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FACULTY OF LANGUAGE STUDIES
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Agency within the Childrens Literature

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Agency in the literature of children represents an unconventional phenomenon

across the history of the books for children. The conventional representation of the
child within books and novels seems to be related to the theme of fantasy. The
book represents the young protagonist either lives within his dreams or struggles
against his childish world. The child is employed with no real conscious about the
issues of the society around him. Tremendously, this representation has been
replaced though the idea of Agency. This representation delivers the child within
the book throughout an active role. The audience either children or adults meet the
young protagonist within the story consciously could realize all his society issues.
Culturally, historically and socially, the child acts with such these issues trying to
change the current situation of the adult. The young protagonist stands side by side
with the adult and shares his parents and neighbours their suffering and concerns.
The agency could to be employed changing the literature of children to be more
realistic. So several writers adhere to agency in their book for children. One of
those writers is Taylor. She is a black female writer. Throughout her book Roll of
Thunder Hear my Cray, the audience could realize explicitly the agency of the
young Cassie.
Initially, Taylor is one of those female writers who can be considered as a witness
on the African American history of the black race. Autobiographically she
composes the ideas and themes of her novel Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry. This
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novel seems to be untraditionally piece of literature. Firstly, the writer is a black

who was banned to publish her writings before 1970. She is a female. It means that
as a black and female writer, she has suffered to be educated. She suffered from the
constraints of the masculine society who refused completely sharing women in
culture. Secondly the protagonist is a young black who is called Cassie. In the
traditional literature of children, the black are marginalized. Their representation is
within the frame of comic figures or servants. Finally, the novel contains several
unconventional themes. It is the idea of law and justice is composed successfully.
The historical theme of the African American people is shown throughout the tales
by the black characters. The education theme is another untraditional theme to
characterize the novel. But the most essential idea to identify this book as
unconventional is the agency of Cassie within her society. (Janet Maybin & Nicola
J. Watson (2005).
Definitely, the Agency of Cassie is presented through her sharing the parents and
grandparents of the African American race their suffering. Cassie shows
throughout her focalization and her perception the surrounded circumstances of the
African American. Through her eyes, the audience recognizes her agency from
different dimensions. Firstly, she is a six-year girl. However, she has an adult
conscious mind because of her realizing of the African American history of the
black race. For example, in details she informs the reader about the value of the
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land for the Black race. She tells how their small piece of farm is passed down to
their father. This situation she guides the young readers to realize the proud spirit
of their land. It is obvious that the Logan family raises their kids to have selfrespect despite their black race. The land is the strong relationship among the
members of the family. For example, it is Miss Crocker who is about to beat Little
Man. So Cassie shows these strong bonds with the land and the family through
going to defense her brother. (Janet Maybin & Nicola J. Watson (2005).
In fact, history for the Cassies family and for all African American people is so
essential. Within the novel, this type of history is passed down from one generation
to another generation. It is Mr. Morison whose tales always showers the Logan
family about the suffering of the African American parents and grandparents. He
tells Cassie and her family on Christmas Eve about his parents who were mated
for their size and power. He explains that the families cooperated with each other
to protect themselves from the night-men. Tragically, he tells Logons about This
night where his sisters and parents were all murdered by the night-men. His
memory keeps this event when he was only 6. For Cassie and all black children
this explanation help them to recognize why the relationship between the black and
the white in their contemporary time is like that. He says During slavery there was
some farms that mated folks like animals to produce more slaves. ..the government said they
couldnt bring no more slaves from Africa, and they produced all kinds of slaves to sell on the
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block ((Roll of Thunder, Here my Cry, p. 149). Logan himself tells Mary about the

importance of the history saying it is their history, they have to know it (Roll of Thunder,
Here my Cry, p.195). Reviving history of slavery seems to be to values that have to

pass from one generation to another generation honestly.

Moreover agency of Cassie is drives her to understand racism as a social and
culture predicament. Racism occurs when a race is considered as superior looking
down the other race in the same society considering them inferior. For example,
Cassie shows the tutor that the word "Nigra" in the book is offensive for the entire
black race. Here Cassie gives pedagogically a good lesson and value to children of
the black race through her proud of being black. She struggles against this racism.
She declares that she does not tolerate insults of her colour or race. Her Cassie
represents the civil disobedience movement of the black within the civil rights
movement. It is also the white kids enjoy seeing the black kids covered with dust
where the white have a bus for transporting to school while the black has to walk
to school. Obviously, the authority of Mississippi is presented as racist. Another
example of racism that is focalized directly by Cassie herself. It is when she is
pressed of the pathway in Strawberry by Mr. Simms. He forces Cassie to regret
because she walks in the same way of his daughter. The mother tries to explain the
situation for Cassie I didn't say that Lillian Jean is better than you. I said Mr. Simms only thinks she
is.. Just 'cause she's his daughter.. 'No, baby, because of being white (Roll of Thunder,
Here my Cry, p.195).
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Besides racism, Cassie could differentiate between what is wrong and what is right.
It represented in the form of law and justice within the African American society.
Like within this society, the black race faces only social injustice and unfair laws.
This type of discrimination is exercised not by only persons but also by social
institutions. The 1933 Jim Crow laws imposed that the coloured skin people had to
be alienated from the white race separately. The educational society of school is
another institutional area to exercise injustice. Where the white have all facilities
such as means of transporting that is available only for the white children. The
black children go long distance on their feet waking under the burning sun
suffering from dust and muddy ways the
sending us slipping along the road (p.46) .

