December 7th: Black Boy

Yes, December 7th is also National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, but we'll be meeting to discuss Black Boy by Richard Wright.

Black Boy differs from all of the texts we've read before in one important way: it's a true story. If you look for it in the bookstore or at the library, you'll find it in the Autobiography section--not in Fiction. But Black Boy is different from a lot of autobiographies, too, in that it reads like literature, hence its place in our Literature Discussion Group.

What is Literature?
So maybe this is a good time to talk about what it is, exactly, that qualifies something as "literature." What are the requirements a novel has to meet before it can earn that lofty distinction and be declared to have literary merit? Is the Twilight Saga literature? Does The Chocolate War count? What about Harry Potter?

Think this over for the 7th, and . . .

Do a Little Writing
Peruse the questions below--which are more specific to Black Boy--as well. Address your favorite topic below (or a topic of your own) in something between a paragraph and a page or so. Be ready to discuss the others, too.

1. Richard Wright lived in poverty for much of his childhood and was often hungry. Aside from physical hunger, what other kinds of hunger did Wright experience throughout his life?

2. In the beginning of Chapter Three, Wright shows how dialogue worked between he and his friends, using quotations followed by the group's reaction to the spoken words. Why do you think he presents this interaction this way? What effect does this technique achieve?

3. As a young child, Wright is beaten. A lot. How does this form of violence affect his relationship with his mother? How does it affect his relationships with others? His world view? Do you think his mother is justified in her treatment of him? Why or why not?

4. Books and words have great meaning for Wright throughout the course of this narrative. Why do you think literature becomes so important for him? What risks does he take to gain access to literature and learning? Why does he take these risks? What kinds of things would you be willing to put yourself at risk in order to obtain or achieve?

5. How is Wright's attitude toward white people shaped during his childhood? How--and at what points--does it alter throughout his life? Point to specific passages in the book to support your statements

6. Remember the Heinz Dilemma? Lawrence Kohlberg's anecdote about the man whose wife was dying and needed medicine that he couldn't afford? What do you think Richard Wright would choose to do if faced with this scenario? Explain why you believe as you do.

7. Wright grew up in what is referred to as the "Jim Crow South." Find the origin of this phrase and explain some of the "Jim Crow" laws that existed in the south in the 20th Century. What finally put an end--at least in legal terms--to the Jim Crow Era?

Happy Reading! See you on the 7th.