Old American South Chapter Summaries

Accelerated English III Third Nine Weeks “Old American South” Review-
Name: Erica Dixon
1. Black Boy
Chapter 1- The story begins showing Wright as a troublesome child. He uses words like there was or there were to describe his surroundings. He makes a nuisance of himself by making bad decisions. He writes bad words on a shop window and uses bad language.
Chapter 2-Wright leaves an orphanage but shows no compassion to the kids that he has lived with all this time. He feels as if they are in the past and he wants to forget everything he experienced there. He fears his grandfather because the grandfather is an ex-union solider that grits his teeth. Wrights gets scared in front of his class when called to write on the board.
Chapter 3- When Wright’s mother becomes ill, He takes several small jobs. One of the jobs is giving lunches to men at the roundhouse. Another job is working in a small café. Wright finds a ring and removes a stone from the ring. He does this action so that he can have a weapon to feel safe at his new school. Wright’s mother’s illness caused by a blood cot and a stroke. Wright feels as if education could not have prepared or will ever prepare him for what he is experiencing.
Chapter 4- Richard comes back to Jackson and experiences hunger again. His grandmother wants him to believe in God. She attempts to get kids to make him believe. Richard claims he sees an angel in the chapter. At Sunday school, Richard and Aunt get into an argument that continues at home. He pulls a knife on her.
Chapter 5- During his first day at Jim Hill public school, Wright gets into a fight with two boys. Wright uses a brick in the fight as a weapon. Wright also starts selling papers that display racism material, which he is unknown about. A stranger confronts him and tells him about the reality of the papers. Richard helps his grandfather read letter’s about his grandfather’s pension.
Chapter 6- When wright quits his first job, he quickly finds a second job. The woman at the new job is shocked about wright’s lack of knowledge about milking cows. Wright angers his uncle by defending his opinion when his uncle is talking. Wright uses a razor to scare his uncle because Wright believes he didn’t do anything wrong.
Chapter 7- Wright wants to be a real African American writer despise his family not agreeing with his dream. His family criticizes him for writing untrue short stories. He also works at brick yard and gets bitten by a dog.
Chapter 8- Wright’s principal won’t let him say his own speech because the principal feels like Wright will mess up chances to obtain a future career. He wants to get long pants because he sees graduation as a special event and pants as a symbol of adulthood.
Chapter 10- Richard has a new job working in a hotel where he tries to be “good” towards whites. He also acquires an illegal job selling movie tickets. He ends up stealing fruit preservatives, etc. to be able to go the north. Richard goes to Memphis and vows to never steal again.
Chapter 12- Richard works at an optical job. At his job, He is amused by a co-worker Shorty. Richard is also faced with a dilemma of fighting for money because his boss and another boss want to see black boy fight each other. Richard and his friend ultimately decide to fight for money but the fight turns from playful to real immediately. Richard wins the fight in the end.
Chapter 13- Richard wants to read more so he signs his name as a white man to able to get books. Richard reads an editorial in a Memphis newspaper that attacks H.L. Mencken. Intrigued that a Southern newspaper would attack a white man, Richard resolves to read some of Mencken’s work. Richard’s mother and brother join him and they all save money for Chicago.
Chapter 14- Richard leaves him job by telling everyone he just wants to close with his mother. They leave at different times to prevent suspicion. Maggie comes to Memphis because her husband is gone. Maggie and Richard leave to find a place for the four

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