Essay on Black Boy
Black Boy Richard Wright wrote Black Boy which is a biography about his life in the south. He was born September 4th 1908 in Mississippi. He was raised in the turbulent times in the south where race relations were very tense. He has written several books besides Black Boy, such as Uncle Tom’s Children, Native Son, and The Outsider. Black Boy was published in 1945 and was received with open arms from the black community but however it saw a great opposition in the south.
They believed that it portrayed a false representation and it was nothing but a book for slander. There was then an attempt to have it banned for social reasons. It was not only because of the negative aspect of the south but also to try and squander the literary advancement of a black person. This book is an autobiography of Richard Wright explaining the injustices and social stigmas that he had to go through as a child and young man.
His frustrations with his living conditions eventually erupt so much he escapes to the north after saving his money and living frugally. This book also shows how terrible the treatment of blacks were at that time. The jobs they were allowed to maintain, their living conditions, and especially the suppression of them intellectually is a huge theme that is strung throughout the book. I believe that this book should be available to everyone that will gain something beneficial from it.
By that I mean this book isn’t suitable for young children not only because some of the things said are vulgar and violent but it wouldn’t give them a message that they would understand. It would only confuse them and expose them to words that they would abuse without knowing the true meaning or context. In the issue of banning from the public I don’t agree with that at all. Just because people in power don’t enjoy having their dirty laundry out in the public isn’t a legitimate reason for a book to be banned from the public.
