Term Paper on "Native Son or Beloved"
Term Paper 4 pages (1360 words) Sources: 1
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Native Son by Richard Wright [...] way in which a story is told contributes to or affects the meaning of the story. It will pick a short passage from "Native Son" and explicate it, paying keen attention to the syntax, placement, and thematic content of each line, quoting specific examples where appropriate, and attempting to explain the various meanings to the reader. Wright's use of Communism in the story reflects the time the story was written (1940), when Communism was a very real threat to the world - even greater than racism. The quote from page 66 in the novel uses figurative and descriptive language to evoke feelings of fear, distrust, and evil, which were all associated with Communism at the time, which Wright wanted to conquer with his writing.The passage to explicate is: "He remembered seeing many cartoons of Communists in newspapers and always they had flaming torches in their hands and wore beards and were trying to commit murder or set things on fire. [...] All he could recall having heard about Communists was associated in his mind with darkness, old houses, people speaking in whispers, and trade unions on strike" (Wright 66). This comes early in the book, before Bigger's downfall, and before he understands that Communists may attempt to help him, but in the end, he is the only one who can help himself. He creates a nightmare world for himself that no one can undo, and nothing can save him.
The narration in this short quote is third person omniscient, because the narrator knows Bigger's feelings and thoughts, and communicates them to the reader. The passage gives the reader almost total access to Bigger's thoughts and ideas about Communism, and they reflect the
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The sentences in this passage are anything but short and declarative. They are long and descriptive, and the reader can almost close their eyes and see the Communists with "flaming torches in their hands and wore beards and were trying to commit murder or set things on fire" (Wright 66). Wright manipulates the language with skill and shrewdness, using words that bring up fearful images to create negative feelings about the Communist Party early on, so he can attempt to dispel them later. The sentences are lush with description and detail, and make the reader really think about their meaning and importance. The last sentence uses a series of associations in Bigger's mind that he associates with Communism. It is clear he does not understand all the implications of the Party, but this is understandable, given his lack of education and worldliness. He carries the prejudice of the times against Communists, just as whites of the time carried their own prejudice against blacks. Wright uses language to describe prejudice in common… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Native Son or Beloved" Assignment:
Writing Assignment
Think about why an author has made certain choices about narration. (For example, the way in which the narrative uses flashbacks to construct a public memory for the reader of Beloved.) This paper should concern itself with how the way in which a story is told contributes to or affects the meaning of the story.
So I do not want a paper that talks about your personal feelings about characters or the story more broadly.
Nor do I want anything along the lines of Bigger did X, but should have done Y.
Wright has Bigger do X for a reason, and the way that we as readers come to know about the significance of X is through the mode of narration.
What I want:
Pick a short passage from Native Son by Wright or Beloved by Toni Morrison and explicate it. By explicate I mean read it closely, payin keen attention to the syntax, placement, and thematic content of each line, quoting specific examples where appropriate, and attempting to explain to the reader:
- Whether the narration is in 1st or 3rd Person. To what degree is the narration omniscent? Do we have total access to the characters thoughts, or limited access? No access? Then take another step and explain the relation between what we know from the narration, and how it relates to a major theme in the novel.
- Are the sentences short and declarative, hastening the plot toward resolution, suggesting a certain breathlessness, or long convoluted, tracking the life of a thought, a metaphor, or series of associations?
- For that matter, does the language employ metaphor(i.e. Tom has a green thumb) or simile(i.e she walks in beauty LIKE the night)? Why does the author choose to use figurative language, or not?
So in other words, your thesis should suggest how Wright or Morrison uses language in a specific scene to comment on a theme or idea.
Bad Thesis: "Toni Morrison uses language effectively in Beloved"
Good Thesis: "Toni Morrison uses rich, figurative language to envoke the emergence of 'rememory' in the scene where Paul D arrives at 124."
Length: 4-5 pages
Due: October 11
How to Reference "Native Son or Beloved" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Native Son or Beloved.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2004, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/native-son-richard-wright/3610036. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
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