Richard Wright Posters, Books, Videos, Links for Learning
for the language arts and social studies classrooms and home schoolers.

Richard Wright
b. 9-4-1908; near Natchez, MS
d. 11-28-1960; Paris

Novelist and short story writer Richard Wright, who was forced by family circumstances to quit formal education after completing grammar school, continued to learn by himself.

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Richard Wright quotes ~

• “We had our own civilization in Africa before we were captured and carried off to this land. We smelted iron, danced, made music and folk poems; we sculpted, worked in glass, spun cotton and wool, wove baskets and cloth. We invented a medium of exchange, mined silver and gold, made pottery and cutlery, we fashioned tools and utensils of brass, bronze, ivory, quartz, and granite. We had our own literature, our own systems of law, religion, medicine, science, and education.”
• "I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human." American Hunger

	• RICHARD WRIGHT POSTERS Celebrate Black History
	Native Son Movie Poster, Masterprint
	Periodic Table of American Prose Chart
	Haiku Poster ~~~ old pond..... a frog leaps in water's sound -- Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694) Poetry Forms - Haiku Poster Invented hundreds of years ago in Japan, the haiku is one of the most famous poetic forms in the world. Traditional Japanese haiku contains seventeen onji, or syllables. Some haiku poets writing in other languages use fewer or more syllables, but most stick with seventeen. A haiku must also contain a kigo, a word or phrase associated with a particular season: for example, frogs are always associated with spring. A seventeen-syllable poem without a kigo is called a senryu. Senryu are usually used as social commentary or for humorous effect. ... • poetry forms posters
	• more Black History posters • more Authors posters • Africa Posters

RICHARD WRIGHT : BOOKS, VIDEO, AUDIO

Native Son by Richard Wright - Richard Wright's powerful and bestselling masterpiece reflects the poverty and hopelessness of life in the inner city and what it means to be black in America. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright’s powerful novel is just as meaningful today as when it was first published in 1945.

Black Boy by Richard Wright - Black Boy is a classic of American autobiography, a subtly crafted narrative of Richard Wright’s journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South. An enduring story of one young man’s coming off age during a particular time and place, Black Boy remains a seminal text in our history about what it means to be a man, black, and Southern in America.

Rite of Passage by Richard Wright - newly discovered novella written by Wright in the 1940s evokes today's urban violence.

Haiku, This Other World by Richard Wright - Wright became enamored of haiku at the end of his life, and in this strict, seventeen-syllable form he discovered another way of looking at the world. He rendered images of nature and humanity that raised questions and revealed strikingly fresh perspectives. The publication of this collection is not only one of the greatest posthumous triumphs of American letters but also a final testament to the noble spirit and enduring artistry of Richard Wright.

Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery (1998 VHS) - groundbreaking six hour series of surprising revelations, dramatic recreations, rare archival photography and riveting first-person accounts. Africans in America helps define the reality of slavery’s past through the insightful commentary of a wide range of voices, including General Colin Powell and leading scholars, and offers unparalleled understanding - from slavery’s birth in the early 1600s through the violent onset of civil war in 1860. Narrated by Angela Bassett; includes the voices of William Hurt and Andre Braugher. Winner 1998 Peabody Award.

LINKS FOR LEARNING : Richard Wright

• Richard Wright, Black Boy from PBS -
• The Mississippi Writers Page- Richard Wright
• The Hurston Wright Foundation
• FBI - Freedom of Information Act - Richard Nathaniel Wright