Premium Essay

Warriors Don T Cry Analysis

Submitted By
Words 1150
Pages 5
In order to get through any of life’s journeys, it is essential that you remember what you are fighting for. You cannot lose sight of your underlying goal or it may never get accomplished. During the school year of 1957, Central High School was integrated for the first time. Nine African-American students were chosen to help follow through with this plan. In Melba Pattillo Beals’ memoir, Warriors Don’t Cry, she shows her experiences at Central High and how they helped shape and characterize herself into the person she is today. She reveals to us that strength is not the only thing that helped her succeed in her fight for equality. Beals shows that she is brave, hopeful, and prideful; giving her that extra push she needed to get through her …show more content…
Hope and faith are two closely related words; both are what got her through Central High. Early in the memoir, Melba goes on a trip to Ohio where she is treated equally by white people. As she is talking about integration, she says, “I couldn’t stop hoping that integrating Central High School was the first step to making Little Rock just like Cincinnati, Ohio” (32). Going to Ohio helped Melba realize what integration is all about; since she has not gotten a feel of what it is like, she wants it to be like that all the time. She fights for it to be like that in Little Rock as she goes through the troubles at the school. After a Christmas party that Melba mentioned was the first time her own people were supporting her, she writes in her diary, “Tonight I feel the love from my own people. Everybody tried to make us happy. There is the tiniest flicker of hope and joy inside me. Maybe things will work out” (153). This party helps Melba feel better about integration now that she knows her people believe what she and the other eight are doing is helping them. It contributes into her having faith in herself and how she believes that integration is possible. When Melba talks about staring at this picture of a sheep smiling that sits right by the flag, she says, “I think it is a smile from God. It is a promise that if I salute the flag like a good American, all these integration problems will be worked out eventually” …show more content…
Pride is feeling proud of what you are doing; which is what Melba clearly portrays when it comes to what she thinks about what she is doing for integration. When a reporter asks her if she wishes to be white, she retorts with, “Do you wish you were Negro?” I heard the angry words roll out of my mouth. “I’m proud of who I am. My color is inconvenient right now, but it won’t always be like this” (105). Melba realizes after she says this that she should not talk to an adult like that, but she does not care; she needs to make it clear that that her race does not matter. She is proud of who she is and she isn’t afraid to tell anyone that. As she was at the Christmas party that was previously mentioned, Melba says, “I was bursting with pride as people said nice things about my courage and about what we nine were doing for future generations who would be able to attend integrated schools” (153). Melba feels proud about what she and the Arkansas nine are doing; she can feel the support that they are giving her and she knows it is the right thing for her to do. After the AME churches give her a bible with her name on it, she says, “It made me feel like my people are supporting me” (177). Previously, Melba did not really feel like her people agreed with what she was doing; this helps her feel like they finally are. It makes her feel better about all of this because she knows now that they agree with what

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Warriors Don T Cry Analysis

...This memoir is based off of the book Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Patillo Beals. Melba was one of the first black students to go to an all-white school in 1957. She had to deal with people pushing her and threatening her everyday. She got through it by using inner strength she got from her faith in God, her mother and grandmother, and from people she met in school and outside of school. The students of the school had tried to get her to leave multiple times, but she persevered and overcame her struggle. I also have a lot of challenges in my life. One of my most faced challenges is keeping up in school. I need to keep my grades up to be successful in life. The way I keep strength is by thinking of consequences if I were to give up,...

Words: 342 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Warriors Don T Cry Analysis

...When you face life changing experiences, there will be many challenges and hardships. Have you ever had a life changing event which impacted your life? Life changing experiences could impact your life in a positive or negative way. The people and texts in this essay are Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Beals, I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson, and “Father of Chinese Aviation” by Rebecca Maksel that highlights Feng Ru. Melba Pattillo Beals, Jackie Robinson, and Feng Ru, faced life changing experiences, and at the end they all impacted their lives and country in a positive way. Melba Pattillo Beals helped improve education for blacks by integrating Central High School which had many objections and hardships. Her reaction also impacted her country by breaking the color barrier for blacks in schools. In...

