Chapter 2 Black Boy Flashcards

"We're going to live with her sister in Elaine, Arkansas, and that en route we would visit Granny, who had moved from Natchez to Jackson, Mississippi."

Context: The narrator's mother announces their move, lifting a heavy anxiety from the narrator.
Significance: This marks a turning point for the narrator, as he feels liberated from the oppressive environment he has been living in.

What does Richard say to the white woman when she offers 97 cents for his dog Betsy?

A: Richard to the white woman: "No, ma'am. I want a dollar."
Context: Richard refuses to sell his dog for less than a dollar, despite his hunger, because he doesn’t want to sell her to white people.

What does Richard’s mother say when he tells her about refusing to sell Betsy for 97 cents?

A: Richard’s mother to Richard: "You could have had a dollar. But you can't eat a dead dog, can you?"
Context: Richard’s mother scolds him for not taking the money, highlighting their poverty and his impractical decision.

What does the landlady say to Richard when she catches him spying on her flat?

A: Landlady to Richard: "You scared my customers! I got a good mind to beat you!"
Context: The landlady is furious because Richard’s spying disrupted her illegal activities, leading to a heated argument with Richard’s family.

What does Richard’s mother say to the landlady during their argument?

A: Richard’s mother to the landlady: "You oughtn't have that in your house!"
Context: Richard’s mother criticizes the landlady for running a brothel, which leads to their eviction.

What does Richard’s mother warn him about after Aunt Maggie and "uncle" flee?

A: Richard’s mother to Richard: "Forget what you saw last night. If anybody heard you say that, you'll die."
Context: Richard’s mother warns him to never speak of the night "uncle" fled after committing a crime, emphasizing the danger of white people finding out.

What does the teacher say to Richard when he freezes at the blackboard?

A: Teacher to Richard: "Just forget us and write your name and address."
Context: The teacher tries to calm Richard’s paralyzing shyness, but he fails to write his name, leading to humiliation.

What does Richard say when he sees a plane for the first time?

A: Richard to the crowd: "It's a bird."
Context: Richard mistakes a plane for a bird, showing his innocence and lack of exposure to modern technology.

What does the man say to Richard when he lifts him to see the plane?

A: Man to Richard: "Boy, remember this. You're seeing man fly."
Context: The man explains the significance of the plane, marking a moment of historical and personal realization for Richard

What does the man say to Richard when he lifts him to see the plane?

A: Man to Richard: "Boy, remember this. You're seeing man fly."
Context: The man explains the significance of the plane, marking a moment of historical and personal realization for Richard.

What does Richard’s mother say to him about the war ending?

A: Richard’s mother to Richard: "The war is over."
Context: Richard’s mother explains the celebration in the streets, though Richard struggles to understand the significance of the war.

What does Richard’s mother say when he asks about Granny’s racial identity?

A: Richard’s mother to Richard: "If you've got eyes, you can see what color she is."
Context: Richard’s mother deflects his questions about race, showing her discomfort with discussing the complexities of racial identity.

: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"The glad days that dawned gave me liberty for the free play of impulse and, from anxiety and restraint, I leaped to license and thoughtless action."

A: Context: Richard reflects on the newfound freedom he feels after leaving a harsh environment.
Significance: This marks a turning point in Richard’s life, where he begins to act on impulse, shedding the fear and restraint that once controlled him. It foreshadows his growing independence and rebellious nature.

Q: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"I was leaving the hated home, hunger, fear, leaving days that had been as dark and lonely as death."

A: Context: Richard describes his feelings as he prepares to move away from a place of suffering.
Significance: This quote underscores the depth of Richard’s suffering and his longing for escape. It highlights the emotional weight of his early life and his desire for a better future.

Q: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"Their faces possessed the power of evoking in me a million memories that I longed to forget."

A: Context: Richard reflects on the children he leaves behind as he moves away.
Significance: This reveals Richard’s emotional scars and his desire to distance himself from painful memories. It shows how his past continues to haunt him, even as he seeks a new beginning.

