His novel a lesson before dying is a powerful look at the society he grew up in and the issues it faced. As an essay topic it has huge potential there are a lot of themes in it that can be used to write an interesting piece. The plot concerns a black man in the american south who's sentenced to death for a murder committed by two men he was with, and how a black teacher's relationship with him adds meaning to his death. It's clear that jefferson, the condemned man, has done nothing to deserve his punishment.

There's little interest in justice, though even his defense lawyer says he's no better than a hog. Jefferson is condemned for his colour more than anything else, something that would never have happened to a white. Grant, the teacher, recognises the injustice of the trial but is cynical rather than fight racism he would rather leave the south in an attempt to escape from it. At first jefferson is understandably bitter at his fate and acts as the animal he feels people see him as, but grant and others eventually persuades him that if he can die with his dignity restored it will represent a moral victory. When jefferson is finally executed his calmness and strength make an impression on everyone present. Sentenced to die unjustly, his execution becomes a symbol which has an increasing effect on grant.

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Before jefferson is executed grant begs him for forgiveness, a clear allusion to the bible. Finally grant realises that among other things his atheism symbolises his alienation from the community, and that while remaining an atheist he can reconnect with society and have a positive influence. The novel is full of examples of small and petty displays of power than nevertheless have a significant effect.

Blacks have to wait for whites to make time for them and enter white houses through the back door. The reverend ambrose himself black calls grant boy when angry with him, a term that racist whites used to adult black men. The combined effect of all these small things is to constantly remind blacks of their inferior status. American society has come a long way since gaines lived in the south, but many of the resentments he describes are still alive today. This novel is a popular way to explore them and these topics will help you write an interesting essay on it. Published on november 3rd, 2014 ernest gaines copyright joseph sanford the discussion activities and writing exercises in this guide provide you with possible essay topics, as do the discussion questions in the reader’s guide. Advanced students can come up with their own essay topics, provided they are interesting and specific.

How does the manner in which they speak or don’t speak enhance the story? how would the novel change if everyone spoke as grant does, or as the older people in the quarter do? or as jefferson writes? grant’s fight with the mulatto sharecroppers demonstrates his anger and frustration. Why are the sharecroppers’ comments about jefferson particularly hurtful? would grant have reacted in the same way if a black man had made similar comments? a white man? what might this scene teach us about the racial tensions in louisiana in the 1940s? on the morning of jefferson’s execution, grant leaves his classroom to stand outside, alone, to wait for news. He asks himself, why wasn’t i there? why wasn’t i standing beside him? why wasn’t my arm around him? why? attempt to answer these questions, referring to the text of the novel for examples of grant’s strengths or weaknesses.

Paul earns grant’s respect through his treatment of jefferson and his visitors. How is paul different from the other jail keepers? how do his actions at the end of jefferson’s life demonstrate paul’s goodness? why might he have chosen to attend the execution even though it was not part of his job? why did he choose to drive out to the quarter to tell grant the news personally?

a lesson before dyingby ernest j. There are also a few others including dignity, loyalty, and human will.in a lesson before dying, jefferson, a black youth, has been falsely accused of murder and is sentenced to death. As they progress closer to the execution, grant discovers the x27 lesson before dying x27. A lesson before dying, ernest gaines, marcus wallace briefly describe the major themes in your book 1/2 page or so.in my book a lesson before dying, themes are: 1 to be black in the south around the nineteen forties and fifties, you were guilty until proved innocent, not innocent until proved guilty.

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Because grant did succeed in life, he x27 s looked at with suspicion from whites that are afraid of what positive effect he could have on jefferson before he dies. Within the book, her whole purpose is to love jefferson and to make sure he is saved spiritually before he dies. Heroes or not: a lesson before dyingin gaines tm novel a lesson before dying, the reader is presented with a group of black people, dealing with racism, and struggling to help each other find peace. He is above other men.no matter who those other men are, the hero, no matterwho he is, is above them a lesson before dying 193.grant gave this definition of a hero to jefferson, while trying to make jefferson feel like more of a man. Much against his will, he takes on the task of making jefferson a man before he dies. As far as the story tells, he never showed any sort of emotion before the shooting or after up until that point. Miss emma, his godmother was afraid that he would die a hog and have lived a meaningless life.

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Grant and jeffersonauthor ernest j gaines explores the consciences of two young black men living in the jim crow south in his novel, a lesson before dying. Grant wiggins, who has returned from the university to become a school teacher, is appointed by his aunt and miss emma, jefferson x27 s godmother, to prove his lawyer wrong and make him a man before he dies. When miss emma and tante lou manipulate grant into teaching jefferson to be a man before he dies, he thinks the situation is hopeless. does the behavior of reverend ambrose reflect well or poorly on christianity as a whole? explain your reasoning. like the other characters in the novel, reverend ambrose sometimes makes mistakes and behaves immaturely. However, he ultimately possesses a kind of strength that grant lacks, and is a demonstration of how religion can help people survive adverse circumstances.

Ambrose 39 s vindictive condemnations of grant 39 s agnosticism make him seem immature at times, an impression that is compounded by his jealousy of grant 39 s early success with jefferson. However, he is able to do the right thing when grant is not, bringing news of jefferson 39 s execution date to miss emma, and witnessing the execution while grant teaches school. As grant says at the end of the novel, religion can give strength to people in need even if one disagrees with its tenets. Why does gaines make jefferson 39 s writing style so different from grant 39 s? jefferson 39 s writing style, rife with misspellings and grammatical errors, reveals his lack of education and also his emotional stress. Unlike grant, who understands most of what he sees, jefferson often does not grasp the meaning of what is going on around him.

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This emphasizes jefferson 39 s innocence and the injustice of his cruel treatment. how are mulattos portrayed in the novel? why does grant take the time to explain the prejudices mulattos have against full african americans? mulatto men, such as matthew antoine and the bricklayers with whom grant brawls, are portrayed as bitter and prejudiced against full blooded blacks. However, vivian is also mulatto and she is kind, beautiful, and well liked by people of every race. Their portrayal in the novel suggests that anyone can be racist, even those who are victims of racism itself, and there are good and bad people of ethnicity. is grant a good teacher? how do his teaching strategies reflect his character development? at the beginning of the novel, grant is a very apathetic teacher who believes that he cannot make any difference in his students 39 miserable lives. He often leaves his classroom in the care of older students or irene cole, the student teacher.