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Black Boy Essay

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Submitted By tinat678
Words 1204
Pages 5
Kristina Teodoro
March 7, 2013
Diverse Voices Essay
Hunger
In the world we live in today, many people growing up in modern America are sheltered behind the wealth that hides the uncomfortable expectancies and dulls the long term effects of hardship. The conclusion of “hunger” is evident even in our pampered lives; however, it holds a much more significant meaning in the lives touched by the grim fingers of poverty, defeat, and in these next few cases, racial discrimination. Whether it is hunger for food, knowledge, acceptance, or for love, hunger is everywhere, and harshly attacks everyone, young or old, black or white. In Black Boy, Do the Right Thing, and Color of Fear, we encounter people that suffer from hunger for love, knowledge, acceptance, and for what they believe is the right thing through the different circumstances they face.
In the autobiography Black Boy by Richard Wright, Richard faces not only physical hunger, but also the hunger for love, acceptance, equality, and knowledge. He yearns for attention from people. Since Richard received little at home, he did not learn how to associate with others. In the end, this provoked a problem when he leaves home because he was unable to understand the friendliness of the new people he came across. “Nevertheless, I was so starved for association with people that I allowed myself to be seduced by it all, and for a few months I lived the life of an optimist.” (178) Since Richard’s home was a hostile environment, we often find him yearning for love from others but not knowing how to handle those situations. This side of Richard shows how we hungers for love and compassion from others, even though he is unaware how to respond to it. Through the different people he comes across he strives to learn to grow and eventually appreciate the little things that comes his way.
We also find Richard’s emotional hunger connected

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