Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry revolves around a strong message of racism, by increasing our emotions and feelings of the subject. In subtle ways the writer teaches us, without information being too heavy, about racism and its background, strongly pointing towards its wrongs. The book focuses on teaching young blacks and whites of the racist issue by involving it in the story, while making the story line interesting enough to not realise how you are gradually taught the different aspects of the subject.
From this point of view, the novel successfully approaches the issue of racism as well as conquering fiction mode.
Racism originated from the slave trade, where Africans were transported to the Americas to be sold for work on farms or mines. The whites thought of these blacks as an inferior race as their level of advancement was behind that of the whites. In our book we can see how over time, this way of thinking by the whites makes little change. By 1510, Spaniards and Portuguese captured Africans in exchange for European goods, and shipped them to America where again they would be exchanged for sugar, rum tabacco and cotton. At the time, Africa was the only part of the 'known' world not controlled by rulers, and their weapons were not as powerful as the Europeans and so the natives were easily captured. They would be held in barracoons built by the slave traders, many dying.
Between 1500 and 1890, an estimate of over six million women, and 9 million men were captured, an equal number died before they could be exported. As the numbers grew, many whites began to feel afraid of rebellion. Strict laws were past about what the slaves could or could not do. They were denied all their personal rights and completely belong to and had to respect their owner. Roll of Thunder shows how slavery in a milder form still took place, with the blacks practically living like slaves on the white's land. They were even rejected the write to read or write in an attempt to avoid a revolt. Because of their exclusion from cultural mainstream, oral song and story became the black's communication.
After the War of American Independence black slavery began to alter. 4th July 1776, the Declaration of independence was made, demanding freedom from British rule. In 1783 the British Government recognised American Independence and the Americans were to decide their own government for the 13 excolonies. The new Constitution set out to protect the rights and freedom of black men with Thomas Jefferson declaring in 1776 'all men are created equal'. By the early nineteenth century slavery had been abolished in most Northern states, but for most of the population, the way whites and blacks felt about each other would not be resolved.
793 saw the Fugitive Slave Law meaning it would be illegal to shelter runaway slaves or prevent their capture. 7 years later thousands of slaves, led by Gabriel Prosser attacked Richmond. Their plan was betrayed, resulting in Prosser's and 35 other slaves' deaths. A similar betrayal took place in 1822 after 4 years of planning ending in 47 dead. Incidences such as these may indicate reasoning for Papa's statement that whites must not be trusted. Betrayal of blacks by blacks can also be seen in the novel for revenge, where T.J betrays Mrs Logan to teaching authorities after failing his test.
The 19th century saw the escape of an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 blacks to the free states in the North and Canada via underground rail routes. Black's revolts were becoming frequent. Whites were worried of losing control. In Roll of Thunder, the Grangers feelings for the Logans being their own landowners may also have had a fear of revolt.
In 1807 the slave trade was successfully abolished. Most other countries were also persuaded, but some traders still continued against the law. In 1832, under a new government, hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions against slavery. This ...
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The 19th century saw the escape of an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 blacks to the free states in the North and Canada via underground rail routes. Black's revolts were becoming frequent. Whites were worried of losing control. In Roll of Thunder, the Grangers feelings for the Logans being their own landowners may also have had a fear of revolt.
In 1807 the slave trade was successfully abolished. Most other countries were also persuaded, but some traders still continued against the law. In 1832, under a new government, hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions against slavery. This began to show that not all of the white population saw a reason for blacks to be treaded as inferior. In the novel, Mr Jaminson and Jeremy Simms are examples of this as they treated the Logans as equal.
In 1833 slaves could legally be freed, the owners getting £20 million compensation. Even when the capturing of slaves had been abolished, whites still felt that the blacks were inferior. To this day, as well as in Roll of Thunder racism continues.
In the mid19th century, over 90% of American blacks lived in the South, such as the book's characters, and their freedom from slavery threatened white supremacy. This is one reason why the southern states withdrew from the USA in 1861. Northern states saw this as a rebellion and a bloody civil war followed until 1865. A total of 178,985 blacks rushed to join forming a 10th of the Unions army. They felt honoured to be worthy of fighting for their country, perhaps hoping that the white population would also feel this. They still only received half of a white mans pay, and given the more fatigue jobs until a decision of Congress and the war department equalled their rights. Black women also joined the war. 37 thousand were killed in action. 17 black soldiers and sailors were also awarded Congressional Medals of Honour for their bravery. They thought that blacks may be honoured encouraged other blacks to think differently about they future and its possibilities.
