How the Americans Understand the Equality of the Sexes

According to the beliefs of Alexis de Tocqueville, American and European attitudes toward women are completely different. In the beginning, Tocqueville believes that Americans apply the principle of political economy and democratic equality to the sexes. Further in the reading, he states that, “They hold that ever association must have a head in order to accomplish its object, and that the natural head of the conjugal association is the man.” Tocqueville means that American women are essentially inferior to men, and they cannot do anything about their position beneath men because it was accepted this way. In the opening paragraph Tocqueville stated his thesis saying, “I believe the social changes which bring nearer to the same level the father and son, master and servant, and, in general, superiors and inferiors, will raise woman, and make her more and more the equal of man.” This was an accurate prediction of the future for women, especially because during the time that Tocqueville visited the United States, woman were much inferior to men. Women did not have the right to vote, hold property, and hold jobs outside the home. It was assumed that the women’s position in life was childrearing and educating the next generation. Over the years, woman have, as Tocqueville predicted, risen up and have gained more of a prominent position in society. As we can see today with the full equality of men and women.

Tocqueville also mentions the difference between the treatment of women in Europe compared to the United States. He believes that women in Europe are considered more equal and that they would, “give to the same functions, impose on both the same duties, and grant to both the same rights.” This means that since Europe puts a high value on equality both sexes are essentially degraded and the worse that can come of the degrading is “disorderly women and weak men.”

End of Black Boy

At the end of Black Boy, Richard Wright realizes what he wants to achieve in his life through writing, even though his hunger did not really go away. He would, “hurl words into the darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of the hunger for life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human.” Richard is saying that he can use his writing as a powerful way to express himself and his beliefs, even if the readers do not resonate with his writing. Richard uses his words to connect with the outside world because all people suffer from hunger in their lives at some point. His main goal is to challenge the world to move forward and make people think.

I agree with Wright’s realization because he found meaning in life that was once never there, and now that he has found it he can share it with the world. He is a thinker and can express his beliefs and help other people learn the same values in life. By showing people where he came from, and how he became successful he can help the reader to realize their own meaning in life.

Poem vs Chapter 17

The reading in Black Boy and the poem by Langston Hughes are similar in that they are trying to take a stand and rise up against something they believe is unjust. They both discuss how the white world suppresses the blacks to the point where they become united. In Wright’s case even though everyone is different in the communist party, they realize that they have a common bond with one another and have the power to stand up against the higher powers that have kept them in this confined room. Wright stated that, “They would have never allowed millions of perplexed and defeated people to sit together for long hours and talk, for out of their talk was rising a new realization in life. And once this new conception of themselves had formed, no power on earth could alter it.” Wright is saying that the people in the communist party were able to put aside their differences and create one common purpose. Langston Hughes’ poem is more individualized than in the group that Wright was talking about, but he also is trying to take a stand against a group of people so that one day he may “eat at the kitchen” and not be ashamed of his skin color being different.

Artists and Politicians

I agree with Wright’s theory that artists and politicians stand at opposite poles, especially when it comes to the communist party. The politicians propagate a system and group people into categories based on certain factors such as class or importance. As Wright stated, “they oversimplify the experience of those whom they sought to lead.” Many times politicians are focused on the factors that will improve their political career and don’t necessarily make decisions based on the interests of the people and really value the importance of things. Artists, on the other hand, have the ability to create evocative and elaborate creations, but are made to appeal to a specific audience and don’t always present what is candid. However, I don’t agree with Richard that they are on completely opposite poles because both groups are trying to appeal to a specific audience, and will do what they can to sway their audiences opinion, which makes the groups somewhat similar.

Chapters 15-16

(“The essence of the irony of the plight of the Negro in America, to me, is that he is doomed to live in isolation while those who condemn him seek the basest goals of any people on the face of the earth. Perhaps it would be possible for the Negro to become reconciled to his plight if he could be made to believe that his sufferings were for some remote, high, sacrificial end; but sharing the culture that condemns him, and seeing that a lust for trash is what blinds the nation to his claims, is what sets storms to rolling in his soul.”)

In this part of the book Wright has moved from the South for the subtler North where blacks are not systematically terrorized, rather made to feel less than marginal. With the many jobs he takes and leaves, he has not been able to really have friends. He really starts to discover that what he is looking for is inside of him. These deep thoughts are in parentheses because it is something that he learns about later in his life and has a better understanding of the racial conflict that occurs. In this passage Wright realizes that the African American society is often looked down upon for having a different culture and are condemned because their differences of culture. It also mentions how the desire for material wealth blinds the society from the suffering of African Americans such as Wright. This really shows how his life situation didn’t improve a whole lot, but the he gained a better understanding of his position in society. By sharing these ideas in parentheses Wright is able to display what he has learned over the course of his life, and his opinions make the novel have a bigger effect on the reader.

Malcolm X

At the beginning of the essay Malcolm X expounds on his lack of reading skills while young, and eventually how reading became important to him today. He believes that reading shapes ones morals and principles. Without the ability to read, a basis for intellect and perception, it becomes increasingly difficult to build your own ethical views. The reading empowered Malcolm X because it gave him a sense of accomplishment in life because he was finally able to understand the world around him. Throughout his reading he discovered that minority groups are covered up and his reading allowed him to really see racism for what it is, and began to work hard to overcome the racism.

