team's perceptions

Team Oreos' perception is that Ralph Ellison supports Richard Wright's autobiographical protest novel Black Boy in "Richard Wright's Blues."  Within "Richard Wright's Blues," Ellison takes Wright's general message from Black Boy and articulates it in a straight-forward manner. He also defended Wright against critics by explaining Wright's use of modernism.

By taking Wright's general message from Black Boy and articulating it in a straight-forward manner, it helps readers to understand the autobiographical protest novel better.  It also gives readers the ability to see Wright's work in a whole new light. Even if readers were not to actually read Black Boy for themselves, they could gather an understanding of the autobiographical protest novel thanks to Ellison's essay.

For example, we learn in "Richard Wright's Blues" that Black Boy tells Wright's life story.  Within Wright's life he dealt with family issues and racism.  Telling his own life story, Wright revealed his version of the Negro experience in order for himself to understand it as well as for others to do the same.

According to some critics, Black Boy wasn't appealing because it did not weave a beautiful story.  Since it did not weave a beautiful story in their minds, these critics refused to view it as art. As stated by Ellison, "while it's true that Black Boy presents an almost unrelieved pictures of personality corrupted by a brutal environment, it also presents those fresh, human responses brought to its world by a sensitive child" (Ellison 1540). 

Ellison supported Wright's work by defending his actions.  He did this mentioning Wright's home environment. "Whatever else the environment contained, it had as little chance of prevailing against the overwhelming weight of the child's unpleasant experiences as Beethoven's Quartets would have of destroying the stench of a Nazi prison"  (1541). Even if Wright’s autobiographical novel involved something as beautiful as Beethoven’s music, it still could not construct the hardships that some African Americans had to overcome into charming situations.

Ellison approved of Wright's autobiographical protest novel.  He did not only supported Black Boy but defended it.  Ellison helped to get Wright's message across.