End of Book

Wright realized that you can’t always make a difference, but that you still need to try on the off chance that you spark interest in people and really do make a change. He also realized that it’s not only the African American race struggling, but all of the races. The world is not where it is supposed to be with acceptance, and it makes all of the races struggle. This is a highly intellectual realization, and it is one that will change Richard’s life. He realizes that he might not make an effect on the world, and things might not get better, but he needs to try just in case they do. This whole book is based on accounts of Richard Wright’s life, an have been building up to this moment where he finally comes to the self-actualization stage in his life. This is a psychological state in which you become fully comfortable with yourself, your life, and where you stand. Some people never reach this, but it seems that Richard has. Good for Richard. :]

Politicians v. artists

Artists and Politicians stand on opposite sides of the pole, but they meet together in the middle with a central idea. Both politicians and artists want to convey their ideas to their audience, however they differ because one is because of passion, and the other because of work. Politicians have to adjust their ideas to fit the popularity of their audience, however artists just convey what they feel emotionally, and don’t adjust it to their audience. Both stances take an opinion, and it is for the public, however it is how they come across doing it, and whether it is more for themselves, or for others. They are two very different professions, however they require the same goal.

One person

Yes, this is called, “the power of one.” Things have ot start with one person, and one person is all it takes. It takes a leader, and it takes determination, but that one person can change the world, indeed, that’s the only thing that ever has. One person can cause a rally, and get supporters. This is how every movement is started. Things start when one person stands up and says, “this isn’t right, and I’m going to do something about it.” After that, they gain supporters and advocates and they make a difference. It takes a strong person, and a passionate person, but that’s when things change.

Treating him differently

In this section, Wright describes how Hoffman treats him differently, but I thought it was strange how it doesn’t seem that Wright likes this. Wright was complaining while he was in the South about how he wanted Caucasian Americans to treat him differently, and now they are and he doesn’t like it. I think Wright is just confused about how he wants to be treated because he has been subjected to so much abuse he doesn’t understand. I believe Wright needs to come to terms with himself and what he believes, that way he can be comfortable with his new and confusing environment. Such a drastic change for Wright is expected to cause him some confusion, but he needs to either be happy with what he has, or figure out what he really wants. Secluding himself won’t help anything.

Positive change for Richard

I believe it’s a positive change because he’s finally taking things into his own hands. Before, he simply took the abuse, or quit the job. Now, he’s finally being proactive toward the situation and trying to better his life. I believe he will have a better chance in achieving his dreams of being a writer if he goes North. Richard is very intelligent for the average African American during his time period, and I think it’s good that he’s going North. Richard needs a fresh start. Every time he gets upset, he quits the job and returns back home. In the North, he doesn’t have a family to turn to, so it will force him to keep a job and be independent. Of course, if he doesn’t change his habits of quitting then he’s going to fail and the whole thing will be awful, but I don’t think that will happen.

Subservience

Subservience is something someone needs to be able to have, but also know when not to use it. For African Americans in the South during the time of segregation, subservience was expected and demanded, and required to make a living, or to not be killed. However, sometimes you do need to question what people tell you to know if it’s the right thing to do. Subservience is a necessary part of life, but within reason. You need to know how to listen to authority and be respectful, but you also need to know how to think for yourself, and how to say no. It all comes down to the situation, and knowing right from wrong. When you’re a worker, you have to have a certain level of respect and subservience to your boss and people in positions above you, however you have to also know when something’s not right, especially if you’re an African American during the time of slavery and segregation. You’re hired to be subservient, but subservience can also get you into a lot of trouble. For example, in Milgram’s psychology experiment, he had a person of authority tell another person to distribute electric shocks to people in a different room that they couldn’t see. 65% of people administered a deadly shock to the person in a different room, simply because the authority figure told them too. Of course, the people in the other room weren’t really getting administered shocks, and Milgrim’s ethics were later questioned, but this is an example of how subservience can lead you down a bad path. However, in the case of Richard Wright (which I believe I was actually supposed to be writing about all along but got carried away), subservience is very necessary because if he isn’t subservient then he gets beaten. In that time period, African Americans weren’t in a place to question authority or think over what people told them to do, they were to just do it.

dootdadoo

Wright means that most African American boys during that time had to deal with the Caucasian people earlier in their lives, and now they know how to act and what to say when spoken to. However, Wright was too busy in school to get a job, and now that he does have a job, he’s outraged by the Caucasian people and how they treat African Americans. He’s outraged by the treatment, and it always ends in him saying things that makes his bosses angry at him. He wishes that he would have had to deal with this when he was younger because then he would know more of what to do, and he wouldn’t be as outraged. He says, “I had begun coping with the white world too late. I could not make subservience an automatic part of my behavior.” He is saying that he can’t just automatically do whatever he’s told without questioning it or without thinking about it, because he was trained not to.

Richard is justified in not reciting the speech

I believe Richard was perfectly justified in not reciting the speech that the principal gave him because not only would it be plagiarism, but it would also go against all of his morals. Richard is a writer, and he has very strong morals. Never in this book, has Wright gone against his morals, and that’s because I don’t believe he can. Everyone has morals, and most everyone goes against them a few times in their life for personal gain, but it takes a special kind of person to not go against their morals even if it means missing an important opportunity like getting a job for Richard. I believe Richard, is that kind of special person. Also, why should Richard have to go against something he believes in for a job opportunity? It would be logical for him to go against his morals for personal gain, because that’s what it took for African Americans in that time period. However, Richard just isn’t that kind of person.

Why Richard is so angry at Uncle Tom

Wright is angry with Uncle Tom because he tried to punish him for being who he is. Uncle Tom has absolutely no authority in Richard’s life, therefore why should he be able to beat him? By being able to be beaten by someone with no authority in his life, gives Richard the feeling of complete vulnerability, like he is the property of others, and anyone can beat him if they please. Richard also doesn’t know what he did wrong. Richard was simply responding to the question Uncle Tom asked, and then all of a sudden he’s threatening to beat him. Richard doesn’t like the feeling of vulnerability, and he likes to understand and know everything. That’s why he asks so many questions. Richard gets this awful sense of vulnerability because he didn’t do anything, yet Uncle Tom, who doesn’t even have any authority in his life, is threatening to beat him. This doesn’t make any sense to Richard, therefore he becomes angry.

Richard's gratification

Richard feels gratified about sharing his writing because it showed him he has control over something. When she showed his writing to his neighbor, she was bewildered and she didn’t know why he would share this with her. It was this bewilderment , or any feeling, that Richard wanted. Everyone beats Richard, and he doesn’t seem to have any say in what happens in his life, and can’t change anything. However, by sharing his writing, he had control of his neighbor’s emotions. Richard felt gratified because he had a sense of control that he was looking for. It wasn’t necessarily control of himself, but control of others emotions, just like they have control over his. This writing also makes him feel better because he is letting out his feelings and expressing his hardships, which makes him feel better. By sharing it, other people understand.