The author has given you an image of a posh and expensive school. She then contrasts and tells us about the blacks’ school. The blacks’ school is very poor and of a bad quality,
“Great Faith Elementary and Secondary School, one of the largest black schools in the country, was a dismal end to an hour’s journey, consisting of four weather-beaten houses on stilts of bricks, 360 students, seven teachers, a principal, a caretaker and the caretaker’s cow which kept the wide crabgrass lawn sufficiently clipped in spring and summer.”
This is because the council won’t give any money to the black school because ‘it is a waste of money’. They say that the black people are stupid and that whites are cleverer and deserve to learn.
The council won’t buy equipment needed in the black schools. Black children cannot expect books in their classes. However books had been sent to the Logan school. All the books are dirty and when Little Man, who is extremely clean and doesn’t like dirt asks for a different one which is clean, the teacher tells him they’re all the same and sends him back to his seat.
When he reads the label inside the book, he flings it onto the floor and stamps on it. Little Man finds the book offensive because he sees that only white children have used the book when it was in good condition. After eleven white children had used the book it was in bad condition, then the books could be given to the black children. Inside the book they describe the black race nigra. This made Little Man upset, Cassie agrees with Little Man.
Some black people accept white supremacy; Miss Crocker told Cassie ‘that’s what you are now go sit down.’
I think that most black people had got used to the white people making racist comments that the black people had grown to accept that instead of making a fuss. They will know will make things worse for themselves and not better, also miss Crocker is from a mainly white dominated area, she has got used to the white dominating the black people.
The Wallaces (who were white) like the black children going to their store to behave in ways that black parents do not like, so Papa tells his children how he feels to them,
“Your mama tells me that a lot of older children been going up to that Wallace store after school to dance and buy their bootleg liquor and smoke cigarettes. Now she said she’s already told y’all this, but I’m gonna tell y’all again, so listen good, we don’t want y’all going to that place, children going there are gonna get them selves in a whole lot of trouble one day. There’s drinking up there and I don’t like it – and I don’t like them Wallaces either. If I ever find out y’all been up there, for any reason, I’m gonna wear y’all out. Y’all hear me?”
This shows that he gives great concern over his children. I think that he gives us the impression that the Wallaces have done something, but he doesn’t say what, this gives the reader something to think about. This is why Papa is worried and wants them to stay away.
The white children show signs of racism and have no respect for the blacks. The white children’s bus deliberately forces the black children to run to get away from the bus as entertainment for themselves. The Logan family try and to jump up the bank to avoid it, they are soaked in muddy water. Little Man is beside himself with rage,
“As moronic rolls of laughter and cries of “Nigger! Nigger! Mud eater!” wafted from the open windows, Little Man threw his mudball, missing the wheels by several feet. Then totally dismayed by what had happened, he buried his face in his hands and cried.”
The black children appear scared of the white people. The black Logan’s feel very upset over the remarks they have made, especially Little Man. I think that the black children don’t understand why the white people behave this way.
The Logan family try and take revenge, and plan to stop the bus from soaking them. The plan is very successful and they feel a great sense of triumph. I think that the bus getting stuck in the ditch will teach the white children a lesson because for once the white children had to walk to and from school, which is unusual because they always get a lift. But the black children after the event feel very worried and for several days after they are very jumpy because they knew if someone found out it was the Logan family that was responsible, they would punish them.
Both Mama and Big Ma feel a sense of pleasure that the bus crashed, even though they don’t know what caused it,
“You know I’m glad no one was hurt – could’ve too with such a deep ditch – but I’m also rather glad it happened.”
I think that if they knew it was the children who had made the ditch, then they wouldn’t have been so happy about it and would be worried what might happen.
The children are worried because they hear that the white men are coming in the night and the Logan children think that they are coming after them for creating the ditch. The Ku Klux Klan is a racist organisation which existed at this time and whose activities included paying visits at night to people they wanted to threaten, dressed up all in white with white hoods and burning crosses.
The affect of the white men’s visit in the night is so great that mama wonders if Cassie’s peculiar behaviour is the result of having seen them. She doesn’t think that it might be due to guilt at having wrecked the bus.
When Stacey is punished by Mama for the cheat notes in the history test, he goes to fight T.J. whose notes they were. This involves going to the Wallace’s store as T.J. is hiding there because he thinks that Stacey won’t find him there. Mr. Morrison rescues the Logan’s and explains why they should not go to the store,
“From what I hear, folks like them Wallaces got no respect at all for coloured folks and they just think it’s funny when we fight each other. Your Mama knowed them Wallaces ain’t good folks, that’s why she don’t want y’all down there, y’all owe it to her and yourselves to tell her.”
