Black Boy Analysis Essay
Throughout the Story Black Boy, Richard Wright uses a wide variety of diction and distinct tones to help the readers get a true understanding of the life he once lived. On pages 315-318 Wright uses insecure and astonished tones to show his reaction to the John Reed Club, and the way he is treated by its members. These reactions foreshadow a change in Richards attitude towards life and his potential in writing.
After Richards friend continuously begs him to attend a meeting at the John Reed Club, Richard finally gives in and attends a meeting despite his skeptical and nervous feelings towards the white communists. A very insecure tone is portrayed by Richards views of the club and the white communists. when speaking about the member of the club Richard says I was cynical and I would rather have heard a white man say that he hated Negroes, which i could have readily believed, than to have heard him say that he respected Negroes, which would have made me doubt him. This quote shows how Insecure Richard feels about the white communists in the John Reed Club. Based on all of his past negative experiences with white men, he finds it hard to believe that these men could be any differentthan the rest. When Richard first attended the John Reed Club he was greeted very courteously, and with a lot of respect. The men took his aspirations of being a writer seriously. Richard had never been treated in such a way before, therefore he had no reason to believe that these men were being sincere, and not just putting on an act. He says I was skeptical. I tried to fathom their motives, but I could detect no condescension in them.
The tone astonished also plays a large roll in these few pages. Wright uses this tone to express the feelings he experienced at the meetings. Once Richard realizes that the men in the John Reed Club really have respect for him he cannot believe it. He thought he would never see the day where white men would talk to him as an equal. This astonishment over what was happening positively effects Richard's thinking. He starts saying things like I began to wonder if a solution of unity was possible. When Richard gets home that night he reads all of the magazines he was given and is then inspired to write. He was Feeling for the first time that I could speak to listening ears. For the first time in his life Richard was seen as a writer, which increased his determination to become one.
Pages 315-318 in Richard Wrights Black Boy gives way to the change in Richards life that brings about a new attitude towards whites and new found hope for the future. Through Wrights diction and choice of tones such as insecure and astonished, the many changes in Richards life and dreams are made clear. These pages are very important because they illustrate a great turning point in Richards life through the use of diction.
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