Warriors Don't Cry (Page 204-312)

Title: Warriors Don't Cry
Author: Melba Pattillo Beals
Pages: 204-312
Chapters: 19-28

SUMMARY: Many things have happened so far. Melba and her friends go back to Central High for the winter. Melba turns sixteen and throws a sweet sixteen party so she can have her friends back but her friends alienate her by going to a huge Christmas party of the year. Only Vince attends her birthday. Melba doesn't invite her Little Rock 9 friends because her friends might be afraid of the mobs approaching them too. Melba is being bullied in school and there are no witness or adults. Things get worse when Minnijean accidentally drops hot chili soup all over two boys and a sudden silence strikes in the cafeteria. Later she gets suspended but is brought back through the help of NAACP. Segregationists gather up and create ideas to expel the Little Rock 9, which is why all the white kids in Central try to rage the Little Rock 9 for their reward, which is money. Christmas time arrives and the family has dinner with relatives but the superintended finally expels Minnijean who is sent off to Lincoln High in New York, a private school. Melba looses her best friend but she tries not to be jealous of her not having to deal with intolerable pain all day. The Little Rock 9 becomes Little Rock 8. The National Organization of Delta Sigma Theta honor the Little Rock 9 girls for what they have stood up for. Finally, Melba realizes that there are many of her people who support her. They receive gifts and notes from various people all over the nation. The harassing continues and one night a white boy named Link saves her from Andy and his group. Link calls her and informs her of the Segregationist team and how they come up with plans to attack Melba. Melba is admonished by Link early hand so she can evade their attacks although she has doubts about Link. Melba learns patience and smiling back through her grandmothers teaching of Mahatma Gandhi. She begins to smile and thank even though they deliver pain to her. The news reporters approach Melba and publish her story and win Pulitzer prizes. Many bomb threats occur at Central, some hoax and some real. At graduation, guards come to see if there are any bombs. As the story comes to end, Integration is successful and Melba meets a soldier named John and marries him. Link receives many awards but is angry because he couldn't date Melba due to his skin color. Melba also integrates the dorms and attends Columbia University and achieves her dream of becoming a reporter. She is truly a hero!

QUOTATION: "Please, God, let me learn how to stop being a warrior. Sometimes I just need to be a girl" (Beals 217).

REACTION: Ms. Beals goes through a horrid time in her life. This quote is a strong resemblance to the book's title. For a long period of time she has been a warrior who their suffered intolerable pain (physical and mental). I cannot imagine how someone would feel when friends alienate them and break the bonds of friendship especially on their birthday. The situation has reached a point where Ms. Beals loses her sense of being a normal girl. It was snatched away from her. She knew what she was doing was right for the future and she sacrificed so much for it that she lost her friends that she grew up with, went to school with and basically spent most of her childhood with. She doesn't want to be a warrior anymore but what else can she do? She cannot turn the clock back. This is a strong quote and it is very emotional to watch someone loose his or her friends and normality. On top of that, Ms. Beals had to face the unbearable pain everyday until integration. This is an amazing memoir and an ultimate kudos to Ms. Beals and Little Rock 9 for integrating the schools. The book also relates to what my ELA 10 class will be reading. Books such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is used to put an emphasis on "Jim" who symbolizes Melba and black people in Arkansas. Without the Little Rock 9 the course of history would have taken a dark path. I recommend this book to everyone especially students of color because due to the help of Little Rock 9 we can receive education in a peaceful, non-riotous environment and we can "Kum Ba Yah" (Come together and join hands) as Mr. Doreian says.

Warriors Don't Cry (Page 147-204)

Title: Warriors Don't Cry
Author: Melba Pattillo Beals
Pages: 147-229
Chapters: 14-19

SUMMARY: The Screaming Eagles 101st Airborne Division followed the Little Rock 9 from a distance and protected them from the danger. The problem was that they couldn't get into verbal or physical affair with students at Central. Melba's protector (guard) Danny has good bonds with her and he told her that he's duty is to keep her alive. The guys who protect the Little Rock 9 are very generous. The Little Rock 9 are escorted everyday to school via Station Wagon, which is driven by Sarge who keeps the crew entertained through conversations. Melba was pushed around and Danny couldn't do anything about it but be concerned and the teachers simply ignored it even when she was bleeding. Melba begins to think about her past normal life that she struggled to cling to it because of the integration movement. Melba's old friends call her "The Chosen One" and stop calling her and treat her differently. The first three days at Central was tough and Melba had plans for weekends but she couldn't get her mind off from all the media and integration. Things get serious when Melba was spread acid in her eyes but Danny saved her by washing it off immediately. Rumors scatters that 101st Airborne Division members were in girls' locker room. The memoir continues like an ECG machine reading with constant ups and downs. Another simile: Like a roller coaster.

