Free Native Son Essays: The African American Struggle

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The African American Struggle
For a long time in history, racism has played an important role. In America, racism practically shaped our nation how it is today. Richard Wright wrote two novels about how racism was portrayed back in the early twentieth century. These novels, Black Boy and Native Son both explore the racism that African Americans experienced. How two of the protagonists experienced racism firsthand, society’s affect, and Wright's own views on racism in the North are the topics in this essay.
A young African American boy named Richard was the protagonist of Black Boy. Growing up, Richard did not know the meaning of “black” and “whites” (Black). In his young days, Richard heard about a “black” boy who was beaten by a “white” man. In Richard’s world, only the fathers beat their sons, so he thought that this is what happened, …show more content…

We live here and they live there. We black and they white. They got things and we ain't. They do things and we can't. It's just like livin' in jail.” (Native Son, pg. 60)
Finally, how the author viewed racism. Like many African Americans at the time, many moved to the North believing that there would not be as much racial oppression in the North than the South. Richard discovered "new ways of looking and seeing" (Black Boy, pg. 218). Because of his reading, this made him believe that he could not survive in the south, so he moved to Chicago in hopes of a better future (Black). Bigger already lived in Chicago, but racial prejudice still existed (Native).
In conclusion, both Black Boy and Native Son explore the challenges African Americans had to experience. Racism itself had a very powerful impact on history. Both novels explore the challenges Africans Americans faced, but specifically of two individual African Americans. The protagonists themselves experienced racism in different ways, but it was society that made these experiences happen. The world has changed from how it was back then, but racism still

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