Land and Its Politics in Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Abstract

This study aims at looking at the land and itspolitics in Mildred D. Taylor'sRoll of Thunder, Hear My Crypublished in 1976. It shows how women under patriarchy are victimized, in the same way the blacks are victimized and rendered powerless due to their bodily difference that is colour. Focusing on the struggles and triumphs of the Logans, a poor African- American family, it explores the themes of racism, family heritage, sacrifice, pride, and accountability in Depression-era Mississippi. The Logans live on land they own, and although half of it is still mortgaged to the bank, the family considers the land their legacy and as means of power. That legacy is put in danger when nine-year-old Cassie's parents help organize a boycott against the local market, leading to decrease in the Black power. The study also examines how the book was inspired by stories Mildred D. Taylor heard growing up and by her own family history, which like that of the Logans, includes ancestors who were slaves. Though she stresses that the story is not autobiographical, Taylor has also said the book is an acknowledgement of the difficult lives, and many sacrifices, of the generations before hers--generations that ultimately paved the way for the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s.