Richard Wright Theme Of Survival

Survival. A word that is not hard to do in the United States these days, but up until 1964, African Americans were struggling to survive. They were kicked out of stores simply because of their color. They were unable to obtain the same education of whites because they were black. They could not even vote because they were not deemed citizens. Then, in 1870, after fighting a long and costly war, African American men gained the right to vote. Even though it sounds as though they were finally free, it was not until 1964, almost 100 years later, that they finally gained complete freedom. They could finally go anywhere they wanted without the fear that they would be kicked out. Prime examples of this survival and triumph that African Americans had …show more content…
Richard Wright’s story of survival and triumph revolves mainly around racism and how his parents raised him. His struggle to survive started when his Father left him, his brother, and his mother alone to fend for themselves. With it just being him, his brother, and his mother, he started to succumb to hunger, something that made it a struggle for him to survive. He would become dizzy and would have trouble seeing because he was so hungry. His mother eventually got a job, which meant that there would be no more starving, but they now had to worry about how they were going to get groceries. His mom brought the food for awhile, but that responsibility soon fell upon Wright. The first time he tried to get groceries “a gang of boys grabbed [him], knocked [him] down, snatched the basket, took the money, and sent me running home in a panic.” The struggle for him to survive was back again. He had a triumph when his mom finally got a job, but now he has to worry about being beaten on his way to the store. He went back to his mom, told her what happened and tried to get back into the comfort and safety of his own home. His mother, though, had a different idea. She instead handed him a stick and money and told him “Go to the store and buy those groceries. If those boys bother, then fight.” So, he went on his way to get groceries again. The boys were still …show more content…
experienced was survival. His struggle to survive was the easiest out of the three, for his struggle was speaking out against injustices that he did not experience and trying not to get killed for speaking out. He spoke out against the way African Americans were treated at home because they were fighting for freedom in Vietnam, something that they did not have in this country. There was still segregation in this country, yet they were fighting for no segregation in another country. He also spoke out about how there were African Americans dying because they were black and poor, something that made it hard for the African American race to survive. These are some examples of the injustices he spoke out about during his living life, but, sadly, his fight to survive ended on April 9th, 1968 when he was assassinated by James Earl Ray. He did not win his fight to survive, but he did help others win theirs. Because of his speeches, he helped to end segregation and help many people achieve their goals. He, therefore, led other people to their triumph, which is his triumph. Martin Luther King Jr.’s experiences and those whose experiences were influenced by him prove that African American’s experience in the United States was one of survival and