CLASS STRATIFICATION IN RICHARD WRIGHT’S NATIVE SON AND AMINATA SOW FALL’S THE BEGGARS’ STRIKE

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
The concept of class stratification describes a form of social stratification in which a society tends to divide into separate groups and whose members have different access to resources. As reflected in the selected texts Richard Wright’s Native son and Aminata Sow Fall’s The Beggars’ Strike becomes necessity in any society with a wide gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”. African- American writers have pursued different themes which include but not limited to culture, racism, slavery and social inequality.
Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks write on issues of racial segregation and Black Nationalism, suggesting that legal violence to individual rights ultimately could lead to murder (I). According to Albert J. Raboteau, African- American explore the issues of freedom and quality long denied to Blacks in the united states, along with themes such as African – American culture, racial, religion slavery a sense of home, Segregation migration, feminism and more.
However, in 1786, Jupiter Hammon gave his “Address to the Negorse of the state of New York”. Hammon says: if we should ever get to Heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us from being blacks, or for being slaves”. He also promoted the idea of gradual emancipation as a way to end slavery (16). The concept of class stratification describes a constant conflict among the existing strata in the society.
According to Ngugi an African writer who says:
I believe that Africa intellectual must align themselves with the struggle national idea…perhaps in a small way, the African writer can help in articulating the feelings behind the struggle. (Ngugi, 1975: 50)
African writers have captured different themes among which are corruption in politics, cross-cultural conflicts, the African past, social injustice which include: Poverty, oppression, exploitation, marginalization and class stratification. Achebe argues that the novel is a:
Form of fiction that has seized the imagination of many African writers and they will use it according to their different abilities, sensibilities and vision without seeking anyone’s permission I believe it will grow and prosper. I believe it will have great future (Achebe 1981: 54).
A writer who tries to avoid the big social and political issues in contemporary African- American and African society will end up completely irrelevant because their works would have no impact on the people and society. Such works become irrelevant like the writer himself to the society and the people because they fail to address any of the important issues at stake. Therefore, art should not just be for the purpose of exploring its beauty just as the formalist school of thought posits. It should contemplate the society and expose the ills in the society and as well define a solution for these ills just as the Marxist argue.
The Marxist concerns emerge out of the need to find a lasting solution to class stratification and a society free from oppression. Fortunately, this quest is not in vain as a good number of writers in Africa are involved in various ways in the struggle for the negation of the neo-colonialism and the alienating effects of capitalist lordship on Africa- American and African writers are Richard Wright and Aminata Sow Fall, the novelists selected for the study.
Richard Wright in his novel Native son uses his protagonist Bigger Thomas to narrate the plight of the poor who suffer for social injustice and he is place to the lower core of the society (359-60). Aminata Sow Fall on the other hand mirrors the society and as well agitate for the cause of the poor.
Finally, Marxism like every other modern theory of writing is universal and since it can be used in quest of freeing the society from corrupt practices. African should not be left out as the decisive development of African tradition of radical thinking in general and with the strongest ideological alignment. At the level of general theory f development in question, it is vindication of the generalization that in a class literary movements are unavoidable, if not automatic outgrowth of class society and political directions. (A History of Marxian Economics: Volume 1, 1920-1990, chapter 12, sect. 111).
1.1 Statement of the Problem
In most Africa- American and African societies the common man is oppressed and exploited by a political system that fails to provide succor for its most vulnerable members. This failure of governance is the basis for protest by writers who seek to contest conventional interpretations of history by offering the often ignored perspective, of the poor and by showing how the greed and covetousness of the elite is the direct cause of suffering and oppression. Such literature realistically depicts a society that languishes in pain and anguish, and how the individual become trapped in vicious circle of social violence and injustice caused by an exploitative society.
This research examines how these indices are reflected in Richard Wright’s Native Son and Sow Fall’s the Beggars’ strike. The questions that arise are: what are the factors responsible for class stratification in the society and how do they impact the lives of under privileged? How do Richard Wright’s Native Son and Sow Fall’s. The Beggars’ Strike. The study examines how Richard Wright’s Native Son and Sow Fall’s The Beggars’ Strike attempt to create a positive society devoid of oppressed and exploitation by advocating justice and freedom in their writing.
1.2 Objectives of the Study
This study high lights the concept of class stratification in African –American and African literature based on the vision of Richard Wright and Aminata Sow Fall. This will be handled by addressing such areas as:
Class stratification in both works
Effects of class stratification in both works.
Over-coming the problems of class stratification in both work.
Languages used in both work.
1.3 Significance of the Study
This research work will create an awareness and enlightenment on the impact of societal stratification and for positive changes. This research work shall be of immense benefit to students of literature in academic discipline and the wider society. The study will facilitate a better understanding of the revolutionary concept of Marxism and how it has succeeded in resolving man’s problems in the society and constitute corruption, segregation and class distinction.
1.4 Scope and Limitations
The focus of this study is class stratification as portrayed by the duo of Richard Wright and Aminata Sow Fall in Native Son and The Beggars’ Strike respectively. This research investigates how judiciously the understudied works reveal the existence of class stratification and injustice mated, by the bourgeoisie to the proletariat in the Africa- American and African society and how Africa- American literary writers have been able to expose these ills with the intention of eradicating it from the society. In order to achieve this, the research work shall be limited to using Richard Wright’s Native Son and Aminata Sow Fall’s The Beggars’ Strike as the data for the analysis of these issues.