Richard Wright’s “Blackboy” to a great extent differs
from laye’s African child. This does not mean that they do not share anything
in common they do share something in common for instance, both novels gave
account or dwell on autobiography of two individuals. One an African –American
and the other an African. However, the difference between the two novels are so
glaring that one does not need a soth sayer to know that they differ. We shall
do justice to this work by highlighting the differences one after the other.
(1) Childhood Experience: While Camara Laye
was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Richard Wright was born into a very
poor family. Richard’s father abandoned him with his mother, grandmother and
young brother. It was very difficult for them to eat, he with the mother live
from hand to mouth a type of life which made it difficult for him to enjoy the
parental up-brining that is usually associated with childhood. When the
grandmother was sick Richard was instructed not to make noise, frustration,
curiosity, and anger coupled with a teasing from the younger brother made
Richard to behave in a manner that portrayed him as a bad boy. He burnt down
his grand-parents house and becomes an alcoholic when he and his family moved
to Memphis.
On his own side camara Laye, unlike
Richard had everything at his beck and call. The parents provided food,
clothing, shelter etc for him and the younger sister. He was ones seen playing
with a snake. The scene was so quiet no conflict, the environment is so cyrene,
the air was very pure, no pollution, people are living quietly, the nature was
not harmful and a quiet atmosphere. The environment was very sparkling and
admirable, unlike Richard’s environment which was characterized by violence,
nepotism and gang sterlism as was shown in Richard’s alliance with other
blackboys in his neighbourhood to fight the white gangsters.
(2) Religion
Christianity and tradition plays
role on the novel. Richard’s parents and extended family were Christians who
worshipped in seventh day Adventist church, when his mother changed to a new
church were Richard was baptized. He was restricted from going to work on
Saturday in other to keep the Sabbath day holy. On the other hand, Laye’s
family believe in traditional way of life, his father’s ornament of gold was
inspired by the power of black snake, which visits him in his dream and daily
life. His mother, too, has special power, one time she was called to help a
horse get back to its feet. As if by magic, the horse rises up after she says a
few words to it. His mother is of a clan whose totem is the crocodile.
In addition, Christians believe in
God almighty who is the creator of heaven and earth, while, in tradition, the
traditionalist believe in idol, unlike, laye’s parents who believed in the
power of snake, this in-turn emphasized the inner most difference between the
believe of Christianity and traditionalist.
Level
of Education
The level of education of both authors differs. For
instance, Richard went to a religious school at which his aunt teaches, but due
to the poor financial disposition of his grad parent and aunt, he returns to a
public school. He was determined more than ever to figure out how to deal with
the enduring poverty that continued to manifest itself in the form of constant
hunger, tattered clothes, and long delays in his ability to buy school books.
Richard’s promotion at school gave him the insight to further his education and
planed to study medicine or became a researcher. He started working for a
Whiteman were he fed fine and was able to buy books, clothes and some other
things like his fellow children.
After his primary school, laye at
the age of fifteen (15) left home for Conakry, Guinea’s capital, to pursue a
course in technical studies. He stayed with his uncle “Mamadou” and his two
aunts. Every holiday, he goes back home to stay with his parents. In his third
year of technical college, he won a scholarship to France, where he studied
motor engineering at argenteuil and earned his automobile and received a
diploma in engineering.
Parental Responsibility
The African man or women was imbued with a lot of
energy and indulgence. These ability and quality had to be into proper use.
In terms of parental responsibility,
Wright’s mother play a vital role in the children up-brining, even before his
husband left the family. She was engaged in the cultivation of food crops for
home consumption and the local market, childbearing and upkeep, house keeping
etc. she was a caring and a loving wife. Wright’s father goes to bed in a very
relaxed and happy mode, ready satisfy himself sexually, these was after he has
been drunk in a beer parlour with his friends. Doesn’t care or cater for his
family not to talk of the children education. He left his family in a
frustrating and poverterized condition.
In Camara Laye’s parental
responsibility, both his parents had something supernatural about them, they
worked together to the progress of the family assisted his family, financially
and in terms of education. He sent his children is the best school in the world
to be well educated. These emphasized that every human being was born with
certain abilities and potentials, these potentials are intended to assisted the
said individual to adequately perform his/her daily function with the best of
competence. Each individual however, has limitations. By implication, an
individual cannot go beyond a particular threshold level.
These also implied that everybody
had to respect his or her own assignments . These, in order to facilitate the
smooth functioning of life.
Luxury
Camara
Laye lived a luxurious life he has a girl friend, (Marie Lorifo) who he got
married to when he came back from France he lived comfortable with his uncle,
and traveled around the world. He was taken care-of by his parents. Unlike,
Richard who worked from pillar to post to earn a living, he moved from one job
to anther in-search of greener pasture. He hadn’t a girl friend, the one that
was made available to him by his land-lady was not to be because, he hadn’t the
resources to maintain a relationship, unlike Laye. Even when his land-lady’s
daughter offered to make herself available for him, he refused, because of the
consequences (pregnancy, the need to cater for the girls need etc). Richard
unlike Laye provided for his family this made him skipped meals and saved
money.
Discrimination
Richard was a black in the mist of
the while, he faced a lot of challenges, the white had hatred for him because
of his identify being a black. They would possibly beated or killed the black
whenever they are seen in the mist. These could be seen in as scene, when he a
truck loaded of with white men that were drunk, nearly crushed him to death,
these made his friends gave him advice to avoid the white, who could do
anything to take away his life for being a black. He faced challenges which as
a resulted of his skin colour. Richard got a job in a factory mist of the white
and faced a difficult challenges, he had set back to his dream, it was
difficult for him to access the library even when he tried to the white were
not always comfortable with his effort to read and improved himself, they
(white) did everything within their reach to make sure he does not progress.
These are totally unlike Laye, Laye
from his home town down to Conakry had a smooth cell, even when he was bullied
at school, his father went to the school and dealt mercilessly with the
headmaster he which made everybody to stay away from him, Laye had never been
discriminated by anybody.
LITERARY APPRECIATION/DISPOSITION OF THE
AUTHORS
Richard
from origin was an author. He has the urged to write right from his childhood,
he wrote a book and received his first validation as a writer. He left his
grand parents house for good, he went the North were he wrote novels and books,
he later traveled to Canada were he wrote many books, he also helped the
negroes when he wrote a biographical sketches of negro communist party. Richard
made an effort to make the black understand their worth. He believed that his
writes-up would enabled him tackled his poor family background. Unlike, Laye
who went to a technical school and pursued a course in engineering. He wrote
his autobiography, because he felt lonely for his home land and he wrote the
long memory of his life.
Finally, Richard like said earlier
had a rough life, throughout his life, he was moving from one challenge to the
other, unlike, Laye, his life was smooth, he had everything at his disposal.
COURSE TITLE: AFRICAN - AMERICAN LITERATURE