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A Lesson Before Dying And To Kill A Mocking Bird Comparison Essay

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What do A Lesson Before Dying and To Kill A Mockingbird have in common? Both books take place in the prejudiced south, an African-American character is killed, and both books show the reader how justice was handled when a person of color was brought to court. A Lesson Before Dying is similar to To Kill A Mockingbird because both books have a similar theme of injustice, the convicted characters are truly innocent, and both books end with a tragic death.

In the first chapter of A Lesson Before Dying, the reader is introduced to Jefferson, a young black male who is convicted of murdering a white shopkeeper and robbing his store. However, even though Jefferson's lawyer claims that Jefferson is innocent, he begins using Jefferson's lack of knowledge …show more content…

"Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this" (Gaines, 8). Through the book, we watch as Jefferson transforms from an angry and hateful character to a courageous and thankful man. "Good by mr wigin tell them im strong tell them im a man..." (Gains, 234). In To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is revealed to have been killed in prison after trying to escape. Atticus explains that Tom was shot multiple times in the back when he had reached the fence. Tom's death is different from Jefferson's because Tom could not wait any longer for Atticus to get him out of prison. Jefferson, on the other hand, was ready to die. He knew there was no escaping and felt that he had accomplished as much as he could with the help of Grant. All in all, To Kill A Mockingbird and A Lesson Before Dying are two powerful books that show the reader how life was in the prejudiced south, especially how cases involving African-Americans were handled in court.From both books having similar themes, to innocent characters, and tragic outcomes,To Kill A Mockingbird and A Lesson Before Dying are similar in

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