In the novel, Warriors Don't Cry, the author, Melba Pattillo, describes what her reactions and feelings are to the racial hatred and discrimination around her, within this book she and eight other African-American teenagers receive in Little Rock Arkansas during the Civil Rights movement in 1957. These nine students became the first color people to integrate an all-white public school hoping that in the future, people of color that live in the same area could go to the same school because they will have the right to the quality education that white families have. The degradation of the Little Rock ' Central High wasn't predicted easy and throughout the school year, Melba goes through abuse, catcalls, and suffering. Throughout this book, it has revealed that …show more content…
They win when you respond the way they expect you to. Change the rules of the game, girl and they might not like it so much " (194 ). This is a way that we can do alone when we are confronting racism , and there's no one reaching out to help, as a person that is trying to survive just saying " thank you " for what that person did, they would feel like you're an award person or think that what they did benefit you which they doesn't want to. So they would and leave and move on. Also to overcome racism have the mindset that alone, you can get through this and do this might be a struggle now but its help others. Within the book when Melba was struggling to get through her grandma said " You're a warrior on the battlefield for your Lord. God's warriors don't cry, cause they trust he's always by their side. "(63 ). Like Melba to overcome this obstacle, alone act like a soldier at the front of a very dangerous battle but has to win the battle. When alone facing racism is really scary always thinking about what the people who don't like will do but with the motives of wanting equal right as an individual within yourself, you will soon overcome that fear of
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Show MoreMelba Pattilo Beals is an African American woman, who was born on December 7, 1941. Warriors Don’t Cry is was memoir of Beals’ encounter in the Civil Right Era. With memorable encounters with the Little Rock 9, who were a group of 9 African American students who were enrolled to Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. Central High was an all-white school before the integration. Leading up to the integration, Beals’ childhood was extremely painful encounters, which no child should experience in their childhood.
This quote was said by the majority of Central High School white students. It shows one of the many instances when Melba has to endure the mental abuse of her peers. When the white students would say degrading things to her, she would just look the other way and keep to herself. She also was strong because she had to keep to herself most of the time because if she made a big deal out of it, it might happen more often.
She tugged away thinking of the consequences she would leave her loved ones to. Her mentality, however, was stronger than her physical strength. This case is also demonstrated in Warriors Don’t Cry, an autobiographical novel written by Melba Pattillo Beals, in the struggle of defying the norms of a predominantly white school, while facing both mental and physical harassment. Melba and the others resisted this harassment only to become stronger in the end through defying. As defiance
She afterwards borrows Links car to get away. This is something she thinks she cannot do because he is white and Melba is black and she believes he is a segregationist. At school “she knew to expect some kind of harassment” (148). This shows that at school, conflict happened every day with other students. After months of harassment, “only the warrior exists inside Melba now” (170).
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattilo Beals is a memoir about Beals experiences and her journey while integrating Little Rocks Central High School. She wanted to share her story about what it was like to grow up in the middle of the civil rights movement and what it was like to be one of the nine students who were the first African Americans to integrate a public all white school. During and after reading the book a few thoughts went through my head. First, was my reaction at the horrific things that were done to Melba by integrationist in Central High. For example, while in the bathroom stall a group of girls locked her in and began dumping paper that was light on fire onto her.
In the book Warriors Don 't Cry, Melba and her friends integrate into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Melba and her friends experiences troubles as she tries to survive integration. Beals reveals a lot of things that would gives hint to things that we see ahead. The book mainly focuses on the south, light has been shed on events in the north around the same time when the Little Rock Nine (Bars) integrated. This essay will make inferences that show how people in the southern schools will continue to be ruthless and slow acceptance for the nine and for the north schools how whites will except African-Americans more.
As stated in the text,”We stepped up the front door of Central High School and crossed the threshold to that place where angry segregationist mobs had forbidden us to go. ”(Beals,37) The way Melba adapted to this Turning Point was that she accepted what was happening to her. Melba made a connection with my thesis because of her actions and everything that was happening to to her made a big impact on her
Facing the segregationists and the horrors of the South, Melba Pattillo was a strong warrior on the battlefield of racism for all people of color across the world. Beginning with the integration into Central High School, the brave 9 children hit waves upon waves of mobs and white people giving their all to get rid of them. Melba has gone through hell and back facing attacks of anything from sticks of dynamite to acid being thrown in her eyes. Her dignity and courage gave her the strength to refuse to back down and make a remarkable story.
Ruby was picked to take a test in kindergarten to see if she could go to a white only school. The test was very hard because they didn’t want African Americans at their school. Her dad didn’t want her taking the test because he was afraid of problems occurring. Her mom wanted her to take the
No matter what obstacles you face in life you should always strive to reach your goal. Determination is something everyone should keep in mind of, and without determination one will not succeed. In Warriors Don’t Cry the main character Melba Patillo Beals tends to strive for her goal. With the NAACP the little rock nine includes Melba and eight other black high school students were sent to Central High School to integrate and Melba was determined to go through with integration. Melba reveals many of her characteristics also as many events she had to face every day by herself.
A prominent theme throughout this entire memoir is justice. Justice can only be reached if everyone does their part. Melba and the rest of the Little Rock Nine fought to get justice for themselves and every other black person who came after them. This is significant to Melba as it is something that always reached for, and she continued to struggle at Central High so that she could eventually receive justice. The people at Central High did not fight for justice but instead fought against it.
A prominent thematic throughout the novel, Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beals is self-reliance. In many instances throughout the novel, Melba must be brave and is sometimes not able to rely on anyone else but herself. There are many figures in the novel that help her overcome obstacles but in many cases, she is forced to fight the battle on her own. One could imply that the tone of the novel is fearful because she is terrified in multiple occasions and is forced to overcome these challenges. The theme of self-reliance for Melba starts when she joins Central High.
Imagine getting up everyday before high school and preparing for war. For Melba Pattillo Beals this fear was a scary reality. In the beginning of “Warriors Don 't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock 's Central High” by Melba Pattillo Beals, she begins talking about what it’s like to come back to the haunted racist halls of Little Rock Central High School. This was a time when civil rights was a major issue and the color separation between white and black was about to be broken. Melba and nine other students entered Central High School becoming the first African American students to go to an all white school.
This is our first look at the seperation of races. At this elementary school, there is a large presence of black children. The students refer to Dennis, a particular young child, as “the only white kid in our school,” (Packer 4). When the group of white girls, also known as Brownie troop #909, arrive to the school, the black girls see them as being so different. They even compare
The revolutionary Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, once described discrimination as “a hellbound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.” His point being that African Americans face racial discrimination on a daily basis. Brent Staples, being an African American living in America, expresses his view on the subject in his essay “Just Walk on By”, where he conveys the message of how fear is influenced by society's stereotypical and discriminating views of certain groups of people; his point is made clear through his sympathetic persona, descriptive diction, depressing tone, and many analogies. Staples sympathetic persona helps the reader feel and understand the racial problems that he experiences daily.