Courtney+P.

3rd block

Cuddy, Jennifer "Book Review - Native Son by Richard Wright." __Book Review - Native Son by Richard Wright__. 3 Aug. 2008//EzineArticles.com. // 24 Mar. 2013 < [|http://ezinearticles.com/?Book-­Review-­-­-­Native-­Son-­by-­Richard-­Wright&id=1379593] >. This article summarizes the later life of a nineteen year old African American who accidently commits a murder to a young white female in the late 1930s. Bigger Thomas becomes entangled into a world of crime after accidentally suffocating Miss Dalton and burning her remains to hide the evidence of the murder. When the bones are found and the lies are uncovered, Bigger is forced into a life of exile in which he must constantly run from the police who are frantically searching for a “negro rapist and murderer.” Native Son indulges into the life of an African American in the late 1930s and the hardships they face on their side of the “line”, separating them from the white in big town Chicago. The book includes graphic scenes of sexual activity, brutal violence, and inappropriate language which lead to the banning of this book. The article discusses how the communists in the book excuse Bigger’s behavior as justice for all African Americans. The book could possibly teach its readers that committing a crime is acceptable as long as the crime is poetic justice for those around you. The plot twist in the book adds to the list of why the book should be and is banned.

Wright, Richard, 1908-1960." //ProQuest Biographies//. 2006: n.p. //SIRS Renaissance.// Web. 25 Mar 2013.< [] > The article discusses how the book is controversial because Wright placed the blame of the murders committed by Bigger on the social conditions and environmental factors that were around in the 1930s and 1940s. The article discusses how the book was not allowed to be published until Wright edited and deleted a good amount of the controversial and more horrific things in the book. Yet, the book is still banned because of the content still included the book. The details involved with the murder and the sexual activity in the book add to the maturity level needed to read the book as well as the controversial aspect. The article discusses how Bigger sees the killings as for a reason and not just some killing spree. The book could possibly teach its readers that as long as you have a reason behind the murder it is okay to kill somebody.

"Banned Book #2:Native Son, Richard Wright." Weblog post. N.p., 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. . [] This article discusses how the book brings about racist issues. In the novel, Bigger is an African American who accidently murders a young white girl. When it is discovered that Bigger murdered this girl, it is instantly turned into a rape crime because Bigger is colored. The white people instantly look down on Bigger and accuse him of what is not true without sufficient evidence. The article discusses how the people were oppressed based on the color of their skin and were not treated as equals. In the novel the colored people were pushed around, trapped into one area, and forced into a life of hardships all due to the color of their skin. The severe racism in the book led to the banning of the book.

Church, Ellen, and Kimberly Mertz. "Richard Wright Native Son (1937)." . N.p.. Web. 26 Mar 2013. < http://www.uncp.edu/home/hickss/taal/wright/>

Ellen Church and Kimberly Mertz wrote this article in order to provide the history behind Native Son and to inform their readers about the challenges that were presented in the time period in which the book was written as well as the history about the author. The article discusses the racial tension and the separation laws that were present between white and colored people in the early twentieth century. The Jim Crow Laws and Richard Wright’s past experiences are critical to know in order to understand the background of Native Son and the reason behind writing the book as well as “Native Son’s underlying theme that warns of the dangerous psychological effects of racial oppression upon humanity.” The article argues that the book’s content of the murders was highly possible in the 1930s because African Americans were believed to be highly dangerous and inferior by people all around America. Richard Wright’s past of being tormented, physically and verbally assaulted, and daily fear and embarrassment is present in the way Wright chose to write his book. Wright described Bigger Thomas as a combination of people he has known in his life. The article continues to go deeper into the history behind both Native Son and Richard Wright as well as the history of America and why the book is presented as it is.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Native Son" //Shmoop.com //. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.< http://www.shmoop.com/native-son>

This article also discusses the horrific racism in American history. African Americans were not free from anything. They were often assaulted if they were seen wandering the streets of the "white" side of town or if they looked suspicious of something. The abusiveness towards African Americans were inescapable and situations in which African Americans were beaten, lynched, shot, etc were not uncommon. Native Son was written to display the living conditions and fear stricken lives of African Americans in the early twentieth century. The article also talks about how American society is blamed for murderers like Bigger Thomas in Native Son. The cruelty brought upon African Americans created more hatred in which caused people to react more violently and out of fear in situations like Bigger was faced with.

Movie Poster: The movie poster is of Bigger Thomas, the main character in Native Son who accidentally murders a you white rich girl, sitting at an interrogation table in a jail. The dark colors within the poster and the blacked out face of Bigger are meant to set a serious tone. The black and white picture of Bigger is used to represent the racism throughout the book by emitting all color and showing what African Americans were stripped from, they were given the bear minimum and were allowed no luxuries. Bigger's body represents the sorrow and pain that African Americans suffered on a daily basis in the early twentieth century as well as the shame that they felt because of the color of their skin. Bigger's blacked out face and head bent leaves you wondering what has happened to put him into the situation he is in on the poster. Bigger's intertwined fingers represent the communists and the African Americans coming together in order to attempt to put an end to segregation. The picture is also used to create suspense while the red, plain text at the bottom represents the blood shed and abuse throughout the book. The plain texts also represents the little that African Americans were able to obtain and their strict life style they were forced to live. The red text immediately draws your attention to the poster because it sticks out from the black and white background. The red text presents a mystery that you want to further invest into.

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