Paper Summary:

This paper examines two episodes depicting injustice in Mildred D. Taylor's book "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry" focusing on the characters involved. Through the analysis of the two episodes and the reactions of the characters, this paper focuses on the message that the readers absorb from the episodes concerning the toleration of and the need to combat injustice. The paper relates that the episodes show that it is necessary to combat injustice, but that often this involves just preserving the sense of self-identity and pride.

From the Paper:

"Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is a story of the African American Logan family who live in the very segregated Southern USA during the 1930s. Cassie Logan tells the story, a very bright and proud nine or ten year old. She has a strong moral sense, and self-awareness that she gets from her close-tied family. The Logan family is a hardworking, loving family that has owned land for two generations landowners. They face much hardship and abuse solely on the fact that the color of their skin is black. Like many of their neighbors and friends they have to deal with bullying, often violent whites as well as the system, which is biased against them. However, because they own their land they are in a much better situation then most of their neighbors. There are many examples of injustice inflicted on the Logan family as well as other African Americans in the book. The two episodes chosen for this paper involve Cassie. Focusing on Cassie is important as not only is she the main character, but we also see the events through her eyes as she matures and learns about the full impact of racism. Although she does not quite understand race relations in the segregated south at the beginning of the book, by the end the experiences that she has been through teach her. Yet she remains strong and determined to fight. The first episode is in the beginning of the book, when the reader reads about the two different schools. The second episode is very personal for Cassie and takes place the very fist time she goes into the town of Strawberry."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Taylor, M.D. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry. New York: Puffin Books, 1976

Visitors who viewed this Book Review also liked these:

• Comparison Essay # 141926 : "Labour Unionization in the USA and Canada"
• Analytical Essay # 7362 : "Women in Southern Contemporary Literature"
• Analytical Essay # 133185 : "The Struggle against Injustice"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: