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Examples Of Dehumanization In Black Boy

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Dehumanization in Black Boy The dehumanization of the black community in Mississippi was a belittling and oppressive force that they had to experience. The whites reduced them to something less than human, exploiting them for their own benefit. In Richard Wright's memoir Black Boy, he details the prejudice and discrimination that he and his peers experienced. This sparked a major change in America's system, but the belittling and dehumanizing of the blacks remained constant and got worse for a period of time. For example, they were used as slaves and entertainment, without being afforded basic human rights. Throughout the book, Richard experiences mental, emotional, and physical dehumanization. Richard experiences emotional dehumanization by one of his uncles when his grandfather passed away. Richard had to inform Uncle Tom and accidentally threw the information at him rapidly. Infuriated, Uncle Tom said “You certainly are a prize fool,” he said quietly. “Don't you know that that's no way to tell a person that his father's dead?” (Wright This sparked an epiphany in the mind of Richard and he wondered to himself, “I walked home slowly, asking myself what on earth was the matter with me, why it was I never seemed …show more content…

Richard starts to experience this even from his adolescent years through his parents' harsh treatment toward him and being beaten by boys his own age in the streets of Memphis. This event that got him into a fight made him realize that he is no different than the whites. Standing up for himself, he took a stick and fought back at them, egging them on. Scaring them off, the white boys ran away. Richard thought to himself, “ On my way back I kept my stick poised for instant use, but there was not a single boy in sight. That night I won the right to the streets of Memphis.” (Wright 16). This leads to the most fatigued and weary type of

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