...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...
Words: 412 - Pages: 2
..."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...
Words: 1107 - Pages: 5
...A Lesson Before Dying “I want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be.” This quote was used in the film A Lesson Before Dying, by Grant Wiggins. An African American male, named Jefferson was convicted of a shooting while being at the wrong place at the wrong time. During court, he was called a hog and was punished with the electric chair. The word “hog” really got to his head to the point where he no longer cared and wanted die the way everyone knew him, as a hog. Jefferson’s former teacher, Grant Wiggins tries to prove to him that he is a man not hog. Words are used to humiliate and redeem the characters in this film. The major word that was used to humiliate and redeem characters in this film, was being called a “hog.” Jefferson was called a hog during court and was later letting it get to his head. He started snorting and eating food off the ground, noting “that’s how hog’s eat.” When Jefferson was called a hog, not only...
Words: 602 - Pages: 3
...Grant Wiggins and Jefferson externalize the major internal conflict in every person: having the strength to acknowledge one’s own personal dignity. Jefferson’s experiences from his alleged homicide to his execution made him the “strongest man in that crowded room” (Gaines, 253) during his death; however, until before the very end, this seemed implausible because of the lack of collaboration between Wiggins and Jefferson. Ernest Gaines’s transcription of this conflict in A Lesson Before Dying enlightens his audience on the prerequisite of interpersonal support to construct a resounding revolution. He uses the conflict between Wiggins and Jefferson to assert that personal and social change exists if, and only if, cooperation occurs; however, without cooperation, all attempts at reforming issues of importance fail....
Words: 528 - Pages: 3
...“A Lesson before Dying” is a heartwarming, exciting novel that was written by Ernest J. Gaines. There are three main characters from this novel named Jefferson, Grant Wiggins, and Paul who knew one of the most important lessons there is before dying. That important lesson was for each of us who were made by Gods image to be great, and to help someone along the way. An Example of this important lesson is Grant Wiggins. He did n want to at first, but he attempted 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 that he’s not a hog, that he’s a man. 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 from a hog in their eyes, to a man for the sake of black people in the south. But, He also accepts he challenge in order for Jefferson to become somebody in the future would look up to because he is the only person who has the power now to stand up towards the white citizens of the southern states. Grant Wiggins also tells Jefferson “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, no matter who he is, is above them”. During this section of the novel Grant wants Jefferson to show the white folk the difference between what he thinks...
Words: 327 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 648 - Pages: 3
...It is often said that a teacher learns more from their students. With his novel, A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines embodies this idea beyond the classroom. The novel begins with the sentencing of Jefferson, a cognitively delayed young black man found in the wrong place at the wrong time. To alleviate the sentence, the attorney refers to Jefferson with a list of insults including a boy, a fool, and a hog. Due to the racist atmosphere, he still receives the full punishment of death by electrocution. His aunt, worried about his soul, commissions Grant Wiggins, a black educator, to meet with Jefferson before his execution. Grant faces the task of “making him a man”, which he deems as a hopeless attempt. Nevertheless, he uses his views as an intelligent black man in society to change Jefferson’s perspective and give him the strength to accept himself in his final days. Though the novel begins with Grant Wiggins’ attempt to build a man from a prisoner, A Lesson Before Dying becomes a story of his own self actualization and a transformation of his relationship with society. As soon as Grant is introduced to the situation by Ms. Emma, Jefferson’s aunt, he rejects the proposal and explodes with opposition. Grant views himself as an intellectual, with a higher perception of the community than most people. Because of this intuition and his personal experiences, Grant finds his role as...
Words: 1357 - Pages: 6
...a person is left with two options. You can deny and fight it the entire way, or accept it, learn from it, and move forward. A Lesson Before Dying shows what it is like to accept what is given to you and how to make something great out of it. A Lesson Before Dying takes place in a small community, there is a trial for the murder of a white store attendant. The defense is Jefferson, a poorly educated black man. His appointed attorney tries to spare Jefferson’s life from the death penalty. His attorney states, "Gentlemen of the jury, be merciful. For God's sake,...
Words: 1225 - Pages: 5
...A Lesson Before Dying Movie Review Mekhi Phifer stars as Jefferson, a black youth living in 1940s Louisiana. Jefferson is present during the shooting of a white grocery store owner, which also leaves two black men dead, and although he was not responsible for the shooting Jefferson makes the mistake of deciding to help himself to the contents of the cash register. He is caught in the act, and wrongly accused of the murders. During his trial, his white attorney uses a defence typical of the period whereby he equates the boy with a lowly hog, in an attempt to show that he would not have had the intellect to know what he was doing in other words, that Jefferson is not even worthy of conviction. This depressing defence fails, and Jefferson is convicted and sentenced to die. Although accepting that he is facing the death penalty, his outraged mother Miss Emma (Irma P Hall) and his aunt Tante Lou (Cicely Tyson) want him to go to his death like a man, and not still thinking of himself as a hog. To this end they recruit local schoolteacher Grant Wiggins (Don Cheadle) to visit Jefferson in his cell. He is the only educated black man that they know, and they hope that he will be able to convince Jefferson that he is indeed a man. Wiggins is reluctant, uncertain what good it will do, but eventually agrees. When he meets Jefferson, he will find that it changes his views on everything not only must Jefferson learn that he is a man and find a way to die with dignity, but Wiggins will learn...
