Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews April 4, 2024 March 28, 2024
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
Wright’s commentary on his dream of becoming a writer indicates the devastating reality of growing up black in the Jim Crow South. The reaction of Richard’s white boss upon learning that Richard wants to be a writer is predictable—vulgar, brutal, and contemptuous. Obviously, Richard can expect no support from the white community. The black community, however, is practically as unsupportive of Richard’s writing as the white community. Indeed, the black community’s reaction to the publication of Richard’s story is shocking: his friends are uncomprehending, and his family, with the exception of his concerned mother, is scornful.
This parallel between the white and black communities’ reactions to Richard’s aspirations reveals the degree to which the black imagination is oppressed in Richard’s culture. In one sense, Black Boy clearly stands as an indictment of racism in America and its negative effect on blacks. At the same time, however, it is an attempt on Wright’s part to criticize the black community itself for succumbing to the pressures of racism and allowing them to negatively influence their relations with one another. Of course, many black Americans in the South did derive benefits from their community, drawing positive strength from unifying forces such as religion. However, as Wright experienced particularly bad luck by being born into an abusive family that could not tolerate his individuality, he can highlight only the disastrous limitations of growing up in the South. Though only one perspective, Wright’s voice is nonetheless very important, and his point that the oppressed cannot afford to victimize themselves in the face of racism is powerful and salient.
While Richard’s actions at his graduation ceremony may seem like a satisfying moral victory, his disgust implies that it is merely the beginning of an adult life marked by more hardship, social exclusion, and dismal labor. Richard’s negative reaction after the ceremony is complicated but understandable. At first, it is not immediately clear why Richard feels disgust: being named valedictorian is quite an honor in itself, and in addition Richard has given his own speech, triumphing over those who had wanted him to compromise his standards and deliver the principal’s speech instead. Despite these seeming triumphs, Richard is nonetheless discouraged because the triumphs do not outweigh the discouraging facts of his life. Though continuing in the educational system—either as a teacher or as a higher-level student—would appear to be Richard’s best hope for advancement, the principal’s actions reveal how thoroughly corrupt this educational system is. Richard’s core values lead him to defy that corruption, but this defiance earns him only criticism from his community. Finally, with his education bound to end at the ninth grade, Richard knows that the only future jobs he can expect are degrading ones, just like the ones he has already had.
In retrospect, however, Wright indicates that his actions at graduation may have had some positive effects on the community. Though at the time he focused only on the negative aspects of the event, looking back he mentions that some people clapped, tried to shake his hand, and invited him to parties. Indeed, the audience did not shun him; rather, he shunned the audience. Richard’s response seems melodramatic, and we sense that at least part of Wright’s isolation as a youth may stem from such self-isolating actions that he initiates himself. Though his home life and social life are indeed undeniably difficult, Richard’s stubborn personality is another factor that hinders his growth.
Please wait while we process your payment