Words: 892 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Warriors Don T Cry Analysis

...In the memoir "Warriors Don’t Cry", Melba Pattillo and her other black friends (LR9) are trying to successfully integrate a full school year at Little Rock High . At this time, this school was segregated, but black people are trying to integrate into this school. White people hated blacks in Little Rock, so when they heard that black students were going to try to integrate into Little Rock High they went ballistic. Riots of whites were everywhere, police had to come to hold them all back. The first day for the LR9 to integrate came, they all were nervous. Melba and the LR( were determined to get through this, not only for themselves but for all the other blacks to come through Little Rock also. They went in and it was horrible, whites tried everything they could to get to them, physical, mental, and sychological. It was like this for almost all the way through the year. Sometimes Melba came home crying, bruises, and...

Words: 850 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Warriors Don T Cry Analysis

...Have you ever faced life-changing experiences which impacted your family, or even, your country? Through the memoir Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, the autobiography I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson, and the article "The Father of Chinese Aviation" by Rebecca Maksel, highlighting Feng Ru, readers become aware of people who have had life-changing experiences. Each of their experiences impacted both themselves and their countries. Sometimes adjusting to a new change, or life-changing experiences, can be difficult, but it can also be awarding, as seen by Melba Pattillo Beals, Jackie Robinson, and Feng Ru. Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine, who integrated one of Arkansas’ all white high schools and helped improve education for African American...

Words: 689 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Character Analysis: Warriors Don T Cry

...Link’s Compassion Warriors Don’t Cry is Melba Pattillo’s personal memoir about the Arkansas Nine’s experience integrating Central High School. Melba was fifteen years old when she was chosen to integrate alongside eight fellow teenagers from Horace Mann High School. At Central, Melba experienced violence involving other students that put her life in danger. One particularly evil tormenter, Andy, was chasing Melba down the street, threatening to kill her, and that was the moment that she met Link. Link was a white boy who showed on multiple situations that he was compassionate towards the people that he cared for. Link exhibited that he had great compassion during Warriors Don’t Cry. The first time Link ever met Melba was an example of...

Words: 421 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Warriors Don T Cry Character Analysis

...ingredient that in life many traditions may have the existence of being poked on, laughed at, and disrespected or discriminated, describing the ash of tradition. On the contrary, when you keep the flame alive, you open up a new portal to incoming heights where personality is developed and actions can be effected. In the devastating memoir Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, Melba (the main character) is chosen as one of the nine colored teenagers to integrate Little Rock, Arkansas Central High School. She is taunted, threatened, attacked, and injured but through it all, she was a warrior, stayed strong, and stood by her side. However, traditions such as making new easter clothing, giving during Thanksgiving, and the fact that her kind isn’t born expecting segregation impact her personality and decisions. First, every year, Melba’s family has the tradition of choosing fabric from Grandma India’s trunk to make their unique Easter clothing, as her trunk is filled with treasures. The experience of constructing a dress for Easter, this year even a grown up dress that symbolizes Melba’s difficult passage from a high-school girl to an adult warrior for justice and is a reward for her work, helps her to...

Words: 900 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Warriors Don T Cry Jackie Robinson Analysis

...Extended Writing Project - Rylee Royster Melba Beals (Warriors don’t Cry), Jackie Robinson (I Never had it Made), and Feng Ru (Father of Chinese Aviation) all had dangerous and life threatening experiences. These experiences had an impact on them and their countries. Beals integrated schools, while Robinson integrated major league baseball. And lastly, Feng Ru was the first Chinese man to build a working aircraft and bring aviation to China. Jackie Robinson from “I Never had it Made” integrated baseball in the major leagues. Robinson also was the first black player in major league baseball. Lastly, Robinson changed the attitudes of the fans toward future and present baseball players. Robinson had faced many death threats and fans screaming racial slurs, in the beginning of the story, but he kept playing. “Bigoted fans...

Words: 770 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Analysis Of Melba Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

...Helen Keller once said, “All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.” This quote shows that people everyday have their own adversiteries that they are required to overcome or they will be stationary in life. Melba Pattillo Beals was presented her task at a young age. She was on of the Little Rock nine, who integrated an all white school. She had to grow as individual, but more so as a black individual. Melba wanted equality and that is what she achieved. It was not easy but throughout her life her she develops characteristics that aimed for freedom and equality. In particular, Melba Pattillo Beals displays the concept that with strength and courage, anything can be accomplished. In Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba possess...

