Coping

What does Wright mean when he says he had ‘begun coping with the white world too late’? How does that manifest itself in these next chapters

Richard Wright believes he has not had the same experiences with whites that other blacks have had. Because of this, he was naive around whites - acting as if he were the same as them instead of lesser than them. In the early 1900's, that kind of behavior did not fly, especially in the South. But Richard Wright did not have the same experiences, he was rather isolated. His family wouldn't let him work until he was much older than his friends who started working. It seems that when he was in big cities that he did not have much experience with the other half, and when he lived in the rural areas, he had even less experience. He went to all black churches and all black schools. Wright proclaims that he simply did not understand what his place in society was because of his lack of experience and his natural rebel qualities.

When he moves to Memphis, he experiences culture shock. As he began working, he became more aware of the societal differences between whites and blacks. His friends coached him in how to cope with the white world. Although he wasn't very good at it, he picked up enough to first get some jobs, and second, steal. He learned how to cope with the white world when he began to steal. In order to get ahead in a society that would not let him, he had to do illegal things.

Speech Drama

Is Wright justified in refusing to say the speech?

Based off of the limited context of the speech, I would say that Wright is not justified in refusing to say the speech. Surely it must be tradition that the principal writes the speech for the students. Furthermore, Wright appears not confident in his abilities of speech-writing compared to the principal's. On page 177, Wright says, "The principal's speech was simpler and clearer than mine". Wright does not understand that public speaking is about simplicity and clarity. It is not like his book where he can share his elaborate sentences and metaphorical ideas. In this regard, Wright would be well served in heeding the advice of his principal. This is where the lack of context comes in, though. What does the principal's speech say? If the speech is full of self-degradation and continued oppression, then never mind all that I just wrote. Assuming that the speech the principal wrote is a nice, formal, and clear conclusion that steers away from inciting drama, then Wright is not justified. He is missing out on a learning opportunity by being stubborn about fickle controversies.

Wright and his anger towards Uncle Tom

Why is Wright so angry with his uncle Tom?

Richard Wright's uncle, Tom, moved in with the family and it created numerous problems. First, there was a lack of space - the house was overcrowded. Second, there was another person around to bother Richard. It seemed that everybody in the crowded household had an issue with Richard - whether it was over his lack of religious aspirations, or his disinterest in school, or his desires of getting a job. When Tom woke up Richard one morning to ask him the time, an annoyed Richard told him the time. When Tom took issue with the tone of Richard's response, Richard became angry. The anger was heightened by Tom's attempts to beat him. Richard was spoiled in a way and unfortunate in another. He was not of the generation that knew what it was like to be completely controlled by another human being. He was not of the generations later that were even less informed of what it was like to be beaten. He was somewhere in the middle, at a conflict in generations. On one hand, he was expected by the older generation to take his beatings. On the other hand, he did not understand why he should, having never been part of the generation that grew up in slavery or on plantations. Richard is constantly fighting against the expectations of the older generation that he should take his beatings and go to church and behave submissively because he has a fighting instinct in him. He is unaware of just how racist and unfair the real world is until he starts working and interacting with whites. He does not understand why his world cannot be fair among his family. Richard Wright is an idealist, and that is why he gets mad at his Uncle Tom - a man very much stuck in the real world.

Gratification

Why does Wright feel gratified after sharing his writing?

Wright feels gratified after sharing his writing because of the reaction he got from it. When he shared his story about Indians with the girl next door, he enjoyed the, "look of astonishment and bewilderment on the young woman's face". He further expands, "her inability to grasp what I had done or was trying to do somehow gratified me". He clearly enjoyed the attention and the feeling of impressing someone else, especially since he was never praised at home, that came from his writing. Another reason that he felt gratified after sharing his writing is that stories were rare. He continuously mentions the lack of reading material he had and how when he got something to read, he was overjoyed. His life was rather boring, he wasn't allowed to talk much, his family didn't interact with him beyond a surface level, and they had their own problems that took the attention. The gratification that he got from simply sharing a story not only entertained him for the day, but it gave him some attention that was so foreign to him.