the system of the south
For years after the civil war, black people were still mistreated. Segregation, the separate but equal law, was not exactly all that equal. People remained as slaves on plantations because they had nowhere else to go. The South's "class-system" was still in full effect putting black females at the lowest in rank. Richard Wright's story portrays this period of time for a small black family: Sarah, Silas, and their daughter Ruth. Through many different events in this story, it is evident how African American people were not treated fairly. "Long Black Song" by Richard Wright is a symbolic story of the South's society-placement system. The importance of stock characters is evident in this story. The main stock character is obviously Sarah. She is the pushover black female who wants to stand up for herself but knows that her place in society will not allow her to. When the white salesman is trying to take advantage of her, she replies with "Naw, naw... Mistah, Ah cant do that!" (562). Even when a white man is violating her, she still refers to him as "Mister," which is known as a term of respect. And, when she finally realizes that she can't change his mind, she stops resisting and lets him have his way although she does
The symbolism in "Long Black Song" is also a necessity to the story. Tom, Sarah's real true love, symbolized how the war was over but black people could still not be happy. Richard Wright uses Tom to symbolize how Sarah could not find happiness because even though he is home from the war, Sarah still can't be with him. This symbolizes how even though the war was over, black people can still not be liberated and they must still abide by the class system. The crickets in the story, which are mentioned several times, are also symbolic. They symbolize the loneliness that Sarah feels and the segregation between society ranks for all colored people. "A cricket chirped, sharp and lonely; and it seemed she could hear it chirping long after it had stopped" (557). This symbolizes how, in reality, the problems between classes will not be resolved overnight. It is evident that it will be a long time before black people will be at the same class-rank as white people. The broken clock on which Ruth beats with a stick is symbolic, too. It serves as a symbol of how there is no need to keep time because the times are not changing. Even though the war is over, society is still the same. The class system is just as strong as it ever was, if not stronger. The people of America were no longer under another country's rule, but they still led their daily lives in the same manner as they did before. Silas and Sarah will hold their social-status for a long time. Silas is another example of a stock character. He is the strong, black farmer whose temper pushes him into violent acts. Silas' position as a black male causes him to act in certain ways. As head of the household, he provides for his wife, but also controls her. When he thinks that she has been with another man, he doesn't ask her what happened. He assumes that she gave herself willingly to another man while he was out of town. Then, because his temper, he beats her with a whip. As if that is not enough, he waits f
Some common words found in the essay are:
Richard Wright, Wright Tom, South North, Unfortunately Sara, South Instead, Mistah Ah, , Black Song, Tom Sarah's, black people, Sarah Silas, white salesman, black song, richard wright, placement system, stock character, war black people, war black, class system, society placement system, story portrays, society placement, black song richard, black people liberated, song richard wright,
Approximate Word count = 1338
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
