ipl-logo

A Lesson Before Dying Research Paper

988 Words4 Pages

The Racial Injustice and Inequality of A Lesson Before Dying Caleb Gruber English 11 March, 2024. A Lesson Before Dying serves as a reflection of the systemic challenges faced by Black communities during the 1940s and portrays the racial inequalities and injustice within it. Set in Louisiana, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines follows Jefferson, a young Black man wrongly convicted of murder, as he waits for execution. A teacher, Grant Wiggins, is assigned to help him find his humanity and dignity during his final days. They form a brotherly bond as Grant tries to help Jefferson find his dignity again. The book powerfully illustrates the injustice of Jefferson's wrongful conviction, the limitations of education, and dehumanizing treatment …show more content…

The unequal access to education shown in the novel reflects the larger problem of segregation and racism during the era. There was also the social segregation that was prevailing in Bayonne, where the racial divide between black and white communities was deeply ingrained. In the book, we see the towns being segregated with completely separate churches and schools, one uptown and one downtown. We also see how segregated it is with the bathrooms when Grant goes to visit Jefferson “This toilet was for colored people who came to the courthouse, and it was down in the basement.” (Gaines 69) This shows how segregated the South was during the late 40s and how huge the racial divide between black and white communities. As well as showing the inequality between them with the toilet for Black people being down in the basement. Gaines illuminates the systemic racial injustice and inequality experienced by Black Americans in the 40s through the characters' struggles with wrongful convictions, educational disparities, and social segregation. Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying vividly depicts the injustice of Jefferson's wrongful conviction,

Show More
Related
800 Words | 4 Pages

At the beginning of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, Grant and Jefferson who are two black men who have drastically different views on life, they started out as bitter and angry people. Towards the end , these men evolved into caring and brave characters due to the influence of motherly-like women. At first Jefferson didn’t want to listen to Grant because he believed that life was near the end, and he thought that teaching kids wasn’t going to get them anywhere since they will eventually become the people who unload wood. Miss Emma and Tante Lou instructed Grant to visit Jefferson and see him stand up for his rights and so did Vivian, Mr.Wiggin’s girlfriend. In A Lesson Before Dying, women helped foster the development of Grant and Jefferson as characters

Read More
1643 Words | 7 Pages

In the two texts, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines and Letter From Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the two authors use two similar situations to show the reader how dealing with tough times can bring out the best in people and spark a movement of change. In A Lesson Before Dying, Gaines depicts the story of Grant Wiggins, a black school teacher in the racially segregated South, who is given the task with profound responsibility of educating Jefferson, a black man sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. Letter From Birmingham Jail is a moving essay written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was imprisoned. In it, he stresses the need of fighting for justice and equality and defends nonviolent protests against

Read More
1304 Words | 6 Pages

Gaines used the real-life case of Willie Francis to develop the character of Jefferson in the novel. Jefferson, one of the main characters of A Lesson Before Dying, is a 21-year-old black man facing death row after he was convicted of the robbing and killing of Alcee Gropé, a white shopkeeper. To build Jefferson’s character, Gaines used heavy influence from the case of Willie Francis. On May 3, 1946, 17-year-old Willie Francis was scheduled for execution by electric chair. Francis was a black male who at 16 was tried as an adult and swiftly sentenced by 12 white jurors to death for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner.

Read More
813 Words | 4 Pages

In Ernest Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying, the author uses a third person point of view to assess the issue of racial injustice in the South during the 1940’s. Grant understands that justice is evaluated unfairly and knows that it does not favor the poor and uneducated black man. Due to Grant’s ability to be able to understand others, he successfully learns how to bring justice, while assisting Jefferson. This presents the audience the significance of the novel as a whole, embracing responsibility and facing injustice. Grant feels as if he shouldn’t feel obligated or pressured to help bring justice to Jefferson.

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout A Lesson before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines writes of Grant Wiggins’s two intertwined struggles to escape different powers in his life. Once Grant Wiggins accepts the power of his responsibilities, a larger power looms over him; racism. The book opens with Grant Wiggins recalling a trial, where a young black man, Jefferson, was wrongfully accused of murder. In an attempt to free his client, Jefferson’s lawyer refers to Jefferson as a mindless hog, who could not have known what he was doing. The case was lost, and Jefferson was sentenced to death by the judge.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel A lesson before dying, by Earnest Gaines, it introduces the conflict (execution) that its main character, Jefferson gets himself into at the young age of 21.The problem leads him and his community to face recognizing injustice and facing responsibility. Through the conflict Jefferson takes on responsibility from the execution, encourage, and realizes that it is nothing he can do but deal with the execution not alone, but with his community as well. Jefferson’s actions toward the execution changed from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. At the beginning of the text Jefferson begun to be very unresponsive towards his counselor/teacher Grant, the two didn’t get alone because of them not being connected. “After a while he raised his head, but he didn’t look at me; he looked at the barred window.”

