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.
Throughout the course of the book A Lesson Before Dying, written by Ernest J. Gaines, Jefferson has many challenges that he faces and new concepts that he must learn for the sake of others. These challenges include becoming a man for Miss Emma. He also goes through many other small challenges such as talking to his visitors and writing in the notepad that Grant brought for him to record his feelings. Compared to other men included in this story Jefferson is seen as a wimp but through these challenges he becomes more of a man and hero than all other men. Jefferson is the most transformed and matured character that is included in this story.
At the beginning of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, Grant and Jefferson who are two black men who have drastically different views on life, they started out as bitter and angry people. Towards the end , these men evolved into caring and brave characters due to the influence of motherly-like women. At first Jefferson didn’t want to listen to Grant because he believed that life was near the end, and he thought that teaching kids wasn’t going to get them anywhere since they will eventually become the people who unload wood. Miss Emma and Tante Lou instructed Grant to visit Jefferson and see him stand up for his rights and so did Vivian, Mr.Wiggin’s girlfriend. In A Lesson Before Dying, women helped foster the development of Grant and Jefferson as characters
He spoke 6 languages including English, French, Greek, Italian, Latin and Spanish. He also had a love for the written word, having written over 19,000 letters in his lifetime. Jefferson was known to be an avid inventor, lawyer and educator. He graduated from the
He begins this conclusion by saying that although they have tried time and time again to resolve the matter peacefully that their attempts have been met with silence from the British government (Jefferson). This shows the reader that revolutionaries had tried to be the good guys but their attempts simply didn’t work, another appeal to ethos. He goes on to state that it is sadly not only the King who falls under blame in this scenario, but the British citizens who stood in silence and cared little for the people of the American colonies. Jefferson uses this line to state that they are at war with not only the king of Britain, but the British nation as a whole. This line is not only a way of convincing the American people that if they stand with him they stand with justice, but to convince another major group that America was just in their fight for freedom; according to David Armitage of Harvard University this convinced British enemies to fight with America, a crucial and needed assistance for the brutal path ahead (Armitage).
ALBD: Literary Analysis A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines is a story set in the fictional Cajun community of Bayonne, Louisiana during the 1940s. It is the story of Jefferson, an accused black man who is sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. Grant, a teacher, is asked by Jefferson’s godmother to persuade Jefferson that he is a man and not just a “hog” before he is executed. In A Lesson Before Dying, Gaines uses many symbols to explain how Jefferson is seen as a Christ figure. As the story progresses, the author begins to slowly reveal how Jefferson is a Christ figure.
He was arguably the most important founding father. Jefferson was a very quiet man, and he was very smart as Kathy Wilmore said. Jefferson helped the Colonies gain their independence from Britain. Jefferson showed intellect and leadership. Thomas Jefferson lead by example by writing the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson was a pioneer on the topic of church and state and how those two things have no power over the other in any way, shape, or form. Jefferson explains this when he mentions “Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint.” Jefferson believes that God created us to be free of everything, including religion. That is why Jefferson didn’t want to give up that freedom even to the government he was so strongly a part of. Jefferson then goes on to talk about how it is extremely wrong when a church forces a man to support or change his personal views just because of an outside source, Jefferson even calls it “tyrannical” some of the methods that the church had to gain control of people. Jefferson also said how it was wrong to require a public official to be of a certain religion, much like how the Baptists were afraid the John F. Kennedy would gain presidency then hand over the power to the catholic church, Jefferson also said that a man brought to power specifically for religious reasons tend to be “corrupt the principles of that very religion it is meant to encourage,” the official becomes very bias to that church that he is representing.
Grant feels as if he shouldn’t feel obligated or pressured to help bring justice to Jefferson. This is because he believes that Jefferson got himself into that situation. Having been pushed to help bring justice for Jefferson, Grant says, “ And I teach the white folks around here, tell me to teach reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. They never told me how to keep a black boy out of a liquor store” ( Gaines 13). In Grant’s view, this instance is none of his business.
In the novel A lesson Before Dying it says that you have to fight for your rights and yourself and never give up because if you keep trying changes can still happen and you will feel a sense of accomplishment in your life. Overall in the paragraph it shows that Jefferson does fight for himself as an individual , Grant does believe changes can still if he tries and harder and lastly Tante Lou sets the stage for Grant and Jefferson showing that you have to stand up for your rights. Overall I think these lessons do show that you have to stand up for yourself and be strong and never give up. Because fighting for what you believe will make the community better and inspire other people if you keep trying you will feel better about yourself and will inspire other people to do something as