Words: 302 - Pages: 2
...Dying With Dignity Gavin Proeh English 1 Ordinary people can change someone’s life. People who stand up for what is right and help others find dignity in their lives can be considered heroes. One does not need to win the Nobel Prize or be Superman to be considered heroic. In some cases, helping individuals accomplish tasks others find too difficult to tackle can be considered heroic. In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying, Earnest Gaines demonstrates that Paul Bonin, Grant Wiggins, and Jefferson define heroism by giving dignity to all individuals and giving respect to a disrespected community. Heroes disregard the racist codes of society by treating all people as equals. In the novel, Paul, a white man who works at the jail, recognizes the injustices in society, and insists on treating all people equally with kindness. Grant comes to the jail frequently to visit Jefferson and help him die with dignity. Paul forms a friendship with this young black teacher and their bond and desire to help Jefferson grows stronger and stronger. This friendship goes against segregation, and a partnership is formed that is based on trust and loyalty. Paul understands people and recognizes Grant’s pain when Grant visits a defeated Jefferson. A few days after the execution, Paul greats Grant with Jefferson’s notebook, “ If I could ever be of any help, I would like you to call on me. I mean that with all my heart”(255). Paul shows bravery by reaching across the racial...
Words: 962 - Pages: 4
...A Lesson Before Dying Essay Exam Prompt Lesson Grant Wiggins has been teaching on a plantation outside Bayonne, Louisiana, for several years when a slow-witted man named Jefferson is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Jefferson claims he is innocent of the crime. He says he was on his way to a bar, but changed his mind and decided to tag along with two men who were on their way to a liquor store. Upon arriving there, the two men began arguing with the storeowner, and a shootout ensued. The storeowner and the two men died, and Jefferson remained at the scene of the crime. He was arrested and tried for murder. Jefferson’s lawyer argues in court that Jefferson is nothing but a poor fool, hardly more worthwhile than a hog, and therefore incapable of plotting such a scheme. The jury quickly brings back a guilty verdict. Grant is then assigned from his aunt, Tante Lou and Jefferson’s godmother, Mss. Emma, to educate Jefferson to be a man instead of what Jefferson thinks he is, a hog. Grant and Jefferson go down a protracted road and assimilated deep feelings and life lessons that they deal with together. A lot of the significant parts of the book, A Lesson Before Dying, were of Grant Wiggins teaching/working. While reading this book, I really noticed how much Grant cares and gives his all to teach his students to become something in the world when they are older, because he doesn’t want them to become like half the other people in the community, begging and slaving for money...
Words: 1110 - Pages: 5
...In the story “A Lesson Before Dying” written by Ernest J. Gaines, The 1940’s in Louisiana had a great number of slaves and racism. Jefferson was one of those African-American given a death penalty. Grant who helped Jefferson to become a man instead of a hog didn’t go to Jefferson’s execution. Instead Grant stays at his school to wait for the news that shows Grant’s weakness towards Jefferson. Also is strength. Grant has accomplished so much with Jefferson more then anyone can do i that time but Grant doesn’t go to jefferson’s own execution and regrets it ,has we see it in chapter 31 “ where was he at this very moment? At the window, looking at the sky? Lying on the bunk, staring up at the gray ceiling? Standing at the cell door, waiting? How did he feel? Was he afraid? Was he crying? Were they they coming to get him now, this moment? Was he on his knees, begging for one more minute of life? Was he standing?” The confusion of Grant shows his weakness that he is finally realising the day has come. The moment finally arrived.If we continue looking into chapter 31 we see Grant’s guilt “ Why wasn’t I there? Why wasn’t I standing next him? Why my arm wasn’t around him? Why?” Grant showed a lot of compassion for Jefferson and that showed a lot of Grant’s weakness....
Words: 426 - Pages: 2
...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 is to him. Grant states,...
Words: 1851 - Pages: 8
...the transformation,” the prison guard tells Grant near the end of the novel, declaring himself a witness to Jefferson’s extraordinary progression. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, written by Ernest J. Gaines, the main character, Jefferson had to overcome all odds against himself, and try to become a man in a very short period. This may not look very tough though, but this is especially hard for Jefferson, as he was sentenced to death by electrocution, and was called a hog by his own defense attorney, and believes this for much of the time until weeks before the execution date. Grant, the teacher, Reverend Ambrose, family members, and even God, have to help this man become a man in the little time he has left on this earth. Through...
Words: 911 - Pages: 4
...when to keep your mouth shut. Grant is a passive character in the story A Lesson Before Dying. The abolishment of slavery has been around for nearly one hundred years, but discrimination and racism is at its peak. There are people who once owned or have had African-Americans work for them in Lesson Before Dying. Many African-Americans were passive in the book because rich white people who did not go to school and just inherited their wealth would often see an educated black person as somewhat of a threat. Grant often battles with whether to speak as the educated person he is, or as white people expect him to speak. Grant is passive when it comes to the demands...
Words: 854 - Pages: 4
