...What does it mean to be human? Is it how we look? Our intelligence? Our minds in general? All of these are true in some sort of way, in both negative and positive ways. However, African Americans were thought of as different in all of those ways, and not for the positive reasons. A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, is set in a small Cajun community in the late 1940’s. In this book, a man by the name of Jefferson is wrongfully convicted for murder, and a teacher, named Grant, is forced to convince him that he is a man and not a hog like the people in the court told him he was. Although it seems easy to understand whether you are a human in general or not, it is quite difficult to understand it when everyone around you constantly tells you otherwise. “Oh pardon me, pardon me, I surely did not mean to insult your intelligence by saying ‘man’—would you please forgive me for committing such an error” (Gaines 8). This extremely derogatory statement was a gibe from no other than Jefferson’s own attorney at his trial in court. Not even the people fighting for...
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...our actions and decisions. We control our own fate because it ultimately comes down to the decision we make everyday. Many people think that outside sources determine what we do or that our fate is already paved for us, but I think we get to choose. In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Grant, an African American teacher, is obligated to go see a black boy in prison due to wrongful conviction. His assignment was to make him a man before he was sent to the electric chair. Grant was obligated to go but, It came down to him making the decision to visit him. Throughout the book, Grant faces many people who either feel superior to him or more educated than him. When Grant confronts these people, it makes him want to leave town. Grant never left Bayona because he knew that he had to be their for the kids and Jefferson because he he committed to seeing him. Matthew Antinone, a mulatto (a person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially a person with one white and one black parent) teacher, who taught Grant says...
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...Andi Zenku Small victories = big meanings As Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.” What could be possible without using steps to reach the final goal? Even the big bang took 8 steps to be what it is today. The novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines demonstrates the power of taking small steps and how they can mean so much more in a certain setting. to overcome his fear and cowardice, Jefferson has to make small steps to become the man his godmother sees him as. Jefferson’s actions represents in a multitude of ways how without small steps, reaching a great goal would be near impossible. Ever since the accident that would send Jefferson to the electric...
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...As humans we are bound to make mistakes and definitely bound to make them over and over if we do not realize what we are doing, or don't understand others perspective. It is human nature to be self-centered and think about ourselves before others. But then how can we become better versions of ourselves? if we cannot realize the effect we are having on others. The answer is literature. Yes, literature can help us become better versions of ourselves. How? Literature presents many scenarios that can either relate to the real world or actually be events that have occurred in the past so that we can understand and learn from the mistakes of others and not make them ourselves. In the book A lesson before dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Gaines presents...
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...He is walking towards the chair, walking towards his death, the death he did not deserve. This is exactly the case of Jefferson, a main character in Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying. Jefferson is falsely accused of murder and sentenced to death by electric chair. His godmother, Miss Emma, assigns Grant Wiggins, a young educated man, to teach Jefferson human dignity. Although she has given the job to Grant, she takes part herself in the teaching of Jefferson, along with the local reverend, Reverand Ambrose. Grant and Miss Emma both care about Jefferson’s fate, but they have different views on how to approach him, therefore, it takes a combination of different views to teach human dignity. While Grant cares about Jefferson, he thinks that...
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...In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines, there are several central symbols to the novel. Throughout the end of the novel, the central symbol is kneeling/ crawling, it is used to show a deeper meaning and the theme. The central symbol of kneeling/ crawling ties back to one lowering themselves to help another stand. Kneeling/ crawling represents the self-sacrifice of the person, as they have to lower themselves and degrade themselves for another by kneeling/ crawling. Also, kneeling/ crawling can also represent strength in a way, by being able to lower your pride and putting yourself down to put another person first. Many of the characters in the novel kneel/ crawl for the benefit of another to stand. Kneeling/ crawling is the...
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..."A Lesson Before Dying" is a fantastic novel written by Ernest J. Gaines. Grant Wiggins, Jefferson, and Paul are three characters from the novel that benefited, embodied, and understood the most important lesson before dying. The most important lesson and message before dying was that each of us has been created by God with potential to be great, and to help others reach greatness. Grant Wiggins is a prime example of the most important lesson before dying. He attempted to teach Jefferson to be a man and not a "hog" as the public defender had called him during the trial. Jefferson's godmother "wants [Grant] to visit [Jefferson] and make him know-- prove to these white men-- that he's not a hog, that he's a man. (Gaines 31) Grant accepts the challenge firstly, to prove the white men that were betting against him wrong and show them that Jefferson can and will transform into a man for the sake of black people in the South. However, he also accepts the challenge in order for Jefferson to be someone he (Grant) in the future would look up to because he is the only person who has the power now to stand up to the white people in the South. Also, Grant Wiggins is trying to expose and introduce Jefferson's greatness by calling him a hero. Grant begins to explain to Jefferson the "'A hero is someone who does something for other people. He does something that other men don’t and can't do. He is different from other men. He is above other men. No matter who those other men are, the hero...
