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lessons a lesson before dying
a lesson before dying which lesson did i learn
a lesson before dying which lesson did i learn
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A Lesson Before Dying In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, Grant and Jefferson are black men in the era of a racist society; but they have struggles with a greater dilemma, obligation and commitment. They have obligations to their families and to the town they are part of. They lived in a town were everybody knew everybody else and took care of each other. "Living and teaching on a plantation, you got to know the occupants of every house, and you knew who was home and who was not.... I could look at the smoke rising from each chimney or I could look at the rusted tin roof of each house, and I could tell the lives that went on in each one of them." [pp. 37-38] Just by Grant’s words you can tell that that is a community that is very devoted to each other. It was a little bit harder for Jefferson to remember his commitment to his nannan and to the town. He had been charged with a crime he did not commit and didn’t know how to deal with it. They were asking a lot from a man who knew he was going to die soon."Me, Mr. Wiggins. Me. Me to take the cross. Your cross, nannan's cross, my own cross. Me, Mr. Wiggins. This old stumbling nigger. Y'all axe a lot, Mr. Wiggins." [p. 224] It takes a strong man to forget about yourself and do something for someone else when your in the position that Jefferson is in. It took a while; but Jefferson did what had to be done, in the end. Grant's task is to affirm that Jefferson is not a hog, but a man. The mission is doubly difficult because Grant isn't sure he knows what a man is. Besides not knowing what a man is, Grant doesn’t feel that he, a well educated man, should have to go and make Jefferson believe that he is not a hog; which shows the amount of arrogance Grant has about himself. Eve... ... middle of paper ... ...ho have run away and left their burdens behind.... I can give them something that neither a husband, a father, nor a grandfather ever did, so they want to hold on as long as they can. Not realizing that their holding on will break me too." [pp. 166-67] Reverend Ambrose said it best. "Yet they must believe. They must believe, if only to free the mind, if not the body. Only when the mind is free has the body a chance to be free." [p. 251: Reverend Ambrose] If Grant and Jefferson did not have faith in themselves and have a devotion for their families, they would not have been able to surmount their circumstances. Jefferson would not have gone to that chair as a man and Grant would not have been able to appreciate what a man really is. This is how Grant and Jefferson are able to honor the debts they owe to Miss Emma, Tante Lou, and everyone else who is in their lives.
Have you ever experienced conflicting feelings that pulled you in multiple directions making life seem like an impossible and stressful task? Grant Wiggins, one of the dual protagonists in the novel “A Lesson Before Dying”, experiences many conflicting feelings throughout the entire novel which pull him in every which way, and make him wish to just leave it all behind and start a new life somewhere else. Most, if not all, of these feelings are a result of the other protagonist Jefferson, a young black man, who is facing execution as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. These feelings experienced by Grant are influenced by four main things, his own desires, ambitions, obligations and influences by those around him.
At various points in the novel, Grant's religion is brought up especially when Reverend Ambrose lets it be known how concerned he and Miss Emma are for Jefferson's soul (Gaines 181-3). Though Tante Lou raised Grant in the church Grant left Christianity after going to the university and does not teach Jefferson about Heaven and Hell (Gaines 101-2). Because of his lack of religion, Grant says he does not know a thing about God and it reflects in his outlook on things in life (Gaines 182). Grant does not see why Reverend Ambrose, Tante Lou, and Miss Emma have such a problem with the “sin box” Grant bought for Jefferson because Grant figures that since...
Grant does something that other blacks can not do he goes to college. Most blacks do not get the opportunity to go to college, but Grant went as soon as he was old enough. When he returned he was a well-educated man, but he was still treated the same way as he was before he went to college. Grant is able to teach Jefferson how to be a man, and Jefferson learns that he is somebody. " ... I cry cause you been so good to me mr wigin an nobody aint never been that good to me an make me think im somebody"(Gaines 232) No one else is qualified to help Jefferson they all depend on Grant to teach him, and Jefferson appreciates it so much it brings him to tears.
...ate representation of its deep insights into the mind of Jefferson. In Chapter 29 one gets an accurate and in depth view into the mind of a colored farm worker from the deep South during the 1940’s. The way the sentences were structured has not been edited to portray proper English nor have the thoughts been completed. In that passage Jefferson’s ignorance is exposed, but in doing so his values and faith shine. In his own way, he acknowledges his fate and then tries to reason why it happened. A Lesson Before Dying provides a pure and true insight into a Jefferson’s mind. This is why it should be included in a list of works of high literary merit.
