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Lessons Learned In A Lesson Before Dying

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Have you ever learned important lessons from someone who you’d never talk to in normal circumstances? In “A Lesson Before Dying” both Grant and Jefferson learn what it means to be human.These Lesson about being human are developed when Grant and Jefferson being meeting, after Jefferson is put in jail and called a hog on trail.Grant was told to teach Jefferson to be a man while not knowing what it means to be a man himself. Grant doesn’t want to speak to Jefferson as he is everything Grant hates which gives him trouble trying to teach Jefferson but Jefferson teaches Grant lessons and opens his eyes to how the world really is and Jefferson is able to learn from speaking to Grant. These lessons are also developed in the text of “Invictus.”

Grant …show more content…

In the text it states “My eyes were closed before this moment Jefferson. My eyes have been closed all my life.”(Gaines 225) This text shows Grant learning something from Jefferson he’s able to teach him that life doesn’t and will not always revolve around him as Jefferson execution will help.It could leave either a positive impact or negative because if Jefferson dies a “hog” the black community will continue to be looked down upon but Jefferson has the ability to change this.If he is able to die like a man the way the people in black community will experience a significant change in how they’re treated equality will be closer as the white people may begin to see the African Americans on a more equal level than rather far inferior. Grant tells Jefferson to write about how he feels and what he’s always thinking about as it teaches Jefferson that he cannot keep what he feels always bottled up.Sometimes he must let it out and talk about it as not speaking to someone can make the feels worse instead of letting it out. As stated in chapter 29 on page 227 it says “ it look like the lord just work for wite folks cause ever sense i wasn nothing but a little boy i been on my on haulin water to the fiel on that ol water cart wit all them dime bukets an that dipper jus hittin an old dorthy just trottin …show more content…

The poem begins as and it’s easily relatable to the characters of the text “A Lesson Before Dying”. As in the text it says “I am the master of my fate,I am the captain of my soul”(Henley, 27) This directly relates to both Learing about being human and the text of “A Lesson Before Dying” As the text is saying you are in control of what happens and You are the leader of your soul this related to both Grant and Jefferson as Jefferson has the ability to control where he will die like a man or a hog.As Grant can decided what he’s going to do with his life if he’s going to leave louisiana or will he still feel an obligation to stay and endure more of the humiliation he’s feeling as he constantly has to address the white men as sir and speak with low to no intelligence instead of how he would be able to speak regularly.Another piece of evidence is also able to reveal how these lessons of being human are developed as the text says “I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.” This directly relates back to lessons of being human as apart of being is human is having a strong soul so the challenges you face will not break your soul and spirit.It also directly relates to the character of “A Lesson Before Dying” as both characters Grant and Jefferson must have an unconquerable soul to live and faces the constant racism they endure living in louisiana and not lose their sanity or give up everything

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187 Words | 1 Pages

This passage reveals the underlying causes of Grant’s anxiety about teaching Jefferson his final lesson. His own education has been based on mastering the cultural vocabulary of white America, and although he is respected in the quarter for his high level of academic achievement, Grant knows that he is only helping to perpetuate this system. Although he wants to help his students avoid the pitfalls of being black and poor in the deep South, he feels ill-equipped to do this despite his academic pedigree. This is one of Jefferson’s first pieces of dialogue that does not relate to him being a hog.

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739 Words | 3 Pages

Grant has spent the past few years trying not to be the submissive black man that is expected of his current society. He is proud of his intelligence and his job, as well as his girlfriend. However, considering Jefferson’s situation, he is essentially forced to do exactly that: having to get a white man’s permission to do something, to wait for white men to stop talking, to be stripped in the jail

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747 Words | 3 Pages

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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1556 Words | 7 Pages

One lesson that Jefferson learns from Grant is that he has the potential to make a difference to the whole town. Grant teaches Jefferson how he has as much potential as anyone else. By believing in Jefferson and giving him resources, Grant helps teach Jefferson this lesson. Jefferson changes throughout his time in prison to become more aware of his worth. One way Grant helps Jefferson realize this is by organizing his students and other people from his quarter to come and visit Jefferson, this makes Jefferson realize how he matters to his community.

