Keshawn Phillips

 

Mrs. Wright

 

English 12

 

12 November 2014

 

                                                     Character & Conflict in Warriors Don’t Cry

 

 

        Why is the pursuit of freedom necessary? I think that the pursuit of freedom is necessary because without freedom, the world would not be what it is today. Freedom was needed to integrate schools back then. Freedom gives you the opportunities to do certain things that others can’t. In the novel novel Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beals, Melba pursues her freedom for a good education and encounters many conflicts along the way; however, her character traits brave, courageous, and stubborn allow her to overcome these conflicts.

 

 

        Melba faces many conflicts in her fight for freedom. She was being chased down the hallway into the bathroom. “I have to devise a better plan to protect myself.” During this conflict, Melba felt the need to protect herself because she didn’t have anywhere else to run or go when she got trapped in the bathroom. This shows that Melba is brave because despite the danger she faces, Melba is determined to survive and thrive.

 

 

        A second conflict that Melba faces is when the girls were bullying her in the bathroom. “I had to stop them. I grabbed my books and tossed them upward as hard as I could, in a blind aim to hit my attackers.” During this conflict, Melba reacts to the kids attacking her. She’s still trapped and she didn’t know what to do so she reacted and pulled a bold a move. She throws her books at them. This shows that courageous because she wasn’t scared to stick up for herself and wasn’t scared to face the possible consequences.

 

 

        A third conflict that Melba faces is being alert of certain people and what might happen to her. She decides to survive. “I had to appear confident and alert. I told myself I had to be like a soldier in battle. I told myself I could handle whatever the segregationists had in store for me.” During this conflict, Melba feels confident about herself and that she can handle a lot that’s being thrown at her. This shows that Melba is stubborn and or confident because she is now proud of herself and what she has accomplished.

 

 

        Melba’s character traits brave, courageous, and stubborn helps her during her fight for freedom. Melba believes that that the pursuit of freedom is necessary because if she feels the need to get an education and is offered to have a good education then she should take that opportunity to do so.