Warriors Don T Cry Analysis

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Pages: 3

In Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beals presents the idea that personal strength is often hidden by fear but can be uncovered when least expected. A point in time when Melba discovers her internal strength is when she enters the press conference. Her fear paralyzes her and she lacks the strength to voice her opinion about returning to Central. Melba knows that what she’s doing is right but her fear keeps her from taking action. On page 57, Melba explains that her “heart raced with fear and anticipation...I was almost hypnotized by the wonder of it all.” After being called “miss” by a white person, the respect she gets motivates her to push aside her fear and voice her opinion. Another time she’s faced with a trial is when she responds to the reporter’s question without thinking. She …show more content…
Melba’s grandmother says that ”the women of this family don’t break down in the face of trouble. We act with courage and with God’s help we ship trouble right on out”(Excerpt 1). Melba is crying because of the sudden changes in her life. She couldn’t do regular things like hangout with friends because it was dangerous. On page 97, Melba states, “As I felt hot tears stinging my eyes, I heard grandma India’s voice say “”you’re on the battlefield for your lord.”” She wishes she could see Danny because he gives her a sense of security. This is when she realizes that she can’t depend on him forever and will have learn to survive on her own which she feels is an impossible task. Beals states, “Still, on the pages of my diary, there was no real life anymore. It was as if my days consisted of only one thing - enduring pain in my mind and on my body.” Melba goes through a lot everyday for integration. She takes pain so that they can all have freedom in the future. By having faith, Melba gets herself through situations that she didn’t believe she