Richard Wright Literature & Language Essay Research (Essay Sample)

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Richard Wright
Introduction
Richard Wright is a renowned name in American literature. Born on September 4, 1908, and died on November 28, 1960, in Paris, Richard Wright was among the first African American novelist and short-story writers that used their writings to protest racism of black people. To date, he is known as one of the pioneers of African American literature. Thanks to his novel, the Native Son published by Harper & Brothers just before World War II, Wright's literature became best sellers. His life and experiences influenced all his writings. His work ranged from Native Son to his autobiography Black Boy in 1945.
Brief Biographical Description
Born in Mississippi, Richard Wright had a tumultuous upbringing which he describes in his autobiography, Black Boy. His mother was a school teacher while his father was an illiterate farmer. However, after his father abandoned them, they moved to Tennessee, where his education became inconsistent. Nonetheless, he had enough experience intellectually beyond his years. According to Golden (para 2), although many associated Wright with Chicago and New York, he did not arrive there until 1927. Although his education was on and off, by the age of 19, Wright knew that he wanted to be a writer. It is then that he moved to Chicago, Illinois and accessed the public libraries in a bid to read all he could.
According to an assessment by Word Biography (para 4), Richard Wright had a profound interest in social problems leading to his friendship with a sociologist, Louis Wirth. In 1929, he lost his job as a postal clerk and lived on public welfare until his next post in the Federal Negro Theater Project in the Works Progress Administration. After this, Wright became a writer working for the Illinois Writers' Project. It marked his foundation as an official writer. His interest in social problems led to him joining the John Reed Club, a Communist Party that believed that goods and services ought to be owned and distributed by a capable central government.