Annotated Bibliography: Richard Wright And The African-American Autobiography Tradition

Zanzan Brink
Ms. Branscum
H. English III P. 1
16 February 2016
Thesis Annotated Bibliography
Andrews, William L. "Richard Wright and the African-American Autobiography Tradition." Style 27.2 (Summer 1993): 271-282. Rpt. in Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.
William L. Andrews opens his literary criticism of Richard Wright’s autobiography Black Boy by introducing Richard’s hallmark: his inability to conform to society. Andrews makes it clear that Richard is constantly told what to do by blacks and whites, but that he cannot seem to listen, for

Daniels infers that Pearl provided new insights to “ the role of women in today 's society, a role that began to change as early as 1850” (Daniels 1). Daniels then discusses the meaning of the scarlet letter, going as far as to say that Pearl is “the scarlet letter personified” (Daniels 2). Daniels quotes other analytical pieces with varying opinions on the meaning of Pearl in regards to Hester’s scarlet letter. Then, she provides evidence about the foreshadowing of a woman’s role in society in that although Hester was controlled by the letter, Pearl was not. Daniels compares her own ideas to other sources throughout her criticism, such as Mark M. Hennelly’s literary criticism of the same novel. Daniels’ inferences consistently discuss the future of a woman’s role in society, finishing with a bold statement, “Pearl represents the future of all women” (Daniels

Anthony Dykema-VanderArk opens his literary criticism of Black Boy by Richard Wright by stating that Wright’s primary interest in his writing is to focus on the “influence of the environment on a person’s actions and attitudes” (Dykema-VanderArk 1). Dykema-VanderArk continues by explaining Richard’s toxic environment, which was full of racism, violence, and hunger. He then emphasizes how this environment has affected Richard psychologically by creating distance between himself and his family, but also by giving Richard the ambition to “go to great lengths to resist limitations placed on him” (Dykema-VanderArk 1). Richard’s psychological detriment both motivates him and holds him back. Dykema-VanderArk depicts that the lack of psychological fulfillment ultimately affects Richard more than physical hunger, “Richard 's hunger becomes a symbol not of his positive yearning but of his isolation and loneliness, his sense of exclusion from the world around him” (Dykema-VanderArk 2). Dykema-VanderArk seems to feel slight sympathy towards Richard while conveying all of the psychological and physical suffering that has been brought upon him by his environment. However, his literary criticism is mostly based on formal