Examples Of Change In A Lesson Before Dying

A champion of change is someone who strives to make forward progress in society. They are often motivated by others in the community which helps their ideas gain momentum. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines perfectly encapsulates the South in the 1940’s and themes of race, prejudice, and morality in this small Louisiana town. The story follows two young African American males: Jefferson, a poor kid with bad luck who ends up being convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, ultimately causing him to be sentenced to death and Grant, a teacher ,who has been tasked with making Jefferson into a “Man” before his untimely demise Jefferson is a champion of change because of the ways he objected and stood up to people who viewed him as inferior.

For many of them it’s the first time someone from their community had been sentenced to death (Gaines 247). His death deeply impacted members of his community by bringing awareness to the issue of institutionalized racism. White people in the community only viewed black people as inferior. It was more aggravating to them if a black person was as educated as them because of how they wanted to feel superior to black people. When Grant is speaking to the sheriff, he uses proper grammar instead of the slang he was expected to use making the sheriff feel uneasy and more aggressive (Gaines 48). Jefferson was expected to crawl to the chair like a hog, but instead he walks like a man (Gaines

Both criteria are so important in making sure that the change can take on real meaning. In A Lesson Before Dying, Grant explains what a myth is to Jefferson and provides the example of how white people think they are the superior race compared to all other races. Grants presents the idea that some black people could possibly stand up for themselves and their people and cause white people to feel unsafe, but many do not do that. Grants asks Jefferson to be one of the black people who will and do stand up, causing white people to feel unstable (Gaines Page 192). This text example shows how Jefferson’s change that he enacted falls in line with his beliefs because he ends up doing just as knowledgeable Grant suggested he do: stand up and walk like a man to his execution. After Jefferson’s execution, a white deputy from the jail, Paul, travels to where the majority of the black population of Bayonne live to inform Grant of what happened and pass along the journal Grant had provided to Jefferson. Paul spends time with Grant, mostly pondering what has happened, but also asks Grant if he will allow him to be friends with him (Gaines Page 255). This example shows how Jefferson was a champion of change because through his writing in the journal and him wanting to do right by his godmother and him trusting the