"Native Son," by Richard Wright reveals a story of the young African American man, Bigger Thomas: what it means to be black in 1940's America. Bigger lives in a ghetto in Chicago and had led a life of trouble until he received a job with the Daltons. The Daltons is a rich, white family, who accepts blacks. Through his time spent with the Daltons, Bigger realizes what it really means to be black. He accidentally kills the Dalton's daughter (a white woman), runs from the police, rapes and kills his girlfriend, and is tried. At parts, Wright almost writes in a stream of conscious perspective Bigger constantly processes his thoughts and realizations through text. Bigger concludes that because he is black, that he is meant to kill because that is how society views him.
Your goal for this assignment is to determine what it means to be black in America. For the most part it is difficult for people from this area to truly understand and relate to Bigger's character, but through reading articles and watching podcasts I have selected for you, I think you will be able to make a deeper connection.
Directions: - go to my delicious website and read the two blog posts titled, "Redefining What It Means to Be Black in America" and "It's Exhausting Being Black."
- watch the video, Tale of Two Brothers of how what shade of black you are can effect the way people see you.
- After reading the two articles and watching the video clip, it is time for you to come up with your own conclusion of what it means to be black in America. Do so by writing your own blog post. You should use various quotes from the articles you are reading and from your own research.
- Use the quotes (below) from the novel to help give you a better idea of what Bigger think it means to be black in America. Keep these questions in mind when writing your blog:
- Like white privilege, is there black privilege as well?
- Has racism against black people improved in the last seventy years?
- Is it fair for Bigger and society to blame Bigger for Mary's death because he is black, and it is therefore his destiny/will to kill?
-You will need to find a blog another blog post about what it means to be black in America and leave a comment.
- Lastly, read Sam Katz's blog post, "Race Research" and leave a comment. You can use his blog post as a reference for your new blog post.
Extra Resource Materials:
- "The High Cost of Prejudice " - school database
Quotes: 1. "I didn't want to kill", Bigger shouted. "But what I killed for, I am! It must've been pretty deep in me to make me kill."
2. "Though he had killed by accident, not once did he feel the need to tell himself taht it had been an accident. He was black and he had been alone in a room where a white girl had been killed; therefore he had killed her. That was what everyone would say, anyhow, no matter what he said."
3. "To Bigger and his kind, white people were not really people; they were a sort of great natural force, like a stormy sky looming overhead or like a deep swirling river stretching suddenly at one's feet in the dark."
4. "Although he could not put it into words, he knew not only had they resolved to put him to death, but they were determined to make his death mean more than a mere punishment; that they regarded him as a figment of that black world which they feared and were anxious to keep under control."
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