After Abraham Lincoln's assassination, the new president Andrew Johnson returned black's land to the white planters. Blacks were forbidden to have any civil rights; they had no voting rights and no education.
The Freedman's Bureau began to open hospitals and schools for blacks only. Freedman's bank was also opened. It was badly managed by whites, resulting in blacks loosing over $3 million.
This changed in 1868 with the 4th Amendment granting equal civil rights and citizenship. The 5th Amendment in 1870 gave equal voting to all men. 5 years later this was undermined. Some states banned black and white marriages and voting was impossible for most blacks.
Between 1920 and 1925 around 5 million whites joined a secret society called the Ku Klux Klan against the blacks that were already in America. They prevented any of their rights like voting, and tortured the blacks, resulting in a constant fear for. In Roll of Thunder the Ku Klux Klan's adaptation are "the night men". These scare the blacks into obeying the whites.
Schools for blacks were low standard. Some blacks turned to education as a means of escape, but the state schools were overcrowded and teachers had little training. Only about half the children were ever enrolled. State governments spent much less on the education of a black child that a white one. To overcome this problem, Black churches and organisations continued to set up their own school. These often only took place for 3-->4 months to coincided with the time the children would not be needed at home. The black's school in Roll of Thunder shows a very common school surviving off church funds and with no connection to whites. It has two large classes to a teacher and a considerably smaller fund in comparison to the white children's school.
Later the organisation "National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People" was formed. This was led by whites as well as Dr Dubois and Ida B. Wells, both famous for playing important parts in racial history.
Racism in Roll of Thunder can be seen all through, covering many different aspects. It is set in a time when racism is still dominant in a black person's life. Respect, schooling and well being all revolve around racism for a black person. Respect between your own race can be seen in the book. The Logans in the book have gained much respect from their fellow blacks with their unusual situation of owning land. This quote is from Mr. Turner, a neighbour of the Logan family.
" Y'all got it better'n most the folks 'round here 'cause y'all gots your own place and y'all ain't gotta cowtail to a lot of this stuff. But you gotta understand it ain't easy for sharecroppin' folks to do what your askin'."
This makes then independent, not needing to depend on the whites. As well as keeping all their profits, they also undertake a permanent status. This being uncommon for blacks at the time gives the Logans status among their black neighbours. The rest of their neighbouring blacks are sharecroppers or tenants on the whites land meaning that they practically are kept as slaves, giving the money they owe to their landlord Mr Granger as well as surviving off his provisions as if they are still kept as slaves.
Respect from the opposite race can be seen to often be different. In the same situation, Mr Harlan Granger, the owner of most of the other land despises, and has no respect for the Logans, being dependable upon them self and free to make their own decisions. He does not feel that it is right that blacks could be at the same standard of land owning as whites like himself, keeping the same frame of mind as the past, that blacks are inferior.
The same is for the respect of whites from blacks. We find that blacks have little or no respect for the opposite race, but instead have fear for them. It is often that, which will keep them from rebelling. The whites appear the stronger race, as we can see in the book with the night men.
"Visions of night riders and fire mixed in a caldron of fear awakening me long before dawn"
Cassie is speaking here of the fear that they live in of the nightriders. They are scared that one-day, they may come after them. Due to this they try not to displease the whites by keeping to the status they automatically endure. They are treated as lower class, and they attempt to bear this with the most respectful manner that they can. They live with the fact that this is the way that their life works. This was seen at the store while Big Ma is seeing Mr Jaminson. While Cassie is about to be served a white woman and then a white girl allow them selves to go in front of her. This confuses Cassie.
"We been waiting on you for near an hour, while you 'round here waiting on everybody else. And it aint fair. You got no right-"
Cassie firstly allowed for the woman to go in front as it was polite, but she still did not understand how a girl no bigger than her would get priority. She seemed to dismiss the fact that the other girl was white, and that she was black.
This naivety is a clever technique used by the storyteller to teach us the facts of racism. She uses the character of Cassie to explain in simple terms the aspects of a sensitive subject. As a child, she too is inquisitive to her racial background and issues. By having Cassie have this information explained to her, we too have it explained to us. This is seen many times, an example of this is of Mr Morrison's history.
