The Core Meaning Behind Ralph Ellison's The Black Ball

What does it mean to be a writer? Who or what defines a writer? Is it up to the critics, the readers, or the author’s original intentions? For Richard Wright and James Baldwin, their own authorial intentions define their work. Baldwin identified with Wright through his literature as he was growing up.

Every individual is born with a specific culture and color. Respecting each and every person is society’s duty. Society fails in doing so by treating each individual based on their color. Society has two ways to see a person and that is black and white. Whites are given the higher position and well treatment whereas blacks are treated in an opposite way than whites.

Through illustrating the sadness brought to his young daughter as he saw “the tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky”, he is equipped with the ammunition of parenthood. Calling on other parents in the community to envision their child coming to that realization; having to face the world at large when they are barely competent enough to tie their own shoes. Shifting focus on to formalities and the usage of the meaning in a name,”when your first name becomes ‘nigger’, your middle name becomes ‘boy’ (however old you are) and your last name becomes ‘John’”. Here, much emphasis is placed on the suggestion that African-Americans are nameless, faceless, and do not deserve acknowledgement of being productive citizens. Dr. King fashions a tension between the extremists who use these lexicons, and the ‘average’ American who feels slightly uncomfortable with the terms, yet takes no action to aid blacks.

How can a parent tell his/her child he/she cannot go to an amusement park or how white people hate them because of their color of their skin. In addition, he writes about how embarrassing it is to see signs that say “white” and “colored” and how black people are told “boy” “nigger” instead of their name or Mr/Mrs.. He argues that they don't understand because they do not have to face this type of discrimination and cruelty. His argument is, essentially, tapering in into their inner sensitivity. He wants them to imagine them self in the shoes of an African American and feel, hear, and sense the injustice, so they can understand why it is time to stop waiting and to take action.

Racism is a very touchy and common issue in society today. Many people react differently to racism. Some people think that other races should strive for power. They think it should be a race to prove that any of the races can do whatever they want. Some people are more likely to promote this idea of competition amongst races.

Between the World and Me, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a powerful book written as a letter from the author to his teenage son. This book outlines the race issue in America from a first hand perspective. The author explains his struggles and fears as he grew up and how those fears transformed into a new meaning as he reached adulthood. Through his personal story, the reader is offered insight into the lives of other African Americans and how they may experience racial injustice themselves.

Rhetorical Analysis Author Ta-Nehisi Coates in his book Between the World and Me discusses impactful racial issues in American history and educates his son on the past and current realities of being a black American. At the beginning of the book, Coates imposes the question: “How do I live freely in this black body?” (Coates 12).

Will Jawando’s memoir Some people might try to argue that racism is a phenomenon of the past, when in reality a Black man’s fate is laid out the day he is born. Black culture is a vital part of a Black man’s identity. Some find their Black identity on the basketball court, while others are not as lucky and end up adopting the street life and violence as part of their identity. The importance, but also consequences of a Black Identity is precisely the topic in Will Jawando’s memoir titled “My Seven Black Fathers:

“You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence”. His letter also discussed the idea of discovering one's self not through the sentiments of others, but rather through the conclusions of oneself. I feel like he is not just cautioning his nephew, but the black community in general of such society. I believe that his letter was a plea to the black community to “accept the whites with love” for “they are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand”, while in the same token, not giving in to their stereotypes of black identity like his father did.

In the autobiography “Black Boy” by Richard Wright, Richard learns that racism is prevalent not only in his Southern community, and he now becomes “unsure of the entire world” when he realizes he “had been unwittingly an agent for pro-Ku Klux Klan literature” by delivering a Klan newspaper. He is now aware of the fact that even though “Negroes were fleeing by the thousands” to Chicago and the rest of the North, life there was no better and African Americans were not treated as equals to whites. This incident is meaningful both in the context of his own life story and in the context of broader African American culture as well. At the most basic level, it reveals Richard’s naïveté in his belief that racism could never flourish in the North. When

His experiences with stereotyping and prejudices are eye opening and help create a sense of sympathy for him, as well as other African Americans facing such biases. Modifying the way you go about your daily activities, trying to ease tension in others, and attempting to avoid conflict whenever possible is not a comforting way to live. We Americans need to look outside of our comfort zone and welcome what we may fear. This may not be as perplexing of a task as some may think, and it will initiate change in how we view people different from

In Black Boy, Richard Wright leads a difficult life, yet he is able to persevere through it. Richard has an independent personality that protects him from getting betrayed, but his stubbornness causes him trouble to adapt to a better life. His superior intelligence gives him an advantage over others and makes him think about the future more than others, but they mistreat him for it. Because of his high intelligence, he shares a different moral of equality that makes him stand alone against the whites. The unique personality and beliefs of Richard Wright, like his stubbornness to change, lead to a life of isolation that caused his actions to deviate towards conflict pushing others away.

Racial segregation affected many lives in a negative way during the 1900s. Black children had it especially hard because growing up was difficult to adapting to whites and the way they want them to act. In Black Boy, Richard Wright shows his struggles with his own identity because discrimination strips him of being the man he wants to be. Richard undergoes many changes as an individual because of the experience he has growing up in the south and learning how to act around whites.

In the memoir “The Black Boy” by Richard Wright, it tells a story in first person view of a young six-year-old boy who lives his life during the Jim Crow time period. The memoir tells a story of young Richard growing up in the south, living with his family he experienced many struggles growing up, beaten and yelled at by his family; his mom, grandmother, employer/employees and the kids at school. He would try his best to learn what he considered acceptable to the society and what is not. Due to his race, skin color, and the time period, he struggles to fit in with the people around him, and all he wish he could do is for everyone around to accept who he is. Wright tries to convey this theme that Richard tries to join the society on his

Black Boy, however, explores racism not only as an odious belief held by odious people, but also as an insidious problem knit into the very fabric of society as a whole. Growing up, Richard tried to leave behind his violent lifestyle—even when his new friends wanted him to fight. “I knew that my life was revolving about a world that I had to encounter and fight when I grew up” (Wright 125). It’s