Strength And Perseverance In Melba Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

494 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on inner strength

The novel Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals has many themes that are shown. One of the major themes that stuck out to me was inner strength and perseverance. Inner strength means to have Integrity of character: resoluteness of will: mental resistance to doubt or discouragement. Perseverance means steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. One example of inner strength and perseverance is when Melba comes to the understanding that only her warrior exists. “I think only the Warrior exists in me now. Melba went away to hide. She was too frightened to stay here” (Pattillo Beals,170). One way she shows her warrior is when she doesn't let people get to her. She shows it also by continuing to go to school after all the brutality that she has faced. “As some of the students continued their catcalls,I fought back tears and headed down the stairs to the principal's office” (Pattillo Beals,108). When Melba did …show more content…

“”You’ll make this your last cry. You’re a warrior on the battlefield for your Lord. God’s warriors don’t cry, ‘cause they trust that he’s always by their side””( Pattillo Beals,44). One way Melba follows her Grandma’s advice is when she allows the Lord to keep her safe when she is in a time of need. Melba was trusting the Lord to get her through anything and everything. “My heart was weeping, but I squeezed back the tears. I squared my shoulders and tried to remember what Grandma had said “God loves you,child; no matter what, he sees you as his precious idea””(Pattillo Beals,75/76). She shows her inner strength through this By trusting the Lord not to let anything happen to her. Sometimes she must feel like he’s not going to be there, but she doesn’t let that get to her. One way she allowed the Lord to keep her safe is when her mother and her were running away from the white

Show More
Related

  • Brief Summary Of Melba's Warriors Don T Cry

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Warriors Don’t Cry I think Melba is a very strong Warrior. I say this because she could have not went to Central High and she could have backed out of it instead of going to all the trouble. Melba knew a lot of white people were going to disagree with integration, especially the kids at school. She knew they were going try to do anything to get rid of her and her friends. But she was prepared and ready for the kids who might or may taunt her and call her bad names and she knew if she prayed every night and asked God to keep her safe and be by her side so that she could get through this year and graduate. But when she went to Central High School, she knew that fighting with the other white people would not solve anything but she knew her

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Melba Patillo Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

    486 Words  | 1 Pages

    During the 1950s, African Americans struggled against racial segregation, trying to break down the race barrier. Fifteen year old Melba Patillo Beals was an ordinary girl, until she’s chosen with eight other students to integrate Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. They are named the Little Rock and fight through the school year, while students and segregationists are threatening and harassing them. Warriors Don’t Cry—a memoir of Beals’ personal experience—should be taught in schools because it teaches students to treat each other equally and to be brave, while it also shows the struggle of being an African-American in the 1950s. Another lesson taught in the retelling is that everyone can make a change.

    Read More

  • Warriors Don T Cry By Melba Pattillo Beals

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    Melba Pattillo Beals book, Warriors Don’t Cry, is a memoir about her experience as one of the Little Rock Nine. From a very young age Melba sees the many problems with segregation. Throughout the book she recalls several memories involving the unfairness and struggles that her, her family, and other African Americans had to go through in the South during the time of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement.

    Read More

  • Self-Reliance Or Loss Of Innocence In Warriors Don T Cry

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme of “Self-Reliance” was developed in the novel Warriors Don’t Cry. Melba was an African-American girl that was part of the Little Rock Nine. She integrated into Central High school for better opportunities. However, she was mistreated and somewhat bullied in the school because of her race. She needed to rely on an army division called the 101st. Mainly; she relied on a soldier named Danny from the division. Danny followed her around in order to protect her from physical violence. After some time, Melba became very reliant on Danny. This can be seen when she writes, “Thank you Danny”, after every school day when Danny was there. She relied on Danny to save her eyes when another student with a stinging substance sprayed her. After some time, Danny left the school and Melba had to rely on herself for protection. She uses the trick her Grandma taught her of confusing the bully. The trick was to not,” …respond the way they expect you to.” After some time Melba learns to take...

    Read More

  • Melba Pattillo Beals', Warriors Don't Cry

    2530 Words  | 6 Pages

    The definition of a warrior is "one who is engaged in or experienced in battle, or in the military life; a soldier; a champion". Melba Beals proved to be a warrior throughout all of the events that surrounded the integration of Central High School. Although she eventually had to leave town, she and the other eight students showed true bravery and courage when they decided to scale the walls of segregation and end the oppression of the white people in Little Rock. Beals was truly woman who fought hard and kept her faith in route to becoming a "warrior" and eventually a "champion" in the fight for civil rights.

    Read More

  • Discrimination In Warriors Don T Cry By Melba

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book Warriors Don’t Cry Melba wanted to integrate schools because she knew that if they did step up things would begin to change and white people would begin to accept black people as equals. Yes, there are things that were done to Melba and the rest of the kids that could be considered abuse but everyone involved knew it was for the greater good. Melba even makes it known she wants to be there from this quote, “This is going to work. It will take a lot more patience and more strength from me, but it’s going to work. It takes more time than I thought. But we’re going to have integration in Little Rock. (pg.161)” We can see that Melba wants to do whatever she can to get into Central High School and is willing to go the extra mile. Frankly if Melba didn’t stick it out racism might have gone on longer than expected. Melba even reflects on this, “But Grandma is right, if I don’t go back, they will think they have won. They will think they can use soldiers to frighten us, and we’ll always have to obey them. (pg.55-56)” So sending these kids into a place where they would be frightened and attacked was a necessary sacrifice that needed to be made in order for the elimination of

    Read More

  • Warriors Don't Cry Analysis

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    The battle for integration which Beals fought impacted her and developed her character. She not only battles with her surroundings, but who she is and what she wants. Beals learns not to cry or show weakness, she learns she is a warrior, but she also learns that it requires sacrifice and the mantra "warriors don't cry" becomes a cry itself for the parts of her life she has surrendered. Beals says "I think only the warrior exists in me now. Melba went away to hide" (246). She seems both proud and sad for what she has accomplished, but ultimately her stance as a warrior not only changed her, but the nation's view of race.