When the children tell her about going to the store she is very cross about it and says she will tell Papa about it. She then takes them to see Mr. and Mrs. Berry. Mr. Berry was burnt by white men. This scares the children because they know if they do something, then it might happen to them. Mama is hoping they will not go back to the store.
Big Ma takes Cassie and Stacey to Strawberry for the market. While they are in Strawberry, Stacey, Cassie and T.J. go into Mr. Barnett’s store to buy goods and he is interrupted in serving them by two white adults. When a white girl also is served before them, this is too much for Cassie who reminds Mr. Barnett that they were there first. His reaction to her is very rude and aggressive.
“Whose little nigger girl is this?” he bellows and when Cassie does not back down, he advises Stacey, “then you get her out of here, and make sure she don’t come back till yo’ mammy teach her what she is.”
He serves the white people first because people at that time thought that white people are more important than black people. So white people get first priority.
Cassie is still angry from her encounter with Mr. Barnett and bumps into Lillian Jean Sims, a poor white sister of Jeremy Sims. Lillian demands an apology for “bumping into decent white folks with your nasty little self.” Cassie refuses to get in the road until Mr. Sims, Lillian’s father, grabs and pushes her into the road. He demands that she apologises properly. Big Ma is so frightened that she makes Cassie do as Mr. Sims demands.
“Big Ma gazed down at me, fear in her eyes, then back at the growing crowd, “she’s just a child – “
“Tell her auntie – “
“Big Ma looked at me again, her voice cracking as she spoke, Go on child apologise.”
“but Big Ma – “
(Big Ma) “Her voice hardened “Do as I say”
(Cassie) “I’m sorry” I mumbled.
“I’m sorry Miz Lillian Jean”, demanded Mr. Sims.
“Big Ma” I balked.
“Say it child”.
A painful tear slid down my cheek and my lips trembled, “I’m sorry …Miz…Lillian Jean”.
Cassie thinks that this is Big Ma’s fault and she still doesn’t understand why Big Ma made her do it. Cassie thought she could just say no. The author is showing us that really there is no need for racism. But white people like to think of themselves as better so that they treat black people badly.
Children suffer from racism. Cassie sums up her experiences in Strawberry.
“When the words had been spoken, I turned and fled crying into the back of the wagon. No day in all my life had ever been as cruel as this one.”
Cassie hated racism before, like having to walk to school when white children go to school on a bus, but in Strawberry the racism was more personal as it affected her directly instead of the whole black community.
Jeremy Sims is a white boy, punished for being friendly to the black Logan children,
“he was often ridiculed by the other children at this school and had shown up more than once with red welts on his arms which Lillian Jean, his older sister, had revealed with satisfaction were the results of his associating with us, still Jeremy continued to meet us”.
Even though Jeremy is white he still talks to black people. This shows that there is no difference between white and black people, and Jeremy doesn’t understand why he is not allowed to talk to the Logan family. Even though Jeremy tries to be friendly they feel they can’t because he might be like the white men who they have heard just burned the Berrys. They are also blaming him for the bus splashing them, because it was white children who laughed at them when the bus splashed them.
Jeremy Sims brings a Christmas present to the Logans, but he is not really made welcome. Papa explains why it is not a good idea for Stacey to be friends with Jeremy.
“Far as I’m concerned, friendship between black and white don’t mean much ‘cause it usually ain’t on an equal basis. Right now Stacey and Jeremy get along fine, but in a few years he’ll think of himself as a man, but you’ll probably still be a boy to him. And if he feels that way, he’ll turn on you in a minute”.
Papa has had experience with what the white people do to the black people, and that white people as they grow older think themselves as being better than black people, even if they don’t when they are younger. They learn they can take control and be in charge of them.
After T.J. is rejected by the Logan children for his betrayal of Mama, T.J. turns his back on the black community and seeks friends with the older white boys.
“Got me better friends than y’all. They give me things and treat me like I’m a man and … and they white too.”
This shows that he thinks a lot about white people, and respects them even though they do terrible things to people of his own race. I think that T.J. feels that he is safe now that he has white friends to protect him. But other people don’t think that he is very safe.
Jeremy is worried about how his brothers R.W. and Melvin are treating T.J.
“They bring T.J. by the house a couple times when Pa wasn’t home. They treated him almost friendly like, but when he left they laughed and talked ‘bout him – called him names.”
This proves that Jeremy’s brothers don’t actually want T.J. as a friend; they just use him as entertainment, while he tried to impress them. They think it funny and don’t treat him with any respect.
