In his autobiographical story, Black Boy, Richard Wright instills in the reader the thirst for knowledge that he felt, this impulse having been repressed by his environment. Wright's quest for knowledge and literacy parallels that of WEB DuBois, a contemporary who had the same goals for all African Americans as Wright. While DuBois wrote his essays in a persuasive plea to the American people, Wright's novel simply relays the trials and tribulations of a black man who fought against the system of white prejudice, as well as the conflicts he with members of his own race. due to their inability to overcome these prejudices. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The philosopher René Descartes said, “I think, therefore, I am,” and this sentiment is expressed throughout young Wright's book. He sees that since colonial times, black people were treated as nothing, only as property that could be bought and sold for the benefit of the white men who owned them; therefore, the black population, especially in the Deep South, believed that although freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, they were still bound by the chains of slavery. As a result of their disenfranchisement, many black people developed a negative self-image, in which they suppressed many necessary components of the human soul, such as the knowledge that they were equal to their white oppressors, with the same passions, feelings and needs. To survive in an imposing environment, blacks followed the path they had known since before the Civil War, that of the "inferior" worker, hoping that one day their physical labor efforts would provide them with enough financial support to change the system. . . By following a path like this, black people were forced to abandon many of the dreams that Wright and DuBois held tightly to, such as the ability to be intellects and to hold positions as writers, doctors, and teachers, and allowed themselves to be treated as they had been. The situation predated the civil war. Looking at history, we realize that the social or political powers of the past have always feared the literacy of the laity, because with knowledge comes power. This is a struggle we see in Black Boy. We struggle to stifle intelligence in both sections of the book, but by two very different and opposing groups. First, as a child, his attempts at literacy were stifled by his grandmother, a pawn of white society. In the second section of the book, we see how the Communist Party shares the same fear as the Deep South, that blind Communist Party supporters are rebelling against authority. Wright vehemently disagrees with both doctrines of illiteracy because he can see the motivations behind them, as he is a self-taught man, and in doing so finds flaws in the systems that govern the world around him. He sees that intelligence is the key to an efficiently run society, in which everyone can make their own decisions based on facts and their feelings, rather than being misled. Although Richard didn't know why at the time, he found this desire to reach a high intellectual level from an early age. When his mother moves the family to Jackson to live with Richard's grandmother, the young boy becomes interested in the novel that the young schoolteacher reads for pleasure. Intrigued to see someone of his color reading, he asks Ella about her book, only to witness whatthe older generation, raised in slavery, thought of reading as a leisure activity. Granny, so enraged by the difference in values ​​between her and the young teacher, immediately scolds Richard and Ella for reading. By clinging to the doctrines that slave owners taught slaves, which they were not intelligent enough to learn, Granny, a typical representative of the black community at the time, helps contribute to the ignorance that the seen in many black people at the time. Little does she know that the reason she was told about the “evils” of reading was for the sole purpose of keeping black people at their current level of thinking. She does not understand that the material contained in many books can help black people prove their equality and provide ammunition for the fight against racism and injustice. Richard, for reasons unknown to him, is drawn to the knowledge contained in books and, looking back on his life, he understands how important these early novels were to him. Although they allowed him to entertain with their stories of brave heroes and violence, they also gave him the power to understand many issues that many of his peers could not see. This hobby he discovered as a child was the basis of his ability to decipher the dense material he read as a young adult, when he borrowed books on political theory and problems that the authors saw in society. After reading, he realizes that if they were known to the black community, these concepts would give them the power to rise above the prejudices of the South. The Communist Party that Richard wrote for as a young man also shares this sentiment that knowledge is bad. for the general public. The party leaders realized that many of its supporters would be interested in reading and issued their own publications for this purpose. If members were caught reading materials that were of a different opinion than the leaders, those members were reprimanded. Whether or not the reader was influenced was irrelevant, as Richard learns when he asks one of the members what it would mean if he read Trotsky, because there was so much fear that readers might be influenced that the option had to be The majority of the blacks that Wright presents to us in the book all seem to cling to the values ​​that were given to them by the same power that they were fighting against. This was a common practice during this era, as many blacks felt too helpless to fight. They believed that if they followed the plans that white men had laid out for them, they could one day break free from the barriers of discrimination that existed in the South. It was a major debate at the time whether black people should be hardworking and attempt to accumulate wealth, to one day be rich enough to have power, or whether they should become educated and able to lead an intellectual revolution, proving to skeptics that they were equal to whites in their abilities. This doctrine of working and waiting for the day when everyone would be free is exactly the type of doctrine that Wright despised. We see this in many cases, but two in particular. Firstly, his experiences with Shorty at the hotel and secondly, his attitude towards religion. He becomes completely appalled by Shorty's actions, because not only does Shorty allow white men to beat him like a slave, but also because this is just an example of black people allowing white people to rule them in order to gain a immediate gratification. Religion, another example The will of the Black to endure,.