The Tone of "Bright and Morning Star"

Under Communist rule, everyone is equal by law. That 's why during the 1920 to the 1950 's, African Americans flocked to join the party. Included in the flock of black Communists was the renowned black author, Richard Wright, whose works are today known for their dark portrayal of black Communist life. A critic summarizes the influence on his stories: "As a poor black child growing up in the deep South, Richard Wright suffered poverty, hunger, racism and violence... experiences that later became central themes of his work" ("Richard Wright" 1). Richard Wright 's many literary work, especially his short stories, all deal with those dark themes. One of his most famous short stories, "Bright and Morning Star", is a story that: "[. . .] carefully investigates the inner psychology of Aunt Sue, a mother of Communists[. . .]" as an essayist summarizing the story 's plot (Kent 43). In other words, the story follows the deadly and dangerous dilemmas of Aunt Sue, a black Communist mother of black Communist sons living in the South, as she tries to protect her son that is not in jail, Johnny-Boy, and the other Communist members at the same time.. He is out recruiting for a Communist meeting, and the Sheriff and his white mob are hunting him down. Wright writes the story so expertly that the reader really experiences Communist life in the South, and get caught up in the danger and suspense of the story, living it as though he or she were part of the story! He was able to create this tone of fright and suspense using stylistic devices like colloquialisms, foreshadowing, and symbolism. Richard Wright uses the stylistic device called colloquialisms, dialogue that was very realistic for the setting, to help the reader mentally experience the story, making it more frightening and suspenseful. Colloquialisms used in "Bright and Morning Star" were extremely realistic for the Southern setting. A colloquialism is a piece of dialogue that is written exactly how it would be said in

Cited: JonMonhamed, Abdul. "Rehistoricizing Wright: The Psychopolitical Function of Death in ‘Uncle Tom 's Children '." Richard Wright. 1987. pp. 191-228. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism Kent, George. "Richard Wright: Blackness and the Adventure of Western Culture." in CLA Journal, Vol XII, No. 4, June, 1969, pp. 322-43. Oleson, Carole "Richard (Nathaniel) Wright." Contemporary Authors, 2005. POWER Library. 23 March 2005. "Richard Wright." U*X*L Biographies. U*X*L, 2005. Student Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 08 March 2005. Wright, Richard. "Bright and Morning Star." Uncle Tom 's Children. New York: Harper Collins, 1989. pp. 221-263.