Roll of thunder, hear my cry door Mildred D. Taylor

Uittreksel: The book starts at the time that Cassie and her brothers are walking to school. The family Logan exist from father David, who works at the railroad, mother Mary, who is a teacher, Stacey, who is 12 years old, Cassie, who is 9 years old, and two little brothers, Christopher-John and Little-Man, who real name is Clayton Chester. While the are walking to school, some other kids join them. T.J. Avery, who is 14 years old, and his little brother Claude live on Grangerland, a plantation next to Loganland. T.J. tells about a happening last night. A uncle and his two cousins are burned by the men of the Wallace store. Finally T.J. said, “Okay. See, them Berry’s burnin’ wasn’t no accident. Some white men took a match to ‘em.” “Y-you mean just lit ‘em up like a piece of wood?” stammered Christopher-John, his eyes growing big with disbelief. “But why?” asked Stacey. T.J. shrugged. “Don’t know why. Jus’ know they done it, that’s all.” (blz.12) Every day while they are walking to school, there comes the Jefferson Davis schoolbus, a bus for only white children. There is no bus for black children. De bus driver and the kids always have fun when the bus driver drives very fast, and than make Cassie and the others dirty. This day is no exception. Cassie and her brothers goes to the Great Faith Elementary and Secondary School, one of the largest black schools in the country. Not soon after the first schoolday there father came home. He brought a man with him, Mr. Morrison. He got fired with the railroad, because he was in an fight with white people. O course, they didn’t got fired. The man stays, and after a while he gets is own house. A old barn. How sad it is, Papa David can not stay long, or else he might lose his job. The next Sunday they went to church. Mrs. Silas Lanier tells Big Ma (Miz. Caroline) over there John Henry Berry died the night before, he was together with Beacon and his uncle burned by white. The next day when they like always get dirty by the Jefferson Davis schoolbus, Stacey got a plan to take revenge on that bus. They digit a big hole, and filled it with water. It worked, the bus came be stuck and the white children has to walk to school for at least two weeks. That night Mrs. Logan and Big Ma guard the house by sitting next to the window, with a gun. For long minutes I waited, wide awake, wondering what my next move should be. Finally deciding that I should again consult with the boys, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, but immediately had to swing them back again as Big Ma reentered the room. She passed the bed and pulled a straight-backed chair up to the window. Parting the curtains so that the blackness of the night mixed with the blackness of the room, she sat down without a sound. (blz. 52) The next day when they are walking to school, T.J. shows some cheat notes for the history test. Stacey teared the notes in two. But T.J. makes new ones, and when he get busted by his teacher, Mama Mary, he slide the notes quickly to Stacey’s table. Now Stacey get whipped. Because of that move Stacey is going after T.J. and they had a fight, next to the Wallaces store, where they are not allowed to be. Mr. Morrison picked them up, and drove them home. “There he go!” someone shouted as the back door of the storeroom slammed shut. Stacey turned quickly and sped to the back of the building. T.J. was fleeing straight toward Soldiers Road. Stacey tore across the Wallace yard and, leaping high like a forest fox, fell upon T.J., knocking him down. The two boys rolled toward the road, each trying to keep the other’s back pinned to the ground, but then Stacey, who was stronger, gained the advantage and T.J., finding that he could not budge him, cried, “Hey, wait a minute, man, let me explain --” stacey did not let him finish. Jumping up, he pulled T.J. up too and hit him squarely in the face. T.J. staggered back holding his eyes as if he were badly hurt, and Stacey momentarily let down his guard. At that moment, T.J. rammed into Stacey, forcing the fight to the ground again. (blz. 66) Stacey told the complete story to his mother, except the part about T.J. was cheating. One day Big Ma tells Cassie how they got this land. Here husband, Paul Edward, bought it long ago. One early morning Big Ma, Stacey, Cassie and T.J. went to the market in Strawberry. Before they drive back, Big Ma has got some business to do with Mr. Jamison, so Stacey, T.J. and Cassie already go to The Barnett Mercantile to get there mothers list. In the mercantile Cassie got trouble with Mr. Barnett, the owner of the place. He first helps white people before he helps T.J.. Stacey pulled her out of the store but when she’s on the street she bumped into Lillian Jean, Jeremy’s sister, the white boy how walks with them to school. Though she apologised already, her father pushed her on the ground. Jeremy said Cassie already apologised, but nobody listened to him. Finally Big Ma told Cassie she has to say I’m sorry Miz. Lillian Jean, cause Lillian Jean wanted it that way. She’s angry about that. But later she’ll take revenge. I started up at mr. Simms, frightened. Jeremy appeared frightened too. “I—I apologized