WARRIORS DON'T CRY

SETTING

• Took place in the early 1950's
• in Little Rock, Arkansas.

SETTING

• "We moved through the streets in silence,
• listening to the newsman's descriptions of
• the crowd's gathering at Central High."
• They went to Central High everyday.

MOOD

• "She said the nightmare that surrounded
• my birth was proof positive that destiny
• had assigned me a special task."
• You can tell that bad things were going to
• happen in the beginning of the book.

MELBA

• Melba was one of the nine students
• at Central High School.
• She was described as a fighting warrior
• for all the problems she faced being black.

MAIN CHARACTER

• "Breathless I made my legs carry me quickly
• past angry white faces dodging fists that struck
• out at me."
• Melba is very strong and determined to do what
• she needs to do.

MAIN CHARACTER

• "Just for an instant, I worried about how Thelma's
• parents would get through the huge crowd outside to
• pick her up if she were really ill."
• Melba is described as not self-centered and caring
• about other people.

GRANDMOTHER INDIA

• India was Melba's very supporting grandmother.
• Her grandmother helped her in every way
• she could too avoid the harsh things people said
• to her.

GRANDMOTHER INDIA

• Grandmother India was always encouraging her
• to stand up for herself and fight back.
• She was the one who told her that "God's warriors
• don't cry."

DANNY

• Danny is related to Melba because he kept
• her safe when she was being harassed.
• He is described as caring and Melba describes
• him as a warrior, he's the reason she started to
• stand up for herself.

LINK

• Link is described as a good friend because he
• helped Melba a lot.
• Even though she was black he still wanted to be
• her friend and help her out.

LINK

• When Melba was being chased he gave
• her his car keys and told her to go and he
• would get the car later.
• They didn't know if he was trustworthy or not
• but in the end he was because of his childhood Nanny.

SUMMARY

• Warriors Don't Cry is about a young
• girl named Melba who is placed in an all whites
• school. She faces many conflicts, both internally
• and externally. She faces all the struggles and
• makes it through as a great warrior as Danny wanted her to be.

CONFLICT #1

• Melba was being cussed at, and called a "nigger"
• every turn she made, she was abused verbally
• and physically. People threw things in her face
• and hurt her all the time.

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• Melba learned how to take the things
• they said as if they were complements
• because there was nothing she could do.
• She learned to fight back for herself and protect
• herself and her friends and family.

CONFLICT #2

• Melba doesn't know whether or not
• to trust Link. He acts like he doesn't like her at
• school but after he tells her what the segregationists
• are planning. She decides to follow his advice
• and learn to trust him.

PLOT

• "A few days later I fell ill with a massive infection.
• Mother took me to the white hospital...within two days,
• I was remarkably better."
• Melba is a great warrior at an early age in her life.

PLOT

• "I strained to see what lay ahead of us.
• In the distance, large crowds of white people
• were lining the curb directly across from the front
• of Central High.
• Paves the way for segregationists.

THEME

• The theme of Warrior's Don't Cry
• is we are all equal no matter what
• color, or size we are so don't judge
• people for what they look like.

THEME QUOTES

• "God's Warriors don't cry."
• This explains how strong Melba's grandmother
• was and told her to be strong because God's
• people don't give up or cry.

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• "Please, God let me learn how to stop
• being a warrior. Sometimes I just need to be a girl."
• She wants too stop having to worry about being
• tortured and just wants to be herself and the whites
• leave her alone.

GOOD OR BAD?

• Warriors Don't Cry is a very good book.
• It reminds us not to be rude, or hateful
• to anyone just because of their color.
• This book explains the fact that we should
• treat everyone the same no matter what.

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• "Niggers, niggers, the niggers are in."
• They were talking about me. The shouting
• wouldn't stop, it got louder as more joined
• in.

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• "They're in here! Oh, God, the niggers are
• in here!" One girl shouted running ahead of
• us down the hallway. "They got in, I smell
• something..." "You niggers better turn around and
• go home" (p.71).

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• "Up the stairs, I went squeezing my way
• past those who first blocked my path and then
• shouted hurtful words at me. 'Frightened' didn't
• even describe my state; I had moved on to terrified.
• My body was numb..." (p72)

TEXT TO WORLD

• "I began to doubt that I was strong
• enough to tough it out."
• Everyday in the world people struggle and
• think that they cant get through hard
• situations they feel they have done all they can do.

TEXT TO WORLD

• "How could I ever forget May 17, 1954, the day
• the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of
• Education of Topeka, Kansas that seperate public
• schools for whites and blacks were illegal."
• Many blacks throughout the U.S feel the same.