T.J. fails to impress the Logan children with his new friends. He goes off with them to get the pearl-handled pistol, clearly upset that the Logans are not envious. Later that night he appears at the Logan’s house begging for help because the Sims have beaten him.
“T.J. did not answer at first, staring in horror at the deep blue-black swelling of his stomach and chest. ‘’I think something’s busted,’’ he gasped finally. ‘’I hurt something awful’’ ‘’Why did they do it,’’ asked Stacey. ‘’T.J. looked up at the bright light. ‘’Help me Stacey, help me get home…I can’t make it by myself.”
We can tell that T.J. is in great distress about what he has done, and he comes back to Stacey because he knows that he can trust him the most. The two white brothers are also very unkind to him.
The Logans take T.J. home, but just as they’re about to leave, Kaleb Wallace and some others arrive at the Avery house, looking for him. The Sims family have told them that T.J. was the one responsible for attacking Mr and Mrs Barnett and stealing from them. There is proof to show this as T.J. still has the pearl-handed pistol. When he attempts to implicate the Sims family,
“Whatever T.J.`s reply, it obviously was not what Kaleb Wallace wanted to hear, for he pulled his leg back and kicked T.J.`s swollen stomach with such force that T.J. emitted a cry of awful pain and fell prone to the ground.”
The white men don’t want to believe that it was white boys who did it so they put the blame on T.J. I think that if T.J. had confessed that it was white boys who helped him then they would have been captured too. Because these boys were not black, the two Sims brothers would have got away with it.
When Papa learns what has happened to T.J. he is determined to save the boy, but Mama knows that any shooting will result in the death of T.J. Therefore, there has to be another way. The direction of the wind makes papa think. Soon the cotton is set alight with the fire moving towards the Granger forest. The fire makes both the white and black people work together in a common cause, their differences forgotten.
“I recognized Mr. Lamer by his floppy blue hat working side by side with Mr Sims, each oblivious to the other and papa near the slope waving orders to two of the townsmen. Mr. Grange hammering down smouldering stalks with the flat of his shovel was near the south pasture where Mr. Morrison and mama were swatting the burning ground.”
I think that this paragraph stands out from the rest of the book, because it is the only time black and white people work together.
T.J. had been saved from lynching and taken to Strawberry by the sheriff and Mr. Jamison. Harlan Granger prevented the men from hurting T.J. further when the fire started. He cared more about his trees than the black boy’s life.
“Then them cars were ‘bout to take off again when Mr. Granger comes running off the porch hollering like he’s lost his mind. “There’s smoke coming from my forest yonder” he yells.”
This shows he puts his business before the workers. It is the same every day. If the worker does not do the job properly or has damaged anything he will beat him or get rid of him.
Now I will talk about how the author presented racism concerning old people.
Mr. Granger wants the Logans land because it used to belong to the Grangers but they
“had sold it during Reconstruction to a Yankee for tax money. In 1887 when the land was up for sale again, Grampa had bought two hundred acres of it, and in 1918 after the first two hundred acres had been paid off, he bought another two hundred.”
Mr .Granger still resents Mr. Jamison for selling the land to someone else rather than him.
Big Ma takes Cassie and Stacey to the Strawberry market. She puts her stall at the back and Cassie thinks it strange not to take advantage of a better pitch for her produce. Big Ma explains the reason why to Cassie.
“Thems white folks’ wagons, Cassie, now hush up and help me get this food out.”
Big Ma is affected by racism, even selling produce. This means that if you are black, you get less profit even if your produce is better. Big Ma sounds like she is used to this though and doesn’t comment what she thinks of it. She just gets on with selling as much as she can.
Mildred Taylor proves racism against women. Everything done is quite trivial, but, it is still upsetting for the Logan family.
Mrs. Logan gets sacked from her job as a teacher because she is not teaching the black children the white version of history. Also she covers up the front page of the new books that Little Man and Cassie objected to having because ‘nigra’ was written in it. Miss Crocker tells her she will get into trouble, but Mrs. Logan does not share Miss Crocker’s views,
“In the first place no one cares enough to come down here, and in the second place if anyone should come, maybe he could see all the things we need – current books for all our subjects, not just somebody’s old throwaways, desks, paper, blackboards, erasers, maps, chalk.”
She gives a long list of things that the school needs. This emphasises the point that they have nothing. Mrs. Logan thinks that no one will come to check up anyway. People do come though and sack her when they see the books. The Logans are upset because they know it was T.J. who told them. Also without her wages, the Logans would find it difficult to pay their mortgage.
“Harlan Granger came to the school with Kaleb Wallace and one of the three school-board members. Somebody has told them about those books I’d pasted over, but that’s just an excuse. They’re just getting at us anyway they can because of shopping in Vicks-burg.’’
