This is the cover of a '60s paperback of "Black Boy." Does this cover accurately represent Wright's tone for the book? Why or why not? Post a comment that uses tone words and evidence to justify your response. Be sure to write seven to ten sentences. Think about the MMM's as you write.
Throughout the book "Black Boy" by Richard Wright we see many kinds of tones, from confusion to drama. The cover of a '60s paperback of "Black Boy" does, in a way, represent the tone for the book. In the book, there involves a dramtic tone, which as you can see in the picture can be represented.The cover of the book "Black Boy" shows a white woman in some kind of room with ah black man,giving enough evidence to people back in the '60s that there was going to be some kind of drama in the book. Besides that, being seen with a black man at the time cause much comotion for the people at that time. The cover could as well give a sense of confusion to the people in the '60s because the man in the cover, probably Richard, has his eyes closed yet his mouth in a gaping position. Many belived the stereotypes that the Jim Crow Laws set, one of them being that Black people desired all kinds of women, including white. Yet, in this cover, the man is closing his eyes which could hint that he was not interested.Making the people who viewed the cover confused.So, yes, the cover does accuretly represent tone(s) in "Black Boy".
ReplyDelete-Ruth Mendoza
This represents Wright's tone for the book because Richard is in the presence of a white woman and in the South, he cannot lay eyes upon a white woman, therefore he has to close his eyes. Wright's tone for the book is seriousness yet the cover is in a way humorous. Back in the '60s this was obviously nothing to laugh about, however we probably find it hilarious now if a black man cannot look at a white woman. Wright also writes in a naive tone, meaning he doesn't know much about the outside world which the cover makes him seem. When we discussed the Jim Crow laws, it made the stereotype that black people desired women, especially white women. However, this case is not true, in the cover, the man, probably Richard, has his eyes shut to avoid the woman. The cover represents Wright's tone in a way that he thinks all white people think black people are all the same way, when it is not true to the typical stereotype back then.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of this novel represents Wright's tone because there is a black boy that is closing his eyes. He cant stare at the white woman or else he would get kill in the South. While we were jotting down notes on the Jim Crow laws, we know that black people likes white women. But on this cover, the black boy didn't look at the woman meaning that he isn't interested in her. Wright is trying to tell us that in order to survive in the South, you have to follow or do what the white people tell you to do. There are some black people working in the background, meaning that the black have to work hard in the South. So, this cover represents Wright's tone for the novel.
ReplyDeleteAs I look at the cover, I see some of the tones that are present in Black Boy. The way that the black man on the cover, who may be Richard, has his eyes are closed in the presence of the white lady shows that he is not interested in the white woman. The laws of Jim Crow prohibited a black man to watch a white woman. That may also be a reason that Richard had his eyes closed. The cigar that is in the mouth of Richard indicates that he is a smoker, which, in the 60's, most people were. The buildings in the background gives the impression of a poor neighborhood in which black people lives in. There are some black men also in the background, maybe working or not.
ReplyDeleteAs I look at the cover of this book, I see some of the tones that are in Black Boy. The man on the cover of the book could be Richard and there is a white woman next to him. As we know from the Jim Crow laws black people like white people. But on this cover Richard's eyes are closed which means that he isn't interested in her. I think that Wright is trying to tell us that if you want to survive in the South you have to obey white people. There are black people in the South so that might mean that they have to work hard in the South to stay alive. The tone of this cover is dramatic.
ReplyDeleteThe 60s cover for the book "Black Boy", by Richard Wright provides small, scattered hints concerning the overall tone of the book. Throughout the book, we have noticed that Richard’s life was one of loneliness both physically and mentally. He was physically separated and often told that he was “dead to” most of his family members. In the cover of the book, Richards positioning (just sitting with his hands between his legs) usually shows a sense of being lonely. He does have that white woman near him, but, due to the Jim Crow “laws”, he had to all but pretend she wasn’t even with him. It seems that his eyes may also be closed. This has a meaning both literally, as well as figuratively. He literally seems to have his eyes closed to avoid looking at the woman, but, at the same time, the cover might be trying to suggest that he was “supposed to” or did have his eyes closed (did not see or understand) the “Jim Crow South” at one time. The last important detail in the picture was of the decrepit apartment building in the background. It shows that the lives of blacks during that time were poor and were never paid attention to by whites. The overall tone of the book seemed to be of isolation, being poor, and a sense of lost hope, which the cover does a fairly good job at depicting.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of this book is a great representation of the tone for this story. The tone of "Black Boy" by Richard Wright can be described as the harshful life of all blacks. The portrait of the building behind the white woman depicts that they are within a poor neighborhood in which most blacks lived in. The symbolic image shows that even with a white woman in front with a strap left off but the black man evidently kept his eyes close. The Jim Crow laws has caused many discrimination towards blacks in which states that all black men are always looking at white women but in this case, Wright is portraying that not all men are like that yet not only black men but whites could be those with the interest to sex. The cigarrette in the black man's mouth shows that they are mainly smokers and that they fit into the Jim Crow laws that show the negativity to the whole black race. The cover of "Black Boy" shows the essential key tone for Richard's story that stands as a representation of all blacks.
