Analysis Of Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

The extremely influential twentieth century novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker reveals multiple injustices that were present in our world throughout the 1900s. Walker’s talent and experience as an African-American enabled her to effectively capture the horrors that accompanied racist and societal issues that timelessly plague our country. Walker structured The Color Purple as an epistolary novel, a type of book that is portrayed through a collection of journal entries. As a result, this confessional type novel conveys the main character, Celie in a far more intimate way that could not have been achieved through a standard fictional novel. The diary entry structure captures Celie’s trials, therefore allowing the reader to understand and sympathize with the characters. By bonding with Celie through detailed accounts of her life, the reader feels a personal connection to her. Having a close relationship with Celie is significantly

While listening to a story, one can engross his or herself in the action, experiencing the events vicariously. By experiencing the story one can gain an understanding of the purpose that the author is trying to portray. In “A Place Where the Soul Can Rest” by bell hooks and “How to Make a Slave” by Jerald Walker the audience is taken on a journey through the progression of each of the author 's life experiences dealing with racism and sexism. Through use of anecdotes the audience develops a comprehension for both of the authors’ lives, witnessing their hardships of being subordinates in a white, male dominated society. Although both authors bring awareness to the atrocities of racism and sexism, hooks’ story’s purpose stands above

Slavery was abolished after the Civil War, but the Negro race still was not accepted as equals into American society. To attain a better understanding of the events and struggles faced during this period, one must take a look at its' literature. James Weldon Johnson does an excellent job of vividly depicting an accurate portrait of the adversities faced before the Civil Rights Movement by the black community in his novel “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.” One does not only read this book, but instead one takes a journey alongside a burdened mulatto man as he struggles to claim one race as his own.

There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and

The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers best conveys the character traits of courage, ambitiousness, and supporting family even when times appear to be distressful. This book takes you through African American history with the excitement and thrill of fiction. It allows you to witness the glory of African American evolution, from a period of slavery to modern day. The reader witnesses courage as African Americans try and fight for freedom and equality in an unforgiving society. African Americans try and defy the society’s perspective of them in an attempt to reach an optimal level of success. They work to divert from their typical expectations, and strive for success even when the possibilities are minimal. They strive to build a better living besides being maids and factory workers, and they attempt to remove every obstacle in their way of success. They desire to go above what is expected of them, so they can achieve at a prodigious level in a segregated society. Even as technology advances, the reader witnesses the character’s sense of community. They always believe that family is crucial to success even in times of distress. If they abandon their community, then they abandon the only people that support them. In this time period, their community was composed of the only people that cared about them. The African American society emulates these traits throughout this book, as the author inserts you into their fight for equity and freedom. The Glory Field takes

The memoir “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston, was first published in 1928, and recounts the situation of racial discrimination and prejudice at the time in the United States. The author was born into an all-black community, but was later sent to a boarding school in Jacksonville, where she experienced “race” for the first time. Hurston not only informs the reader how she managed to stay true to herself and her race, but also inspires the reader to abandon any form of racism in their life. Especially by including Humor, Imagery, and Metaphors, the author makes her message very clear: Everyone is equal.

In the 1950s to the 1960s, there were 3,959 lynching of black men, women and children, the brutal deaths took place in only 12 states in the south of America. All of which were mainly because of racism. Melba Pattilo Beals wrote Warriors Don’t Cry to share her experience of racism when integrating into Central High. This book is to show the harsh reality of the suffering African Americans had to go through when battling racism. It shows that you should do what is right even if it is against society’s standards. In the novel, Warriors Don’t Cry, the importance of historical events greatly impacts the course of the story and the lives of the people in it.

One of the politicians who have had a significant impact upon state politics was Matthew Gaines in Texas, his biography and impact on the state of Texas is discussed below.

The Harlem Renaissance was a turning point for many African Americans. A vast amount of literature was created specifically for this group during this era. It was a period when the African American "was in vogue" and "white thinkers and writers were devoting a considerable amount of attention" to them (Taylor 91, 90). For the first time, African Americans were being told that it was okay to be proud of who they were. This new consciousness and self-awareness was prominent in many works of literate, but several writers began exploring the darker side of this movement with literature that concentrated on the negative aspects of race relations in America. Nella Larsen's novel Passing concentrates on this

Through out grade school we as the general public are presented with an extremely small amount of information on the Civil Rights Movement, that of a sample size to give us a general idea of what truly went on through out the country and the Deep South. Our foundation on the education of this historical moment is based on are these big names such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks, who are not only known country wide but world wide. There are hundreds, thousands, and quite possibly millions of civil rights activists who are lesser know or even known at all. In Howell Raines novel My Soul Is Rested: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South, Raines expressed the oral history of these lesser-known individuals and their

Through his work, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” W.E.B. Dubois takes the reader on a journey through the typical black man’s eyes. He creates a new meaning of the African American man as he shares personal experiences and stories of the past alike. He plays upon the heart strings of every reader, no matter the race, with his literary knowledge of words, use of pathos, and stories of his past experience to pull in emotional ties to his work. The application of dualism allows the reader, who is most commonly white men, to choose a side to sympathize with, for Dubois gives the sense of double consciousness as the African and the American throughout his entire work.

A Lesson before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines (1993) is a compelling novel based in a small southern town of Louisiana during the 1940’s, 80 years after slavery is abolished. Gaines’ storytelling is highly effective due to his use of high-stake plot elements, vivid first person narration, and intriguing repetition. More specifically the plot elements of the bar fight and the execution date, the narration of the opening scene and the ongoing dialogue caused by the brawl in the bar, as well as the repetition of many thought-provoking phrases. Gaines’ use of high-stake plot elements crafts a captivating storyline that grasps the attention to any reader. An example of this is when; Grant is at a bar when he catches a few of words of the people sitting

December 18, 1865, marked the end of African-American slavery in America, where-by black people gained more freedom in the land. However, a power imbalance between the black and white is still present. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines gives readers insight to the immense abuse and hatred towards black people in the 1940s of America and furthers the reader's knowledge of black segregation and how the black people never gave up for their freedom and rights. The novel’s main plot follows Grant Wiggins, a young black man who was given the responsibility to make Jefferson, a black man who was unjustifiably accused of murder and sentenced to death by electrocution become truly a man and not a “hog” which is what the lawyer labeled Jefferson as. Throughout the novel, readers can recognize the great bond created as Grant encourages and aids Jefferson in becoming a man before his “judgment day”. Nevertheless, the novel was not only about Jefferson’s lesson before his death, but it was a lesson for many other characters in the novel. The most important lesson to learn before dying is the lesson of never give up, which can be seen through the actions of Jefferson, Miss Emma, and Grant.

The African-American authors of this time period wrote stories describing life during and after slavery. Real life issues that these authors lived through and experienced through the world around them. The excerpts that we read of Booker T. Washington’s “Up From Slavery,” told a compelling tale of his life of being born into

“Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” As we look back to racism in the south, we can accept the truth in these words given by Rosa Parks, a famous African American civil rights activist. Some people share their ideas by speaking, some by art, but the most powerful way to share an idea is with literature. To Kill a Mockingbird and “Dry September” were two of many American pieces focused on telling the truth about racism and the response of society. American literature used important characters and their ideologies to enlighten society about the many racial problems that Southern states dealt with during the 1930’s.