Jim Crow Laws In Mired D. Taylor's Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry
Looking back to when you were the young age of 13, do you remember cheating on tests, stealing pistols, and being threatened to be hung? In 1933, it wasn’t easy being black with the unfairness and cruelties of Jim Crow Laws. Written by Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is a great example of how your feelings can impact your actions greatly. This is shown in a young character named T.J. As a ramification of Jim Crow, he feels insignificant which causes him to make terrible decisions. Not only does he cheat on two tests, but also chooses to hang out with R.W. and Melvin (two bad influences), and steal a pistol. Jim Crow makes T.J. powerless, giving him the need to own the pistol. When T.J., Stacey, and Cassie are in the store while
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and Melvin. They laugh at him behind his back, they make fun of him, and don’t respect him. Again, T.J. feels insignificant because he has no power or freedom. For some reason, maybe because they’re white and act nice, or because they (as T.J. says) gives him everything he wants, T.J. feels the need to hang out with them to feel better about himself. It’s common at that age. This is one of the many examples about how Jim Crow makes T.J.’s feelings change his actions into bad ones. When talking to Cassie, Stacey, Little Man, and Christopher, T.J. says, “Got me better friends than y’all! They give me things and treat me like I’m a man and… and they white too” (194) He probably feels bad about them not wanting to be friends with him and makes him feel even more significant which is why he hangs out with R.W. and Melvin. Not only does R.W and Melvin treat him bad and use him for bad purposes, but they also injure him after he steals the gun with them. They are one of the many bad choices T.J. makes because of Jim Crow. Another example of how Jim Crow has a negative effect on T.J.’s actions, is when T.J. cheats. In chapter 8, after T.J. cheats, he says, “Warn’t nothin’ but a couple bits of ole paper. Didn’t need ‘em nohow.” (178) T.J. brang the cheat sheet with him because he wanted to trust himself. He knew the answers, but wanted to know that he would do good. Jim Crow is related to this because of the trust issue. Growing
and Melvin. They laugh at him behind his back, they make fun of him, and don’t respect him. Again, T.J. feels insignificant because he has no power or freedom. For some reason, maybe because they’re white and act nice, or because they (as T.J. says) gives him everything he wants, T.J. feels the need to hang out with them to feel better about himself. It’s common at that age. This is one of the many examples about how Jim Crow makes T.J.’s feelings change his actions into bad ones. When talking to Cassie, Stacey, Little Man, and Christopher, T.J. says, “Got me better friends than y’all! They give me things and treat me like I’m a man and… and they white too” (194) He probably feels bad about them not wanting to be friends with him and makes him feel even more significant which is why he hangs out with R.W. and Melvin. Not only does R.W and Melvin treat him bad and use him for bad purposes, but they also injure him after he steals the gun with them. They are one of the many bad choices T.J. makes because of Jim Crow. Another example of how Jim Crow has a negative effect on T.J.’s actions, is when T.J. cheats. In chapter 8, after T.J. cheats, he says, “Warn’t nothin’ but a couple bits of ole paper. Didn’t need ‘em nohow.” (178) T.J. brang the cheat sheet with him because he wanted to trust himself. He knew the answers, but wanted to know that he would do good. Jim Crow is related to this because of the trust issue. Growing