Black Boy Book Report

597 Words3 Pages
One key item was missing from the Jim Crow South and that was equality. The Declaration of Independence (one of America’s most cherished documents) states that “all men are created equal” in the second paragraph. Despite this claim, the blacks of this time were constantly being persecuted and ridiculed for doing things that would be socially acceptable today. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the South was an area full of racial tension. Black Boy presents both evidence of wide-spread American racism and gives a narrative of the development of Richard Wright. Having been a child during the Jim Crow South, Richard had constant pressure to submit to white authority. Even from an early age, however, Richard…show more content…
His grandmother (who was very strict) believed that reading or writing about any other topic other than God to be sinful. Richard's friends considered him to be silly, unrealistic, and possibly dangerous. All through his childhood, Richard suffered violent acts from his family because he dared to rebel against the black role of being humble and silent. In this book, he often challenges the black community with the job of continuing the thought of white racism. As Richard grew older, he realized that his being black was, in the minds of white Southerners, equivalent to being a “boy.” White people maintained the illusion of being superior by calling blacks their children. They also maintained the idea that blacks did not have fully developed minds or emotions. One prime example of this persecution occurred when Richard was called into a room at the hotel in which he was a bellhop. The white couple inside did not even care about getting dressed, assuming that he would have no interest in them being completely naked. Also, in a job interview, he was bluntly asked the question “Do you steal?” (as if to assume that all blacks were thieves). Richard began to grow critical. Not of the white people who tended to treat blacks like children, but of blacks who would be willing to lower themselves---such as an elevator operator who
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