Melba Pattillo's Warriors Don T Cry

In the book Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, the author describes what her reactions and feelings are to the racial hatred and discrimination she and eight other African-American teenagers received in Little Rock, Arkansas during the desegregation period in 1957. She tells the story of the nine students from the time she turned sixteen years old and began keeping a diary until her final days at Central High School in Little Rock. The story begins by Melba talking about the anger, hatred, and sadness that is brought up upon her first return to Central High for a reunion with her eight other classmates. As she walks through the halls and rooms of the old school, she recalls the

Throughout her experience, Melba’s views and attitudes changed quite a bit. When she first volunteered to be one of the first black students who would attend Central High School in Little

Little rock, Arkansas 1957 in Warriors don’t cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, her and eight other African American, high school students integrates Central High School. Only eight of the nine that begin at Central High lasted for the full year. Melba and her eight friends face new wars every day. These are some of the traits she uses to survive her year and overcome her enemies at Central High School. Melba relies on her courage, faith, and not only her physical strength, but her mental strength as well.

A sixteen year old girl becomes a warrior when in 1954 the Supreme Court ruled Brown v. Board of Education; there Melba and eight other teenagers are chosen to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School. A warrior is a person who is brave or experienced solider or fighter. Young Melba had to become a warrior when walking into the battlefield of Central High School. Melba had the weapons of God, friends, and family; people who stood up for her and helped her through her hardships. “A girl smiled at me, another gave me directions, still another boy whispered the page I should turn to in our textbook. This is going to work out. It takes more time than I thought. But we’re going to have integration in Little Rock (Beals 117).”While being taunted by her schoolmates and their parents, threatened by mobs, attacked by lit sticks of dynamite, and wounded by acid sprayed in her eyes, however, she never backed down and became an unexpected hero to many. Thesis statement……………

A personal story of discrimination, dedication, and salvation. Warriors Don't Cry is a gritty, impassioned memoir written by Melba Pattillo Beals. The memoir deals with Melba's childhood as she experiences racism and discrimination first-hand. Some segments of this book may be considered inappropriate for some readers. There is controversy surrounding whether or not the book is appropriate for school students, specifically tenth graders. I believe that Warriors Don't Cry is appropriate for tenth graders to read. This book is appropriate because it shows today's youth how different society was just few decades ago, and how long and difficult it was to get to where we are today. It is also an important reminder to keep striving for equality in our society today. Finally, this book shows how far dedication, determination, and sacrifice can actually go.

Melba Pattillo Beals is a very determined young lady. She presents many strong personal characteristics in her time of integrating Central High School. However, she faces many adversities through this battle for her freedom and equality. During her rough time Beals questions her faith and family. She later learns that her strength and security is in God. In the book Warriors Don’t Cry Melba Pattillo Beals presents the idea that courage, faith, and fear are vital in her search for freedom and equality.

Melba Beals was one of the first black students to integrate into a full white school in Arkansas. Before she could go to the new school, the Governor of Arkansas, commanded a National Guard to block the path to the white school, however president Eisenhower wanted these blacks to integrate, so he arranged some guards to take the nine, black students into the school. Beals had to face bountiful obstacles such as a National Guard, the Arkansas governor, angry segregationist mobs, rejection from white schools, and being racially insulted. She said that on the way to her school, she took “the path the Arkansas National Guard has blocked us(nine black students) from days before. . . and crossed the threshold into that place where angry segregationist

Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals begins with her and eight other African American children enlisting to test the Supreme Court integration ruling. Along with her eight accomplices, they start to attend Central High School and lose their juvenile righteousness when they start getting threatened with execution, spit upon, and physically abused by the

