Making Connections to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Answers

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.The night whispered of distant thunder. It was muggy, hot, a miserable night for sleeping. Twice I had awakened hoping that it was time to be up, but each time the night had been total blackness with no hint of a graying dawn. On the front porch Mr. Morrison sat singing soft and low into the long night, chanting to the approaching thunder. He had been there since the house had darkened after church, watching and waiting as he had done every night since Papa had been injured. No one had ever explained why he watched and waited, but I knew. It had to do with the Wallaces.

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.Cautiously, I climbed from the bed, careful not to awaken Big Ma, who was still snoring soundly, and crept to the door. I pressed my ear against the door and listened, then slipped the latch furiously and darted outside. "Boy, what you doing here?" I hissed.

How does T.J.’s relationship with R.W. and Melvin relate to the theme of friendship in this chapter of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.Again he laughed, then said soberly, "Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do. I come all the way over here to introduce my friends, R.W. and Melvin, to y'all and y'all actin' like y'all ain't got no manners at all. Yeah, ole R.W. and Melvin," he said, rolling the Simmses' names slowly off his tongue to bring to our attention that he had not bothered to place a "Mister" before either, "they been mighty fine friends to me. Better than any of y'all. Look, see here what they give me." Proudly he tugged at the suit coat. "Pretty nice stuff, eh? Everything I want they give me 'cause they really likes me. I'm they best friend."

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.Unable to sleep, I resigned myself to await his return by counting states. Miss Crocker had had a big thing about states, and I sometimes found that if I pretended that she was naming them off I could fall asleep. I decided to count the states geographically rather than alphabetically; that was more of a challenge.

How do T.J.’s relationships develop the theme of friendship in this chapter of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.But T.J. did not follow immediately. He remained standing in the middle of the compound, his face puzzled and undecided. I had never seen him look more desolately alone, and for a fleeting second I felt almost sorry for him.

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.T.J. grinned widely. Stacey turned away in disgust. "Come on," he said, "service is 'bout to start."

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.T.J. gulped and leaned over, his head between his legs. "I . . . I'm sick, Stacey. I gotta get home 'fore my daddy wake up. . . . He say I stay 'way from that house one more night, he gonna put me out, and he mean it, too. He put me out, I got no place to go. You gotta help me."

Read the excerpt from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.When I reached the church steps, I looked back again. T.J. was still there, an indistinct blur blending into the gathering dusk, and I began to think that perhaps he would not go with the Simmses. But then the rude squawk of the truck's horn blasted the quiet evening, and T.J. turned his back on us and fled across the field.