Struggles In A Lesson Before Dying

The Struggle of African Americans In the novels A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines and Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass the impact of education is critical for African americans. The struggles of african-americans to receive education, the successes and failures of the african americans, and the perception of what african americans in the eyes of the white people. The struggle of Grant Wiggins and Frederick Douglass fought a uphill battle to receive quality education. Grant Wiggins lived in small agricultural town in Louisiana where he went to the local church for a school that only provided kindergarten through sixth grade school with only one classroom. Grant received a further education by going to the teacher and asking to learn as much as possible so he would have potential to go to a second rate college that was only for african americans. Grant to be able to achieve this level of education had his aunt work endlessly to provide him with the

“The last thing they every want to see is a black man stand and think and show that common humanity that is in” (Gaines 193). The thought of a white man looking at a black man as equal is seen as taboo. Frederick Douglass understood this concept because he was never equal to the white man because of slavery but Grant Wiggins was intellectually equal to the whites but society would never allow such a thing. The african american community was faced with a harsh reality that they society would never allow them to be look at as equals to whites. In the novels A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines and Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass the perception of african americans by whites, the struggles of african americans to receive a education, and the african americans had many success and failures. The impact of education help aided all of the problems that african americans