Acting is one of the most prominent forms of art, it is undoubtedly creative and it takes an unfound amount skill. These impressive displays are used in a variety of forms, though, not in all cases for entertainment. In Richard Wright’s own memoir, “Black Boy”, performance is not used to please a common crowd of onlookers. On the contrary, Richard must use acting to physically and socially survive in a racist world. Richard grows up in the American South, where he is constantly told what to do to be successful and appease others. On a day to day basis, Richard deals with pressure from his friends, as they have expectations that need to be met, and family, as they put religion ahead of his wellbeing. As he grows up, Richard realizes that he
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Before even beginning his job, Richard must act unnatural to secure positions. Richard knows that he “must think before he [speaks], must think before [he] acts, must say ‘yes sir, no sir,’ so that [he] must so conduct [himself] that white people would not think that [he] thought [he] was as good as they.” (Wright 186) These actions are not natural, but in Richard’s and everybody else’s eyes, they are necessary. Richard needs to act this way to save money, to fill his hunger, and one day leave the South. Acting is prompted by his desire to escape the world in which he was born into. Richard must either remain hungry or secure a greatly job, mostly, with racist administrators. After getting the job, Richard, still, must act. During a conversation with his boss at a eyeglasses shop Richard speaks with “false heartiness, falling quickly into that nigger-being-a-good-natured -boy-in-the-presence-of-a-white man pattern... which [he] could now slide easily.” (Wright 234) Along with helping to secure a job, Richard’s subservient attitude is necessary to keep a job. His overtly kind attitude is used to instill, into his white bosses mind, that he can elicit no form of harm. He is compelled to act this way because his racists superiors assume that Richard, and black people can only inculcate negative repercussions on …show more content…
Richard expresses an interest in reading and appreciates the value of education, something that is limited to him compared to a white person. Richard can borrow a library card, but in order to get a book “[he] addresses [himself] to forging a note... [he] uses the word ‘nigger’ to make the librarian feel that [he] could not possibly be the author of the note.” (Wright 247) To simply become more knowledgeable about the world, Richard must commit to acting through this grand scheme of lies. While some may not view reading as a necessity, in Richard’s eyes, reading and education is an indispensable catalyst for understanding and moving further up in the world. Along with this, acting is promoted as a coping mechanism to stay strong. One day Richard is questioned about his growing hunger but feels that “if [he] tells [a white man] he was hungry [he] would have been revealing something shameful.” (Wright 231) Richard resorts to lies, a form of acting, to keep independence. His lying is a way to make others think more highly of the black people because he is confused about receiving support from whites. Richard’s acting is prompted by his inner strength to remain himself, and accepting support would mean that he is giving up part of his integrity as a black boy trying to get by in the
Before even beginning his job, Richard must act unnatural to secure positions. Richard knows that he “must think before he [speaks], must think before [he] acts, must say ‘yes sir, no sir,’ so that [he] must so conduct [himself] that white people would not think that [he] thought [he] was as good as they.” (Wright 186) These actions are not natural, but in Richard’s and everybody else’s eyes, they are necessary. Richard needs to act this way to save money, to fill his hunger, and one day leave the South. Acting is prompted by his desire to escape the world in which he was born into. Richard must either remain hungry or secure a greatly job, mostly, with racist administrators. After getting the job, Richard, still, must act. During a conversation with his boss at a eyeglasses shop Richard speaks with “false heartiness, falling quickly into that nigger-being-a-good-natured -boy-in-the-presence-of-a-white man pattern... which [he] could now slide easily.” (Wright 234) Along with helping to secure a job, Richard’s subservient attitude is necessary to keep a job. His overtly kind attitude is used to instill, into his white bosses mind, that he can elicit no form of harm. He is compelled to act this way because his racists superiors assume that Richard, and black people can only inculcate negative repercussions on …show more content…
Richard expresses an interest in reading and appreciates the value of education, something that is limited to him compared to a white person. Richard can borrow a library card, but in order to get a book “[he] addresses [himself] to forging a note... [he] uses the word ‘nigger’ to make the librarian feel that [he] could not possibly be the author of the note.” (Wright 247) To simply become more knowledgeable about the world, Richard must commit to acting through this grand scheme of lies. While some may not view reading as a necessity, in Richard’s eyes, reading and education is an indispensable catalyst for understanding and moving further up in the world. Along with this, acting is promoted as a coping mechanism to stay strong. One day Richard is questioned about his growing hunger but feels that “if [he] tells [a white man] he was hungry [he] would have been revealing something shameful.” (Wright 231) Richard resorts to lies, a form of acting, to keep independence. His lying is a way to make others think more highly of the black people because he is confused about receiving support from whites. Richard’s acting is prompted by his inner strength to remain himself, and accepting support would mean that he is giving up part of his integrity as a black boy trying to get by in the