Skip to main content

In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, why are the last few days of school before Christmas difficult for Cassie?

The last days before Christmas are hard for Cassie because her father has not come home yet. 


Papa’s brother Uncle Hammer arrived before Papa for Christmas.  Papa was off working for the railroad, so he could usually only come home for the holidays and crops.  The family owns their land, which makes them luckier than many African-American families, but they also have to pay the taxes on so much land.  That is expensive.  There...

The last days before Christmas are hard for Cassie because her father has not come home yet. 


Papa’s brother Uncle Hammer arrived before Papa for Christmas.  Papa was off working for the railroad, so he could usually only come home for the holidays and crops.  The family owns their land, which makes them luckier than many African-American families, but they also have to pay the taxes on so much land.  That is expensive.  There is a debt on half the land, so Papa goes to work when he can. 



It was good rich land, much of it still virgin forest, and there was no debt on half of it. But there was a mortgage on the two hundred acres bought in 1918 and there were taxes on the full four hundred, and for the past three years there had not been enough money from the cotton to pay both and live on too. (Ch. 1) 



The year is 1933, in the middle of the Great Depression, and Papa is in Louisiana “laying track” instead of with his family.  Cassie really misses her father.  In those days, communication was not as easy as it is now.  She was not sure exactly when he would arrive.  She kept waiting for him. 



The last days of school before Christmas seemed interminable.  Each night I fell asleep with the hope that the morning would bring Papa, and each morning when he wasn’t there I trudged to school consoling myself that he would be home when I returned. (Ch. 7) 



One of the reasons Cassie really wants her father to come home is so she can talk to him about the incident with Lillian Jean, the white girl who treated her so terribly in town.  Lillian Jean continues to “flounce” past her, and Cassie is not sure what to do or how to handle the racist interactions.  She wants her father’s advice.  Papa finally arrives the day before Christmas.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more