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...Jefferson, a black man condemned to die by the electric chair in the novel, A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, is perhaps the strongest character in African-American literature. Jefferson is a courageous young black man that a jury of all white men convicts of a murder he has not committed ; yet he still does not let this defeat destroy his personal character. Ernest Gaines portrays Jefferson this way to illustrate the fundamental belief that mankind’s defeats do not necessarily lead to his destruction. The author uses such actions as Jefferson still enjoying outside comforts, showing compassion towards others, and trying to better himself before dying. These behaviors clearly show that although society may cast Jefferson out as a black murderer, he can still triumph somewhat knowing that he retains the qualities of a good human being. The first trait Jefferson demonstrates after his incarceration is the fact that he still enjoys the outside comforts of small things such as a radio and diary. The fact that Jefferson still wants these things shows his imprisonment does not defeat him. In one of his last diary entries, Jefferson says , “shef guiry ax me what I want for my super an I tol him I want nanan to cook me som okra an rice an som pok chop an a conbred an som claba” (232). Jefferson still enjoys his aunt’s cooking, an outside pleasure from prison. The fact that he can still take pleasure from these small outside things clearly demonstrates that Jefferson...
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...Throughout the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, a variety of themes, motifs, and other literary devices are used to develop character and/or advance the plot. Albeit not the most profound or meaningful device, the idea of communion and sharing of food as described in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster, is immensely powerful in characterizing relationships. The denial of, acceptance of, or even just the food itself are all used to describe everything from mutual hatred to sense of community to the state of character’s personality or relationship with another character. It can even be observed in the literal biblical notion of communion such as Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. The refusal of...
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...Student’s Name Professor Course Date A Lesson before Dying The church is a significant symbol of hope and contradiction in A Lesson before Dying. The contradiction of the church, situated in Henri Pichot’s plantation, commences with its owner’s reluctance to enhance the lives of the African Americans who reside in his plantation. Henri believes that that the African Americans ought to remain in their status as slaves regardless of the abolishment of the slavery institution (Piacentino 73-85). Henri, through the church, possesses considerable powers over the African Americans who utilize his property, and this illustrates the contradiction that is present in the lives of the African Americans. The church is the one place that they should find peace, solace and support, but in this case it is the one place that is utilized to realize the exact opposite. Albeit the African Americans have liberty from slavery, they still have to rely on the resource provided by the White Americans for their survival (Gaines 12). Grant is the only educated African American in the section, and the only member of the African American society who might be considered able of becoming free from oppression. However, his career and life choices are critically restricted, and he has to address to white male authority figures as “Sir.” It is interesting that they are free but still some individuals do not want them to be autonomous. Henri has seen a loophole which he is utilizing to still treat them as...
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...A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines reveals many fundamental and universal ideas. The book gives a reader a lot of mental pabulum. It makes people think about life and its value, about people’s relations and behaviors, and about the past and the present. The book teaches people to recognize injustice in the society and to take responsibilities to improve it; it teaches to accept the past as it is and to face problems; it teaches that a lie can be constructive, and that it can decrease people’s sufferings. Grant Wiggins, the protagonist of the novel, often criticizes and bitterly resents racist society. He tends to run away and escape the society he feels will never change. Like Professor Antoine, he believes no one can change society without being destroyed in the process. Jefferson’s trial reinforces Grant’s pessimistic attitude. Grant sees the wickedness of a system designed to uphold the superiority of one race over another. He sees a man struck down to the level of a hog by a few words from an attorney. During the course of the novel, however, Grant comes to realize that cynicism like his is akin to lying down and dying, and that even small victories can accumulate and produce change. Rather than looking at Jefferson as a hopeless stranger, Grant accepts Jefferson’s plight as his own and begins to fight for Jefferson’s salvation. He accepts his duty to the society he inhabits, thereby taking the first step toward improving that society. Alongside with the theme of...
