Roll Of Thunder Hear Me Cry

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Recommended: Racism and literature

Violence Is Never the Answer There are all sorts of ways to deal with people you do not like. You can reason with them, you can talk about them behind their back, and you can even fight them. In the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, the main character and narrator, Cassie Logan, fights with a white girl named Lillian Jean. Later on, a black boy named T.J. is beat up by two white men, R.W and Melvin Simms. When Cassie fights with Lillian Jean, she is better than R.W and Melvin Simms in their treatment of T.J because of their motives, tactics, and brutality. Cassie is better because she has a better motive, she uses the same tactics, and she was much less brutal. "Maybe that way you won't be bumping into decent white folks with you little nasty self." (114) When Lillian Jean says this it is as if she has fired a bullet straight at Cassie. Cassie wants revenge on Lillian Jean and she knows that Lillian Jean won't apologize, so she befriends her and then strikes when Lillian Jean is not aware. R.W. and Melvin though have a different motive. Melvin and R.W. rob the mercantile with T.J. After they have gotten the money, they beat T.J. to make sure he doesn't tell anyone. This proves that Cassie is better because it is bad to hurt anyone, but it's a lot worse when it is to …show more content…

. . found it just the other daydown in the woods." (179) Cassie lures Lillian Jean by befriending her. She walks with her, carries her books, and she even calls her Miz Lillian Jean. When Lillian Jean is not expecting it, Cassie calls her into the forest and beats her up. R.W. and Melvin on the other hand, not only lure him in by buying him cool stuff, but after they force him to rob the mercantile with them, they call the cops on themselves to get T.J in trouble. Although both of these tactics are similar, in R.W. and Melvin's plan, after they beat T.J they get him in trouble and harm his family as

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