The white people wouldn’t really sack her over covering one of the pages up in the book, but they want the Logans to sell their land, so by sacking her, the family wouldn’t get enough money so they might have to sell their land if they can’t pay their mortgage.
At Christmas, the families tell stories and Mr Morrison relates how his family were attacked by Night Men because they had given shelter to two young black men accused by a white woman of molesting her. He explains the reason for the strength of his father and mother.
“Well Cassie, during slavery there was some farms that mated folks like animals to produce more slaves. Breeding slaves brought money for them slave owners, ` specially after the government said they couldn’t bring no more slaves from Africa, and they produced all kind of slaves to sell on the block. And folks with enough money, white men and even some free black men, could buy `zactly what they wanted. My folks were bred for strength like they folks and there grand folks `fore `em.”
Black people aren’t treated like normal people, but like animals. This demonstrates the lack of respect the white men have for the black race.
Lastly, I will present to you the way Mildred gives her views on racism to men and how this kind of racism is more aggressive.
Mr Morrison is bought home to stay by Papa. He has been dismissed from his work for fighting.
“I think you oughta know I got fired off my job. Got in a fight with some men...beat `em pretty bad.”
“Whose fault was it?”
“I’d say theirs,”
“Did the other men get fired?”
“No, ma`am,” “They were white.”
This is the discrimination shown to black people; White men will listen and trust a white man over a black man. I think this unfair because they have no proof they just take the white man’s side.
T.J., who knows all the gossip, has heard that the Night Men attacked Sam Tatum for calling Mr Jim Lee Barnet (a white shop keeper) a liar. They tarred and feathered him.
“It seems he called Mr Jim Lee Barnet -he’s the man who runs the Mercantile down in Strawberry. Mr Tatum asked to see that list of his, Mr Barnett says, “you callin` me a liar boy?” And Mr Tatum says, “yessuh, I guess I is!” That done it!”
If you are Black you don’t have right of speech, and so if you say anything offensive to a white man you will get in big trouble from the white man, and there’s nothing you can do to defend yourself, because if you fight back you will get into trouble for fighting. If it was a white man who made the remark nothing else would be said.
Hammer bought himself a silver Packard which rivals Harlan Granger’s car. One Sunday, the Wallace’s see the car and reverse to allow it to cross the Soldiers` Bridge before them. They raise their hats respectively to the driver before they are shocked to see it is driven by a black man with black passengers. Mama is worried about what the Wallace’s will do.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Hammer, she said quietly
“The opportunity, dear sister, was too much to resist”
“But one day we’ll have to pay for it. Believe me” she said “one day we’ll pay”
Mama is worried because she knows that they will get them back because they always do, even if it is for something not that big a deal. They like to feel in charge and in control and if they do something wrong they will put the black people in place.
Some white men burned the Berry’s because while they were waiting for gas two white men, who were drunk, said,
“That’s the nigger Sallie Ann said was flirtin’ with her.’’
When the Berrys heard this they decided to go home, but the white men caught up with them whilst driving. The Berrys realised they were running out of gas, which wouldn’t have lasted the journey, so they stopped off at their Uncles. However the white men dragged the Uncle out the house and when old man Berry tried to stop them, they set him alight with the boys. The white men seem to take pleasure in beating and killing black men, so they made an excuse to do it. Flirting is hardly an excuse to burn someone. If a white man flirted with a black woman no one would do anything.
Mama takes the children to see Mr. and Mrs. Berry who were burnt. Mr. Berry was the only who survived, but he was still badly injured.
“A still form lay there staring at us with glittering eyes. The face had no nose and the head no hair; the skin was scarred, burned and lips wizened black, like charcoal. As the wheezing sound echoed from the opening that was a mouth.’’
Mama takes the children to see him so that they can learn to be careful and what inevitably could happen.
“The Wallaces did that, children. They poured kerosene over Mr. Berry.’’
She is scared for the children so by showing them the truth, it will in the long term protect them from the horrors that the white men do. Not only had it killed one man, the families of the two people who are extremely injured and ill have to spend all their time looking after them.
Mama now begins a campaign to get the black community to boycott the Wallace’s store, but it is difficult for some people to do this because of financial obligations.
“You know I feel the same way you do, ‘bout them low-down Wallaces, but it ain`t easy to jus’ stop shoppin’ there. They over charges me and I has to pay high interest, but I got credit there ’cause Mr. Montier signs for me.”
He is frightened of being burned by the Wallace’s like the Berrys were, but he would agree to shop elsewhere if Mama could get someone to sign his credit for him.
