Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry -- Hearing the Power of Slave Stories

The need for story telling and the power of memories long past, even the historical past can provide a source of strength for the next generation. This idea is a central theme of the book by Mildred D. Taylor entitled Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry. The past generation of African-American parents and grandparents, as embodied by the elders of the Logan family, wish to convey to the next generation the struggles and heartache of the previous generations of African-Americans. They do not simply tell their own stories to give the children spirit and strength to carry on and fight for freedom under difficult circumstances in the 1930's Depression-era South. They also tell stories given to them from earlier generations about slavery, creating a history and a continuity of stories to empower generation after generation of African-American...
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