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Analysis Of The Voodoo Of Hell's Half Acre

1303 Words6 Pages

Richard Wright is a black kid growing up in the South in the early 1900’s. He is an intelligent young man who likes to read, and learn from the environment around him. He also has a lot of self-respect, but his black comrades are always there to remind him to lower his sense of self worth. This at times causes him to feel isolated from the black community. Wright’s experience with racism and prejudice made him to be cautious of his actions. He has a lot of dignity, which he has to hide so he can camouflage himself as a respectful black boy that avoids provoking trouble with others.
Richard’s fear of the white man was instilled in him when he was a child; a growing boy. He was never told the exact situation between the races, resulting in him …show more content…

When Richard writes his short story, “The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre” and gets it published in the local black newspaper, he has his first experiences with racism and prejudice. After writing his short story, Richard receives negative feedback from the people around him. His classmates didn’t pat him on the back, but questioned why he as a black man would write a story and have it published. In addition, Richards family members criticized everything about his story. This matters because Richard Wright struggles to be the person he aspires to be due to the lack of support he receives from his family and friends. After publishing a book (which at the time was a big deal for any African American) Richard received negative feedback from people who he related with the most: family and friends. Instead of getting positive feedback and encouragement for his accomplishments, Wright is ridiculed by the people who he identifies with closely in race. In this moment, Richard experiences prejudice from people he trusts the most, but it doesn’t end there. At the end of the school term, he was chosen valedictorian of his class, and is asked to write and deliver a speech for graduation. The principal pre-writes Richard’s speech, disregarding the one that Richard had already written. After his classmate and Uncle receive this news, they both agree that he should present the principal’s speech at graduation, because it is better than the one he himself wrote. This is yet another example of the prejudice that Richard is receiving from others. Those around him are continuously doubting his intellectual ability. .This causes Richard to feel hurt because of the lack of support he is getting from his family and peers. Rather than supporting Wright, those close to him are dismissing

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