Mr. Jamison arrives on Christmas day with presents for the family which are accepted. He then talks to the family about their efforts to get in Vicksburg and offers to put up the credit himself to save the Logans from losing their land. He tells them that if they back the credit with their land they will lose it.
“You back the credit with it now and he’ll seize this opportunity to take it away from you. You can count on it.”
He is the one of the only white men that is willing to help them. If Mr. Jamison backs up the credit then many white people will lose their respect for him.
Granger comes to visit the Logans and to threaten them with loss of land if they persist in the boycott of the Wallace store. He tries to intimidate them by saying that the bank manager will not honour a loan to people who stir up trouble in the community. He will punish the black people who support the boycott. The price of cotton is so low that he will have to change his black tenants,
“could be that I’ll have to charge my people more for their crops next summer just to make ends meet…I’d hate to do it, ‘cause if I did my people wouldn’t hardly have enough to buy winter stores, let alone be able to pay their debts.”
Harlan Granger thinks that he can get what he wants by threatening people. Although he abuses the blacks, he is also dependent on the business he gets from them in his shop.
The Wallaces try to prevent the Logans from bringing the goods back from Vicksburg. Two boys loosen the wheels of their wagon and when the Logans try to mend it, they shoot at Papa and break his leg. Mr, Morrison is able to inflict considerable injury on the Wallaces however before they leave,
“but I did see Mr. Morrison pick up one of them men like he wasn’t nothing but a sack of chicken feathers and fling him down on the ground so hard it must’ve broke his back,”
Usually if Mr. Morrison broke the Wallaces back they would’ve killed him, but because they were doing something they shouldn’t, there is nothing that they can do, apart from hurling abuse at him.
“one of these nights, you watch, nigger! I’m gonna come get you for what you done!”
He threatens him but he is afraid of him. This proves why the white men beat the black in the first place because they are trying to scare them, but Mr Morrison is not scared of them and the white don’t have as much control over them as they do with other black people.
The bank note is not prepared to wait until the cotton crop is ready and is calling in the note for the mortgage. In order to meet the payment to protect the land, Papa is obliged to ask Hammer to help. He sacrifices his best possession for this,
“Uncle Hammer where’s your car?” Little Man asked after we all hugged him
“Sold it,”
“Sold it” we all cried in unison
“But why?” asked Stacy
“Need the money,” uncle Hammer said flatly.
This demonstrates the loss of meaningful things in the family that they have to give up just to keep their land and business running. Every time they sell their possessions to keep the land, the land becomes more precious and valuable to them.
Racism has been going on for a long time and not much is being done to stop it. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan, a secret terrorist organization that originated in the southern states of the United States during the period of Reconstruction. Following the American Civil War and was reactivated on a wider geographical basis in the 20th century. The original Klan was organized in Pulaski, Tennessee, on December 24, 1865, by six former Confederate army officers who gave their society a name adapted from the Greek word kuklos (“circle”). Although the Ku Klux Klan began as a prankish social organization, its activities were soon directed against the Republican Reconstruction governments and their leaders, both black and white, which came into power in the southern states in 1867.
The Klansmen regarded the Reconstruction governments as hostile and oppressive. They also generally believed in the innate inferiority of blacks and therefore mistrusted and resented the rise of former slaves to a status of civil equality and often to positions of political power. Thus, the Klan became an illegal organization committed to destroying the Reconstruction governments from the Carolinas to Arkansas. Attired in robes or sheets and wearing masks topped with pointed hoods, the Klansmen terrorized public officials in efforts to drive them from office and blacks in general to prevent them from voting, holding office, and otherwise exercising their newly acquired political rights. It was customary for the Klansmen to burn crosses on hillsides and near the homes of those they wished to frighten. When such tactics failed to produce the desired effect, their victims might be flogged, mutilated, or murdered. These activities were justified by the Klan as necessary measures in defence of white supremacy and the inviolability of white womanhood.
Racism attacks and abuse, include Racist jokes, imitating foreign accents, teasing about religious customs like what they wear and eat, damaging property, but in some cases it is more violent and the victim is beaten. According to a major survey from the internet the results from people all over Britain most believe they live in a racist society, and in 2000-2001 police recorded 25,100 racial offences. But it is thought over double weren’t taken to the police because the victims was too scared to do so.
I think that a lot of racism is due to people having weaknesses or faults of their own and pick on some other group to take out their frustrations and to blame others for problems they have, like what they look like themselves or their family traditions. Some people are ignorant and don’t understand different racial and religious groups ways of living. I think it is unfair to pre-judge people when you don’t know the facts.