already.” Jeremy seemed relieved that I had spoken. “She d-did, Pa. R-right now, ‘fore y’all come, she did—” (blz. 88) That evening Mama tries to explain Cassie why Mr. Simms made her doing this. She said white people thinks there better than coloured, and they have to be threatened that way. But Cassie still thinks it’s unfair. Mama’s eyes looked deeply into mine, locked into them, and she said in a tight, clear voice, “Because he thinks Lillian Jean is better than you are, Cassie, and when you --” “That ole scrawny, chicken-legged, snaggle-toothed, cross --” “Cassie.” Mama did not raise her voice, but the quiet force of my name silenced me. “Now,” she said, folding my hand in hers, “I didn’t say that Lillian Jean is better than you. I said Mr. Simms only thinks she is. In fact, he thinks she’s better than Stacey or Little Man or Cristopher-John --” “Just ‘cause she’s his daughter?” I asked, beginning to think Mr. Simms was a bit touched in the head. “No, baby, because she’s white.” (blz. 96, 97) Mama Mary is boycotting the Wallace store for a while. She is trying to get as much as possible families who want to shop in Vicksburg. Mr. Jamison want to back the credit. But Mr. Granger is not pleased with that. Now the people will not buy his stuff any more, and that’s why he came by and told the whole boycotting was not a very good idea, and he would try to stop it no matter what. Papa took the pipe from his mouth and stared into the fire. When he faced Mr. Granger again his voice was very quiet, very distinct, very sure. “You being white, you can just ‘bout plan on anything you want. But i tell you this one thing: You plan on getting this land, you’re planning on the wrong thing.” Mama’s hand crossed almost unseen to Papa’s arm. Mr. Granger looked up slyly. “There’s lots of ways of stopping you, David.” Papa impaled Mr. Granger with an icy stare. “Then you’d better make them good,” he said. (blz. 128) Mama Mary got fired, cause two Wallaces visited her class, when she was teaching history, but not from the book. Somebody told them that, and eventually it seemed to be T.J. He apologised but Cassie and her brothers now don’t want to be his friends any more. “Hey, wait … I said I was sorry, didn’t I?” he asked, following us. “Look, what’s a fellow got to do anyway? Hey, yáll, look, this here is still ole T.J.! I ain’t changed. Y’all can turn on me just ‘cause --” “You the one turned, T.J.,” Stacey called over his shoulder. “Now leave us alone. We don’t want no more to do with you.” T.J., for the first time comprehending that we were no longer his friends, stopped. Then, standing alone in the middle of the road, he sreamed after us, “Who needs y’all anyway. I been tired of y’all alway hangin’ ‘round for a long while now, but I been too nice to tell ya … I should’ve known better. What I look like, havin’ a bunch of little kids ‘round all the time and me here fourteen, near grown …” We walked on, not stopping. “Got me better friends than y’all! They give me things and treat me like I’m a man and … and they white too …” his voice faded into the wind as we left him and we heard no more. (blz. 145) One day David, Mr. Morrison and Stacey drove to Vicksburg for the shopping, and when they were on there way back, they were caught up. David was shot, and got a wagon over his leg. But thankfully nothing happened to Stacey and Mr. Morrison. Tree of the Wallaces did that. “A truck come up the road and stopped behind us while we was trying to get that wheel on, but didn’t none of us hear it coming ‘cause of the rain and the thunder and all, and they didn’t put their lights on till the truck stopped. Anyways, there was three men in that truck and soon as Papa seen ‘em, he reached for his shotgun. That’s when they shot him and he fell back with his left leg under the wagon. Then … then Jack reared up, scared by the shot, and I—I couldn’t hold him … and … and the wagon rolled over Papa’s leg.” His voice cracked sharply, and he exploded guiltily, “It’s m-my fault his leg’s busted!” I thought on what he had said and, laying my hand on his shoulder, I said, “Naw, it ain’t. It’s them men’s.” (blz.160) When Mr. Morrison take Cassie and her brothers for a ride, once the road is blocked by the car of Kaleb Wallace. He shouted names at Mr. Morrison, and finally Mr. Morrison came out of his wagon, and turned the car of Kaleb Wallace, with his hands! Mr. Morrison circled the truck, studying it closely. Then he returned to its front and, bending at the knees with his back against the grill, he positioned his large hands beneath the bumper. Slowly, his muscles flexing tightly against his thin shirt and the sweat popping off his skin like oil on water, he lifted the truck on one fluid, powerful motion until the front was several inches off the ground and slowly walked it to the left of the road, where he set it down as gently as a sleeping child. Then he moved to rear of the truck and repeated the feat. (blz. 167) One night T.J. came by to beg Stacey for help. He’s heavily wounded and the children take him home. But over there T.J. dragged outside by some white men, and they said he killed Mr. Barnett. Finally Mr. Granger made all stopped because he send everybody to Loganland, cause