Richard Wright's Struggles with Racism

Question 7 • 130CR English 3

Which excerpt from Black Boy best illustrates the effect that society has on Wright’s father?

Answer

My mother warned me not to be fooled by my father’s friendly manner; she told me that the judge might ask me questions, and if he did I must tell him the truth.

Back at home my mother wept again and talked complainingly about the unfairness of the judge who had accepted my father’s word.

Finally we could no longer pay the rent for our dingy flat; the few dollars that Granny had left us before she went home were gone.

From the white landowners above him there had not been handed to him a chance to learn the meaning of loyalty, of sentiment, of tradition.

Explanation

Choice D directly explains how society shaped Wright’s father: white landowners denied him the chance to learn about loyalty, sentiment, and tradition. The other excerpts describe family events or financial hardship, but they do not as clearly show society’s effect on his character.

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