Thesis-driven essay supported by close reading Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thesis-driven supported by close reading - Essay Example is also a social and political commentary on the historical position of black people in the United States at that time and as such the book offers a wider commentary beyond the personal experience of one boy. The social commentary talks to us about racism, inequality, slavery, violence and oppression. The personal commentary tells us about hunger, the human spirit, coming of age and the development of strategies to find a way to survive as a black boy growing into a man in the racist America of the time. At the time of writing â€Å"Black Boy† Wright was also influenced by other writers such as James Joyce (1922), who also used their writing as a means for self-analysis. In an atmosphere of awareness of Freud and Freud’s thinking around the human condition and behavior, Wright shows us much of his inner world through symbols in the external world and the other characters in his wider life, that is, beyond his immediate family. â€Å"Black Boy† has many central themes including coming of age, rites of passage, violence, oppression, morals, values and loneliness to name a few. However, in this paper I am focusing on the theme of hunger, Wrights personal experiences of hunger, hunger on an emotional level, and educational level and a physical level. To quote: "Once again I knew hunger, biting hunger, hunger that made my body aimlessly restless, hunger that kept me on edge, that made my temper flare, hunger that made hate leap out of my heart like the dart of a serpents tongue, hunger that created in me odd cravings" (Wright. 119). Holding in mind the influence of Freud in Wrights accounts I am curious about the symbolism surrounding food and nurturance and the lack of food and nurturance. This leads me into a consideration of Wrights relationship with his mother and father. I am aware this paper is to focus on relationships beyond the immediate family but it is essential to offer some beginning to his early relationships in order to look at the meanings and