there was a fire in the cottonfields. That night Mr. Jim Lee Barnett died, and probably T.J. would be sentence to death. The fire was made by David Logan himself. He wanted the hanging to stop, and now a part of his land is burnt, he hopes the people think he is enough blamed. Stacey looked around at me sharply, his face drawn, his eyes anxious, and without even a murmer from him I suddenly did know. I knew why Mr. Morrison had come for him alone. Why Mr. Jamison was afraid for Papa to go into town. Papa had found a way, as Mama had asked, to make Mr. Granger stop the hanging: He had started the fire. (blz. 203) Opdracht 1 De belangrijkste emotie in deze roman is liefde. In dit boek vooral naastenliefde. Als je het boek goed bekijkt en het goed leest, zie je dat kenmerk steeds terugkomen. Een voorbeeld daarvan is de relatie tussen Cassie en T.J. Cassie mag T.J. absoluut niet, maar aan het eind van het verhaal, als T.J. in de gevangenis zit, en misschien wel dood gaat, mist ze hem toch. I had never liked T.J., but he had always been there, a part of me, a part of my life, just like the mud and the rain, and I had thought that he always would be. (blz. 204) Een andere opvallende liefde die erin zit is de liefde die Mary toont voor lesgeven. Het is, net als T.J. voor Cassie, een deel van haar leven. Ze heeft er haar hele leven naar uitgezien lerares te worden, en vind het geweldig om te doen. Papa turned and, putting his arms around Christopher-John, drew him even nearer. “Son, your mama … she’s born to teaching like the sun is born to shine. And it’s gonna be hard on her not teaching anymore. It’s gonna be real hard ‘cause ever since she was a wee bitty girl down in the Delta she wanted to be a teacher.” (blz. 140) Een derde opvallende liefde emotie in deze roman is de relatie tussen Stacey en T.J. Aan het begin denk je dat het goede vrienden zijn, maar dat ebt weg, door gebeurtenissen zoals toen T.J. de spiekbriefjes naar Stacey schoof. Maar toen T.J. later midden in de nacht bij Stacey aan de deur stond, en hem om hulp smeekte, kraag T.J. die ook. Cassie snapte dat niet, omdat T.J. het na al die rotstreken helemaal niet verdiend had. Maar toch is Stacey altijd weer bereid, om T.J.’s te helpen. “You as big a fool as he is then,” I accused frantically. “You don’t owe him nothin’, ‘specially after what he done to Mama.” Stacey released me. “He’s hurt bad, Cassie. I gotta get him home.” (blz. 185) Big Ma’s liefde voor Paul Edward is ook nog steeds niet weg. Haar echtgenoot is al overleden, maar hij is nog steeds bij haar in haar hart. Als ze met Cassie over hem praat, gebeurt dat onder een paar grote eikenbomen, waar ze veel herinneringen aan heeft. Ze vertelt hoe hij was en hoe ze mekaar ontmoet hadden. Big Ma houd nog steeds van haar man, en mist hem ook erg. Him and me, we used to come down here early mornin’s or just ‘fore the sun was ‘bout to set and just sit and talk. He used to call this place his thinkin’ spot and he called that old pond there Caroline, after me.” She smiled vaguely, but not at me. (blz. 69, 70)
Opdracht 4 Ik heb dit boek gekozen, omdat ik ten eerste geïnteresseerd werd door de voorkant, het plaatje dat voorop staat. Het is een tekening van donkere kinderen, en achterop iemand die in elkaar word geslagen door blanken. Ik interesseer me voor zulke omstandigheden, en vind het mooi om erover te lezen. Ten tweede was de samenvatting op de achterkant ook erg aan aansporend. Nou wilde ik zeker weten wat er allemaal in dat boek gebeurt. En verder was er nog de reden dat je altijd wel veel van die verhalen hoort over slavernij en donkere mensen, maar ik was wel benieuwd hoe deze schrijfster ertegenaan zou kijken. De boodschap: De boodschap wordt, hoe verder je het boek leest steeds iets verder duidelijk. De schrijfster tilt als het ware steeds weer een tipje van de sluier op. De discriminatie die er is tegen gekleurde mensen, en hoe laag zij wel niet worden ingeschat komt in het begin naar voren. “But Big Ma,” Little Man protested, “ifn that ole bus driver would slow down, I wouldn’t get muddy!” Then he frowned deeply and added, “Or ifnn we had a bus like theirs.” (blz. 38) Later word Cassie geleerd hoe ze daarmee om moet gaan, en dat het nou eenmaal zo is. Maar ze leert ook dat het niet klopt. Haar moeder legt uit dat je blanken op een andere manier respecteert dan gekleurde mensen, en dat dat komt doordat je blanken verplicht moet aanspreken met Miz, zoals Miz Lillian Jean. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, “I’m sorry, Miz Lillian Jean,” demanded Mr, Simms. “Big Ma!: I balked. “Say it, child.” A painful tear slid down my cheek and my lips trembled. “I’m sorry … M-Miz … Lillian Jean.” (blz 88, 89) Maar door alles heen blijft iedereen toch wie hij of zij is, en dat zouden wij ook moeten doen. Jezelf blijven, en jezelf op de laatste plaats zetten. Dan word je meer gerespecteerd dan als je je onder dwang laat respecteren. En je moet vooral niet denken dat je niks betn, want iedereen is wat. Mama’s grip did not lessen. “It is something, Cassie. White is something just like black is something. Everybody born on this earth is something and nobody, no matter what color, is better than anybody else.” (blz. 97)