Words: 590 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Analysis Of Melba Patillo Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

...Faith is something that helps many people through the tough things in life. Whether it be sickness, tough transitions or just everyday problems, turning to faith is something that many see as the only way to fix these things. The Beals family is an amazing example of this. In Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Patillo Beals illustrates true faith as a necessity when going through trials and tribulations. Melba’s brother, Conrad is asked if he gave any of his belongings away and when he says he hasn’t, Grandma India compares him to Melba, telling him everything she’s given away. Conrad then mentions how Melba must like suffering and doing without because she attends Central High School. Grandma India defends Melba by saying, “‘Her staying there means...

Words: 257 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Analysis Of Melba Patillo Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

...eight others in her story Warriors Don’t Cry. In Little Rock, Arkansas, the Little Rock Nine were young African Americans that had been chosen to participate in the first integration at Central High School. In the 1950s, many segregationists and students were opposed to this and responded by harassing the children and even abusing them. Melba demonstrates the characteristics of a brave warrior by fighting back against her oppressors emotionally and physically even when the odds were against her. Most of Melba’s battles resided inside her, these battles usually led to decisions that would improve or cripple Melba’s experience as an African American fighting for her rights; winning these battles was crucial to her survival at Central High. Danny was a very positive role...

Words: 651 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Syllabus

...BS (4 Years) for Affiliated Colleges      Course Contents for Subjects with Code: ENG  This document only contains details of courses having code ENG.   Center for Undergraduate Studies, University of the Punjab          1  BS (4 Years) for Affiliated Colleges      Code  ENG‐101  Year  1  Subject Title  Introduction to Literature‐I (History of  English Literature‐I)  Discipline  English  Cr. Hrs  3  Semester  I  Aims: One of the objectives of this course is to inform the readers about the influence of historical and socio-cultural events upon the production of literature. Although the scope of the course is quite expansive, the readers shall focus on early 14th to 19th century Romantic Movement. Histories of literature written by some British literary historians will be consulted to form some socio-cultural and political cross connections. In its broader spectrum, the course covers a reference to the multiple factors from economic theories to religious, philosophical and metaphysical debates that overlap in these literary works of diverse nature and time periods under multiple contexts. The reading of literature in this way i.e. within the sociocultural context will help the readers become aware of the fact that literary works are basically a referential product of the practice that goes back to continuous interdisciplinary interaction. Contents: • Medieval Period • Renaissance and Reformation • Elizabethan Period • Milton, the Metaphysical...

Words: 14375 - Pages: 58

Premium Essay

The Culture of Dota in the Philippines

...HOW THE GAME ATTRACTS THE FILIPINO YOUTH? The first factor why it attracts the youth is the type of game involved. Filipino gamers The Culture love strategy of DOTA in theaction games and Philippines compared to board and mini games. It has a very different gameplay compared among other games. Also, it is a multiplayer game; people can play with others up to 10 persons per game. These are the heroes of DOTA, there are so much to choose from. They are divided into three groups, the Sentinel, the Scourge, and the Neutrals. Also they are divided further by their Joshua Frankie B. Rayo Department of Computer Science University of the Philippines Diliman The Culture of DOTA in the Philippines Joshua Frankie B. Rayo Department of Computer Science, University of the Philippines Diliman jbrayo@up.edu.ph Abstract. The culture of DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) has taken the Philippines to storm because of its very creative gameplay that caused millions of Filipino students hard for them to avoid playing the game; and it is also evident from media to the internet. This game has brought such intense effects to the Filipino youth and its everyday life; up to the point where they are affected physically, psychologically, and their respective careers. Because of DOTA, the computer shops in the country have been growing massively since its release; the youth are gathered there to play informally and to show their enthusiasm and foster friendship, teamwork...

Words: 15208 - Pages: 61

Premium Essay

Theater

...PHILIPPINE THEATER Theater in the Philippines is as varied as the cultural traditions and the historical influences that shaped it through the centuries. The dramatic forms that flourished and continue to flourish among the different peoples of the archipelago include: the indigenous theater, mainly Malay in character, which is seen in rituals, mimetic dances, and mimetic customs; the plays with Spanish influence, among which are the komedya, the sinakulo, the playlets, the sarswela, and the drama; and the theater with Anglo-American influence, which encompasses bodabil and the plays in English, and the modern or original plays by Fihpinos, which employ representational and presentational styles drawn from contemporary modern theater, or revitalize traditional forms from within or outside the country. The Indigenous Theater The rituals, dances, and customs which are still performed with urgency and vitality by the different cultural communities that comprise about five percent of the country’s population are held or performed, together or separately, on the occasions of a person’s birth, baptism, circumcision, initial menstruation, courtship, wedding, sickness, and death; or for the celebration of tribal activities, like hunting, fishing, rice planting and harvesting, and going to war. In most rituals, a native priest/priestess, variously called mandadawak, catalonan, bayok, or babalyan, goes into a trance as the spirit he/she is calling upon possesses him/her. While entranced...