ReplyDeleteThe history of United States enforced many stereotypes and racism. African Americans had a more crucial life compared to the life of white people. The Jim Crow law were laws that discriminated against the African American and favored the whites. The laws contained severe consequences that varies from something mild to anything that can possibly lead to death. Thus, the character shown in the cover has his eyes closed and feared to take a glance at the white woman. In addition, the background of the cover shows a white man ordering or punishing a group of African Americans. Therefore, the cover shown above does represents Wright’s tone for the book.
ReplyDeleteIn the autobiography, Wright appears to be showing multiple tones. The tones that he gives are fear, anger, confused, naive, hate, and sadness. He gave more, but the tones stated above are the main ones. The cover shows a white woman standing in front of a black man who has his eyes shut. Wright lived in the days which was based on the Jim Crow Laws. According to these laws, black men are not allowed to look at white women, not even a glance or death will become them. The cover shows just that, the man is closing his eyes for he feared that he will be killed and die. In the background you can see white people trying to gang up on a black person which is a tone of being violent. Therefore the '60s paperback cover of "Black Boy" does accurately represent Wright's tone for the book.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the cover I see the stereotypes that white people believed all black people were like. They thought how all blacks liked white women. The man on the cover could be Richard, he seems to be holding a newspaper. Richard always describes how he likes to read and he once read a newspaper. The cover also has the picture of a building in the background. It doesn't look like a good building, it might be a building that Richard lived in as a child. The cover represents parts of Richards life that he describes in his narration. It isn't a very good representation of what wright is saying in his story but it does have some elements of what he is trying to say.
ReplyDeleteThe cover to me is an stereotype towards blacks.I say this because there is an attractive young white woman and a poor black man in her direction which is kind of proving that black are perverts towards white people back in those times. The man could also be someone who is just like Richard and wants to learn about the world and whats going on because he has an newspaper in his hand. The building in the back maybe could've of been one of the places that Richard has worked at or has lived in when he was a young boy. The cover represents to me that something Wright really had on his mind at the time and put it out there like this and to show the world what it has come to.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of the 60s edition of "Black Boy" conveys different tones that can be found by reading the book itself. By looking at the cover you can see a white woman and a black man. During Wright's time, it was not okay for whites and blacks to associate. With this knowledge you can sense some tension. In the book, Wright is stuck in many tense scenarios especially when it involves a white person. The black man protrayed on the cover does not look very happy and it looks like he is holding his stomach in pain. Wright rarely writes about a happy moment in his life in his autobiography. I think the cover of the book does accuratley represent Wright's tones in the book.
ReplyDeleteI think that this cover does represent the tone accurately. This is because throughout the whole book, Richard is forced to believe that whites are superior to blacks. This cover shows the white woman in almost an angelic way. She has a white dress and porcelain skin, resembling an angel. When you look at Richard on the cover, it looks like his eyes are closed. This might mean that Richard, or any black man for that matter, aren't worth enough to even look at a white person. I would finally say that the tone is condescending, meaning that the white people are greater, or of more importance, than black people.
ReplyDeleteOn the 60s cover of "black boy", there are some traces of tone being expressed. On the cover there is a young man who is closing his eyes and looking as if he is hoping for something. In front of him is a white woman and in the back there is some white men beating up the black men. There is also a red rundown building in the background creating the environment that richard grew up in and this also determines some tones. The young man with closed eyes expresses a tone of fear and yet hope at the same time. And the white woman's emotion shows us the apathetic tone of the white. While the fight in the background expresses the hostile tone. So in a way the 60s cover shows some tones of "black boy".
ReplyDeleteLookig at the cover of this book, I feel it represents the theme of the book. The theme being that Blacks are discriminated and Life is hard for them, even though they are the same as whites. I feel this becaise of the picture of this cover. The picture being on of a white lady with a dress strap hanging off her shoulder and a black boy, who seems to be looking at her. The stereotype was that black men 'love' white women. As the picture of the boy looking at the white lady shows. Also, if you look closely in the very back you see what seems to be two white men beating up what seems to be a black boy. To end this breif explaination of the theme, I would say that whites really never cared who blacks were, just on what they did, and how the did it.