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...Professor Askassi ENGL 102 Section 021 12 April 2010 A Lesson Before Dying using Identification and Consubstantiality by Kenneth Burke in Chapter One and Two. In the story, A Lesson before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines starts off tremendously well. Ernest Gaines started by introducing what was happing as soon as Chapter One opened. He went on to explain what was going on to give the readers a clear understanding off the story and what action are taking place. The main character, Jefferson a young black man was in a situation at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he has to face consequences that no one should ever have to accept. In Chapter One and Two, I’m going to explain the chapter’s using Identification and Consubstantiality by Kenneth Burke. Identification and Consubstantiality by Kenneth Burke suggests that whenever someone attempts to persuade someone else, identification occurs, because for persuasion to occur, one party must identify with another. I believe this is a great explanation explaining Chapter One. For example, Jefferson a young black man went to the store with his no good friends Brother and Bear. The store owner Old Grope knew Jefferson because of this godmother. They all was intoxicated with alcohol, so Bear wanted to purchase a bottle of Apple White but didn’t have enough money to get it. Then fire opened up in the store and Bear, Brother, and Old Grope was down but Grope wasn’t died. But, Grope told another story when the police came and poor Jefferson...
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...is? Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Tall or short, skinny or fat, and even black or white. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, the hero of the story cannot fly, he does not have the most strength or courage and he hasn’t saved any lives, much less a whole city. The hero in this story is a black man - charged for murder. Throughout A Lesson Before Dying Jefferson, an uneducated black man, is found guilty of murder for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A white man died, so the logical reasoning during the 1940’s must be that a black man is guilty. From the moment Jefferson’s defense attorney stated, “‘Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this’,” Jefferson and the majority of all the white men living in the Bayonne, Louisiana believed Jefferson was a hog who was going to die in the chair (Gaines 8). While Jefferson is sitting on death row, Grant Wiggins is sent by Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma, to make Jefferson walk to “the chair” as a man - not a hog. During the first few visits by Grant to Jefferson, the responses and actions Jefferson says and does are not very hopeful. Although, in time Jefferson will undergo a transformation. A transformation that started with Jefferson on his knees with his head inside a bag of food eating and stating numerous comments such as, “Hogs don’t give nothing. Hogs don’t leave nothing” (Gaines 83, 139). Jefferson’s transformation to being a hero was shown at the visit when Grant explained what a hero...
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...A Recipe For Heroes Have you ever wondered if the extraordinary people we see in books and movies are really that extraordinary? Could these characters truly be more than just an ordinary person? Are we, as real people and not figments of literature, capable of making the same changes we see them make? The answer can simply be a yes. If that is all it takes to sate your curiosity you can stop reading now. If you want to learn how heroism is part of our nature, then I suggest you continue on. I'll be attempting to determine what are the true makings of a hero. By the end you might even discover that we can all be heroes as well. So how might we define a hero? Well, if we were to google the definition of the word, we'll find that a hero is a term for a submarine sandwich. As delicious as that might be, it doesn't help much. The next one tells us that a hero is “the principal character of a play or story”. A little warmer, but a little too broad for our terms here. Dictionary.com gives us our answer. They define a hero as “a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.“ Now that we know what a hero is considered etymologically, how does this apply to ourselves or the people we meet every day? Mark Twain provides an option for heroes in his 1901 essay The United States of Lyncherdom. “Why does it lift no hand or voice in protest? Only because it would be unpopular to do it, I think; each...
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...Although A Lesson Before Dying and The Scarlet Letter were written in different time periods, the concept of women, community (did somebody say?), hypocrisy, symbolism, and man’s dehumanization and cruelty to man are similar many ways, In our first novel, A Lesson Before Dying written by Ernest J. Gaines, we meet our main character named Grant Wiggins. Wiggins is a young black man that “ran away” from Louisiana to go to college. Although he wished to “stay away”, Wiggins was pulled back to his small religious Cajun community. Grant Wiggins is seen as a man who has a “way with words” similar to a man like Reverend Dimmesdale. Although Wiggins is not religious like the prestigious Dimmesdale, their pessimistic look on life and “finding a way out” is similar. Wiggins wonders in Chapter Eight if he is “reaching them (school children) at all.” or if he’s “doing anything at all” (Gaines 62). Reverend Dimmesdale has a predicament of his own during his time in his labyrinthine mind. In Chapter Fourteen of The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dimmesdale states, rather grimly, that “There is no path to guide us out of this dismal...
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