Big Bill Boonzy's Song 'Starvation Blues'

The Hard Life of Richard Wright

During the early twentieth century when Richard Wright was a child life for African- Americans was a life of hardships. They faced poverty, barely being able to pay for their homes that were old and run down. They faced starvation, barely eating anything once or twice a day. They also faced inequality from white people treating them as though they will always be meant to serve and threatening them if they didn’t obey. Big Bill Broonzy’s song “Starvation Blues” perfectly represents this time during Richard Wright’s childhood. The world of Richard Wright during his childhood could have produced both songs even though they are so different because Jimmie Rodgers had a different view than Big Billy Boonzy on how things happened in the early twentieth century, since he is white and Big Billy Boonzy is black. Jimmie Rodgers might have imagined that African- Americans were acquiescent and contented during this era because

This was because they were scared they would be hurt or killed.

Big Billy Boonzy’s song “Starvation Blues” perfectly sums up the childhood of Richard Wright. He sings about poverty, starvation, and inequality which are some of the big factors in Richard’s childhood. During Richard’s childhood poverty is seen when he has to keep moving houses and living with family members because his mom doesn’t make enough money to keep living in houses. The houses they also move into are run down and in dirty areas. For example, when his family moved to West Helena with his aunt Maggie there was a “stagnant ditch carrying sewage” in front of their house and the neighborhood had “rats” (Wright, pg. 59). Starvation is also seen a lot throughout Richards childhood when he is always hungry and never eats enough. For example, after Richard leaves his Uncle’s and moves back in with his grandma he says, “Once again I knew hunger, biting hunger”, because of this he taught himself, “a method of drinking