ReplyDelete-Courteney Leonard Sec 5
The cover of "Black Boy" does represent Wright's tone. The book cover shown a white woman, and in front of the white woman sat a black boy. The black boy had his eyes closed and his expression show fear. In their time, they thought that all black men likes white women, and all black people had to fear the whites. The boy in the cover had his eyes closed because even one glance can call death upon him. The cover of the book accurately represent their feeling of the whites and their fear.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the tone in “Black Boy” is frustration, which the cover accurately depicts. A colored boy sits with his eyes closed and a cigarette in his mouth; although a woman in a provocative dress stands before him. His eyes closed symbolize how he is apathetic about the trouble and violence that surrounds him. He is at peace with the world; minding his own business rather than being the stereotypical black boy according to the Jim Crow Laws who are interested in white woman and participate in violent activities. The scene behind the woman appears to be a gang of people, who are fighting, while the young man acts as though nothing is happening. It seems as though he wants to be unaware of his surroundings by focusing on materialistic things. The newspaper that lies next to him could be his pleasures. Overall, the cover portrays the emphasis on the frustration of Southern blacks due to the harsh Jim Crow Laws.
ReplyDeleteSorry i had a better explanation but it got deleted so yeah :(...
ReplyDeleteThis cover of Black Boy in the 60's is obviously still stereotypical of black people in that they still think of them as "Jim Crow". Its steretypical in that theres a white woman, a small beaten down apartment building in the back where the black people would live, and the black man has ragged and patched clothing. The black man is closing his eyes and i feel that that symbolizes solitudinous, and that that blacks were in their own little world. This is because whites didnt want black people in their world. He has a smirk on his face as well, this is showing his naive stupidity and an uneducated perspective on the world. The two tone words that i will use to describe the cover is malicious and ridiculing. It's malicious because the cover was purposely made to hurt black people. The cover is ridiculing because it's making fun of them as well. I can find many examples in the book of Black Boy itself when Richard Wright speaks of malicious and ridiculing events and acquaintances with people. Events when people purposely hurt him, and when people made fun of him for being who he was. The cover and the book have the same tones throughout.
The cover of a '60s paperback of "Black Boy" represents Wright's tone for the book because it shows an African American male (Wright) with his eyes shut because he cannot look at a White Woman and in the south he was not allowed to do so. In the book African Americans were always in constant fear of Whites, they were in that time superior. Oppression as the root cause of fear and rebellion was a theme that I found in the book that was most evident. If you look closer on the cover of the book it seems to be two men beating up an African American man and in that day that was expected because White men were always looking for ways to cause harm to African Americans and if they had the opportunity then they'd take it. Also on the cover I noticed that Richard was holding his stomach and I think it symbolizes pain from all the things that he has endured. I believe that what Richard has gone through has impacted his behavior which is also shown in the book. Those are my thoughts on the cover of the '60s paperback of "Black Boy".
ReplyDelete-Nia Campbell
When looking at he 60's cover of "Black Boy", I can see how it relates to the mood of the book. Throughout the book, Richard is constantly dealing with his emotions. He's confused about how to act towards white people and his own family. He suffers from poverty and racism. So, we get a sense of a bitter, tired, melancholy tone. The cover shows Richard sitting down, and looking pensive with his eyes closed, which indicates the confusion and hopelessness Richard feels. A white woman also is shown on the cover. I'm pretty sure that the cover showed her to grab people's attention, considering the racism during the 60's. Showing a white woman with a black man was probably done for shock-value. The cover is trying to bring people's attention towards the struggle African-Americans went through.
ReplyDeleteThe 60s paperback cover for " Black Boy" by Richard Wright accurately expresses some of the tones seen in "Black Boy". Richard expresses his life in the south bound to the Jim crow laws. The tones used are frustration,fear, confusion, loneliness, and in a way, proud. The boy in the cover is sitting with his eyes shut tightly, cigar in his mouth, and sitting in a curled up position. His facial expression shows frustration in a way that he is trying to avoid something. A white woman stands near him looking superior and the boy's sitting position suggests fear. The boy and the woman represents the separation and superiority between race. It supports the fearful and frustrated tone that Richard sets in "Black Boy".
