Use of Rhetorical Strategies in Richard Wright’s Autobiography, Black Boy :: Wright Black Boy Essays

Use of Rhetorical Strategies in Richard Wrights Autobiography, macabre BoyRichard Wright grew up in a bitterly racist America. In his autobiography Black Boy, he reveals his personal experience with the potency of speech communication. Wright delineates the sound role language plays in forming ones identity and friendly acceptance through an ingenious use of various rhetorical strategies. Richards own identity as well as his personal naming of others is formed through language. For example, in Richards encounter with the Yankee, Richard used language to fill up the yawning, shameful gap. He uses personification to emphasize the worthlessness of their conversation. This awkwardness was a result of the Yankees probing questions. Richard set forth it as an unreal-natured conversation, but, paradoxically, he also admits, of course the conversation was real it dealt with my welfare. The Yankee man therefore tried to offer Richard a dollar, and spoke of the spirant hunger in Richa rds eyes. This made Richard feel degraded and ashamed. Wright uses syntax to appropriately place the conversation before making his point in his personal conclusions. In the analogy, A man will seek to exhibit his relation to the starsthat loaf of dirty money is as important as the stars (loaf of bread being the metonymy for food), Wright concludes it is the little things of life that shape a Negros destiny. An interesting detail is how Richard refuses the Yankees pity he whispers it. From then on, Richard identified him as an enemy. Thus, through that short, succinct exchange of words, two identities were molded. vocabulary is also pivotal in determining Richards social acceptance. For instance, Mr. Olin, a white man tries to probe Richard into fighting another black boy. Richard was disturbed. He uses contrast to show his disturbance, the eye glasseswere forgotten. My eyes were on Mr. Olins face. A certain dramatic irony exists exists when Richard asks, Who was my friend, the white man or the black boy? The reader knows it is the black boy. Wright uses detail such as Mr. Olins low, confidential, voice to create an apocryphally amiable tone. If Richard complies with Mr. Olins deceiving language, he would authorize the social acceptance of the white men. If not, he would be ostracized as a pariah. Wright uses a metaphor, my delicately balanced world had tipped to show his confusion.