Without compassion, everyone would remain separated and divided which would only keep people from uniting to make the world a better place. Grant’s lack of compassion keeps him from developing a better relationship with Miss Emma as well as keeping him from helping Jefferson. Miss Emma is family to Grant and it would be in his best interest to help her, so his refusal to help Jefferson creates a barrier in their relationship. Later on in the story, Grant speaks to Jefferson in one of their meetings at the courthouse that lead up to Jefferson’s execution. Jefferson has been lost in thought as he has lost any and all motivation to reason with Grant. In an attempt to encourage Jefferson to try and better his relationship with Miss Emma, Grant states, “A hero does for others. He would do anything for people he loves, because he knows it would make their lives better. I am not that kind of person…You could give them something that I never could” (Gaines 191). In this excerpt, Grant tries to motivate Jefferson to be a better person than Grant by helping those he loves and putting their well-being above his
He wrote many times that salve ownership was directly against one’s personal and God given freedoms and liberties. On the contrary, he owned slaves and quite a few at that. Naturally, people are quick to label Mr. Jefferson a hypocrite because of this. But once you look deeper into Jefferson’s situation and his life you see some complications he would quickly run into if he were to release his slaves. During his lifetime, Jefferson was in a lot of debt and his slaves were his property. So his slaves acted as collateral to his debt. If he was to release his slaves then he would have run into some pretty heavy financial problems. I think that Jefferson had a big realization about deserved freedom for all humans but by the time he realized all of this it was too late. He already had an established life and if were to give it all up because of his realizations he would have been ruining his own life. He knew that he couldn’t do that to himself or his family. I don’t think we can stamp hypocrisy onto Mr. Jefferson. His heart was in the right place I think he might have just been too scared to completely give up his life for his beliefs because he knew what the consequences would
Summary: This story is about racism in the south and how it affects the people it concerns. It starts out with Jefferson being sentenced to death for a crime that he did not commit. He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and because he was black, they assumed he did it. Grant Wiggins is told to go up to the jail and convince Jefferson that he is a man. At first he doesn’t know how to make Jefferson see that he is a man, but through visiting Jefferson, talking to Vivian and witnessing things around the community, he is able to reach Jefferson, convince him that he was a man.
It is important to note that it is impossible to see Jefferson as completely heroic and Grant Wiggins as completely unheroic. Jefferson doesn’t want to help anyone at first, and makes his godmother cry by pretending to be a hog. Grant defends Jefferson in a bar fight. For this reason it is wrong to write them off as simply one or the other.
The ending of A Lesson Before Dying gives the reader a sense of despair and then portrays a sense of optimism. Gaines’ writing is unique because the reader feels this hope for the future and optimism without Gaines having to say it. Instead, he wrote about the execution and the hope was picked up from the “little things.” At the reader feels disappointed because Jefferson has died. The optimism comes into play through Grant and the fact that he has learned his lesson(s) from Jefferson. It is also uplifting because Jefferson has died with dignity on the day meant for him. I think that Gaines also throws a curve in at the end through the character of Paul whose purpose seems to stress the hope for the future of Blacks in a white society.
...kes a negative attitude throughout the article. He simply states the facts, supports them, and moves on to his next point. Jefferson never appears to be angry and does not point out anything that distracts the reader from the message that he is trying to convey. He keeps a serious tone throughout that keeps the reader drawn into what he is saying the entire time. The reader feels a sense that Jefferson is serious about what he is saying and he is not to be taken lightly at all.
Jefferson decided to react wrongfully during the situation which in the long run modified the result of his future by getting a capital punishment. The setting of this novel takes place during the post civil war and pre civil rights era which shows how hard it is to escape history and tradition before then. Prejudice was still everywhere and blacks had practically zero rights or equity. Very much aware of his circumstances Jefferson knew what was best for him to do yet he choose to do the complete opposite. If he had got out of harm’s way by leaving the crime scene he would not have to face death for a murder he did not commit. Since Jefferson decided to utilize his freewill negatively his outcome was reflected from it. The subject of unrestrained choice is basically an issue of organization, of who is in control as many experience life settling on a wide range of
Firstly, Jefferson is an example of a person who never gave up. He is young black man that is sent to jail under the false charges of murdering. During the court session, he was referred to as a hog. This made him believe that the word “hog” defines him as a person. However, after a few long talks with Grant Wiggins he started to stand up for himself as a proud black person. We begin to see this happen when Jefferson did not refer
For Jefferson, racial injustice is present in court. Because of the color of his skin, Jefferson was automatically found guilty by those 12 men. “12 white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time without consulting one black person, Justice?” (157) The jury that decided his sentence was made up of 12 white men. Jefferson’s trial was unfair because the verdict was made by all white men. Jefferson was really just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but the biased jury saw him as guilty before finding any real evidence. This scene from court is an example of how Jefferson is treated unfairly because of the way he is viewed by others.
The second characteristic that shows society does not defeat Jefferson is Jefferson’s remaining strong compassion for everyone around him. This shows that through defeat, Jefferson remains a strong person by not holding any grudges against his incarcerators. A selection from his diary reads, “This was the firs time I cry when they lok that door bahind me the very firs time…I was cryin cause of the bok an the marble he giv me and cause o the people that com to see me” (231). Jefferson displays tenderness, which is an obvious sign that Jefferson has not let his imprisonment destroy him.
Jefferson’s use of strategies and language is ineffective in making his points and persuading readers of his arguments. Using hasty generalization, begging the question, and insulting language in his analysis is a huge flaw which lessens the credibility of his argument and offenses his readers. Jefferson should use other argumentative strategies and prevent himself from using insulting language in order to convince readers of his arguments.