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

There is an immense change in the way Grant acts from the beginning of the book to the end. In the early part of the book Grant was dreading having to go and talk to Jefferson. He really felt as though Jefferson was already too far gone to be convinced that he was actually a man. For the first few visits Grant was accompanied by Miss Emma to the jail to see Jefferson. Which was really the only reason Grant kept going to see Jefferson.

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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.

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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.

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1102 Words | 5 Pages

He wants Jefferson to see himself as a person with value and worth, not a "hog. " Grant's attempt to change Jefferson's perception of himself demonstrates how he is the hero of this novel. Furthermore, Grant encourages Jefferson to think about his legacy and the impact he will have on those around him. As Grant says, "What you leave behind is how the world will judge you." This indicates Grant's desire for Jefferson to understand that, while he may not have control over his fate, he does have power over how he is remembered.

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1218 Words | 5 Pages

Not knowing his friends would do this, Jefferson has no choice but to take cover and hope for the best. Relying on nothing but prayers, Jefferson makes it out alive and is left to answer for the actions of his friends. Later on Jefferson is taken to jail, where the judge will make his ruling on what punishment he will be receiving for the actions of the shooting and robbery. “Twelve white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time without consulting one black person. Justice? …”

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749 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines Grant finds redemption by helping Jefferson, Standing up for what he believes in and changing his view on life. Grant achieves redemption by helping Jefferson become a man before he dies by helping Jefferson become a man before he dies by asking questions about his wellbeing and overall health. When Grant goes and visits

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2126 Words | 9 Pages

This is shown throughout the novel by showing that in the beginning of the novel, Grant wants nothing to do with Jefferson and his situation. As the book continues, he realizes that Jefferson is a human too and that he needs to realize how good he has it compared to some people. In the beginning of A Lesson Before Dying, Grant Wiggins struggles with accepting his responsibilities. This is shown in multiple examples. The two examples used in this paper were when Grant avoids all of his responsibilities and does not want anything to do with Jefferson.

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853 Words | 4 Pages

•“She was not even listening. She had gotten tired of listening. She knew, as we all knew, what the outcome would be. A white man had been killed during a robbery, and thought two of the robbers had been killed on the spot, one had been captured, and he, too, would have to die” (4). This quote is important because it allows me to understand that Jefferson has to die because he was the only person in the liquor store and was a black man.

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935 Words | 4 Pages

Grant realized the potential in Jefferson and himself. This discovery of being able to transform the people around him and himself drove him to become more engaged and empathetic in helping Jefferson. Afterward, when Grant visits Jefferson after giving him the radio, he tries to talk to him. He asks Jefferson if he would meet with Miss Emma and Reverend Ambrose, and Jefferson agrees. However, when the conversation comes to a stop, Grant finally says,

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

His original goal was to help Jefferson become a man, but through the process, Grant grows as well. At the beginning of the novel, Grant often takes out his frustrations in the wrong ways, one being his attitude toward his students. He was very cold with them and didn’t care about their feelings, often thinking about himself before he thought about them. This is portrayed when, after comparing his students to Jefferson and vividly explaining how he’s going to die, he thinks to himself, “I knew that Jefferson was her cousin, but I didn’t apologize for what I had said, nor did I show any sympathy for her crying. ‘Either leave the class or stop crying,’ I told her again.

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1276 Words | 6 Pages

Grant has gone to a University and is now a teacher in the quarter where he grew up. To his community, Grant is the most educated person in the quarter and is constantly being admired by them. Most of the admiration comes from Miss Emma in hopes that Grant can transform Jefferson into a man before he is executed. Miss Emma states, “I want the teacher visit my boy. I want the teacher make him know he’s not a hog, he’s a man” (pg.

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