Coming Of Age By Richard Wright

Stephanie Coontz is a teacher, historian, author and a scholar activist. She has also very indulged in the world of public debate on families, this mostly due possible because of her extensive skills to study modern families as well as historical patterns. In her book The Way We Never Were, Coontz presents a historical look at the family and how it has changed over time. Her interest in the subject comes for her need to understand how families functioned in the past and present, and what lead to notion and definition of family nowadays.

2. The novel “Black Boy” by Richard Wright is structured into twenty chapters and two parts. Part one is about Richard Wright childhood and growing up in a difficult time where whites are cruel to all African Americans. Part two focuses more on Richard’s life as an adult and how he struggles to maintain a good job. The story starts from when he is a young child and to when he is an adult.

In the novel, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the theme of growing up is prevalent throughout the book. Throughout the novel, a young mexican girl named Esperanza goes through experiences as she matures that involve her friends, society, dangers that expose her to the outside world and help her to realize what the real world is like.

During the post-reconstruction era from 1877 to the mid-1960s, primarily southern and border states operated under a racial caste system referred to as Jim Crow. Not only did Jim Crow refer to anti-Black laws and restrictions such as Black codes and poll taxes; it was a way of life dominated by widely accepted societal rules that relegated Black people to the role of second class citizens. In the autobiography of Anne Moody entitled Coming of Age in Mississippi, Moody describes growing up as a poor Black woman in the rural south and eventually getting heavily involved with the Civil Right Movement during her college years. The detailing of her experiences expressed not only the injustices inflicted on Black people as a monolith by the Jim

In the book Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody, it shows about a Moody growing up in Mississippi poor and in the during Civil Rights era. Throughout the book it shows the experiences that Moody went through growing up and how they affected her views on the Civil Rights movements. First, during her childhood the experiences of growing up as an African-Americans in the southern limited Moody to what she can achieve in life. Then in the teenager years of Moody life the experiences are more against the hatred the white people had against the black community, also in her 20s her past experiences helped her get involved with Civil Rights programs. Finally, with her involvement in the Civil Rights movements affected her way see different views and resolves compared to other people. In the book, Moody’s experiences throughout her life affects her views and resolves during the Civil Rights movements and her involvement in the movement.

The story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” was written by Richard Wright. Wright was born near Natchez, Mississippi. When Wright was five, his father abandoned the family so wright was raised by a series of relatives in Mississippi. Wrights education never went further than junior high school. Wright then moved to Chicago, where he joined the WPA Writes Project. Wright wrote many story’s in his time and was well known for them. “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is about a kid who thinks is a man, so he goes out and buys a gun, then practice’s shooting it while working and ends up killing a mule then runs away. The theme of “The Man who was Almost a Man” symbolizes the coming of age, racism and self-deception of the kid.

Coming of age is a recurring theme that is universally known throughout many different pieces of literature. Whether it’s influenced on true experiences, childhood memories, or even based on one’s current juvenile reality, many of theses works have a correlation between them that include many similar ordeals and struggles that the character goes through in order to metamorphosize into taking their first step out of childhood. One prominent theme that often appears is how one experiences and faces a time of tribulation and other walls that stand in one’s path. In effect, hardships mature and enlighten one, causing the loss of something such as childhood innocence. Lastly, these three combined points finally lead to one’s metamorphosis out of childhood. All in all, these three factors take one out of childhood, and slowly allows one step out into the reality of this world.

In 1994, a conflict the US couldn't understand, between clans and tribes it didn't know, in a country where there were no national interests, occurred. The Rwandan War of 1994 did not deserve US intervention. There are four contentions on why the US should not have gotten involved in this Rwandan war. The Black Hawk Down incident, how the UN was there previously there, there being no Possible Gain, and having nothing to do with us. Through the examination of the novel, An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, it is Obvious that these key points are valid.

