Student Question
What does Mr. Lanier hear in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?
Quick answer:
Mr. Lanier hears about the tragic death of John Henry Berry, a young Black man targeted by white men after returning from the war. John was accused of flirting with a white woman, leading to a violent pursuit. After being forced off the road, John and his uncle were brutally beaten and burned alive by the men. This event highlights the racial violence and tension depicted in the story.
In chapter two of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Cassie Logan describes how she was at church when Mrs. Silas Lanier told her mother that a young man called John Henry Berry had died the previous night. Mr. Lanier says he had heard that they had been after John since he had come back from the war. He says John had stopped at the gas station to fill up his pick-up when some drunk white men saw him and began to approach, saying "that's the nigger Sallie Anne said was flirtin' with her." John got straight into his car and drove away, but the men caught up with him and began to ram his car. John knew he was running out of gas so he dropped by at his uncle's house. Before he had the chance to call his uncle, the men dragged him out of his car and began beating him up. When his uncle finally came out to see what the commotion was the men burned both him and his nephew alive.
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