Maya angelou and richard wright - Free Essay Example

Maya Angelou and Richard Wright: The Dream of Freedom Graduation is the best day of ever young kids life, its almost as important as learning to read and write. But in reference to both being very important, racism and segregation has played the biggest factor of them all in both Graduation and The Library Card. Graduation, by Maya Angelou describes the anger from racism and pride of graduation day at her segregated school. Similarily, in his article, The Library Card, Richard Wright describes his struggle and frustration that he faces in the process for borrowing books due to the Jim Crow laws and his reaction towards the unfair treatment of Negros in the South. I believe that most students in the world have experienced some from of racism during their school years, either from teachers, from their peers, or through an overt or covert curriculum. But in contrast to racism and segregation in these two essays, they both show that, in order for African Americans to survive they have to overcome far more situations than just whites., they had to show pride, self-respect, and courage to keep fighting through hard times. Both Maya Angelou and Richard Wright utilized various similar and distinct ideas. They both did not have accessibly to good education; they both saw light down the road to further education; Due to education both started hating white Southerners; both become discouraged/dissatisfied and then later look forward to being free for once in their segregated lives. Imagine how it would fl to have omon of nothr race pk at your graduation and put your race down. This is the story of Graduation written by my nglou. In this story we how young black girl wit with grt pride and nticiption her graduation day. When the day finally rriv, her drm and xpcttion or hdowd by the pch that Mr. Donlvy, whit man, gave to the graduating cl of 1940. At the and of the story we how the cl vldictorin, Henry Rd com back with ncourging word that help the entire udinc become live and fl like they war on top gin. My nglou ud very important literary lmnt in this story called ton. Ton is the attitude the pkr h toward thmlv, their ubjct, and their udinc. In this c the pkr in this story is the young black girl. In the beginning of the story the black girl pk with pride and lf-confidnc. He think very highly of hrlf when he tt, I w going to be lovely. walking modal of all the various tyl of fin hand wing nd it didnt worry m tht I w only twlv yr old nd mrly grduting from th ighth grd (nglou, pp.56-80). In th middl of th tory w that th girl is ngry nd dippointd t th outcom of Angelous grdution. explained earlier, Mr. Donlvy ddrd hr grduting cl with continuou rmrk bout th whit cl. H wnt on to y tht th whit kid wr going to hv chnc to bcom the Glilo nd Mdm Curi nd dion nd Guguin (nglou, p.23). Th young girl couldnt bliv wht h w hring: Grdution, huh-huh mgic tim of frill nd gift nd congrtultion nd diplom, w finihd for m bfor my nm w clld. Th ccomplihmnt was nothing. Donlvy hd xpod us. (Angelou pg. 110) In thi ntnc w cn ctully fl th frutrtion nd ngr h flt. t th nd of th tory w how hr mood chngd from bing ngry to fling proud of hrlf nd hr rc onc gin. Thi w th outcom of pom rd by hr cl vldictorin, Hnry Rd: Th word of Ptrick Hnry hd md uch n imprion on m tht I hd bn bl to trtch mylf tll nd trmbling nd, I know not wht cour othr my tk but for m, giv m librty or giv m dth (nglou, pp.120-125). In thi ntnc th young girl fl proud to b blck nd a prt of th grduting cl of 1940. h put id ll th wful rmrk md by Mr. Donlvy nd rjoicd with th ncourging word givn by Hnry Rd. h w proud of hr rc nd proud to b grduting du to hr full cdmic ccomplihmnt. The Library Card, by Richard Wright had contrasted various similar ideas as to Maya Angelou. Though Wright was prohibited by the Jim Crow laws to borrow books from the library, he imbibed knowledge of learning to read and write from the help of Mr. Falk. Mr. Falk was an Irish Catholic and was hated by the white Southeners. To show the high degree of security Wright felt in asking Mr. Falk for his library card and for breaking the Southern White Law. Wright, a nigger boy, prefers to ask Mr. Falk to borrow his library card for H.L. Menchkens book because all of themNegros, Mr. Falk, and H.L. Menckenhave the similarity of the little girl in Maya Angelous essay; they all were hated by the white Southeners. Since both, Mr. Falk nad Wright, are hated by Southern whites, Mr. Falk would not snitch on him for having an intention to break a Southern Whites law of not allowing Negros to borrow books from the library. Like Maya Angelou, Richard Wrights only accessibility to education came from the books he borrowed from the library. As reading grew into a passion (Wright pg 431) to Wright and his capability of looking at world began to differ, he unknowingly begins to desire freedom. Wright terms desire of freedom into vague, unformed yearning (Wright 433) because he had never before been enlightened to the freedom of such a degree as he had been from reading. This enlightenment makes him desire freedom further. However, Jim Crow laws prevented Wright from fulfilling his desire. Thus, he feels dissatisfied for being a Negro and not being able to pursue his desire. Since southern whites developed Jim Crow laws, he hates them. Wright clearly points out his hatred for southern whites when he writes I could fight the southern whites (Wright 434). He also hates his fellow-Negros who empowers whites over their Negro self. To show his disapproval with his fellow-Negros Wright refers to them as being col d (Wright 434). As a result, to put an end to his dissatisfaction and hate, Wright begins to plan for the trip [to] North (Wright 434). By the enlightenment, Richard Wright empowers himself by elevating his pride, self-respect, and courage to rebel against the southern whites. After being enlightened about how others rebelled against southern whites, Wright denies living a life of a slave and writes I would hate myself as much as those who submitted (Wright 434) to show the increment in self-respect .Wright desires to rebel against southern whites. By reading H. L. Mencken books, Wright realized how Mencken was rebelling against southern whites through his writing (Wright 428-429). Thus, by admitting that he wants to be a good writer, Wright hints of his desire to rebel against southern whites through writing. Even though Wright knows southern whites hate people who speak against them, his decision to rebel against southern whites shows his high degree of courage. Maya Angelou and Richard Wright gave a new meaning to education for all African Americans. As learning to read and write grew among slaves, it gave birth to the desire of freedom through writing rebellion, in which Richard Wright masters his own raging demon, slashing with his pen (Wright pg. 433-434) imagination. The rebellion then shapes into a revolution for equal rights and then with the little aid of Rosa Parks by not seating and the great contribution of Dr. Martin Luther King JR. by never backing down, the revolution succeeds and gives a birth to the America of equal opportunity as known today. Today, Barrack Obama, an African-American, is the president of America. There is no doubt that Barrack Obamas success is the fruit of the some tree whose roots correspond to Maya Angelou and Richard Wrights struggle. They were heros to the African Americans not only for standing up and showing pride, self-respect and courage, but by enlightening the hearts with a passion to succeed for ward.