Background: I wrote this in Grade 7 for Voices in Dialogue. In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Cassie gets pushed off the sidewalk in Strawberry, and then she has to say sorry. I couldn’t stop thinking about how unfair that was. So I wrote the diary entry I think Cassie would write that night.
Not Sorry for Being Me
Cassie’s Diary Entry
It is so dark right now that I can hardly see my hand when I hold it up. Everyone is sleeping, but I cannot stop thinking about what happened today. When that man pushed me off the sidewalk in Strawberry, I wanted to scream. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it might break right out of my chest. Mama told me to say sorry, and I did, but the word tasted like mud in my mouth.
The air felt thick and hot, pressing down on me like a heavy blanket. My ears were ringing from the shock, and my body trembled, not from the cold, but from the anger that wouldn’t leave.
I keep asking myself why I had to say sorry when he was the one who was mean. I tried to tell Mama it was not fair, but she looked so serious that I knew I should not argue. I know she was trying to keep me safe, but safe feels like being small. Safe feels like hiding. I do not want to hide.
When I look at Papa, I think about how he stands so tall, even when people treat him badly. He never lets anyone make him feel less. I want to be like that. But how do you stay proud when everyone around you tells you not to be? Maybe being proud is something that starts inside, like a little fire that you have to protect.
I wish I could tell that man that I am not sorry for being me. I wish I could tell him that my family’s land is ours, and that no one can take it away. Mama says the world can be mean, but we have to keep loving ourselves anyway. I think she is right. Maybe one day things will be different. Maybe one day no one will make a little girl step off the sidewalk again.
The diary entry above is how I imagine Cassie feels inside. The summary below explains the world she lives in.
About the Book
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tells the story of Cassie Logan, a young Black girl living in Mississippi during the 1930s. Her family owns land, which makes them proud and independent, even though most Black families at that time had to work for white landowners. Cassie’s parents, Mama and Papa, work hard to protect the land and teach their children to respect themselves in a world that tries to make them feel small. Cassie does not understand racism at first. She only knows that some people treat her family unfairly, but as she grows older, she begins to see how cruel and dangerous the world can be for people like her.
Throughout the story, Cassie witnesses her family being threatened and mistreated by white people who want to take away their dignity and their land. Her family faces injustice with quiet strength and courage. They do not let hate change who they are. Cassie learns that standing up for what is right often comes with pain, but it is worth it because it keeps her family’s spirit alive. Through Cassie’s experiences, the novel shows that dignity is something that must be protected, even when it is constantly challenged. The novel ultimately shows how love, land, and pride can give people strength, even when the world tries to break them.
Related Reading
Books
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
- Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor, the sequel
- One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Articles
- “Civil Rights”, National Park Service, about the real history of civil rights in the U.S.
On this site
- The Night Before Escape, my Narrative Echo on Number the Stars, also from Part I
- A Narrative Echo to the Book: THE BORROWERS, another Part I chapter
- Bridging Worlds book downloads
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