Chapter Summary Of Quotes From 'Black Boy'

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Leonard Valckx Mr. Money English I 22 May 2024 Black Boy Hunger and Need Quote 1: “Hunger stole upon me so slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant” (Wright, p. 14, Chapter 1). Right after Richard’s father left the family in Memphis, his mother was hit by a huge financial roadblock. His father was the major breadwinner of the family, and Richard’s mother had a very hard time adjusting to life without the father’s income. Therefore, she was forced to get a job as a household cook to support the family. Following this turn of events, Richard describes how hunger slowly inched up on him, and how he began noticing it as he had not truly experienced hunger before.This awareness of hunger would take up a major place throughout …show more content…

Hunger is with us always. Sometimes the neighbors would feed us or a dollar bill would come in the mail from my grandmother” (Wright p. 27-28, Chapter 1). When Richard’s mother fell ill, the poor financial situation worsened. Her sickness prevented her from working, which took away the family’s primary source of income. This deprivation of income, made buying food an overwhelming daily challenge. The family relied on neighbors and relatives to feed themselves. Richard underscored the persistence of hunger’s onslaught through the use of words such as “acute” and “agony”. This language perpetuates the severity of hunger in Richard’s situation, and characterizes it as a relentless force attacking him and his …show more content…

Even after I had got used to seeing the table loaded with food at each meal, I still stole bread and put it into my pockets” (Wright, p. 50, Chapter 2). When faced with plentiful food at Uncle Hoskin’s house, Richard feels a compelling need to hoard it. This surplus of food marks the first time he is allowed to eat freely without worrying about his next meal. Richard, accustomed to hunger, habitually hoards leftover biscuits from dinner in case he finds himself without food the next morning. Wright employs the word “surreptitiously” to convey how Richard is hoarding secretly, driven by the fear of getting reprimanded by his family. Hoarding illustrates the lasting scars and instincts he developed during the time when he was poor and had no

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