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Differences Between Jefferson And Grant Wiggins

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The way we face difficult situations defines who we are as a person, sometimes these situations provide opportunities for us to be heros. According to Grant Wiggins’s definition of a hero, by the end of the novel he becomes a hero himself. He states, “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.” Grant becomes a hero by earning an education to become a teacher, undergoing mental and emotional changes, and counseling Jefferson to die with dignity. A hero is different from others and does something others can’t do. Grant’s deterimination to defy …show more content…

At the beginning of the novel, Grant wonders if he can teach Jefferson how to die when Grant himself doesn’t know how to live. But, through his many visits week after week, most of which were unsuccessful, he finally gets through to Jefferson while realizing something himself. Grants first breakthrough with Jefferson happens when Jefferson asks him for a gallon of ice cream, but instead Grant brings him a radio, which he has to stand up for himself against a white woman to get, after this first breakthrough things begin to run smoothly between Jefferson and Grant. At their next visit Grant takes Jefferson on a walk. As they walk, Grant tells Jefferson that a hero does something other men do not do or cannot do. Grant says that he is not a hero, but that Jefferson can be a hero. Grant says he cannot stand up to defy whites, and that the reverend will not stand up to defy them, but Jefferson can do it. Grant tells Jefferson that he needs him more than Jefferson needs Grant. As he speaks, Jefferson starts to cry quietly at his side, and Grant begins to cry …show more content…

The author shows how two ordinary black men living in the troubled South become heroic figures for each other and for the community too. Closer to the execution, Jefferson begins teaching Grant and starts to act how Grant should act, lifting his head up and being brave. Jeffersons diary proves Grants heroism at the end of the novel because Jefferson shows the compassion and love that Grant gave to him which gave him the strength to face his execution with pride and dignity. Jefferson wouldn’t have been unable to do that before Grant came to him, but through Grant, Jefferson was able to face his fears and prove his worth and pride to

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Grant is a black teacher who is encouraged to teach Jefferson that he is a man and not a hog. This book keeps the reader engaged while helping transporting them back to the 1940s so they can understand how it was to like be oppressed as a black man. The closing statement of the defense is “quote”. The starting mood of was bleak and the tone is very pessimistic.

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In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines, Grant is a main character that has a lot of influence over the people in his community. Some might even consider him a hero. I believe that Grant is a hero because he helps Jefferson become a man, changes himself for the better, and wants to continue changing the community. Over the course of the novel, Grant helps Jefferson become the man that he needs to be in order to walk to his death with honor. When Grant first begrudgingly went to visit Jefferson in prison Jefferson was in a really low state.

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Undoubtedly, Grant registers the unfairness and lack of justice. Even though this is the case, Grant still continues to help Jefferson become the man he

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He stared at me, and I realized that I had not answered him in the proper manner. " Sir," I added.” also highlights how the imbalance of power inflicted fear upon the black community. Throughout the book Grant tries his best to ensure that Jefferson’s death has a meaning and an impact on the

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Grant is a great character he learned that some people are going to be rude and disrespectful. He learned that whites are always going to get it there way. In page 46, Grant states that “I had come through the back door against my will, and it seemed that he and the sheriff were doing everything they could to humiliate me even more by making me wait on them. Well, I had to put up with that because of those quarter, but I damned sure would not add hurt to injury by eating at his kitchen table.” he had to wait for two hours to talk to the sheriff.

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The main conflict of the story is Grant convincing Jefferson that he is truly a man and that there is hope in the world. After Jefferson’s sentence is set, Jefferson doesn’t have hope for the world and thinks that he going to die anyways, so why care. Grant is teaching him that he can help others and that there is hope in the world and in the future. So, Grant is using character motivation to help Jefferson throughout the entire novel. The other literary term, diction, is repetition of a word to show its importance.

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He [Grant] also finds his own freedom extremely limited, if it indeed exists at all, and he sees the future of his students to be lacking in any promise of advancement.” It is evident that Auger is correct that Jefferson and grant have a similar change within their view in themselves and society, and the perception that Grant is restricted in his freedoms. Grant and Jefferson both go through changes in their personality and how they view their life from realizing and learning what life is really about. Grant, previous to learning more about life, was very hard on his children at school. The children were scared of Grant, to the point that they would cry for doing something wrong.

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This part of the story well-represents the struggle of racial injustice, because Grant feels that blacks weren’t respected. The execution for Jefferson was decided by “whites” and they did not once consult Jefferson’s family members about his execution. This was a blatant act of racism and injustice, and

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Both Jefferson and Grant are tasked with heavy responsibilities, yet by either accepting or avoiding these tasks, they find themselves in two completely different situations at the

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As the story approaches its ending, Grant begins to fully accept and take on his responsibilities. The two examples used to support this argument are when Grant visits Jefferson toward the end when he is nearing his death. The other example to support this argument is when Paul comes to tell him that everything went

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Aristotle says that the hero should come to some kind of recognition, passing from ignorance to knowledge. This is displayed in Jefferson’s rise from hog to man. When Grant first visits Jefferson, it is clear that he believes what the court has said about him, that he is a hog. He is silent and indifferent about his impending future. He even tries to eat the food Miss Emma made him out of the bag like a hog.

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A teacher who has lost faith in change in his black community, is forcibly tasked with proving to Jefferson that he is a man and not a hog before Jefferson’s inevitable death. The main struggle is Grant trying to prove to Jefferson that he is a man. This novel is the representation of the injustice

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The overarching theme and lesson present in each text is responsibility and the lengths one is obligated or feels obligated to pursue to fulfill the engagements they are assigned. In A Lesson Before Dying, Grant is given the unpleasant task of connecting with a young man destined for death; yet, he continues the work because he feels a sense of duty if not for Jefferson, the accused murderer, then for his aunt and Jefferson’s Nannan. In an attempt to finally connect with the unreachable Jefferson, Grant speaks to Jefferson about his responsibility to himself and the entire African American population to stand tall and act like a ‘man’ while walking to his demise to prove that the white man was wrong about him. Grant states, “A hero does for others. He would do anything for people he loves, because he knows it would make their lives better.

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In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Grains, displays what a hero is in his perspective. Grains describes his hero just how I embody mine, selfless, devoted, and loyal from a man who hasn’t known me my whole life but, treats me like he does. My stepfather, has only been in our lives for about 9 years but, has proved to my family and I that he is willing to sacrifice everything for us. He single handedly bought us a new home after 2 years of moving from California to Laredo. At first, my siblings and I were sketchy but little did we know he would turn out to be our noble and considerate hero.

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Grant has a change of heart and is less angry and more calm and patient with Jefferson, he visits and talks with Jefferson and we start to see the change between the two, ‘“Jefferson, do you know what ‘moral’ means?’ I asked him. He looked at me, knowing that I knew what he was thinking about. ‘Obligation?’ I said.

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