Melba and
the other members of the Little Rock Nine were true warriors who endured more than
most human beings could handle.
Melba retells her story in a serious tone and in a matter-of-fact
fashion. Knowing Melba’s story is true
when starting to read Warriors Don’t Cry
and not elaborated to enhance the book or create a movie is heart breaking. No one, especially children, should
have to endure the discrimination, pain, and suffering Melba and the others
felt. Readers respond with more
emotion knowing Warriors Don’t Cry is
a true story.
In
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time
Indian, Junior is a strong young man who put up with discrimination, but
his story is told with humor and is not as heavy on the heart. Melba and Junior move schools to try
and improve their lives, but the resistance Melba encounters is much more
severe than Junior’s. Both Melba
and Junior came to expect beatings from other students, but Junior’s conditions
improved quickly when he changed schools.
Melba’s environment eventually changed to become slightly better but she
is still unable to tell her story in a lighthearted manner many years later.
As a reader, knowing Melba’s story is completely true influences how I
feel about the beatings and attacks.
It is written in a way that the reader can almost feel the physical pain
Melba felt. For me I couldn’t
imagine being 15, pushed, kicked, prodded, and poked to a point where everyday before
leaving for school I was praying I would be able to come home alive. As a future teacher, I cannot fathom
allowing children to hurt one another so obviously in my classroom or in the
school. Sometimes bullying is hard
to detect and prove, but when sticks of dynamite and fiery paper are being thrown,
looking the other way would come with great shame. I understand times were different then and a teacher not
allowing bulling could become a target for the insane crowds, but it would be
better to be attacked than to feel the guilt of doing nothing to protect
children. Knowing Warriors Don’t Cry is nonfiction memoir with
vivid images of physical and emotional pain depicted encourages more emotional
attachment from the reader, which causes readers to respond differently than
when reading fiction.
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