QUOTATION: " I told myself I had to be like a soldier in battle. I couldn't imagine a 101st trooper crying or moping when he got hurt" (Beals 149).

REACTION: This quote is packed with power, emotions, and simile. I found that it has an ironic side to it because Ms. Beals looks at a soldier/warrior as someone who can bear the pain and hold their tears but isn't a soldier supposed to fight back (especially when he/she is on a battlefield)? Despite my point of irony, the quote holds a strong resemblance to the memoirs' name "Warriors Don't Cry" and Ms. Beals compares herself to a warrior/soldier who shouldn't be sniveling even when she is being pushed, choked or kicked. Personally, I call her a true warrior because she contains a warrior side in her. Being able to hold back even when being bullied by other students and on top of that the mental pain she bore with her is truly imbuing. She has the right to call herself a warrior by using simile or anything. There is a second comparison in the quote; it is when Ms. Beals compares herself to one of the 101st Airborne Division stating that they are true warriors who do not cry.

Warriors Don't Cry (Page 85-147)

Title: Warriors Don't Cry
Author: Melba Pattillo Beals
Pages: 85-147
Chapters: 8-14

SUMMARY:
The hope of integration worsens. Normality is snatched away form the Little Rock 9. Even neighbors are scared of seen together with the Little Rock 9 kids due to the fear of losing their jobs or segregationists attacking their houses at nights. Their old friends are alienating them. The Little Rock 9 are exposed to media and they are asked questions about the integration. They answer without thinking because of all the pressure caused by flashes of cameras and news crowd. Every time in the news Governor Faubus is reported to halt integration causing the Little Rock 9 more nervous as they return back to Central High. They at least have police to secure them but whites are still trying to attack them calling them names. The Little Rock 9 are true heroes because they were able to hold back and be patience even when they were attacked, hated and called names. They were very brave and prayed for the attackers so that God will forgive them. This patience was the source that her grandmother provided through her teachings. President Ike's representatives protected Melba and her friends by sending the most elite armed division, the 101st Airborne Division. This foreshadows that things will turn be serious but soon it will cool down. The searing memoir intensifies every moment. Due to the integration movement, Melba has conflicts with her family and old friends. Her father leaves the family and he lost his job. Melba couldn't go to wrestling matches with grandmother or have a sleepover with her friends because her friends are too scared of mobs that will attack them also.

QUOTATION:
" 'Miss Pattillo, how do you feel about going back to Central High?' "

" 'Miss,' I whispered as my hands perspired and my knees shook" (Beals 88).

REACTION:
I chose this quote because it divulges the manner of the media when it comes to knowing what they want to know. This quote is very broad and it covers media, racism, respect, realization and integration. As a news reporter asks Melba a question by addressing her as "Miss," she is stunned that a white man would ever call her a miss. Media people will dive into anything just to find out what they want. They showed respect to Melba, which made her talk and give her opinion because she felt strong and respected. Although her grandmother didn't want her to talk about family matters and mob attacks, she talked and felt proud. This quote is very powerful because Melba thought that she was important because the news people wrote down whatever she said. That was the moment when she felt that whatever she was doing was right. She was there to integrate for good and for the future and she felt like a true hero. For me, she is a true hero because without her and Little Rock 9 crew, there would be no integration till this day. They suffered pain internally and externally while going through integration and no one would have had so much patience as they did.

Warriors Don't Cry (Page 40-85)

SUMMARY: The story continues with more thrill and intensity. The governor of Arkansas has officially forbidden the Little Rock 9 from going to Central High. This brought relief to Grandma because she though there was no rush for this situation and Melba won't have top suffer. Many black people were afraid of the outcome so they discouraged her to go to the school. She wasn't receiving enough support from her family and friends but her main advocate was her grandmother who gave her hope through her powerful symbolic and religious words which impelled Melba to fight against the situation. September 3, 1957, Little Rock 9 were supposed to be gathering in the school so Melba prepared during the morning and headed out with her mom passing the stares and silent awkwardness of the neighbors. As they parked their car in the corner, there was a huge uproar. A crowd of white students encircled around Elizabeth Eckford as she was trying to make her way to the school. Melba and her mom saw Elizabeth's braveness but they were soon caught up in the crowd and they fought back too. They ran as hard as they could barely making it to the car. Melba drove the car even though she didn't have a license and they get home torn up. After that things get worse as phone callers stalk Melba's home and attack them at night giving them a daunting time.

