Class Zone: The Language of Literature

"The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright

Overview

Dave, a poor boy in the South, desperately wants a gun, which a storeowner offers to sell him for two dollars. Dave asks his mother for the money. She agrees to the purchase because Dave's father needs a gun. Dave buys the gun and is fascinated by it. Plowing the fields the next morning, he decides to shoot the gun. To his horror, he unintentionally shoots and kills the mule he is working with. Later that day a crowd gathers to bury the mule and investigates what happened. Dave tells the others that the mule died because it impaled itself on the point of the plow. It becomes clear that Dave shot the mule, and the crowd mocks him. Dave must pay for the mule with two years of free labor. That night, Dave hops a train out of town, taking the gun with him, telling himself that he is going somewhere where he can be a man.

Issues

This story addresses

the feelings of powerlessness associated with adolescence
inappropriate methods of dealing with powerlessness (including brute force, deception, stealing, and running away)
firearm sales to minors
adult irresponsibility
accepting responsibility for one's actions
self-aggrandizement versus self-actualization

Instructional Focus

To encourage students to

identify age-inappropriate behavioral patterns
examine the reasons behind inappropriate actions
identify favorable reactions to the stressful situations associated with maturation

Activities

Oral Reading
Read the story aloud. Instruct students to raise their hands during the reading anytime they discover a character acting inappropriately. List the inappropriate actions on the board. Following the reading, return to the list and ask students to recall the characters who reacted badly to the situations. Discuss the reasons behind the actions. Have students identify more appropriate responses to the situations.

Class Discussion
Use the following questions as springboards to solutions:
Why does Dave think he's almost a man? Are his actions those of an adult? Why does he think a gun will make him a man? Explain your answers.
Considering the adults' actions in the story, would you consider them respectable role models? Why/Why not?
Despite Dave's father not having a gun, should his mother have given Dave the money to purchase one? Should Joe have sold the gun to Dave? Explain your answers.
When Dave lies about buying the gun, what recourse does his mother have? Why do you think his father was left out of the decision-making process?
What should Dave's immediate reaction have been to shooting the mule? Why is he more concerned for himself than the mule? What do his actions prove?
Does the punishment rendered fit the crime? Why/Why not?
Do you think Dave's running away is a manly act? Do you think he will be considered a man wherever he ends up? Explain your answers.
What adult response to the shooting may have ended in a happier resolution to the story?

Dramatic Response
Working in groups, have students script the story's ending so the characters respond in a healthful manner to the major events. Have students perform the plays for the class. Discuss the merits of each in dealing appropriately with difficult situations.

Clay Acting
Direct student pairs to identify an appropriate solution to the inappropriate actions in a particular scene. Then have students re-enact the solution by creating clay figures showing the appropriate response. Have the class interpret each clay creation.

Real World Connection

Have students research how people today react to minors owning guns. How are people's responses connected to where they live? to their cultures? Ask students to prepare an oral presentation summarizing their findings.