Black Boy by Rickard Wright- "This is the culture from which I sprang. This is the culture from which I fled"

Black Boy is an autobiography by Richard Wright, who grew up during a period of racism against blacks. He says "This is the culture from which I sprang. This is the culture from which I fled", referring to the way he was brought up to believe that everyone hated him, and his fear and anger toward white people. Richard had an unstable home life and lived in many different places throughout his childhood. His father …

…night. What can you alone think of saying to them? You have no experience..."(page206). This was not the last act of racism he encountered. In the quote, "terror" and "fled" tie together because people normally run from their fears. The quote is ironic because you normally do not "spring" from your culture. Most people keep their culture their entire lives. Richard Write was an exception because he grew up in a horrible, racist culture.