Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Set in 1933, this historical fiction is narrated by nine-year-old Cassie Logan as she faces the trials of coming of age in the South. The Logans are a black family struggling to maintain their human dignity and personal freedoms in a racist rural Mississippi. Cassie reveals the problems and struggles of black families, sharecroppers, white landowners, and “poor whites.” Through characterization, the causes and effects of racism are made manifest, and Cassie learns lessons about prejudice and racism. The strength of the Logan family teaches Cassie determination and pride. The plot mirrors a black child’s hopes, fears, and disillusionment, factors which eventually brought about the Civil Rights movement in the mid-twentieth century.
Price: $19.95
Literary Form
American Novel
Student Activities
Students read nonfiction selections to gather historical information for the setting of the novel. They analyze poetry and spirituals. They do research and write a formal research paper. They study plot and conflict and discover literary style. They have creative and expository writing opportunities, as well as news writing, which culminate in a newspaper with articles about the major events in the novel.
Supplementary materials include a vocabulary exercise, an objective test with answer key, and a reading guide with suggested responses.
Ethical Values
- Equality
- Faith
- Family commitment
- Respect
- Teamwork
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