Fear of what we don't know

A detailed Summary of Fear of what we don't know

The main focus of "Big Black Good Man" is that people are intimidated by things that are different from them in some way. Richard Wright tells his story through the eyes of an old man who works at a tavern and is intimidated by the presence of a big black man named Jim. Olaf, a dynamic character, changes his point of view on black people by the end of the story. Although Olaf claims not to be prejudiced, he begins to realize that he has resentment toward black people.

The story begins describing Olaf as a happy-go-lucky man who enjoys his life and every aspect of it; "wisps of blue smoke eddy from the corners of his wide thin lips" (197). This selection gives me the mental picture of an old man of small stature and a frail frame. It reminds me of a childhood neighbor who had the same type of thin lips that Olaf has. This little old man smoked, too. The story depicts Jim, on the other hand, describing Jim's bodily features with words like, "His chest bulged like a b

arrel; his rocklike and humped shoulders hinted of mountain ridges; the stomach ballooned like a treating stone; and the legs were like telephone poles...." (199). In reading this, I envisioned the black man who played in the movie "The Green Mile." He has all the features that Wright described in the story. In comparing the black man to Olaf, the reader sees huge differences. Jim is described as being this big, healthy, strong, black man while Olaf is depicted as being a small, frail, puny, white man. Imagine what was going through Olaf's mind when he saw this massive black man walk through the door.

Olaf tries numerous times to dissuade us from the idea that he is prejudice. One such time is when Olaf is asked to find Jim a woman: Yet Olaf keeps repeating to her how "big and black" Jim is. Another indication of prejudice occurs when he dreams of Jim's ship sinking and a "white" shark devouring his "tar like" flesh. He then speaks of picturing "the giant's bones as being jet black and shining"

Some common words found in the essay are:
Olaf Jim, Jim Olaf, Imagine Olaf's, Richard Wright, Green Mile, Fear Don't, black people, black people story, olaf scared jim, olaf's fear, thin lips, richard wright, scared jim, olaf scared, black olaf, people story,

Approximate Word count = 681
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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