The Writings of Richard Wright

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The Writings of Richard Wright

Throughout history, the writings of many talented authors have reflected the

time period in which they lived. Often the overall tone, and attitude

of the novel is due to factors such as the environment in which the author was raised, or moral ethics that were instilled into their way of thinking.

Richard Wright is an African-American author whose writings greatly

reflected the time period in which he lived in. Native Son and Black Boy

are two classic examples of Wright's works that are profoundly influenced

by the era in which he lived.

Wright was born on September 4, 1908, in Natchez, Mississippi on a

small farm much in the same manner that his hero, Bigger Thomas, began his

life. Deprived, poor, and segregated against, Wright spent much of his

early childhood in pain, fear, and shame. He was repeatedly beaten by his

mother and grandmother for trying to fight back at the segregation imposed

upon him. He was also beaten by whites to whom he had to turn for jobs and

he was resentful of the Jim Crow rules by which he...

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