Color Hate

"Color hate defined the place of black life as below that of white life; and the black man, responding to the same dreams as the white man, strove to bury within his heart his awareness of this difference because it made him lonely and afraid. Hated by whites and being an organic part of the culture that hated him, the black man grew in turn to hate himself that which others hated in him (Wright, p.266)"

Explain Richard Wright's quote and his views on how "Color Hate" guided the choices he made throughout the beginning chapters of Part Two.

Them vs. Us

"When you're in front of white people, think before you act, think before you speak. Your way of doing things is all right among our people, but not for white people. They won't stand for it." (Ch. 9)

Question 1: Griggs provides Richard his insight into the ideology of the dichotomies of race. Explain Griggs' rationale in the above quote. What insight does the reader receive about race relations and interactions during this time period? (Provide specific textual support)

Question 2: In what other groupings do we, as a society, place individuals today? Are our perceptions/ ideologies justified?

The Talk of the Black Boy

Richard Wright writes of his childhood, "The touchstone of fraternity was my feeling toward white people, how much hostility I held towards them, what degrees of value and honor I assigned to race. None of this was premeditated, but sprang spontaneously out of talk of black boys who met at the crossroads" (Wright, 78).

Explain the impact of Wright's insertion of the formatted "talk of the black boy" in Chapter Three. What effect does this strategy have on the reader and their understanding of racial dynamics? (site information from the text) 

Little Richard

"His strength shall be hunger-bitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side." -Job

Explain how this quote taken from Richard Wright's novel, Black Boy, is paralled with the early life of "Little Richard".

Careless Couple

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."

Do you agree or disagree that Tom and Daisy should arguable be considered "careless people"? Support your response with evidence from the text. (This response can only be fully answered after reading the entire novel.)

Nick, the Narrator

What is Nick like as a narrator? Is he a reliable storyteller, or does his version of events seem suspect? How do his qualities as a character affect his narration?

Re-writing through Reading

“Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.” Angela Carter

How have your reading experiences allowed you to "re-write" history?