ReplyDeleteThe 60's paperback cover does accurately represent the tones set in the book. The white woman may represent as an angel that is superior than the black man, but in my opinion she represents the hope for the man that he can't see. The reason being is that even though she is white, her face is in no way looking down on the man. She can be an image of how the illustrator see as hope. The tone that the cover represents that matches the book's, is of course hope. When Richard felt that the South was just a horrible place for him, whether he was at home or at work, he viewed the north as a sanctuary. This gave him hope as he worked and endured the pain in the south.
ReplyDelete-- Steven Tung
The cover of this book somewhat represents the tone of the novel. Richard Wright wasn't a stereotypical black male, he knew what he was capable and knew that he could make something of himself. Even though the whites were on a higher scale than blacks, Richard didn't let that be the case. Just like when he was going to sell Betsy, he stood up to the white girl and didn't accept anything less then what he wanted. Even though it might not have been the most sensible thing to do, he felt proud and superior because he had control over the situtation and not the white woman. In the cover, the white woman is standing up, tall and regal, when the black man is hunched in a corner with his head down. It shows that black people werent equal to whites seeing as that the woman was standing up to the man. To me, Richard knows exactly how smart and capapable he is unlike all of his family especiall Granny. i think that Granny represents the whites because she tears Richard down when she should be building him up to push him to his highest potential.
ReplyDelete- Jillian Eweka
As a reader of "Black Boy," I say the cover accurately represents Wright's tone. In the cover, there is a black man looking at a white woman with his eyes closed while sitting. The man's closed eyes recall the time when Richard quit from the optical shop and left for home, saying that "he walked home like a blind man" from chapter 9, pg 193. The closed eyes show the man's confusion and that he doesn't know what to do as he is looking at the white woman. In addition, the gasping expression of the man's mouth denotes that he is obnoxious at the presence of a white woman. Richard might want us to feel that black people did not know their purpose and that they were nervous about what to do towards white people. Also, there is a tacky building in the background; black men probably lived in those. The whites most likely lived in more pleasant buildings. This indicate to the readers that the black people were poor in the 1960s.
ReplyDeleteThe 60's paperback cover of "black Boy" by Richard Wright clearly shows the stereotypes of a black man from the time era. The cover also adds to the over all tone of the book which is that all blacks must fall under the guide lines of the Jim Crow laws. That being the Ragged clothes for one. As you can see his clothing is old and worn out,nothing that a higher class White individual would wear. Next the black man looking at the white women is another example of a stereotype that all black men are interested in or would like to marry a white women. The last stereotype that adds to the tone of the Jim Crow laws is that all blacks live in a run down neighborhood kind of like projects. As you can see the falling apart buildings, the trash and paper all over the ground adds to this tone. You can look at the cover and it already gives you a feeling for the tone in the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe 60's paperback cover for the novel "Black Boy" properly expresses the idea of the Jim Corw laws and Richard Wright's tone throughout the book. To what I've read up to, Richard is just learning about how people felt towards his race. He starts feeling anger towards them but is able to keep it controlled. In the paperback cover, there's a white woman looking down on a black person. As you can see, the man isn't staring back and keeping his eyes on the floor. This cover may show how harsh and unreasonable the Jim Crow laws were. Just by looking at the black character's facial expression, you can tell he isn't the happiest person in the world. Also in the background of the picture, you can see black men working on a construction sight. You may conclude that a lot of black men back then had to handle all the manual labor.
ReplyDeleteThe 60's paperback cover of "Black Boy" does not truly represent the theme Richard Wright is trying to express through the novel. There is a mixed message with the white woman in a dress with a dropped sleeve. The image doesn't portray the true manner of what whites used to behave like in the south during the novels' setting. The back adult in the cover seems to be Richard Wright, but distinguishes none of the characteristics that make up Richard. From this cover i would expect anger, frustration, poverty and dreams to be a central force that the reader would think about. The image of a black man sitting down only allows the gesture of laziness and worthlessness to render the mind. The tone of determination and injustice throughout the words of Black Boy are not equally represented through the 60s cover front.