Richard Wright, wrote the fictional novel Native Son, using three intellectual forces, which include: Naturalism, Existentialism, and Communism. He uses these forces, along with racist ideology, to shape the life of a young black male, Bigger, living in the ‘Black Belt’ of Chicago in the 1940’s. Wright refers to the ‘Black Belt,’ as a ‘black world’ where violence is directed towards other American Americans, and warns that this violence will be aimed at white people. Bigger, is used to depict the criminal actions that come along with living in racial confinement under the fear of white people during this time.

Being born into a racially divided society, such as America during slavery and the decades after the Civil War, does not mean that you are born with the knowledge of racism. Racism is something that we are not born with and that we are raised to experience, follow, or fix. During the 19th century and all the way up till mid 20th century, racism was one of the biggest issues in America. Former slaves and anyone who had lived in America for some time, was aware of the racial tension that traveled through the heart of the nation and only got worse the more south you go. In Anne Moody’s autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, Moody’s life is told through her eyes. It goes through her childhood until her participation in the Civil Rights movement. One of the major parts in the book is her slowly realizing the racial divide in America and the disadvantages that her skin color had come with. All the racism Moody experienced as a child until she was an adolescent led to her decision to become part of the Civil Rights movement.

If society was asked what defines “coming of age,” what would it say? Some would say people come of age when they act more mature, think grown up thoughts, or do certain actions. This quote by someone unknown helps form an explanation of what coming of age is: “Maturity doesn’t mean age; it means sensitivity, manners, and how you react.” In the literature piece “The First Part Last,” the author Angela Johnson writes about two teenagers, Bobby and Nia, who struggle with the difficulties of teen pregnancy. Throughout the book, they both face many hardships that put their relationship, patience, and responsibility to the test. With the help of a red balloon, a basketball, and family pictures in a doctor’s office, Bobby comes of age after paying attention to these symbols and signs throughout the novel.

Coming of age in Mississippi by Anne Moody tells the story of her life as a poor African American growing up in America in the midst of racism and poverty. When Anne Moody was four years old Anne and her little brother had to be left at home while her parents worked in the fields. They were babysat by their uncle who was mean to them and regularly beat her up. In an attempt to scare her he accidentally burned down their house, blaming it on Anne. This event had a tremendous effect on the family and eventually led to her father leaving her mother for a fair-skinned younger woman. Anne noted her mother’s hatred for the other woman in terms of race. She remembered the woman was usually described as “yellow”. This event points out how early Moody’s unique perspective on race began to form.

Richard was born, raised, and grew up in a difficult period of life. However, when Wright was sixteen, a short story of his was published in a Southern African American newspaper. After leaving high school, Wright worded a few odd jobs, but still showed his true love for writing. In 1927, Wright decided to pack up his belongings and head to Chicago. A short ten years later, Richard moved to New York City, where he was told it would be easier getting published. One year later, Wright’s first book was published. Since then, Wright has wrote a number of books, series and short stories until he died in 1960. With that being said, Richard Wright’s short stories, The Man Who Was Almost A Man and Big Boy Leaves Home were both written to show what coming with age and responsibility truly mean.

This historical fiction explores a world in which Griffin Clonmac, a passionate maritime archeologist, allows history to guide him in his search of a mysterious bridge believed to be resting at the bottom of the Shannon River. He forgoes all sense of safety to find the Clonmac bridge as he enters dangerous territory brimming with engaging characters and powerful forces. As Clonmac struggles to gain funding and leverage for his maritime venture, he discovers that he must fight against those who are determined for their secrets to remain hidden at all costs.

On many levels, “Almost a Man” is a coming-of-age story in that the adolescent Dave must overcome many hurdles to become a mature fully man. Being taunted, impatient by other older men, Dave believes firmly that getting a gun will end his adolescence and convert him into an actual adult. Not knowing, he discovers himself that owning a gun brings more problems and greater burden. It ironically possesses a pistol would have ushered Dave into adulthood if only he would have handled the extra responsibility like a mature adult. From the text, Dave is forced to work for two years to repay Mr. Hawkins for Jenny’s death that was as a result of the gun. Jenny’s death that was as a result of the gun. “Just let the boy keep on working and pay me two