Richard Wright's Black Boy paper

Intro:
“I could, of course, forget what I had read, thrust the whites out of my mind, forget them; and find release from anxiety and longing in sex and alcohol. But the memory of how my father had conducted himself made that course repugnant. If I did not want others to violate my life, how could I voluntarily violate myself.” pg. 253 In Black Boy, an autobiography by Richard Wright, the struggles are shown in finding an identity while living through losses and beatings of all kinds. Richard truly had an innocent life as a small child. He was curious, stubborn, and just wanted to grow up. But once he did, he learned and realized what life is like living with racism and misfortune. Through reading numerous books, he found the truth in life; becoming more insurgent internally, and more aware and understanding of the life around him. Richard Wright’s autobiography isn’t a lesson plan, and once we can feel our rawest emotions, that huge impression, we will begin to understand. This isn’t like a textbook; it was meant to be read with each struggle. Throughout the whole book, you see his transformation from a little child with only enough understanding to suffice his imagination to a young man with more knowledge than most of the whites, and definitely more than the other Negroes.

i am not in my top english class

i am in the average one.

am i happy with it?

no.

will i go to the higher level next year

most likely

because i am inbetween.



i do not possess that secret

the one that gives some kids just the beauty of writing

i write okay

not mediocre, but not far from that either.

i wish i could though.



i am the best student in my average class.

it is apparent the way i am chosen to always read

they admire me for being so good

so they will move me up.



my english classes are rollercoasters

first i am top of my average class,

and then i get moved up to 'smart' english

only to be jerked back down again the next year.



is it fair?

hardly.

because i need an inbetween class

the level just for me

where i am among those smart students

the ones who'll go onto Harvard and Yale

cause without it,

my high school years will be like a rollercoaster,

loop-the-loops and corkscrews

when all i wanted was to make it up that steep incline

before i go go down fast

ready to write.

not even a dent

books

tons and tons

millions and millions

but i'll only read a few of them.



don't get me wrong

i love to read

the books that just suck you in

so you're up to 2 am on a school night

not even aware of the time.



i love it.



i am not a book nerd

not even the slightest

but that cozy feeling

the one where you curl up next to a fire

lounge under an umbrella at a beach

just wow...........



i will read dozens of books a year
the long novels, the short ones
but i can promise you
i'll never make a dent in the piles of books in this world