ReplyDeleteThe 1960s book cover represents Wright's tone of the book in some ways and also does not. A few reasons are that the cover looks like Richard is at outside smoking a cigarette and a girl running towards him. He seems to be ignoring her. This first part i described I would say that smoking is very bad and people shouldn't do it. Wright portrays this to display the things Richard does as a grown up. The tone would be ironic because in the book Richard is a very strong character who is rather strong by soul an spirit rather than being phisically strong. This shows that Richard fell upon the bad things in life as the cover depicts it. This is my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of a '60s paperback of "Black Boy" represents the tone of Wrights book. It does because it shows how the boy won't look at the white women.The boy has his eyes closed. Back then, there was a lot of racism and division between blacks and whites. So the black boy not looking at the white women is maybe because he doesn't like whites. Also, in the background it shows a broken building. It kind of lets us know that the boy probably lives in a poor area.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book “Black Boy” by Richard Wright we see many kinds of tones. In my opinion the ‘60s paperback cover of “Black Boy” accurately represents Wright’s tone for the book. The cover shows the tone of fear. The book takes place when the Jim Crow laws were still set. In this time a black man could not stare at a white woman or else that man would be sentenced to death. In the cover the black man has his eyes shut while being in front of a white woman because he is afraid of what might happen if he takes a look at her. The cover of the book accurately represents their fear of the whites.
ReplyDeleteThe 1960s paperback cover of "Black Boy" truly represents the messages that Richard Wright portrays in his novel. Throughout the book, Richard reveals many things that were seen in the Jim Crow era. He shows how blacks were downgraded and not taken seriously. I clearly opens his readers eyes to the separation between the two colors. Through Richard, the main character, we are able to see the struggles and hardship that young black men went through at that time. This cover, which reveals the ignorance of a black man, is a prefect cover for "Black Boy". It shows that a black man doesn't have anything better to do with his life besides stair at an appealing white lady. It shows that black people are violent, poor, dirty, and not educated, which is what the Jim Crow laws said about black people. If you look closely you can see the sadness in the young gentleman's face.
ReplyDeleteYes, the '60s cover of "Black Boy" does accurately represent Wright's tone for the book. The cover represents the worry and fearfulness that is put upon this black man perhaps due to the presence of the white woman. Just a wrong look to the white woman can cause this black man his life. Stereotypes in the ‘60s are that black men are just interested in doing things to white women. The fact that his eyes are closed and not focused on her portrays Wright’s views, that stereotypes like that are not necessarily true. The book does contain different tones depending on what is happening. This specific cover is representing fearful, hopeless and dramatic tones. It just overall shows the pain black men, in that time period, are put through.
ReplyDeleteIn the book black boy by Richard Wright there were several tones used through out. Some of the tones were at times happy with passion, and fuming with rage at the other. The 1960's paperback cover of black boy does match the tone in the book. In the book Richard tone usually sounds like hunger for something more. If you look closely at the 1960's cover you will see a black drawn man interacting with a white man and in "black boy" that rarely ever happens without a fight being involved. The cover also has a white woman centerd in the middle in a sultry dress which draws to interracial relationships. So basically this cover relates to the tone of the book, more so Richard fantasy world of every race uniting no matter the color of skin. -Ifeoma Onwuamaegbu
ReplyDeleteThe Black Boy cover for this 60's paperback does indeed accurately represent Wright's tone for the book. While reading Black Boy, you feel many emotions. Some of them are pity, loneliness, and fear; all of which are part of the tone. You can assume that the black man in the cover is Richard and he looks quite scared. While looking at the cover, does it not make you pity him? You feel bad and you feel sympathy towards him. He has been through so much, what else are you suppose to feel. The cover lets off that kind of tone. If you are to look at the picture, you see a ragged black man sitting by himself. The fact that he is alone, all by himself in the cover, already strongly represents the story. Richard is lonely and it shows that he is living life for himself, fending in the unfair world. You'd think that the woman is normally scared of the man, right? In this case, that stereotype totally wrong. The white woman in the picture does not look like she has any fear in her at all. Richard is actually the one scared. Why is this? The answer is in her skin color. She is white and therefore has more power over him at that time. Her dress strap is slightly off her shoulder to show that he could have done something to her. Even though it is obvious that he would never do it, the strap shows that she can easily pin him down. He is huddled in the corner with a cigarette in this mouth. There is nothing else he can do but hope. The cover of this paperback indeed shows all of these points clearly. --Bonnie TO
ReplyDeleteThe '60s paperback of "Black Boy" cover represents the tone of the book in a few ways. The cover portrays numerous tones such as apprehensiveness and aggravation. When observing the cover, it informs us that back in the 1920's, racism and Jim Crow laws were still occurring. A black boy, most likely Richard himself, is seen sitting down closing his eyes while smoking a cigarette. Richard is shutting his eyes, perhaps to avoid the white woman standing before him. The image demonstrates the fear that Richard feels because he is too afraid to look at the white woman. This relates back to the book because he feared what the white people would do to him. The cover may also express tones of thoughtfulness because while Richard is closing his eyes, there must be many things running through his head. Though this cover does not precisely represent the tone of the book, there are aspects that the cover does conceal in "Black Boy."
