Thesis statement: In Richard Wright’s bildungsroman novels Black Boy and Native Son, Bigger and Richard 's different reactions to their experiences separate them and show that the ability to control one 's own impulses is key to obtaining the American dream, as seen through Richard 's determination, hard work , and education and Bigger’s lack of those qualities.
Support 1: Bigger is convinced white people are keeping him from achieving his American dream so he gives up on it but Richard’s hunger for success motivates him to prove the doubters wrong.
Topic Sentence: Bigger feels that he is helpless against the white people 's view of him so he choses to conform to their view of him.
Evidence: “‘ I could fly a plane if I had a chance,’ Bigger …show more content…
He begins to wonder these things and contemplates on why black people don 't unite and rise up against their white oppressors. He then concludes that black people don’t, “fight back for the simple reason that they have no guns”. This is also reinforced when Bigger and his friends try to rob a white store owner but are met with a dilemma because he has a gun and they don 't. The fear of robbing him leads to Richard attacking one of his friends to distract them from the robbery. This shows how Bigger conforms to his stereotype of being a violent black man that is willing to attack his friends. He is willing to hurt his own to avoid conflict with whites because he feels they are too powerful for him to handle bit his own kind aren 't.
Topic Sentence: Richard is told he can 't achieve his dreams by both society and his own family but regardless, he continues to fight for it.
Evidence: “ I was a non-man… I could feel no hate for the men who had driven me from the job. They did not seem to be individual men, but part of a huge, implacable, elemental design toward which hate was futile...But I had to work because I had to eat” (Wright, Black Boy …show more content…
Evidence:” I studied night and day and within two weeks I was promoted to the sixth grade. Overjoyed, I ran home and… told the family emphatically that I was going to study medicine, engage in research, make discoveries...since I had leaped a grade in two weeks, anything seemed possible, simple, easy” (Wright, Black Boy 125).
Analysis: Richard is so engrossed in his education that he skips a grade in two weeks. This amazing accomplishment leads him to want to, “study medicine, engage in research, make discoveries” and since he, “had leaped a grade in two weeks, anything seemed possible, simple, easy” and his race and lack of support were obsolete. All that mattered to Richard was learning as much as he could so he could be ready to face the world when he goes off to pursue his dream of becoming an author.
Evidence: “He realizes at a young age that in order to lay bare the secrets of the world around him, he must understand "the baffling black print" that he sees in the school children 's books.”
Support 1: Bigger is convinced white people are keeping him from achieving his American dream so he gives up on it but Richard’s hunger for success motivates him to prove the doubters wrong.
Topic Sentence: Bigger feels that he is helpless against the white people 's view of him so he choses to conform to their view of him.
Evidence: “‘ I could fly a plane if I had a chance,’ Bigger …show more content…
He begins to wonder these things and contemplates on why black people don 't unite and rise up against their white oppressors. He then concludes that black people don’t, “fight back for the simple reason that they have no guns”. This is also reinforced when Bigger and his friends try to rob a white store owner but are met with a dilemma because he has a gun and they don 't. The fear of robbing him leads to Richard attacking one of his friends to distract them from the robbery. This shows how Bigger conforms to his stereotype of being a violent black man that is willing to attack his friends. He is willing to hurt his own to avoid conflict with whites because he feels they are too powerful for him to handle bit his own kind aren 't.
Topic Sentence: Richard is told he can 't achieve his dreams by both society and his own family but regardless, he continues to fight for it.
Evidence: “ I was a non-man… I could feel no hate for the men who had driven me from the job. They did not seem to be individual men, but part of a huge, implacable, elemental design toward which hate was futile...But I had to work because I had to eat” (Wright, Black Boy …show more content…
Evidence:” I studied night and day and within two weeks I was promoted to the sixth grade. Overjoyed, I ran home and… told the family emphatically that I was going to study medicine, engage in research, make discoveries...since I had leaped a grade in two weeks, anything seemed possible, simple, easy” (Wright, Black Boy 125).
Analysis: Richard is so engrossed in his education that he skips a grade in two weeks. This amazing accomplishment leads him to want to, “study medicine, engage in research, make discoveries” and since he, “had leaped a grade in two weeks, anything seemed possible, simple, easy” and his race and lack of support were obsolete. All that mattered to Richard was learning as much as he could so he could be ready to face the world when he goes off to pursue his dream of becoming an author.
Evidence: “He realizes at a young age that in order to lay bare the secrets of the world around him, he must understand "the baffling black print" that he sees in the school children 's books.”