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The Life and Legacy of Richard Wright

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Richard Wright's life story is one of overcoming adversity and racial barriers to become a leading African American writer. Born to a sharecropper and a teacher, Wright faced poverty and abandonment early on. Despite limited formal education, he self-educated through voracious reading and writing, eventually joining the Communist Party USA. His works, including 'Native Son' and 'Black Boy,' delve into the African American experience and racial injustice, influencing American literature and culture.

Early Life and Education of Richard Wright

Richard Nathaniel Wright was born on September 4, 1908, on a plantation near Natchez, Mississippi, to Nathaniel Wright, a sharecropper, and Ella Wilson Wright, a schoolteacher. His grandparents had been slaves freed after the Civil War. Wright's early years were fraught with adversity, including his father's abandonment of the family when Richard was six, plunging them into poverty and leading to a brief stay in an orphanage. Despite these challenges, Wright was an avid reader and pursued education with fervor. He attended the Smith Robertson Junior High School and excelled there until he had to leave formal education after completing the ninth grade.
1930s Bronzeville, Chicago street scene with well-dressed African Americans, residential buildings, a barbershop, and a diner, evoking a vibrant community life.

Wright's Early Literary Endeavors and Self-Education

Richard Wright's literary aspirations were evident from his youth. At sixteen, he penned a short story titled "The Voodoo of Hell's Half-Acre," which was published in the Southern Register, an African American newspaper. Although his formal education ended early, Wright was a lifelong learner, immersing himself in the works of various American and European writers. He overcame racial barriers to access literature by using the library card of a white coworker, thus exposing himself to a wide array of literary influences. This self-education was crucial in shaping his future as a prominent author.

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00

______ ______ Wright was born on ______ ______, 1908, near ______, ______, to a sharecropper and a schoolteacher.

Richard Nathaniel

September 4

Natchez

Mississippi

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Richard Wright's first published work

The Voodoo of Hell's Half-Acre, a short story published at age 16 in the Southern Register.

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Richard Wright's early termination of formal education

Formal education ended early, but continued self-education through extensive reading.

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