ReplyDeleteConsidering Wright's stereotypic view of life, and his sad upbringing this cover depicts pain, confusion, hope, and depression. The boy looks as if he is trying to rid himself of problems by smoking. During this time he is pained due to being constantly reminded of his inferiority by the white woman's glare and the many newspapers scattered about advertising racism against black people. Confused whether he should stay put or risk being beaten. Depressed by his trapped feeling and unexpressed thoughts. The white woman's presence causes him to shut his eyes tightly so that he does not risk the chance of getting beaten for a harassing a white woman. While closing his eyes he hopes to escape the world around him, filled with hate and embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteI think this 1960's cover of black boy represents Richards tone of the book. In this cover you can see hints of poverty and violence. The poverty is represented through a rundown building and the violence was seen through people fighting in the background. Richard is a teenager on the cover is looking away from his past and toward a better future for himself. Also in this picture you can see a half dressed white woman. I think this represents the temptation of a better life which is still to far away. Richard struggles to balance on the fine line of being a black man in a white world and he finds that a full, exciting life is just beyond his reach.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of Richard Wright's "Black Boy" does accurately represent the tone, which is ironic. Why? Right off the bat, the first thing you see when you look at the cover is a black boy staring at a white woman. In reality, at that time, white men would jump him for glancing at a white woman (if he is lucky!). Have you ever heard of Emmit Till? Look him up; that is what happened to blacks who did anything to whites. The text indicates Richard had to step many feet away, much more than necessary, to let white people walk past him; to show respect. Looking at a white woman as blatantly and stupidly as this black boy does on the cover is irony in itself. Now, you may say, "How is the book ironic then?". I have an answer for you: Richard writes, "...I would read and wonder as only the naive and unlettered can read and wonder, feeling that I carried a secret, criminal burden about with me every day" (page 252). The worst one should feel after reading a story is disappointment because they did not enjoy it; but criminal? No one should feel criminal for reading stories, thus it is ironic for him to feel so. The tone of the book is ironic and the cover of the book is ironic. Asking "Does this cover accurately represent Wright's tone for the book?" is fundamentally inquiring "Is the pope Catholic?".
ReplyDeleteThe 6o's paperback cover of "Black Boy" clearly demonstrated most of the tones within the story. In addition the stereotypeicl period of Whites and blacks is also shown. On the cover a white woman is drawn in a position that appears superior to the black curled up man. In the south most of the laws were influenced by Jim Crow ideas, and it was even stated that "Blacks always wanted to be with white women" On the cover though the black boy (most likeley being the protagonist Richard) appears with his eyes closed and looking in another direction. The idea that not all black people are whaat Jim Crow says creates a somehwta tone of hope. Hope being the chances whites have success in a racist black environment. Richard also appears with his mouth open, creating the idea that he might be overwhelmed with the presence of the white lady, still though not daring to look and fall for the stereoypical comments said of blacks. As a result the cover does true indeedly captivate the tones of Wrights tone toward the book itself.
ReplyDelete-Henry Chavez
I do believe that the 60’s cover of “Black Boy” accurately portrays Wright’s tone throughout the novel because the image is quite sardonic in the sense that the white woman is presenting herself in a provocative manner and the black boy in the image is forced, by society, to keep his eyes shut. The boy in the image is presented as being poor; shabby clothing, ragged appearance, and he’s sitting on a street corner to add to the twisted effect. Behind the white woman is a shabby, tilted building, it seems to frame the woman, almost portraying her as a goddess amongst slaves, a woman who casts her judgmental gaze upon the black boy in the image. The image must have been quite droll for whites living in the South during the Jim Crow era, mocking a black man who must shut his eyes when in the presence of a white woman. I imagine that the black society must have been very choleric because of difficult laws that they were forced to abide by in the South. The feeling of sympathy arises when one is made to look at the image because it brings to light critical insight to the life of a black man in the South. Therefore, the image above accurately portrays Wright’s tone in the novel “Black Boy”.
ReplyDeleteThis book cover is very old which showed the time being written. The "Black Boy" represents Richard in the book. The cover matches what the tone of the book is. The African Americans have a harsh time living life in the South. The tone is kind of in irony and mocking. The white woman is standing in front of the black boy which shows a contrast of the two races of people. The black boy is in a poor situation that the white people had more of power over them. In another word, this image best represents what the racism and the tone is of the book.
