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35 votes
When he reached the top of a ridge he stood straight and proud in the moonlight, looking at Jim Hawkins' big white house, feeling the gun sagging in his pocket. Lawd, ef Ah had jus one mo bullet Ah'd taka shot at tha house. Ah'd like t scare ol man Hawkins jusa little ... Jusa enough t let im know Dave Saunders is a man. What message does the author give to the reader by using the phrase big white house in this context

User Jeremythuff
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1 Answer

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12 votes

Answer:

To show the readers that Mr. Hawkins was a rich landowner.

Step-by-step explanation:

Richard Wright's "The Man Who Was Almost A Man" is about a young teenage black boy's desire to be an adult. But through the process of trying to 'exhibit' himself as an adult, he learned that adulthood is a difficult and extensive journey that he cannot easily achieve.

In the given excerpt, Dave is seen with his gun looking at Mr. Hawkins' "big white house" which he wishes he "[could] taka shot at tha house . . . scare ol man Hawkins jusa little ... Jusa enough t let im know Dave Saunders is a man." And through the description of the house, we can infer that Mr. Hawkins is a rich, white landowner who Dave hates.

User Claude Falbriard
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