Q: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"I had tasted what to me was life, and I would have more of it, somehow, someway."

A: Context: Richard reflects on the emotional impact of Ella’s story about Bluebeard, which awakened his imagination.
Significance: This marks a pivotal moment in Richard’s intellectual and emotional development. The story ignites his curiosity and desire for knowledge, setting him on a path of self-discovery and rebellion against the limitations of his environment.

Q: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"I realized that they could not understand what I was feeling and I kept quiet."

A: Context: Richard reflects on his family’s inability to comprehend his fascination with books and stories.
Significance: This highlights Richard’s growing sense of isolation and his realization that his intellectual curiosity sets him apart from those around him. It foreshadows his eventual break from his family and community.

What is the context and significance of this quote?
"A dread of white people now came to live permanently in my feelings and imagination."

A: Context: Richard reflects on the pervasive fear of white violence that shapes his worldview.
Significance: This quote captures the psychological impact of racism on Richard. It shows how the threat of white violence becomes a constant presence in his life, shaping his actions and thoughts.

What is the context and significance of this quote?
"My fantasies were a moral bulwark that enabled me to feel I was keeping my emotional integrity whole."

A: Context: Richard describes how he copes with the constant threat of racial violence through imagination.
Significance: This reveals Richard’s inner resilience and his use of imagination as a defense mechanism. It shows how he maintains a sense of self and agency in the face of overwhelming oppression.

Q: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"I had never in my life been abused by whites, but I had already become as conditioned to their existence as though I had been the victim of a thousand lynchings."

A: Context: Richard reflects on the psychological impact of living under the constant threat of white violence.
Significance: This quote illustrates how systemic racism affects Richard’s psyche, even without direct personal experience of violence. It underscores the pervasive and insidious nature of racial oppression.

Q: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"I nursed my orange all of Christmas Day; at night, just before going to bed, I ate it."

A: Context: Richard describes his meager Christmas celebration, where he receives only one orange.
Significance: This highlights the extreme poverty of Richard’s childhood and his ability to find joy in small, simple things. It also underscores his resilience and resourcefulness in the face of hardship.

What is the context and significance of this quote?
"Because my environment was bare and bleak, I endowed it with unlimited potentialities, redeemed it for the sake of my own hungry and cloudy yearning."

A: Context: Richard reflects on how he copes with the limitations of his surroundings through imagination.
Significance: This quote reveals Richard’s ability to transform his harsh reality through creativity and hope. It highlights his determination to find meaning and possibility in a world that offers little.

: What is the context and significance of this quote?
"I had grown to feel that there existed men against whom I was powerless, men who could violate my life at will."

A: Context: Richard reflects on the story of a black woman who avenged her husband’s lynching.
Significance: This quote captures Richard’s awareness of his vulnerability as a black person in a racist society. It also shows how stories of resistance inspire him to imagine ways of fighting back, even if only in his mind.

What is the context and significance of this quote?
"I sat with my ears and neck burning, hearing the pupils whisper about me, hating myself, hating them."

A: Context: Richard describes his humiliation after freezing at the blackboard in school.
Significance: This reveals Richard’s intense self-consciousness and the emotional toll of his shyness. It also highlights his struggle to overcome the fear of judgment and failure.

What is the significance of Richard’s family moving to Elaine, Arkansas?

A: Plot Detail: Richard’s mother announces they are moving to live with her sister in Elaine, Arkansas, and will visit Granny in Jackson, Mississippi.
Significance: This marks a major transition in Richard’s life, as he leaves behind a place of hunger and fear, symbolizing hope for a better future.

What happens when Richard tries to sell his dog Betsy to a white woman?

A: Plot Detail: Richard tries to sell his dog Betsy for a dollar but refuses the white woman’s offer of 97 cents.
Significance: This moment highlights Richard’s pride and his reluctance to engage with white people, even in desperate circumstances. It also foreshadows Betsy’s tragic death.

