"Down By the Riverside": How Richard Wright Writes To Protest Racism
I find Richard Wright’s “Down By the Riverside” a very interesting text in the context of the Civil Rights Movement because of how Wright uses protest novel tactics to retaliate against racist sentiments in the 20th century. His story heavily incorporates naturalist themes regarding the Mississippi River Delta flood impacting Mann’s life, although the rather large underlying theme is the presentation of systemic racism in this time and place. Through Mann’s many struggles, Wright effectively demonstrates the difficulties of a lot of African Americans in the early 20th century since there were so many prejudices, harmful stereotypes, and dangerous people against them. Gelatin silver print of the 1927 Great Mississippi River Flood. Even in places that should have been safe havens, such as hospitals, racism lingered in how white people interacted with African Americans. On page ...