Question

read the passage from black boy.

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. joy was as unknown to him as was despair. as a creature of the earth, he endured, hearty, whole, seemingly indestructible, with no regrets and no hope. he asked easy, drawling questions about me, his other son, his wife, and he laughed, amused, when i informed him of their destinies. i forgave him, and pitied him as my eyes looked past him to the unpainted wooden shack.

what does this excerpt suggest?

• as an adult, wright has a strong positive regard for his father and wants to get to know him.
• as an adult, wright believes he will never fully accept the way his father treated him.
• as an adult, wright is disgusted with his fathers ignorance and his flippant manner.
• as an adult, wright has a different perspective of his father than he did when he was a child.

Explanation:

Analyze the passage context

Using the Richard Wright Analysis and Autobiographical Perspective knowledge points
The excerpt from Richard Wright's memoir Black Boy describes a meeting with his father years later. The narrator observes his father as a "creature of the earth" who "endured" with "no regrets and no hope." The narrator notes, "I forgave him, and pitied him as my eyes looked past him to the unpainted wooden shack."

Evaluate the options

Using the Autobiographical Perspective knowledge point

• Option 1 suggests a strong positive regard and desire to get to know him, which contradicts the feelings of pity and looking past him.
• Option 2 suggests he will never fully accept the treatment, but the text explicitly states "I forgave him."
• Option 3 suggests disgust and anger at his flippant manner, but the tone is one of pity and detached understanding rather than active disgust.
• Option 4 suggests Wright has a different perspective of his father than he did as a child. This is supported by his ability to view his father objectively as a product of his harsh environment ("From the white landowners above him..."), leading to mature forgiveness and pity rather than childhood resentment.

Answer:

• As an adult, Wright has a strong positive regard for his father and wants to get to know him.
• As an adult, Wright believes he will never fully accept the way his father treated him.
• As an adult, Wright is disgusted with his father's ignorance and his flippant manner.
• As an adult, Wright has a different perspective of his father than he did when he was a child. (Correct answer)