bus driver liked to entertain his passengers by

Skillfully the writer manages through the eyes of

Cassie to attract the audiences sympathy to the suffering of the coloured skin
children within this unjust system of laws. (Hesse, Karen 2001). Cassie explains to
the reader that all systems in the society drive the black race towards revenge. She
seems to say that when the legal channels are blocked to get rights and creating
social justice, revenge and mutiny occur. For example, she confesses digging a hall
to trap the school bus stopping the mocking of the white children are wrong
sweet was well maneuvered revenge (p. 47) .

oh how

However, she seems to sympathize of them.

Another situation to show how Cassie is unconventional agent I s her realization to

the case of T.J. she tells the audience her feeling towards his tragic. He is isolated
6

from the white and from the black

for him (Roll Of Thunder, p. 266).

I have never seen him more desolately alone.I felt sorry

Although she is young but feels angry and guilt

towards T.J. She tries to explain the lawfulness of setting fire to crops by her father
to protect T.J this was one of those known and unknown things something never to be spoken not
even to each other (Roll of Thunder, p.303).

Explicitly, the theme of education is presented in the novel to identify another

aspect of agency of Cassie. The writer presents two types of education exits in the
1933 society. The formal education that is represented by schools. The reader finds
out that the black race concerns the formal education for their children. The
African American parents realize the importance of education for their children.
They consider it as a way to challenge their circumstance. It is the tool to struggles
against injustice and unfair laws not by fist but by wisdom and mind. Mary herself
is conscious with the importance of education for her sons. However, Mary and
others refuse the material of educational books explaining that this content of
books about the history of slavery is fabricated all
Thunder, p.203).The

that in this book is untrue (Roll of

education of the black woman and her active role in the society is

another side of the formal education. Mary, for example, is educated. She has a
strong role as activist in her society. The second type of education is informal. It is
repeatedly shown in the novel. It is the history of slavery that is passed down to the
children by grandparents and parents. Logon explains the importance of history
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these are things they need to hear, it is their history ( Roll

of Thunder, p.163).

The

writer herself considers her novel a type of revival of slavery. Another side of
informal education is the events in the novel. For example, the mother takes their
kids to visit the Mr. Berry who is burnt by the night men. Cassie comments saying
the face is had no nose. The skin was scarred, burned.. like charcoal (Roll of Thunder,
p.163p.107). Throughout

this situation, Mary could tell the truth to her children about

what the power is capable of, who wields it and who is victimized by it. She
informally helps them to understand their suffering and supports their well to be
strong to face this unjust society by education.
In conclusion, I have found that Taylor comments on the agent role of Cassie and
her family saying I wanted to show a family united in love and self-respect, and
parents, strong and sensitive, attempting to guide their children successfully,
without harming their spirits, through the hazardous maze of living in a
discriminatory society. (Hesse, Karen. Witness. 2001). For me, this novel is more
valuable and more pedagogic than the traditional form of childrens books. Taylor
dramatically delivered the message of her society to be in the memory of coming
generations.
References:
1. Heather Montgomery & Nicola J. Watson, (2005) Children's Literature,
Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, by the Arab Open university.
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2. Janet Maybin & Nicola J. Watson (2005) Children's Literature, Approaches

and Territories, Cicely Denean Cobb, The role of education in Mildred D.
Taylors Roll of Thunder, (p.246- 250) By the Arab.
3. Janet Maybin & Nicola J. Watson (2005) Children's Literature, Approaches
and Territories, Hamida Bosmajian, A search for law and justice in a racist
society By the Arab.
4. Janet Maybin & Nicola J. Watson (2005) Children's Literature, Approaches
and Territories, Kelly McDowell, Child agency in Roll of Thunder, Hear
My Cry (p.236- 238) By the Arab.
5. K. Reynolds, Radical childrens Literature: Future Visions and Aesthetic
Transformations in Juvenile Fiction.
6. R.S. Trites, Disturbing the Universe: Power and Repression in Adolescent
Literature.
7. The Electronic Library, Durbin, William. The Journal of C.J. Jackson: A
Dust Bowl Migrant; Oklahoma to California, 1935 (p.210). (Accessed in 294-2014).
8. The Electronic Library, Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York: Scholastic, Inc
2001. Prose-poem story of a friendship between an African American girl
and a Jewish girl threatened and deepened when the KuKlux Klan moves
into their small Vermont town in 1924. Extraordinary book (p.125-128).
(Accessed in 29-4-2014).
Word count (2040)