"Shouting curses": the politics of "bad" language in Richard Wright's 'Black Boy.'.

Author: Jennifer H. Poulos
Date: Winter 1997
From: The Journal of Negro History(Vol. 82, Issue 1)
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Document Type: Article
Length: 7,176 words
Abstract :

African-American artist Richard Wright's 1945 autobiography 'Black Boy' demonstrates the role of foul language in African-American self-expression. Wright focused on the social and political dimensions of bad language by associating obscene and dirty words with the concept of inappropriate speech according to a racist society. He exposed his devilish side capable of inflicting harm not only to himself but also to others through the use of profanities.
Source Citation
Poulos, Jennifer H. "'Shouting curses': the politics of 'bad' language in Richard Wright's 'Black Boy.'." The Journal of Negro History, vol. 82, no. 1, winter 1997, pp. 54+. link.gale.com/apps/doc/A20757362/AONE?u=gale&sid=bookmark-AONE. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
  

Gale Document Number: GALE|A20757362