leader and initiator of things, thirsty for new experience. The next lines by the author only support the thesis that Richard was a man of utmost curiosity: â⊠I was wondering ⊠how ⊠white curtains would look if I lit a bunch of straws⊠under them â. This is an incredible proof of Richard Wright being revolutionary.
Conclusion
It is quite possible to talk about the symbols of his life implemented in this small paragraph: âstrawsâŠheld them to fire until they blazedâ, just like his entire activity concerning the issues of race thought the life, he lit people with his ideas and beliefs. The language and phrases from the paragraph support the argument of Richardâs being rebellious since early childhood.