ReplyDeleteI think that this picture does accurtalely represent wright's tone. the way the front page looks by its condition and appearance looks like it was made a long time ago, to represent how long ago this truly was. Wright in this picture is sitting down and looking in the oppisite direction of where the white women is apporaching. This shows the rage that richard feels toward white people, and how he treats them when they are nearby. The white women is also standing up and richard is sitting down to show that white people were very powerful, and black people need to treat them with respect whether they liked it or not. Richard in this picture looks very lost and abonded not knowing where to go or what to do, which is how he acts a little in the book. Also in this picture there is a building, but it is all old and abonded to show that black people lived in a poor environment and were not rich or educated in any way.
ReplyDeleteI think that this picture does accurtalely represent wright's tone. the way the front page looks by its condition and appearance looks like it was made a long time ago, to represent how long ago this truly was. Wright in this picture is sitting down and looking in the oppisite direction of where the white women is apporaching. This shows the rage that richard feels toward white people, and how he treats them when they are nearby. The white women is also standing up and richard is sitting down to show that white people were very powerful, and black people need to treat them with respect whether they liked it or not. Richard in this picture looks very lost and abonded not knowing where to go or what to do, which is how he acts a little in the book. Also in this picture there is a building, but it is all old and abonded to show that black people lived in a poor environment and were not rich or educated in any way.
ReplyDeleteThis cover does represents Wright's tone for the book because this cover shows the relationship between blacks and whites in the '60s. Not only were blacks treated differently but one wrong mistake can lead to death. Life was hard for blacks as Wright described in the book. Wright wrote in the book about Richard and how he had to be really cautious around white poeple. In the cover you can see a white woman and a boy closing his eyes. The fact that the boy is closing his eyes infornt of the white woman shows that alot of tension was between blacks and whites. Also you can see a big red building behind the white woman. The building tells us the kind of place that Richard lived in and how he had to move from place to place to ensure his safety.In the book Richard had many troubles and difficulty, but somehow he was able to get through it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the cover of the book does represent Wright's tone for the story. By observation, there is a black man who has his eyes closed as a white woman stands before him. I think that the way the white woman is standing in front of him, especially in that attire, expresses the way whites thought about how black people were. Whites believed that black men were, as we took notes on, "sexually aggressive." I think the way whites mocked black people during the Jim Crow Era is being expressed in this cover. However, how the black man has his eyes closed gives the sign that he doesn't desire the white woman. I think that the way he is closing his eyes also expresses the fear he lived in around white people. The building behind the white woman shows the poor environment he lived in and the people in the back possibly represent the hostility he faced.
ReplyDeletei think this book cover shows the stereotypes towards a black man during Wright's time era. The stereotype of a black man and the white women was frowned upon. The newspaper, I think, represents Richard, who read a newspaper for the first time, and also when he delivered the newspapers as a job. The black man's eyes are closed because he has a fear of white people and what they did to the blacks at that time.
ReplyDeleteGuillermo Ramirez
ReplyDeleteI think the cover of the book accurately portrays the tone of this book. The first image i saw was the white woman standing up.Her standing up shows her dominance to the black man sitting down.The lady seems to look very proud and "im too good for you". The background is a housing system and that shows a poor environment. The most important part is the blind black man. He has this clueless look to him but also he looks like hes thinking hard on something that hes " unaware " ( his sight is like a symbol ) of. just like in the story Richard is unaware of an issue that he always thinks of. Thats why i believe the tone is Contemplative.
This cover of a '60s paperback of "Black Boy" does accurately represent Wright's tone for the book in my opinion. The reason that this cover accurately represents Wright's tone for the book is because of the droll and malicious tone of the book. The cover shows a black male closing his eyes in the presence of a white woman. A similar event has happened in the book when Richard was delivering bootleg liquor to white prostitutes who were "working". Richard wasn't allowed to look at the white woman and if he did he was asking for trouble. One time Richard accidently gawked at the white prostitute in the presence of a white man and was threatened with violence. The white woman on the cover shows how white people dominate the black people because the black man on the cover is sitting below her, as if powerless while she stands above him.
ReplyDelete-Kenny Le
My thought on the 60’s paperback cover of Black Boy, is that it does portray the tone of the book. The first image that catches my eye is the black man (Richard) and the expression on his face. The book is filled with many different tones but the tones that stand out the most are confusion, exhaustion and drama. The setting of the cover is in a place with poor conditions, violence and poverty. The attractive white woman in a dress looking at Richard is a stereo-type that according to the Jim Crow Laws, ‘black men love white women’ which was false and discussed in class. The look of Richard’s face with his eyes closed shows he is tired and frustrated. Overall the cover portrays the feeling of frustration and arrogance that Southern Blacks had to endure.