"Well, Cassie, during slavery there was some farms that mated folks like animals to produce more slaves..."
His explanations continue to explain to you in child-like terms one particular aspect of the past of racism. This novel is mainly aimed at children, and so things like the racist attacks often are slightly shielded, minimising detail, sensitively adapting to the age group. Later age range novels may include the details of rape that was often an issue, but the author of this book may have decided this was not relevant.
Black Women, children and men in the book can also be seen to experience different forms of racism. We see when Charlie Simms physically attacks Cassie the outrage caused by Uncle Hammer's reaction.
"He knocked you off the sidewalk Cassie? A grown man knocked you off the sidewalk?"
The idea of the size of a grown man against a young girl seems unfair, and so Uncle Hammer can not ignore it and forget it gracefully. Children are to be left out of the violence, as well as the women, revealing an idea perhaps of only men being able to fend for themselves. However, women may experience abuse if rape was an issue in the story. It is the Berry brothers who are burnt, but an exception to this is the attack on T.J and the Avery family, when both mother and farther are attacked. Another example of a male attack is the attack on Mr. Morrison and Papa when returning from Vicksburg with provisions to support the Boycott at the Wallace's store.
"That's when they shot him and he fell back with his left led under the wagon."
This attack is vicious, and to the whites there seems no wrong in this. Mr Morrison when he first arrives, brings a story from where he had worked, of a fight he had been in and consequently got fired.
"Did the other men get fired?"
"No ma'am, they was white."
This again reinforced the lower placing of blacks to whites. At work, the grimier jobs, with lower status would be given to the blacks. This would still be mines and farms, but in this book, Mr. Logan works on a railway too, for extra money. It is not very often that a black man would achieve a respectable job.
Due to this, when receiving books for Christmas, they were an extra novalty due to being written by a black auther. T.J too enjoyed learning about Ejypt, pointing out how they had Black Kings. The idea would have been unthought of.
The school in the novel, common to the schools at the time was separate for the different races. The blacks received lower education. There were are only short terms to coincide with the children working on the land, as well as to keep teachers pay low. With few teachers anyway, the classrooms were crammed with two classes to a teacher, all in an attempt of saving money. Books were hand downs when they were no longer good enough for the whites. Ms Logan being a teacher at the school tried to alter this; she taught history the way she had been taught it, and not how the whites had ordered. Due to T.J telling officials of this, she was fired from the school. Though children were coming from far away, no buses could be afforded. The white schools however could afford buses. The children and driver would taunt the children on their way to school.
"...but not before the bus had sped past, enveloping him in a scarlet haze while laughing white faces pressed against the bus window.
In a way, it could be thought that by separating the younger generation constantly, they have no chance to learn to tolerate each other. The major message in this story is that Blacks are being miss treated and are good, while the whites are in the wrong, they are bad. On occasions we get different messages. There are times where whites become good. At Christmas Jeremy Simms, out of his goodness, brings the Logan's presents. The presents were dismissed.
"I sure wouldn't want no whistle some ole white boy been blowin' on."
This shows the less caring side and racist side of the blacks. Papa later reinforces this.
"We Logans don't have much to do with white folks. You know why? 'Cause white folks mean trouble. You see blacks hanging 'round with whites, they're headed for trouble."
This last sentence is ironic, as it relates to a part in the story later where T.J gets into deep trouble due to his being with white 'friends'. Later, they are revealed to be just using him, but T.J is oblivious to this. Though Papa says this about white people meaning trouble, they do come across Mr Jaminson, who seems nothing but helpful. Papa trusts him, and yet he will not let his son trust Jeremy, thinking that he may grow up to change.
At the end of this novel, the author adds a conclusion to her message of racism given out through the book.
"I recognised Mr. Lanier by his floppy blue hat working side by side with Mr. Simms, each oblivious of the other"
This is a white and black man working together at a time of crises. The common enemy of fire unites them. She is showing that is possible. She also uses soot as symbolism, on the white men's faces. They all appear black and with no difference between them.
"...taking off his handkerchief to wipe the sweat and soot from his face."
Racism could finally leave, and yet it so easily returns.
When I read this book, the knowledge I gained of racism, I learnt without realising. I feel that Mildred D. Taylor, the author of Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, managed to conquer this technique, and completed all criteria for a successful novel, for this age group. I found it informative and interesting in one.