Unlike Malcolm X, Richard uses books to get away from the trials and tribulations of his life and create a fairytale world where everything is perfect. The difference is that Malcolm X reads to fit in with the world and Richard Wright does it to escape from the world. However, as Richard ages, he learns that words in books can have powerful meanings and comes to terms with the world around him instead of merely escaping.

Action to Move

Wright’s decision to move was a positive one because it was the start of what Richard hoped was a new life, and one that did not have the oppressing views of the South. For almost all of his life Wright has dreamed of moving to the North where they will accept African Americans relatively better than the South, and allow him to pursue his love for reading and writing.

When Richard lived in Memphis he was constantly trying to make a better life for himself and not settle on anything like many of his African American peers had done. Richard realized the Chicago was not going to be free of discrimination, but was better than Memphis and where he had grown up in the Deep South. Richard doesn’t really know what to expect, but is moving with the assumption that he can make a better life for himself. He realizes that if he stays in Memphis his life won’t get any better and he would become stuck like his friend Shorty. The only downside to Wright’s moving was that he once again had to leave behind the people that he truly cared for and loved.

Chapters 12-14

In our society subservience is necessary and often has a negative implication. No matter how free we may free that we may feel like we are, there are the rules of the government and laws that we have to be subservient to. If we break a law we suffer the legal consequences. Governments that do not have any subservience have uprisings and have been proven to fail in structure. We are all subservient at some point in our lives. We as students, have to be subservient to our school. Likewise, children must be subservient to their parents.

In Wright’s world subservience is a necessary part of living because many people discriminate against his skin color. He is forced to be subservient to the white world. Even though Richard didn’t live in the Deep South anymore, he still had to be subservient. Memphis was a little bit more tolerant to whites than the Deep South, but he would still suffer the consequences if his authority figures thought that he was being disrespectful at all. Richard’s moves are carefully watched and because of that he has to be careful what he says and does.

Chapters 10-11

When Wright said he had, “begun coping with the white world too late,” he means that he has been forced to be a part of white society and change his behavior and life style just to fit in. The society forces Wright to be completely subservient, and he does not want to be anymore, nor does he really get the idea, unlike his friend Griggs. In the early chapters of the book, Wright doesn’t understand why blacks have to be subservient and accept their inferior position in society. In the later chapters he is starting to rebel against his position and he learned new modes of behavior, and new rules in how to live the Jim Crow life. His new outlook on his position in society manifests itself into new jobs, and deciding to violate the law. In many of his new jobs white people expected him to act a certain way, but lost the job when he did not perform his duties as the white men him wanted to. Eventually Wright just wants to get away and make a better life for himself so he committed a crime by stealing fruit preserves from a college storehouse and buying a ticket to Memphis. Even then Richard is cope with the white world for reasons unbeknown to him.

Chapter 8-9

Wright’s reason for refusing to recite the speech was justified because he had spent a lot of time on writing a speech and now the he was going to have to read an “official” speech, which won’t express his true thoughts and beliefs. This was unfair to Wright because he had worked so hard to write a speech, and the only reason the principal wanted to give him a premade speech was to “appeal to the white and colored people that night.”

Throughout the book Richard seems to reject to conformity and remain an individual. By reading someone else’s writing he was conforming to the ideas of his graduating peers and teachers. Of course Richard ends up giving his speech, but had he decided to give the “official speech,” he wouldn’t have risen above his position in society, rather he would conform in it. Richard is justified in giving his speech because he had the courage to stand up for something he believed in and didn’t conform to his “assumed” position in society as an African American boy.

Chapter 6-7

Richard Wright was mad at Uncle Tom for many reasons. Uncle Tom had just moved in with Richard’s family and everyone in the household was getting on each other’s nerves. Uncle Tom had taught school for thirty years and often told Richard what was wrong with his life. Richard would just ignore him, but Uncle Tom resented it. Then Richard was woken up from his sleep just so Uncle Tom could find out the time and that seemed unfair to Richard.

Throughout Richard’s life he has had people beat him, and he never responded well to people who attempted to beat him. He is sick and tired to getting beaten for reasons that he thinks are illegitimate. Richard really questioned the authority of Uncle Tom, perhaps because of his beatings as a young boy, and he felt that it was inappropriate for someone who was not his father or mother to beat him. Uncle Tom, as a teacher, felt that all children should respect his authority.

Chapter 4-5

Wright felt a satisfaction that he had never felt before. He felt the success of having his thoughts down on paper and didn’t care how bad it was because it was his own work. Wright liked the, “look of astonishment and bewilderment on the young woman’s face…her inability to grasp what I had done or was trying to do somehow gratified me” (121). Richard certainly enjoyed the attention that he got after impressing someone with his work. He also never got that kind of attention in his own home, because his family rarely approved of him writing fiction. It is this sense of isolation and independence that, in the end, drives Richard toward writing. In chapter four, it is still obvious that Richard is young and naïve, and doesn’t quite realize the power that words have. Instead, his writing brings him satisfaction only because his words confuse others. This is really the start of Richard Wright’s inspiration to write.