ipl-logo

Social Hierarchy In A Lesson Before Dying

810 Words4 Pages

In the Novel “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines shows the discrimination between the African Americans, the Whites, and the Mulattos are based on a social hierarchy. This is shown in different chapters among the Novel and will be explained in detail.

Firstly, at the beginning of the novel “A Lesson Before Dying” we automatically read in the first couple of chapters that the Black ethnicity is at the bottom of the social hierarchy. One of the main scenes that comes to mind during the book is when Miss Emma, Tante Lou, and Grant go to see Mr. Henri Pichot. “No, sir, I did not,” I said. He was finished talking to me. Now he wanted me to look away. I lowered my eyes.” (pg. 21). What is quite interesting about this passage is that Grant knows he is smarter than Henri Pichot, “I was too educated for Henri Pichot;” yet he still obeys the proper way of being a Black person talking to a White person. Another example of the social hierarchy that was …show more content…

Antoine, had told him. We see how Grant spectates and criticize these young kids even though they have no idea what the real world has in store for them. Even though that they are kids it isn’t such a bad way of thinking because later on, “They are acting exactly as the old men did earlier. They are fifty years younger.” (pg. 62). This shows Grant’s thoughts on his perspective of what these kids are going to end up being in a couple of years. Likewise to what Grant said, shows us that even if him being a teacher forces him to teach these adolescents to be literate unlike most of the old African Americans during the time. Grant is one of the only Black people to realize that the way of the Social rankings aren’t going to change by themselves if all the African Americans act like it is normal to be treated with such arrogance by the higher class

Show More
Related
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.

Read More
600 Words | 3 Pages

Ford argues “Today's black underclass may not be as poor as many blacks were in the 1950s, but its isolation from the mainstream and from positive role models is actually worse.” This shows that there is in fact a correlation with social and economic structure in the negligence of education towards black students.” Lubrano says “They feel pressure from other working class friends to not participate and are told that they are being educated is effeminate and irrelevant” Ford cakn use Lubranos comparison between blue-collar kids and white-collar kids, where the black community would represent the blue-collar workers (working class) and the white community would represent white-collar workers (middle class). This argument could help frame Fords point on whites being the exclusive domain in the mainstream

Read More
374 Words | 2 Pages

Reading this chapter and thinking about how my childhood compared to what the book defines how the African American community is really is discouraging. Throughout my life everyone in my community played a role in how I am and became successful. The more I read this book I become

Read More
300 Words | 2 Pages

Although the characters in the story are fictional, what kids growing up in Harlem and similar neighborhoods face is not. By making Harlem

Read More
427 Words | 2 Pages

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896, 163 US 537) For centuries people of African descent have suffered of inhumane treatment, discrimination, racism, and segregation. Although in the United States, and in other countries, mistreatment and marginalization towards African descendants has stopped, the racism and discriminations has not.

Read More
694 Words | 3 Pages

Before Mrs Grewell opened the students eyes to the wonders of empathy they automatically saw each other in a negative light based on skin color alone. After her lessons began to sink in, they began to connect to each other and find that racial separation would only lead to hatred and more violence. This theme of racial violence, translated in Just Walk on By affirms that a by product of racial stigma is that black men are more subject to criminal punishment because of societal expectations placed upon them. In both pieces, there is a general lesson stating that if your expectations are for someone to fail, or commit crimes, they will meet or even exceed those expectations unless shown another path. Unless society changes its view or expectation of black men, the impoverished, and failing students with harsh backgrounds, the white and wealthy will continue to

Read More
1385 Words | 6 Pages

In the book, there are significant racial tensions and racial divisions in society. Young Black women like Lauren, the primary character, must find their way in a society where they face prejudice and marginalization. In the story, racism is shown as a persistent menace in a society where one's character or aptitudes are more often evaluated than the color of one's skin. Unfortunately, this is a problem that persists in modern culture. The work emphasizes the consequences of institutionalized racism, which persists today.

Read More
1158 Words | 5 Pages

Carter Godwin Woodson remains a legendary figure among black scholars, especially in the field of Afro-American history. He initiated the annual celebration of the Negro history, which marked a stride in an attempt to eliminate racial based discrimination. Woodson’s commitment to scholarly work was formidable. For instance, he pioneered research work on Negro migration, history of nonprofessional’s, the mind of the Negro, and Negro’s orations. His numerous work shed light on the extent of economic exploitation, cultural isolation, and segregation that dominated the society.

Read More
1620 Words | 7 Pages

One example of this is in chapter 4 and Grant is driving through Bayonne listing off the different buildings that were segregated, such as the white Catholic church and the black Catholic church, as well the segregated movie theatres and elementary schools. Even in the prison, white and black prisoners are kept separate. Additionally, it isn’t just a separation of races, but black people had lesser quality buildings and things compared to white people. For example, at the school Grant works at school supplies are typically hand-me-downs from the white schools, and they need more books, paper, and chalk, as well as a heater. Overall, the setting of the book highlights how racial segregation, racism, and social dynamics between white and black people play into the main plot of the book where Jefferson, a black man, is wrongfully sentenced to

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

Those differences explain the wide gap between the left brain-ness brother and the right brain-ness Sonny, and why they have such a hard time understanding each other. One can definitely see why an African American would choose to become a teacher. Racism and discrimination was rough for African American’s during the 1950’s while growing up in Harlem. Many wanted better for themselves and their families, so they took a different and brighter path in their life. For some like Sonny, jazz and music represented freedom and a sense of escape from the agony of black poverty.

Read More
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.

Read More
219 Words | 1 Pages

The educational factor is a main factor on why the black characters in the book are in these types of positions. One reason these positions get affected by this factor is because the blacks have really poor speaking because, they did not get taught the proper way to speak during

Read More
77 Words | 1 Pages

In James Baldwin’s essay, “A Talk to Teachers”, he addresses the teachers around the world. He argues that the purpose of education is to equip students with the ability to look at the world for themselves. Clearly, Baldwin’s most significant rhetorical move to persuade the reader is his use of ethos, pathos, and repetition. Throughout Baldwin’s essay, he encourages changes in education for blacks, but he does so using ethos and pathos.

Read More
1926 Words | 8 Pages

In Friday Night Lights, Bissinger focuses on the overcrowding in the student’s classrooms, negatively causing many academic and social effects. He uses L.V. Miles’s own high school experience to portray these conditions by saying, “the colored high school he went to, all the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders - about twenty of them - were housed in the same little room near the entrance”, highlighting that all these different grades were forced to learn together (Bissinger 59). Aiming the argument towards young adults, they personally feel the effects of improper schooling since they are receiving an education. Hence, they feel a sense of pity towards the African American students, who feel the consequences of merely saving some space. In “The Problem We All Live With”, Jones addresses the issues with the lack of motivation held by the teachers in the African American schools, who are the ones suppose to inspire children with learning.

Read More
1740 Words | 7 Pages

In Du Bois’ the Problem of the Color Line at the Turn of the 20th Century, he gives context that places the prejudice of America on a scale, he states, “This fissure between white and black is not everywhere of the same width. Naturally it is the widest in the former slave states and narrowest in the older and more cultivated east. It seldom, however, wholly closes up in New England, while it is threatening width in the south is the Negro Problem,” (Du Bois, 35). The color line in this sense is the fissure of the whites and blacks. The greatest depth of the line is that closest in the heart of the south.

Read More

More about Social Hierarchy In A Lesson Before Dying

Related Topics

Open Document