Raising Our Native Sons Essay

During the modern era, there was an kindle sense of optimism due to the nations booming economy. There was a generalization that any citizen could subject atomic number 18a hard and become successful. However, this was not al expressions the case in American society. Not everyone was given tinge opportunity to thrive and succeed. This struggle was expressed in various literary works. In is novel aboriginal Son, Richard Wright uses symbolism and irony to attack race issues and oppression in order to suggest that African Americans should fix equal opportunity as clean-livings.Throughout the novel, the protagonist, big Thomas faces persecution and mistreatment simply because of the color of his skin. This racism appears earlyish in the novel when a rat is encountered in his apartment. largers mother is disgusted by the gross creature she remarks wandering in the familys apartment. She proclaims her disgust and fear of the rat by saying, Lord, Lord, overhear mercy that sonof abitch could cut your throat (10). Through this duologue, the readers realize the harsh treatment and attitude the rat is receiving from biggers family. They are scared and afraid of the rat, even though it means no harm and is besides trying to surviving with the living conditions it has been given.This demonstrates the overall racism towards blacks throughout the book as they are toughened poorly and set up to fail. Like the rat, they are considered the lowest of the low who scavenge off others to survive. They are treated as a threat that solo causes harm and need to be rid of. Also, Bigger faces racism head on at home. When playing with his friends, they play white. This game attempts to imitate the way whites act in society. During this game, Bigger and his friends unknowingly play out the white people has having superior indicant over the whites. This demonstrates that the racism is engraved into their heads, even at a young age. This sets them up to fail from a young age by starting them off as knowing that they are considered inferior to the white people.As the book continues, Biggers story becomes a point of attention in the southeasterly side of Chicago. The newspaper reporters are gathered around preparing to write an article on Biggers recent crime. They are collaborating witheach other in order to create the best story possible. genius of the reporters says, Im slanting to the primitive negro who doesnt want to be disturbed by white civilization. The conversation continues with another reporter saying, mention his foreign sounding name (201). The reporters are enlivened ideas off each other in order to write the best story for the readers. They mention how they are going to purposely define Bigger as a member of the African American community. This undecompos suitable dialogue represents a much larger meaning within the novel. The reporters immediately turn to race in order to demonize Bigger. They call him primitive and point out his nam e in an attempt to disunite him from white society. This display of racism conveys the treatment of African Americans as outcasts of mainstream society.In addition to this, the media is only aiding in the continued validity of this stereotype. The more(prenominal) the media portrays blacks as animals and creatures, the more they are attacked by mainstream white society. As a result of this, the blacks are suppressed more and more, ca utilise them to become more and more desperate. This vicious cycle of racism and oppression is ongoing as society feeds off the harsh portrayal of African Americans by the news outlets. Wright brings attention to the overwhelming effect that oppression can have on an individual or group. Bigger is continuously oppressed throughout his life. After attempting to escape from the police, Bigger is captured and brought down to the street from a rooftop. He was dragged down the stairs with his head banging on every step. He found himself finesse on his ba ck in the snow, pinned down by his wrists and surrounded by a circle of this faces. The aggravated crowd shouts at Bigger. Roars from the crowd include, Kill im Lynch im Kill that ape (253). The crowd is angry at the black man who has caused so much trouble to the white folk. When they finally capture him, they all attend to unite as one when shouting insults as if they have has a triumph by memory down this young black man. This unity represented the overpowering superiority of white society over that of the blacks.Although each individual is their own person and saying their own comments, all Bigger sees and hears is an overbearing plebeian force. To Bigger, he does not see the individuality in each white person he sees them as all members of the same group all with a common goal of suppressing his dreams. In addition to visual perception all whites as a blanket of oppression, he is almost shameful of himself when around them.While sit in an interview, he sits in Mr. Daltons office with him. Bigger enters the room and does not make shopping mall contact. He stands in a corner with his head down, being careful not to make pump contact with Mr. Dalton. Bigger knows the role that he has in society as well as the room. He is careful to not do anything to upset the white man for fear of potential punishment. This shame is build off the fact that he has been repetitively told and taught that he is inferior. This repeated oppression leads Bigger to act other than around white people, further placing him into the mold of a non-productive member of society.Bigger feels as if he has been able to make very few decisions for himself his entire life. This suppression was put on him right from the start. Once he realizes his fate and is sitting on his cot, he thinks back on his life. He had always lived with the premonition that he would be sentenced to the voltaic chair. Once this becomes a reality, Bigger feels a sense of freedom that he has neer felt before. He wonders to himself why he put himself into the shadow of the electric chair only to find out this? Had he been blind all along? But there was no way to communicate now. It was too late (335). He realizes that he lived his entire life under the shadow of fear of the electric chair. Once he realizes that he is actually doomed for the chair, he assumes that he should live his live with realized freedom with the remaining days he has left.He concludes, however, that it is too late to live with freedom since he wasted all of his previous days under the shadow. This shadow of oppression holds him back from living freely because he knows that his skin color limits his chances to succeed in life. Furthermore, Bigger can make choices that will only dig him deeper into a hole he cannot escape from. After lashing out and committing a murder, Bigger expresses his feelings that he has a sense of power for the first time in his life. By committing this murder, he has disquieted away from th e limitations being placed on him. Although it was negative, he could not be stopped because he was not assumed to be capable of such a crime. This demonstrates that the oppressed are subject to hostility and more likely to lash out due to the poor treatment and lack of individual freedoms.By using irony and symbolism, Richard Wright brings light to the issue of race and oppression in America. He attempts to convey that blacks and whiteshould be given equal opportunity to succeed. Wright believes that African Americans are placed into a mold of failure, one that they cannot escape. The patronage Native Son suggests something about the treatment of the generation of young men we are raising in our country. All of our Native Sons, no matter what race, should be treated equally and be given spacious opportunity to succeed.