Delsiha Lindsey

WDC Essay

Warriors Don’t Cry was written by Melba Pattillo Beals. The book is narrated from the
point of view of Melba when she and eight other African American students were chosen to
integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1954. The book goes in great detail on
almost every moment of the process in which she went through while attending Central High. In
my opinion, I feel that Melba wrote this book to not only teach you an important part of history
but to also give you a behind the scenes on what it was like behind the doors of Central High
that only her and the other students witnessed.
For me personally, while reading the book, I went through many emotions since I was
able to relate to a few things she went through. I was able to connect with her on so many levels
because I am a black girl teenager just like her. I felt sad at one point, mad at one point, and
even proud at one point. So, it only seems right that I choose to write how Melba used pathos to
appeal her audience. Pathos is when a author strikes an emotional response from the reader by
using certain words.
There were many examples in the book that Melba’s writing made me feel some type
of emotion. A perfect example would be on page 101. This scene was when Melba and the
other black students had to go to a meeting in order to hear if the judge would allow them to go
Central High against the governor’s wishes. “As a throng of reporters surged toward us, my
heart was pounding, my breath coming in short spurts. I flashed my confident smile, but my
knees wobbled.” Right away when I read that sentence I was able to picture the scene in my
head. In my head I saw a girl who was terrified but was strong enough to know that she couldn't
let others know she was afraid. I was so shocked and amazed at the same time. How could
someone put up such a brave face when being called horrible names? It takes a lot to be able to
do that. She didn’t show fear. I feel that this scene might have appealed to the audience
because it relates to the title. Melba is a warrior and reading that made me realize how and why
she was a warrior. Another example was Danny. The parts about Danny evoked a lot of
different emotions. But, for the most part I was genuinely happy with him. He made me smile. I
honestly felt that he actually cared for me especially compared to the other soldiers. For
instance on page 154 when Melba informed Danny that she was attacked by a student. Danny
said, “You’ve got to learn to defend yourself. You kids should have been given some training in
self defense… It takes a warrior to fight a battle and survive.” When Danny said those words to
Melba, I felt a sense of trust. I felt like I could trust him. He could have responded like any other
adult at Central High would have responded but he didn’t. He chose to give her advice. He
didn’t kick her while she was already down. He showed some remorse and he was sympathetic
to her. It’s very clear that Danny had a huge impact on Melba and was one of the few positive
interactions that she will always remember from her experience at Central High.
Finishing the book made me realize that an intended audience could possibly be
anyone. More specifically I think she wants to send a message to other black people. The
message would be that we have to proud of where we come from and who we are. Reading this
book made me more than ever to be proud that I am African American. I think she also just
wants to reach out to anyone who thinks something is impossible to do something because it
hasn’t been done before. She wants you to test yourself and stand up for yourself. Overall,
Warriors Don’t Cry was a life teaching book that can and will inspire many people.