What is the significance of Richard’s interaction with Ella and the story of Bluebeard?

A: Plot Detail: Ella tells Richard the story of Bluebeard, which captivates him and sparks his imagination.
Significance: This moment is pivotal in Richard’s intellectual development, as it awakens his love for stories and sets him on a path of curiosity and self-education.

What happens when Richard’s grandmother catches Ella telling him the story of Bluebeard?

A: Plot Detail: Granny interrupts Ella’s storytelling, calling it “Devil stuff,” and slaps Richard for his interest in the tale.
Significance: This conflict highlights the generational and cultural divide between Richard’s curiosity and Granny’s strict religious beliefs, further isolating Richard.

Q: What is the significance of Richard’s family fleeing Elaine after Uncle Hoskins’ death?

A: Plot Detail: Uncle Hoskins is killed by white men who covet his saloon, forcing Richard’s family to flee Elaine in the middle of the night.
Significance: This event underscores the pervasive threat of white violence and its impact on black families. It also marks another abrupt disruption in Richard’s life.

What is the significance of Richard’s encounter with the chain gang?

A: Plot Detail: Richard sees a chain gang of black convicts in striped uniforms, mistaking them for elephants at first.
Significance: This moment exposes Richard to the brutal reality of the penal system and racial oppression, deepening his understanding of the injustices faced by black people.

What is the significance of Richard’s mother securing a job in a white doctor’s office?

A: Plot Detail: Richard’s mother gets a job earning five dollars a week, allowing Richard and his brother to return to school.
Significance: This marks a turning point in Richard’s life, as it provides stability and the opportunity for education, which becomes central to his future.

Q: What happens when Richard freezes at the blackboard on his first day at a new school?

A: Plot Detail: Richard is unable to write his name on the blackboard due to paralyzing shyness, becoming the laughingstock of the class.
Significance: This moment highlights Richard’s struggle with self-confidence and his fear of judgment, which he must overcome to succeed.

What is the significance of Richard’s reaction to seeing a plane for the first time?

A: Plot Detail: Richard mistakes a plane for a bird, and a man lifts him up to see it, telling him, “You’re seeing man fly.”
Significance: This moment symbolizes Richard’s exposure to new possibilities and the broader world beyond his immediate environment.

: What is the significance of Richard’s family moving back to West Helena?

A: Plot Detail: Richard’s mother decides to leave Granny’s strict religious household and return to West Helena for greater independence.
Significance: This move represents Richard’s mother’s desire for autonomy and a better life, though it also brings new challenges for the family.

What is the significance of Richard’s interaction with the landlady who runs a brothel?

A: Plot Detail: Richard spies on the landlady’s illegal activities, leading to a confrontation and the family’s eviction.
Significance: This event exposes Richard to the harsh realities of adult life and further disrupts his sense of stability.

: What is the significance of Aunt Maggie and “uncle” fleeing after setting a house on fire?

A: Plot Detail: “Uncle” sets a house on fire to cover up a crime, forcing Aunt Maggie to flee with him.
Significance: This event highlights the extreme measures people take to survive in a hostile environment and deepens Richard’s awareness of danger and injustice.

: What is the significance of Richard’s reaction to the end of World War I?

A: Plot Detail: Richard hears bells and whistles signaling the end of the war but struggles to understand its significance.
Significance: This moment reflects Richard’s innocence and his limited understanding of global events, contrasting with the broader societal changes happening around him.

What is the significance of Richard’s Christmas orange?

A: Plot Detail: Richard receives only one orange for Christmas and savors it all day.
Significance: This highlights the extreme poverty of Richard’s childhood and his ability to find joy in small things, showcasing his resilience.

What is the significance of Richard’s fascination with books and reading?

A: Plot Detail: Richard becomes obsessed with reading, stealing books and begging his mother to explain unfamiliar words.
Significance: This marks the beginning of Richard’s intellectual awakening and his determination to educate himself, which becomes a central theme in his life.