QUOTATION: "We're told people have come from as far away as Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia to join forces to halt integration" (Beals 44).

REACTION: There were several other quotes but I picked this quote due to its relationship between "To Kill A Mockingbird" book that we're reading in ELA 10 class. This focuses on a certain time period when people down south were very hypocritical and they were racist. This shares similarity with the people down south in "To Kill a Mockingbird" due to racism. This symbolizes how people down south didn't think that integration was the right thing because of their dogmatic beliefs and opinions on black people and various other races. The black people were told not to look white people directly in their eyes including Melba who was also admonished by her little brother Conrad. He gave her an imagery of what happened to Emmet till when he looked in a white person's eye. Historical daunting events are brought up to frighten Melba about Central High and this is not what some one anticipates from a family member or a friend. She is a true warrior to survive this situation even when the odds are on her.

Warriors Don't Cry (Page 1 - 45)

Title: Warriors Don't Cry
Author: Melba Pattillo Beals
Pages: 1-45
Chapters: 1-4

SUMMARY:
The searing memoir Warriors Don't Cry follows through the eye of protagonist Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the Little Rock 9 students. For the first four chapters, the setting varies due to the author’s great use of flashbacks and description of different events. It is mostly around 1954-1957 when segregation was still active. This memoir is told in dual-narrative voice from a younger Melba Beals' viewpoint and an adult Ms. Beals' viewpoint. While other teenagers were enjoying and listening to the current music, Melba was evading the slashes of lynch mobs. At the time of segregation, Melba and eight other black students were chosen to attend Little Rock's Central High School, a high school where only rich white kids go. Those students came to be known as the "Little Rock 9". Their security was their main priority because all the other students tried to harm them and the white student's parents' didn't like the idea of their kids attending to high school with the black students. The Government’s most elite 101st Airborne Division who were known for being Korean War heroes protected the Little Rock 9. The 101st Airborne Division sacrificed their life to body guard the Little Rock 9 and escort them to school. As a 3 year old, Melba isn't aware of the term "colored" but she is afraid of white people as she heard about them when elderly people converse. Some of her relatives are fair skin and she is also scared of them. Places. She is not aware of the signs that describe "colored" people and "whites" only. She begins to realize white people are in charge and people of color don't have the power to do anything, which is why they have dusty restrooms and water-fountains. She experiences her first test of segregation at the age of 5 when she escapes a family picnic to ride the merry-go-round but the conductor yells at her telling that there's no place for her even though there is an empty saddle and as she looks around she sees faces that indicate her of doing something wrong so she flees crying. The house that Melba and her family live in is described using strong imagery. They are middle-class family just because her mother is a teacher. Her mother and dad are divorced and her grand mother is her greatest advocate who tells her to believe in God. Brown v. Board of Education is a huge part of the story because it strikes the story when Melba was in school at a young age. She isn't aware of it because she doesn't know it in detail. Due to Brown v. Board of Education. Melba is chased by a tall white man who almost rapes her but is stopped by her friend Marissa. There's a dramatic irony because Melba doesn't know what the word rape means as Marissa explains what had happened to Melba's grandmother. She washes her body and prays to the lord in order to be pure. Melba decides to sign up for Central High School but doesn't inform her family about it.

QUOTATION:
"It transformed us into warriors who dared not cry even when we suffered intolerable pain. I became an instant adult, forced to take stock of what I believed and what I was willing to sacrifice to back up my beliefs" (Beals 2).

REACTION:
This quote is very powerful. As I was reading the memoir, Ms. Beals uses dual-narrative voice to give a viewpoint of both younger and adult version of her. This quote is a combination of both versions because the young Melba Beals has just became an adult by suffering intolerable pains and harassment by the students of Central High. When Melba was a child, she was told by her grandmother to have patience. Her grandmother also told her that God had blessed her with good brains and health. As she transformed into adult through her will power, this creates a connection to a "coming of age theme" in our ELA 10 class. Melba also raised a statement that sparked in my brain. She believed that black folks aren't born expecting segregation, prepared from day one to follow its confining rules. Segregation was daunting and it was what made other students harm the Little Rock 9. Even though it was extreme hatred and pain, they bore within themsleves and became warriors!