the beauty of language

Throughout the novel Black Boy, Richard Wright uses beautiful language to describe his journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South. In Chapter 2 of the novel, Wright uses an anaphora to convey the childish pleasure and depth of emotion that nature evoked in him as a young boy. He starts off by saying, "There was the breathlessly anxious fun of chasing and catching flitting fireflies on drowsy summer nights" (45). Readers smile here at the beautiful simplicity of a child's fascination with fireflies, as it is a common experience we all can relate to. He continues further, saying, "There was the aura of limitless freedom distilled from the rolling sweep of tall green grass swaying and glinting in the wind and sun" (45). Vivid imagery allows one to picture the scene and wonder at how a child could make the connection between swaying fronds of grass and the notion of freedom. We ache at the realization that despite his tender age, even young Richard yearns for true freedom from his oppressive society. His use of the anaphora furnishes artistic effect to the passage and adds rhythm to his words, making it more pleasurable to read. By relating himself to nature in each repetition, Wright succeeds in inspiring readers to reflect upon their own relationship with the natural world around them; the ability to find pleasure in it being a proof of lightness of spirit and the inability a proof of a soul darkened with the weight of societal concerns.