Read More
1058 Words | 5 Pages

In a world plagued by inequality and injustice, a young man faces the death penalty for a crime he is innocent of, triggering waves of societal unrest and discontent. In this thought-provoking exploration of community and power, written by Ernest J. Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying shines as a power novel in the genre of historical fiction. Taking place in racially divided 1940s Louisiana, the story follows the journey of a young African-American man named Jefferson as he learns to reclaim his dignity while awaiting his unjust execution with the help of a teacher, Grant Wiggins. Ernest J. Gaines illuminates the power of united communities, showcasing how collective action empowers individuals to dismantle oppressive forces and pave the way for

Read More
749 Words | 3 Pages

Rotting in a cell. Counting down the days. Trying to learn how to be a man before the big day. In the book “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines: Grant Wiggins a school teacher tries to help a falsely convicted black man named Jefferson. During this time Grant release what can do to not only change Jefferson but change himself as well and he achieves redemption.

Read More
1838 Words | 8 Pages

This was especially true for black's living in the South during the early 20th century. With little federal oversight and even less concern for the civil rights of minorities, the story of Jefferson in Earnest Gaines masterpiece "A Lesson Before Dying", accurately illustrates a black man's struggle for a fair legal system. Injustice was first portrayed at the beginning of the novel where, Ernest J. Gaines points out that there are twelve white men on the jury, to give Jefferson a verdict, a verdict of a black man who has allegedly killed two black men & more importantly killed one white man. A true Injustice act has taken place. The court has appointed Jefferson a white man to be his lawyer, who has called Jefferson a hog, something which is less of a man.

Read More
670 Words | 3 Pages

A Lesson Before Dying: An Analysis of the Definition of Manhood A Lesson Before Dying is a historical novel written by Ernest J. Gaines. The novel is set in the late 1940s on a plantation in Louisiana. A young, black man known as Jefferson is wrongly convicted for murdering two white men. The main character is Grant Wiggins, a teacher at a church school. Grant is being forced by Jefferson’s Godmother, Miss Emma, to convince Jefferson that he is a man.

Read More
680 Words | 3 Pages

The society a person grows up in and the actions of that society mold the destiny of a person. Ernest J. Gaines, the author of A Lesson Before Dying is a prime example of this perception. Gaines uses two of the preeminent characters in his book to display this idea, Grant Wiggins and Jefferson. Jefferson is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, albeit he was innocent and was just at the crime scene at the wrong time. A majority of the other characters visit Jefferson while he’s in jail, with one of those characters being Grant Wiggins.

Read More
1097 Words | 5 Pages

The historical fiction novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, features a falsely accused black man on death row in a small Cajun community during the late 1440s. Grant Wiggins, a college educated teacher of the black community, visits Jefferson in prison, an African American convicted of murder. During his trial, he was given a death sentence while referred as a hog. With the love of his godmother, Miss Emma, who sends Grant to teach him in proving himself a man, Jefferson receives the opportunity of representing his community as he dies. Tante Lou, a close friend of Miss Emma and Grant’s aunt, provides the assurance that Grant would prove Jefferson worthy a human.

Read More
1179 Words | 5 Pages

African American women play significant roles throughout the storyline in the novel A Lesson Before Dying. Two strong and self-sufficient women, Tante Lou, and Miss Emma, impacted the decision men made despite the woman's position in society. As African American women in 1940’s southern society, they were not afraid to push boundaries and speak up for what they believed in. As an example, Jefferson’s lawyer likened his clients execution to that of a hog.

Read More
438 Words | 2 Pages

The author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many books about mystery in his lifetime. He was born in 1859 and died in 1930. In the beginning Doyle only did writing as a hobby but as time went on Arthur’s work became renowned throughout the world especially because of the book Sherlock Holmes. The book sherlock Holmes is one fo the most know detective and mystery story that captivated audiences. Doyle’s stories were published around the world on television and were published in many works past his lifetime.

Read More
619 Words | 3 Pages

I read A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest L. Gained during my eleventh grade year. Jefferson was a young black man, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. I first found the book a little boring. Once I was assigned to read chapter after chapter for homework I found it a little more interesting but then again the book itself lost my attention I really didn't care for Grant and Vivian’s relationship all I wanted to know was, what was going on with Jefferson and what was going to happen to him; was he going to die?

Read More

More about A Lesson Before Dying Research Paper

Open Document