For me it was hard enough trying to help Momma run the house on the farm and go to school and I read in the papers what those Little Rock Nine were doing it seemed surreal. Some days I would lay away in my bed next to my little sister and wonder if I would be as brave as those kids to enter a school that nobody wanted me to go to. I vividly remember seeing a photo in the paper of a young black girl about my age waiting to go in the school and all that surrounded her was a sea of angry White faces. I avoided confrontation at school even when it came to talking to my own friends, I don’t think I could have been as brave as those girls who were trying to go to the white school. Even though the integration wasn’t happening in Jackson the tension had been so high in our town because of the actions of those around us. As I mentioned before, on my way to school I walked past the beautiful White school. Before much of the integration my walk had been peaceful and un-eventful most days, but as the realties that integration might come to Jackson became clearer the boys at the white school would yell the meanest things to me and my siblings. Even though our short walk past the white school seemed unbearable, it seemed unfathomable what the Little Rock Nine was going through. Although in the papers they all said nice things about those around them, you could see the

Integration was a hard but major step in society, however, it was hard for others to accept the changes. There were many allies that the Little Rock 9 had but the allies were far outnumbered by the massive crowds of white people who were opposed to the recent integration. I used to think that the Little Rock 9 were fearful of Central High and were not ready to return for another day through the crowds of hatred. However, I now think that the little rock 9 were getting stronger and were realizing how lucky they were to have protection despite the violent crowds that spooked their minds. As shown in Chapter 7, Melba and the Little Rock 9 were full of fright on their first full day at Central High and were regretting the decision. However, in

On the first day that Melba Patillo Beals went to school, she thought it was a nightmare. There was a huge mob outside Central High School, along with the Arkansas National Guard soldiers keeping them out. The image of Elizabeth Eckford really shows how it was. White people were surrounding them, cursing at them, of course saying the word “nigger”, and occasionally striking them (1994). It was so bad that Melba had to take the keys to their car from her mother and run away to escape. Imagine the sight of Melbas mother screaming at her “Melba, take the keys. Get to the car.

The story I would like to tell involves how I dealt with a difficult situation which continues to shape how I approach problems in my life. The story starts when I was in grade school and involves problems with reading and comprehension. Although I excelled at math and other subjects I really had problems with my reading and writing skills. During this time I felt I lacked the ability to excel in this subject. Throughout elementary school I was assigned to an adult tutor who spent time with me every day during school to help me with this challenge. I wasn't the only student in my class with this hurdle to overcome but I felt like I was alone. To help me improve I was given homework assignments that I was to complete with my parents. Through a lot of hard work, trial and error, and patience, my reading began to improve. By the time I reached fifth grade I was reading at the targeted grade level. However, I wanted to exceed even more and by the time I entered middle school I was one of the top readers in my class.

Warrior’s Don’t Cry is a non-fiction novel based on the life and written by Melba Beals. Melba is a junior in high school, who has dealt with racism, segregation, and feeling worthless compared to the white people around her. Without knowing the full consequences, Melba signed her name up to attend Central High School after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954. From that moment, her life was turned upside down with threats, harassing calls, and violence from segregationists, who did not want integration to occur.

In Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, Melba retells the story as a fifteen year old attending her first year at Central High School. She describes her year as she is tortured by most of her white classmates, with racial slurs and acts of violence, such as pinning her to a wall or putting glass shards on her seat. Throughout the story, she loses sight of what is important to her, her loved ones and her childhood. In the end, she must stay strong to survive her school year at Central High School. This is a good book that gives insight of the prejudice and racism that African-American people experienced during the 1960’s. With interesting characters who develop and change throughout the story, a positive and relatable theme, but a slow plot, it sure is a book to read.

The 1950s was a time of strong racial segregation in society, and the changes that occurred took a lot of hard work. In 1957, the town of Little Rock, Arkansas decided to take initiative toward that change and integrate nine African American students into the all-white school, Central High; Melba Pattillo was one of them. She believed God had called her to the battlefield, but the second she entered those doors, it proved harder than she thought as she struggled not only with other people but with herself and her own perseverance. Years later, as Melba Pattillo Beals, she wrote her memoir, Warriors Don’t Cry, which elaborated on her continuous struggles and how personal strength, faith, and determination were key to her survival and success in the search for freedom and equality.