Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

The last time I read this significant masterpiece of Mildred D. Taylor, I felt nothing but decent tears warming up my eyelids. I did not cry for T.J. or the Logan's land but I cried for Cassie. Cassie Logan, the innocent child that had me tearing up like a baby: Cassie Logan, the girl who made me felt grateful for who I am: Cassie Logan, the protagonist of every story.

 

          Like every other African-American child, Cassie Logan goes to school being bullied and teased by the white students.  Despite for her own rights and justice, Cassie stands strong and never falls apart even when she and her family are in the mist of hardship.  Cassie’s grandfather started to own a cotton field land during 1887. It was then passed down to her father, David Logan until 1912. This is when the conflict starts to emerge; and it was only the beginning of nevertheless, the war of injustice.

 

Cassie, as protagonist of the story, inherits plenty of interesting traits which makes me admire her the most. At the age of only nine years old, she recognizes injustices in the situations of the people around her. Cassie is characterized from the start as a very intelligent little girl with a fierce sense of loyalty and protective instincts toward her siblings. She is a typical child whose life prior to the story has consisted of school, squabbles with other tenant farmer children over trivialities like where to sit in the classroom. Her worst problem has been how to avoid getting buried in dust or spattered with mud by the white school bus that passes them on their way to school every day.

                 

          Furthermore, Cassie's persistent and her usage of words to get what she wants makes me applaud for her. She's usually able to manipulate Stacey into telling her things that she wants to know, like what happened to Papa and Mr. Morrison on the trip back from Vicksburg. As her older brother, Stacey can’t even resist from denying the truth from the almighty Cassie Logan.

          By the end of the story, Cassie understands the element that truly differentiates them from the other Black families. Her family owns land, thanks to the insight of her grandfather. As long as they manage to hang onto it in spite of all obstacles, they have roots and a source of self-confidence that the tenant farmers will never have. Their land gives them not only a permanent home, but also a firm sense of accomplishment and identity along with an ability to influence changes at some point in the future.

          Sometimes, the change that you always crave for will only bring you nothing but disaster. Unlike like any other protagonist that requires a lot, Cassie Logan only had one specific aim in her mind; and that was to keep her family safe. We don’t need to crave for any massive changes in our life, all we need is a change that scintillates our soul to bring us closer to our goal.

Sau Jean Ying

4 Cergas

26th January 2014