The Library Card
Richard Wright, USA
(1908-1960)
Education is the supreme ornament of
life. Reading opens up mental horizon of the writer. He knew about the
discrimination, injustice and inequalities between whites and blacks. So, he
wanted to forget his studies by indulging in sex and alcohol.
b. Apply the four levels of
interacting with the text in “The Library Card”.
Literal Comprehension: when the writer was 19 years old he
had gone to the bank lobby and started to read the newspapers. All of a sudden
he stopped seeing a critical and furious comment made to white writer, Mencken
as “Mencken is a fool.” Reading such harsh comment towards white became
a matter of curiosity to the writer to know why people called him so. He
thought a lot how to know about Mencken a lot because Negros were not allowed
to go to library and take book to read. He couldn’t be sure to ask his boss or
other whites friends about library card. Lastly, he contacted Irish Catholic
Mr. Falk and kindly requested to manage him his library card. With doubt any
confusion Mr. Falk managed to Richard his library card. Richard
cunningly wrote a foot-note and managed to take two books “The Book of
preface” and “prejudice.”
Richard started to read in his rented room and knew that Mencken had
mucked god and European countries. He also read the famous writers of the
world. Reading became his passion and he went on reading and widened his mental
horizon, when he was asked by whites and his landlady he just used to say he
was just killing time. He also tried to write in the papers but he stopped it
sooner. There appeared a great change in Richard’s manner. His hunger for
reading books went on increasing. He saw a vast gap between his mental world
and the outer world. He knew how Negroes were behaved and living their life.
Being terror, anxiety in his mind he was bearing how far he could. He was also
thinking one day it would burst out.
Interpretation: This impressive story “The Library
Card” might be trying to give the idea of progress if we do something being
dedicated and wholeheartedly. How, after a long time struggle, a Negro boy got
educational success is given very heart touching way. Richard (a 19 years
Negroes boy) had a keen interest to know about H.L Mencken at first and
gradually about various subjects. This proved “where there is will, there is
way.” This story also tries to give a clear picture of color discrimination
in the then America. While the Negroes were not allowed to go to libraries,
parks, romantic places. From mental, personal, social to political sectors all
Negroes were fully controlled. Even then, Richard got huge success with his
strong passion and same ratio of dedication to study and knowledge.
Critical Thinking: at present America has become the
center of world’s people. But her situation in few years back was very serious.
Negroes were not taken as human beings. As presented in this auto biographical
story: Was there such discrimination in USA? How could the white Mr. Falk agree
to give Richard his library card? Does anyone have such keen desire to learn?
Still, the story teaches to be hardworking and studious to have personal
identity and progress of any kind.
Assimilation:
When I read this story it touched me a lot. I evaluated myself a lazybones and
cowardice person. I have evaluated myself to do nothing. If I have keen
interest in doing anything, reading or what so ever, I will get success. The
success of Richard has become a great inspiration to me to do something
productive in my life. I always complained with others not able to be talented
student. Now what I got is I should have deep interest from inside. If so, it
is certain that I will do progress in my life.
c. Do you agree with Richard Wright
and the author of “Why go to university?” that education is supremely valuable?
Why or why not?
In most of the ideas given by these
two writers Richard Wright and Moti Nissani are agreeable to me. In this story
“The Library card” Richard Wright has talked about the progress of a Negro boy
with hard practice education and knowledge. The narrator encountered with a criticism
of H.L Mencken as a fool, he got some strong desire to know about him and the
reason of criticism. The white men Mr. Falk helped him to offer library card,
with great passion for knowledge the 19 years Negro boy progressed a lot in his
study and understanding about his world and author’s behaviors on him. Richard
Right has talked that it is knowledge that brings awareness, it is awareness
that brings change in attitude and behaviors .this story also tells that where
there will there is way. It is the speaker’s deep study by which he has
understood the value of freedom life, human rights and human relationship. He
has understood the value of being in human and position of being minority
group. These all aspects are agreeable to me as well. It is the then American
society when Negroes were behaved as non-human. Another agreeable point in this
story is that we can do progress a lot if we have strong determination and
dedication to do something. It is education that gives capacity to identify
what is good and what is bad as the narrator in this story.
Again, similar type of agreeable
ideas are presented by the essayist Moti Nissani in his essay “Why go to
University?”. Here, he has discussed about the value and advantage of going
to university. According to him, it is education that makes us capable to
develop reasoning power, makes open-mind, and gives power of tolerance, makes
chances of getting opportunities and jobs. Again, the social respect and
prestige are other advantages that are possible by university education.
According to Nissani, it is education that gives us personal freedom, knowledge
to understand the value of social culture, norms, democracy, etc. Personal, social and cultural aspects become
strong by education.
Although Richard Wright and Moti Nissani
have discussed similar type of ideas moti Nassani’s essay seems more compiled
and detail. Anyway both of them seem agree about the importance of education.
As they say education makes people conscious, skillful, independent which are
agreeable points to everybody. In our judgment of their ideas presented both
writers are right in their views and have positive impacts in readers. Again,
Nissani’s arguments about university education is a bit questionable in the
sense that everybody can’t go for university education because it can’t be
available to all levels of people. But we have to respect the detail
presentation of various advantage of university education given in this
essay-“Why go to university?”
Niceš„°
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