Short Reading Response to "Alas, Poor Richard" by James Baldwin

James Baldwin's essay “Alas, Poor Richard” describes his relationship with Richard Wright. Wright and Baldwin were two of the most respected black authors of the twentieth century. Baldwin has many interesting things to say about their relationship, Wright's relationships with others, and race relations both in the U.S. and abroad. Along the way Baldwin offers up many fascinating prosicals.(i)

Early on in his essay, Baldwin writes, “The writer's greed is appalling. He wants, or seems to want, everything and practically everybody; in another sense, and at the same time, he needs no one at all; and families, friends, and lovers find this extremely hard to take.” Writing is largely a solitary venture. Solitude is not always necessary; the writer may be at home or sitting in a coffeehouse among friends. But the writer's attention is somewhere else when composing, and the internality doesn't end there. There are those frequent moments of observation, argument and juxtaposition within the mind of the writer. Often the only part of the process to be shared is the argumentative, as the writer tries to work out her thoughts in public, or tries prematurely to convince someone of their premise without the veneer of publication. When a writer writes, they are motivated in some way by the thought of an audience. It is possible to write only for oneself, but the question of audience changes rather than disappears. Voice is tied into this, as voice is the taking of a position or the developing of a tone, which will necessarily not be agreeable with everyone.

There's a confessional moment and one that resonates later in his description of Wright. In it, Baldwin offers a window that ties race into this observation. He states, “For who has not hated his black brother? Simply because he is black, because he is brother.” This is a reference to self-loathing within the black community. This topic has been fairly well covered in other essays and papers, but is not an area I'm well read in. I am familiar with myself and with people in general. Self loathing is a big problem. There are so many ways to feel guilt, deserved and otherwise. Guilt contorts, and limits potential. Imagine Wright, a ground-breaking, black author writing visceral prose, grappling with the vast criticism and acclaim coming his way from both black and white Americans.

He goes overseas to a seemingly more accepting population, only to find his demons cause him to push people from him. Compounding this is the response he receives from black Africans, who view him as white in culture and pale skinned to boot. Baldwin writes, “An American Negro, however deep his sympathies, or however bright his rage, ceases to be black when he faces a black man from Africa.” His legitimacy, which existed in his prose, was denied by his experience. The black faces he sees are a reminder of his limited place in the world. There is no symmetry, only contradiction.

James Baldwin writes convincingly about this contradiction even as he admits he still struggles to get out from under the disapproval of Wright. By this time, Wright has died. Baldwin strives to speak about the man and the issues of race in a balanced way despite standing so close his subjects. Largely, he succeeds.

In the last paragraph, Baldwin writes, “The experience of the American Negro, if it is ever faced and assessed...” You may wonder what the context of that partial quote is about. It is not necessarily an incomplete thought. It's a meta-question. America has never faced its history in a way that allows it to put the aftermath of slavery in perspective. Some people think everything is just fine, and others think nothing has improved. Neither view is right. The truth is we have stagnated.

(i) - A section of prose, occasionally shorter than a sentence, and almost certainly shorter than a paragraph. I made up that word. Why let other people have all the fun.