P1+Matt+Lagier

Richard Wright
Matt Lagier

Richard Wright was able to overcome challenges about being a writer, and became one of the most successful African American writers. As Ann Rayson writes “Determined to leave the South before he would irretrievably overstep the bounds of Jim Crow restrictions on blacks, Wright took the train to Chicago in December 1927”(Rayson). He was born on a plantation, in which he had to deal with his father leaving and his mother having to go and take jobs away from the house. Eventually they went to live with his Grandparents in which his grandmother thought fiction was the work of the devil and didn’t allow books. He dropped out of High school and took a series of jobs, in which he read contemporary American Literature, which struck him with a particular force. He then left for the north and had some jobs in which he was able to turn out books. In 1940 he wrote Native Son, which was the first best selling book by a Black Writer.

Rayson, Ann. "Richard Wright's Life." //Richard Wrights Life//. Web. 07 Jan. 2010.

Segregation
Matt Lagier

Segregation plagued the US for many years, all based off of the idea of slavery. Brielee Stonaker and Arica Shepard state “The Southern legislatures, former confederates, passed laws known as the black codes, after the war, which severely limited the rights of blacks and segregated them from whites”(Stonaker, Shepard). When the Civil war needed, the South pounded the newly freed slaves with laws preventing them for doing things. The government then repealed the laws that were set in place and tried to help the blacks. The Democrats were able to get back in power and the help of the republicans no longer existed. By World War II, the south was fully segregated. Violence erupted against the blacks during this time including the KKK. It was also very hard to find work, and houses because owners would sometimes have white only policies.

Stonaker, Brielee, and Arica Shepard. "Segregation." Kaw Valley Online | USD 321. Web. 07 Jan. 2010.

Jim Crow Laws
Matt Lagier

The Jim Crow Laws were laws that were created to segregate the black community from the whites. Spartacus Educational states “After the American Civil War most states in the South passed anti-African American legislation”(Spartacus). After the Civil war they South passed a series of laws in the states that restricted blacks. These were the Jim Crow laws and kept blacks away from white places and restricted them from doing some activities. The laws were in place until 1964 when president Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil rights act. This act made it illegal to discriminate, and provided equal opportunities of jobs.

"Jim Crow Laws." Spartacus Educational - Jim Crow Laws. Web. 08 Jan. 2010.

New Deal Programs that benefited whites over blacks
Matt Lagier

The New Deal was not a neutral deal; in fact whites benefited more than blacks did. The Nation says “But the fact is, most New Deal programs were anything but race-neutral--or, for that matter, gender-neutral--in their impact”(Reed). Some new deal programs excluded a majority of the black population at this time. The original Social Security excluded 90% of the black population. They were excluded from many social initiatives like the WPA and CCC.

Reed, Adolph. "Race and the New Deal Coalition." Race and the New Deal Coalition. 20 Mar. 2008. Web. 08 Jan. 2010.

The Scottsboro Trials Matt Lagier

The Scottsboro trials show the effect of racism, and what really was going on in the south. Claudia Johnson writes "It was in such a distressing social and economic climate that the Scottsboro case (and Tom Robinson's case) unfolded"(Johnson). Blacks at this time were faced with a force that was against them, no matter what they did racism had effects on just about everything. The kids were charged with rape, even though they did not commit the crime. Their case eventually reached the Supreme Court where the ruling was overturned and they were set free. Although they had to endure 2 years of jail from start to finish.

Johnson, Claudia. "Historical Context: The Scottsboro Trials." //Oracle ThinkQuest Library//. 1994. Web. 11 Jan. 2010.

Harlem During the Great Depression
Matt Lagier

During the Great Depression, Harlem was the main haven of the blacks during this time. Larry Greene says " The intensity of the depression experienced by the Afro-American population of Harlem exceeded that of other sections of New York City"(Greene). During this time, they could not find jobs and the unemployment rate sky rocketed. The living conditions were horrible due to the lack of money that everyone seemed to have. Many did not have the money to pay for rent, or had money to buy a house of any sort. Black doctors and nurses were turned down from understaffed hospitals. Harlem was a hard place to live during this time.

Greene, Larry. "Academic Commons: Harlem in the Great Depression, 1928-1936." //Columbia University Libraries: Academic Commons//. Columbia University, 1979. Web. 11 Jan. 2010.

Free Will
Matt Lagier

Free Will is the belief that we make our own decisions, and we are not predestined to do something. The Stanford Encyclopedia states " “Free Will” is a philosophical term of art for a particular sort of capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives"(Stanford). Thus the belief is set that we make our own life. There exists no outside presence that has planned out everything we do. Theology has mixed thoughts about the subject, if we live in a fatalistic world or if we have Free Will.

O'Connor, Timothy. "Free Will." //Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy//. 2005. Web. 11 Jan. 2010.

Fatalism
Matt Lagier

Literary Naturalism
Matt Lagier

Literary Naturalism is a writing technique that captures everyday life in the writing. Wendy Pan writes " As such, literary naturalism can be said to be the creation of literary masterpieces that portrays the nature of human beings through detached and objective study based on scientific principles"(Pan). Writers use a "Scientific Method" approach to set up their works. They watch and record human life, in its natural way. A writer usually makes the character a middle or low class person. They then become something that people can relate to, something different from their old selfs.

Pan, Wendy. "Thing to Know About Literary Naturalism." //Thing to Know About Literary Naturalism//. Ezine Articles, 23 Sept. 2008. Web. 11 Jan. 2010.

Marxism
Matt Lagier

Marxism has spawned many different forms of government, most notably Communism, in which it takes the idea that everyone works for the good of everyone. Purdue states that “given the various sorts of political movements that have been inspired by this thinker”(Marxism). Some of these different types of government make it so everyone is completely equal. Of course this comes with many problems, and there are little ways to control the people. Marxism was not the idea of one man, but the collection of many different people. Marxism has spawned socialism, communism, Stalinism, Maoism and several other styles of government.

"General Introduction to Marxism." College of Liberal Arts : Purdue University. Web. 08 Jan. 2010.

Jean-Paul Sartre
Matt Lagier

Jean Paul Sartre was a French writer, and existentialist philosopher. As said by Petri Liukkonen “French novelist, playwright, existentialist philosopher, and literary critic”. (Liukkonen). He was a brilliant kid in school, in which he became a teacher then started to study philosophy. He was a friend of Albert Camus, although the friendship was broken later on due to conflict of interest. He wasn’t a member of a Communist Party but he often talked to the French Communist Party, which is why they ended friendship. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in which he turned it down.

Liukkonen, Petri. "Jean-Paul Sartre." Jean-Paul Sartre. Web. 08 Jan. 2010.