    Read More

  • Warriors Don't Cry

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    Melba began her story with her childhood in Little Rock, Arkansas. She lived with her mother, grandma, and brother in a strict and religious household. Her family had come to accept the fact that they would always be mistreated because of their color. In the South this mistreatment of blacks was seen as perfectly normal, but Melba saw things a little differently. As a young girl, she experienced first hand how awful it was to be segregated against and be constantly ridiculed simply because of her color. Unlike most people, though, she wanted to do something about it and prayed for an opportunity that would allow her to fight back and hopefully make a difference.

    Read More

  • Warriors Don T Cry Analysis

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    “It takes a warrior to fight a battle and survive. This here is a battle if I’ve ever seen one” (Beals 113). In the novel Warriors Don’t Cry, nine students from Little Rock Arkansas are set out on the battlefield for integration. Melba Pattillo and eight other friends are challenged with starting off the integration of Little Rock’s Central High School. The students were signed up and asked to attend the high school in hopes of getting rid of segregation. Although entering high school may seem as easy as signing in and going to class, the test and trials the Little Rock nine went through shows a true test of determination. Comparatively, the “Arab Spring”, a movement of protests in the Middle East, has caused controversy all over the world. Citizens are rebelling against an unfair government in hopes of create a new way of life. Tired of all the disrespect, unjust, and oppressive government Muslims and Middle Easterners have created a battle of their own. While trying to create a better life for themselves, the Little Rock Nine and those involved in the Arab Spring uprisings have stepped on to the battlefield for fair human rights.

    Read More

  • Hearts And The Fist Analysis

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main message of the book is that anybody can overcome anything with the right thoughts and traits. Eric Greitens has shown that numerous times throughout the book, for example, in this quote; “As warriors, as humanitarians, they've taught me that without courage, compassion falters, and that without compassion, courage has no direction.” (Eric Greitens, The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the making of a Navy SEAL).

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Perseverance In 'Odyssey And The Cave'

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines perseverance as the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. In today’s society, there are so many walls and barriers that prevent humans from achieving their dreams and goals and people begin giving up. However, great poets such as Homer and famous music groups such as Mumford and Sons have used the strife of humanity to compose works that can be used to inspire and institute hope for humanity. With perseverance, there are three key aspects, struggle, loyalty, and strength. The struggle is what allows humans to learn, grow, and better themselves, the loyalty demonstrated provides motivation for success, and the personal strength allows the person to build

    Read More

  • The Civil Rights Movement In Warrior Don T Cry

    1904 Words  | 4 Pages

    I will teach my students the power of not giving up on what they believe in. In this book Warrior Don’t Cry, we to not be afraid the resist the norm, if something is not right we need fight it and make it better. Melba and the other members of the Little Rock Nine was able to bring about change, they was able to shit the power of one group of people over another through resistance. Resistance don’t have to be violent, and can be peaceful. Melba grandma India teaches us all that you can get lot of things do with just passive resistance. Smiling in the face of your enemies at they tried to cause harm to you. Not only show them that you are strong enough to take anything they dish at you but also so you got character. Another lesson I will teach my students is being self-reliance. Melba and the other students had to rely on themselves to survive. They was force to go to school, surrounded by hostile and hateful people. They was also force to lose their friends from their old high school because their friends were afraid to be around them. The black students had to learn to rely more and more on themselves and not on the people around them like family and friends, because at the end of the day they had to protect

    Read More

  • The Meaning of What Are Years? by Marianne Moore

    223 Words  | 1 Pages

    Moore defines courage as “resolute doubt,” having the ability, or the the "strength of spirit," to keep going even when defeated. To be strong, one must accept their own mortality. One must accept the reality of death and yet keep fighting to live. Although we are all imprisoned in a world of mortality, we must fight every day to give meaning to our lives. We must live as if we were never going to die!

    Read More

  • Boys Dont Cry And Courage Under Fire Analysis

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    For the past few weeks in class we have been focusing on the topic of gender and sexism. Gender is what traits an individual identifies with. Sexism is prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination that is typically against women. Through the films Boys Don’t Cry and Courage under Fire we explored how gender and sexism can be a reality and struggle for some every day. The films did a respectable job of showing different versions of sexism. In Boys Don’t Cry we saw sexism against an individual who is transgender and in Courage under Fire we saw a female officer in the military that experienced sexism.

    Read More

  • Explain The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Social Work

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    This strength, in particular, influenced my decision to pursue social work as a career because cases will often be complex and I know that changes do not occur overnight and positive results only occur within time. I mastered the strength of being patient because growing up with an older sibling often requires you to learn patience. One aspect I realized was I don’t get frustrated easily and that is because I can be a patient person. The second strength I possess is being empathetic for example when a friend or family member shares something that may not be going to good in their life I like to pretend I am in their shoes, I like to provide empowerment and also be relatable, often times when one of my friends is upset over a situation I tend to get upset as well. I like to look at events through a sociological lens so I can better understand the situation. The last strength I possess is dedication, I feel this will influence my decision to pursue social work because I put my heart and soul into every aspect of my life, for example, I am quite dedicated to my studies, in High School I worked extremely hard to make it into the top ten of my graduating class and by being dedicated to my school work I ended up being number five. I am an extremely dedicated person because I do not like to fail, and I’ll always give it my all until I can no longer do so, I believe I would be a good social worker because I’d be dedicated to my client trying my hardest to provide the best of the

    Read More

More about Strength And Perseverance In Melba Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

Open Document