Warriors Don't Cry Essay Questions

In her diary, Melba writes: “integration is a much bigger word than I thought." What does she mean by this?

Melba had signed up to integrate Central High School with the intention of obtaining a high-quality education at a well-funded school. Though Melba dealt with racism her entire life, she underestimated the violent lengths segregationists would go to exclude her. She assumes that once the Central High students got to know her, they would recognize their similarities. In short, Melba signed up to integrate Central High believing integration would be achieved by her attending school.

Of course, things aren't so simple, as Melba quickly realizes. Governor Orval Faubus calls the National Guard, a military force, to prevent the nine high schoolers from entering school. Outside, angry mobs attack the students and threaten to murder them; inside the school, students and faculty alike torment the Little Rock Nine. Integration depends on Melba's survival.

In addition, Melba's choice to integrate has repercussions for her community. Neighbors, friends, and eventually Mother Lois lose their jobs when segregationists try to intimidate the nine into withdrawing from Central High. Ultimately, the process of integration shapes and scars Melba and her community.

How and why did Governor Orval Faubus create the Little Rock crisis?

In 1957, the vast majority of Arkansas residents were white segregationists. Modern historians attest that Faubus, seeking re-election from a conservative voter pool, used the Little Rock Crisis to divert attention away from a controversial tax increase and garner support from Southern "states' rights" proponents.

To achieve these goals, Faubus created an atmosphere of violence, paranoia, and tension. First, Faubus gave inflammatory speeches suggesting that the white citizens of Little Rock were so opposed to segregation that "blood would run in the streets" if the Little Rock Nine attended Central High. To make this self-fulfilling prophecy come true, Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to stand outside Central High and block the students from entering, arguing the guards were there "for their protection." In actuality, the uniformed guards were a powerful visual symbol of Faubus's rebellion and the impending racial violence.

As the Little Rock Crisis progressed, Faubus stoked the flames of discontent by refusing to comply with federal law at every turn and using media coverage to create paranoia. Faubus spread rumors of Black Little Rock citizens buying guns, petitioned for integration delays, directed the federalized National Guard to stay out of conflicts at Central High, and ultimately closed all schools for an entire academic year after the Little Rock Crisis. Consequently, Melba Pattillo Beals and historians conclude that Faubus's tactics made the integration of Central High unnecessarily violent.

How does Melba’s faith develop and evolve during her experiences at Central High?

Melba's relationship with Christianity is best tracked through her diary entries, which include letters addressed directly to God. As a child, Melba asks God for signs that He exists and will change her life. In the face of constant discrimination, Melba doubts God's existence and ability to solve her problems. She also internalizes guilt and shame for "sinful" behavior, like hating the people who torment her.

However, as Melba enters Central High, and she realizes the United States government and the adults in her life are powerless to protect her, Melba turns to faith as a source of strength and to fulfill her sense that she is protected. Under Grandma India's guidance, Melba begins to look at her time at Central High as "God's mission for her," and processes feelings of anger, guilt, and shame by reframing her experiences as battles in a holy war for justice. Ultimately, Melba's experience "endowed [her] with an indestructible faith in God."

How does Melba's community give her strength, and how do they feed her doubts?

The work of Melba's church and the larger Black community of Little Rock is essential for Melba's survival. Since the Black community cannot rely on the police or other social services for protection, Melba's family turns to their neighbors for protection and support. For example, when armed segregationists shoot at Melba's family home, her neighbors promise to "prowl the streets" to watch for any more threats. When Mother Lois is overcharged and threatened at the grocery store, Grandma India and her friends organize groups to go shopping in other parts of town, knowing there is safety in numbers.

Despite the community's unshakeable commitment to protecting one another, Melba's choice to integrate Central High brings dissent. As segregationists threaten the jobs and lives of Melba's community to intimidate her into withdrawing from Central High, Melba's neighbors, friends, and fellow churchgoers question her ability to survive at Central High and try to persuade her to abandon integration. Melba's friends from Horace Mann abandon her, understandably afraid that associating with Melba will make them targets for racial violence. Of course, Melba is still hurt by their abandonment, and not having friends makes her experience at Central High all the more difficult.

During her ordeal at Little Rock, Melba gains strength by thinking of herself as a warrior. How does she live out this image of herself?

At the start of her time at Central High, Grandma India affirms that Melba is "a warrior on the battlefield" for God. This image of herself as a warrior rather than a victim strengthens Melba's resolve to survive Central High. Inspired by the 101st Regiment soldiers who escort her through Central High, Melba frames her encounters with bullies as battles with enemies. Though she still experiences intense emotional and physical pain, Melba structures her school day with military efficiency, internally separating the torment that annoys her, like being called slurs and spit on, from the truly dangerous, like students throwing lit dynamite and acid at her.

As an additional form of protection, Melba models her posture and mannerisms on the 101st Regiment, adding to her confidence in herself and projecting an image of calm determination to her bullies. Melba begins to count her victories, from physically defending herself with well-timed kicks and textbooks to intellectually dominating her opponents by confusing them with her responses.

Though Melba carries emotional wounds into adulthood, her experiences as a warrior shape how she approaches issues in her personal and professional life. When she attends college, Melba undauntedly selects an all-white residence hall, confident in her patience and self-assurance to carry her through uncomfortable experiences. Melba also pursues a career in journalism, focusing on conflicts and riots, having been inspired by the fellow warriors who reported on the Little Rock Crisis despite violence against journalists.