As much as it goes against my core beliefs, I'd have to say that there are instances in which one must accept a subservient position. Richard Wright, as a black man in the South, would have to conform to the world the white people constructed for him lest he endanger himself and his associates. It has been proven that such powerful things as racism can be overcome, but not for one single man. Wright can see all around him people just wanted to fall in line and obey. Harrison is perfectly willing to fight for $5 even if it means he's a puppet to his white coworkers. Griggs encouraged Wright to ask as the ignorant, complaisant black man the white people envisioned him to be. Without a single ally on his side, Wright would have no hope in overthrowing the conglomerate force of Jim Crow, even if only for a brief moment that he could obtain a glimpse of opportunity. He is given a choice: he could either be content being a second-class citizen and try to work his way up from there (a la Booker T. Washington), he could leave the South, or he could die.
Even outside of the 1920's South there are instances in which subservience is necessary, but only when there is clearly an intellectual barrier. As a student, I am subservient to my teacher simply because I do not know as much about the subject as he or she does. However, today that subservience is (*cough yeah right cough*) never based on anything other than merits or experience assuming that all had equal opportunity.
2 comments:
Abby--
I agree that Richard's life is one that is necessary for subservience. Even though I, too, may not always agree with the thought of that, he had to do what he needed to survive. I also liked how you related this to your own life with the teachers at school and did not just talk about Richard's life. Good Job!
-Erin
I agree. This seems very logical. Unfortunate, but logical. Even though subservience in African Americans was valued way too much during that time period, it was necessary to live.
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