ReplyDelete-Alexa Sanchez
Looking at the cover of this "Black Boy" book, the thought of a romance theme appeals to me. I see two people of the opposite sex in the same room, they both showing different social statuses. The Black man is in rags showing a lower status than the woman who is in a simple white dress. I feel like these two people, if I were to glance at the cover first, would be in a struggle to be together because of the Great Depression during the time. Another Romeo and Juliet story, with a segregated twist. Blacks versus Whites, the strain between the two races tearing the two "lovers" apart. I would have never thought that it would be a novel focusing on how Richard came by in the rough segrated world of back then.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of the book accurately represents the tone of the book. The boy sitting on the curb shows how sad and depressing his life is, while the white woman is standing above him acting like shes better than him. The tired expression on his face shows the tiredness and frustration people can get from working, as well as the fear of losing his life to the white people. the building in the background shows the poor environment people lived in, showing the tone of melancholy and droll, having to work all day to support your family and still never get enough to eat.
ReplyDelete--Sally Li
The cover of the '60s paperback of "Black Boy" accurately represent Wright's tone for the book. The black man sitting on the curb looks very distraught on the cover. This is probably because he is in the presence of a white women and doesn't know how to react. In the book, he gets introuble a lot for his actions infront of white people. Richard also looks worn-out. He has gone through a very hard life and has been in very difficult situations. He is sick and tired of his life and wants to change it for the better for himself and other black people. This explains the look of frustration of his face. In conclusion, the cover of the '60s version of "Black Boy" does represent Wright's tone for the book very accurately.
ReplyDeleteThe cover accurately represents the tone Wright uses in the book. The black man sitting down seems to be in a very "isolated" mood. Reason for this condition must be the white woman standing in front of him. As times were back then, blacks never knew how to react in the presence of a white person. Of course, Richard acts quite "inappropriately" with white people and consequences would follow minutes later. The black man closing his eyes on the cover shows that racial conflict between blacks and whites. His sitting-down-condition shows how much of the struggle he had one through. Similar to what Richard experienced so far in his early years, constant conflicts between him and many others. All of this reflects from the black man's expression on his face. In conclusion, the cover vividly represents Richard's tone for his life in the book.
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ReplyDeleteI personally think that the "'60s paperback of "Black Boy." has to relate to the tone of this book. In the book "Black Boy", Richard had multiple problems with school, regigion, racism, and family. He is trying to get away from the South because he "can't fit in". The white woman represents how people treat them as tall and useful, while the Richard (in the picture) is sitting down, not being noticed at all, feeling discriminated. This all relates to the Jim Crow laws by showing how they treat two different races completely differently.
ReplyDeleteI think that the cover of the book does represent Wright's tone for the story beacause there is a black man who has his eyes closed as a white woman stands before him. I think that the way the white woman is standing in front of him, especially in that way, expresses the way whites thought about how black people were. Whites believed that black men were, like we took notes on, "sexually aggressive." I think the way whites mocked black people during the Jim Crow Era is being expressed in this cover. Also, the attractive white woman in a dress looking at Richard is a stereo-type that according to the Jim Crow Laws, ‘black men love white women’ which was false and discussed in class. The look of Richard’s face with his eyes closed shows he is tired and frustrated. Overall the cover portrays the feeling of frustration and arrogance that Southern Blacks had to endure.
ReplyDeletewell.................
ReplyDeleteYou can look at this bookcover in many different ways. You can see a black man and a white woman, which most likely represents racism in some way.Her standing up shows her dominance to the black man sitting down, just as all white people had over blacks. Just by looking at the cover(without reading the book, there is some theme involved. What comes to mind is that the black man is trying to shut his eyes and block his gaze of the world. He wants pretend like its all a dream, all the racism is just a big nightmare. The book cover accurately describes tone in Wrights novel. This picture represents the level of importance between a white person and a black man
When taking a first glance at this version of the cover for Black Boy I think it does represent Wright's tone for the story. This cover displays what looks to be a Black male with his eyes closed and his head bowing a little bit in front of a white woman. At that point in time the Black population tended to act like that in front of white people as if they really respected them even if they didn't. Also in my opinion the way this woman is standing in front of him is as if she is better than him and he is of a low status. I think back then that this is how racism would have mostly been portrayed back then. So I believe that the cover of this book portrays Richards tone in the book which was of anger to racism.
ReplyDelete- Randy Moreta
This cover describes accuartley describes the book because it shows the emotion in the boys' eyes about how rascist people were in this time. This cover also shows how the white person is so sterotypic and conceited.
ReplyDelete