Words: 9183 - Pages: 37

Premium Essay

Stilistic

...PART I INTRODUCTION 6 I. GENERAL NOTES ON STYLE AND Stylistics 6 2. EXPRESSIVE MEANS (EM) AND STYLISTIC DEVICES (SD) 21 3. GENERAL NOTES ON FUNCTIONAL STYLES OF LANGUAGE 28 4. VARIETIES OF LANGUAGE 30 5. A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH LITERARY (STANDARD) LANGUAGE 36 6. MEANING FROM A STYLISTIC POINT OF VIEW 51 PART II STYLISTIC CLASSIFICATION OF THE ENGLISH VOCABULARY 63 I. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 63 2. NEUTRAL, COMMON LITERARY AND COMMON COLLOQUIAL VOCABULARY 64 3. SPECIAL LITERARY VOCABULARY 68 a) Terms 68 b) Poetic and Highly Literary Words 71 c) Archaic, Obsolescent and Obsolete Words 74 d) Barbarisms and Foreignisms 78 e) Literary Coinages (Including Nonce-Words) 83 4. SPECIAL COLLOQUIAL VOCABULARY 95 a) Slang 95 b) Jargonisms 100 c) Professionalisms 103 d) Dialectal words 106 e) Vulgar words or vulgarisms 108 f) Colloquial coinages (words and meanings) 109 PART Ш PHONETIC EXPRESSIVE MEANS AND STYLISTIC DEVICES 112 GENERAL NOTES 112 Onomatopoeia 113 Alliteration 114 Rhyme 116 Rhythm 117 PART IV LEXICAL EXPRESSIVE MEANS AND STYLISTIC DEVICES 123 A. INTENTIONAL MIXING OF THE STYLISTIC ASPECT OF WORDS 123 B. INTERACTION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEXICAL MEANING 125 1. INTERACTION OF PRIMARY DICTIONARY AND CONTEXTUALLY IMPOSED MEANINGS 126 Metaphor 126 Metonymy 131 Irony 133 3. INTERACTION OF LOGICAL AND EMOTIVE...

Words: 73462 - Pages: 294

Free Essay

First Chimurenga

...by MARK PHILLIP MALCOLM HORN January 1986 The following typog~aphical co~~ections attention since submission of this thesis. have come to my p.i line 8, "Phillip" should ~ead Philip. p.vi, li.ne 11, "Risings" should ~ead Rising. p.Vll, line 12, "~esponce" should ~ead ~esponse. p.3, line 17, "wa~f-io~" should read warriors. p.5, line 4, "96" should read 1896. p .. 8, line 3, IILomangLlndi should read LomagLlndi. p.9, line 2, " (inve~ted comma) missing after "role". p.19, line 9, "triatises" should read treatises. p.28, line 18, "analysis" should ~ead analyses. p.30, line 10, "the and" should ~ead "and the". p.42, line 28, "Histo~ians" should ~ead Histo~ian's. p.47, line 13, "Lomangundi" should ~ead Lomagundi. p.48, line 12, ~ sign missing befo~e the figu~e of 121 000. p.52, line 5, 1. ~5ign missing before the figure of 3. p.55, line 1, ~ sign missing befo~e the figu~es 10 to 60. p.55, line 3, -£ sign missing befo~e the figu~e of 100. p.56, lines 7 - 10, quote to be indented. p.b2, li.ne 1tJ, "dela" should be separated out to read "de la". p.tI4, line 4, "assisthim" should be sepa~ated out to ~ead "assist him"~· p.b"?, line 11, "inte~nicine" should t-ead intet-necine. p.83, line 17, "Ma~ch 1895" should ~ead Ma~ch 1894. p.89, line 5, "faction" should ~ead fl~action. p.95, line 29, fn. 12, "lNA" should ~ead NAZ. p.l07, line 28, "hadf" should ~ead had. .p.108, line 19, fn. 158, the missing page ~efe~ence to Beach, ·'Ihe~3i~iJ=~CU2. a~e pp.135 - 151, 178 - 180, 300 - 305. p...

Words: 104376 - Pages: 418