The Ethics of Living Jim Crow by Richard Wright

In The Ethics of Living Jim Crow, author and poet Richard Wright recounts his personal encounters with racism during the time period when African Americans lived under the lingering reminders of slavery. The autobiographical sketch chronicles his account on the occurrences of social inequality that had notified him of the connotation behind the color of his skin. He projects his writing towards a mainly white audience in hopes they may gain insight of the hardships that minorities endured.

                Throughout the text, Wright utilizes several anecdotes to convey the injustice of racism and discrimination against African Americans. The first piece of narrative Wright recalls is when he was a child, initiating “wars” in his cinderblock yard against his friends. It was not long until a circle of white boys joined in and targeted Wright and his neighbors with jagged, glass bottles. Wright returns home with three stitches, eager to gain his mother’s empathy. What Wright got that night were not words of console but instead a slap along with endless beatings that followed. He became aware of the black oppression at a young age as he states, “From that time on, the charm of my cinder yard was gone. The green trees, the trimmed hedges, the cropped lawns grew very meaningful, became a symbol… they grew into an overreaching symbol of fear” (Wright, 160-161). Wright composes anecdotes such as this in order to put his argument into perspective. Similar to the much repeated phrase “show not tell,” Wright betters the understanding of the audience by elucidating his encounters with racial prejudice instead of simply talking about the issue. In addition, his firsthand experience of subjecting under the wrath of discrimination exemplifies his credibility as a civil-rights author.

Jim Crow Laws
http://mrnussbaum.com/civil-war/jim_crow_laws/

                Overall, I believe that Richard Wrights was successful in shedding light on the hardships of African Americans. He was able to bring awareness of the horrors of Jim Crow laws and its effect on the mindset of those who are considered inferior. His purpose to deliver the emotions of rage felt by blacks against white oppressors was completely understood due to his use of pathos to appeal to the readers. The rage that cannot be expressed was acknowledged by persons of different races and background worldwide.