Grant's Major Frustrations

In A Lesson Before Dying by author Ernest J Gaines, Grant is the protagonist who is trying to do the right thing for his people. Grant is in a very turbulent situation, having to make Jefferson into a “man” by the time he is executed. This is the central plot of the story, but not the main themes and ideas of it. Grant is struggling to help Jefferson because he sees generations of injustice through him. “’We got our first load of wood last week,’ [Grant] told him. ‘Nothing changes,’ he said.” (Gaines, 53). The response Grant’s teacher gives him has a deeper meaning: he as Grants’ teacher failed to change the injustice and racism and Grant is in the same situation. “Nothing changes”, but Grant does not give up for the sake of Jefferson, his people, and most importantly, himself. At one point, Grant actually reveals that “it is too heavy a burden because of all the others who have run away and left their burdens behind. So, he,

Ulysses S. Grant       On April 27, 1822 a boy was born to Jesse Root Grant and Hannah Simpson Grant in the small town of Point Pleasant, Ohio. They named their son Hiram Ulysses Grant. In 1823 the family moved to a town nearby called Georgetown, Ohio, where Ulysses’ father owned a tannery and some farmland. Grant had two brothers and three sisters born in Georgetown.

Ulysses S. Grant had a big part in the Civil War because he was the leader of the Union’s army and soon would become president. Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April 27, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio. His named was soon changed because of a writing error on his first day at the United States Military Academy. He was the commander and chief of the Union and lead the army against the confederacy. He was chosen by Lincoln of all his victories like the battles at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga.

The election of Ulysses S. Grant to President in 1868, was out of a need to for Radical Republicans to have a like-minded president in office unlike that of President Johnson who had been impeached, but not fired by Congress. This was a political power play that the Republicans needed to maintain control and to continue their version of Reconstruction upon the South. During his presidency his ability to wage war and place the correct people in charge did not transition well into the civilian role as President. President Grant’s terms would be plagued by indecision that nearly destroyed the nation’s economy, took advantage of the spoils of his position, and failed to maintain a platform which to politically stand on. President Grant may have been an excellent military General, but he was unable to let go the military man that he was and

Grant is constantly having an eternal battle within himself on whether or not he is willing to take action against the white despotism. When Jefferson 's case is first brought up to Grant by Miss Emma and his aunt, he responds by saying, “Yes, I’m the teacher...And I teach what 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 ch 2). His whole education has revolved around the white system and what they want him to know and do. He feels that because he has been taught by the white-American

Grant is an educated man he is charge of a school. Grant is faithful to his girlfriend and he is very insecure about changing Jefferson mind because he thinks he is a hog. Grant also has teach school at a church. A lesson before dying is really a lesson tough because Grant goes to teach Jefferson how to be a man before he die.

Ulysses Grant never gave up his grit during the Revolutionary war. He was shot and attached but he never stopped trying. Even after the country rebelled he constantly fought for the rights of what he believed. Those important thoughts were always including african americans being treated like true US citizens. Money was scarce after the war, that didn’t stop him. He continued to work to rebuild the country from the devastation and destruction of the war. Ulysses continued to be a leader after the assassination of the president by guiding americans through his own presidency. At West Point, he had to encounter hardships and pain those were things that just added to his character. But of course, there were people who didn’t respect him although

Imagine a courtroom filled with racist white men except for a solitary black man: a spot of black in an ocean of white. In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, such was the trial of Jefferson, a black man falsely accused of murder and sentenced to death. Throughout his life, Jefferson had believed that he was not destined for greatness, that he would live out his life in the sugarcane fields and die in a pauper’s grave. This was the direction his life was going before Grant started to educate him. As shown by his diary entries, Jefferson becomes a truly dignified man throughout his interaction with Grant, which is important because knowing one’s potential impact on the world fosters dignity.

This quote is important because it allows me to understand how Grant endeavors with teaching Jefferson a major life lesson before he dies. He continues to struggle with his decision to stay in the south and not live a life he believes he deserves. Just like any other man, he struggles with how one is supposed to live. Despite being a teacher, he doesn't know how to teach this lesson to a man in a similar situation as his; a man who has not lived, or knows how.

In the novel A Lesson before Dying readers see a progressive change in the protagonist Grant Wiggins. His change is mostly done by the community and environment Grant lives in. This change is not a one way street Grant also has a major impact on his community not just being a teacher though but also as a son and fiance. Grants effect as an educated black man makes the Bayonne quarter very dependent on him as well as makes him dependent on the quarter. They rely on him for things that are obvious and important like teaching their children. They need him for the less obvious but equally important role of educating Jefferson which if successful would really prove something about the community to their white counterparts. Most important perhaps is that Grant needs people in the community like Emma, Vivian and especially Tante Lou who really helps Grant see how much of an impact he makes on peoples lives.

As a child, Grant had a teacher named Matthew Antoine. Matthew Antoine is a teacher that discourages and verbally abuses his students. He does not care for his students like Grant or Vivian do. When he speaks to his students, he says, “ ‘Just go on and be the nigger you were born to be, but forget about life’... ‘It doesn’t matter anymore,’ he said. ‘Just do the best you can. But it won’t matter.’” (Gaines 65-66). Matthew speaks to his students as if they are unimportant. He does not care if they end up doing nothing with their lives. Matthew is a bad influence on Grant and he encourages him to run away from the life he will soon be living. Matthew tells Grant that the only thing an educated black man can do is teach. He also tells Grant that the only reason he did not run away is to feel superior to the black people (because he is mulatto). Grant listened to Matthew Antoine and was influenced by

As a teacher, Grant was a bitter person. He was bitter because he could only see the ignorant side of the situation. This was because Grant in the beginning refuses to see the optimistic side of what could happen for the better, but instead only views the side that there was no way in hoping for the better. This was demonstrated when Grant explained to the students that he was only a teacher he couldn’t change an adult into becoming a ‘man’ and that had been why he was teaching the students how to become a man so that they wouldn’t have to go through what Jefferson was going through (Gaines 39).

Whenever Miss Emma and Tante Lou, Grants aunt, first asked Grant to go and visit Jefferson he didn’t want to and he tried his hardest to find a way to get out of going to talk to him. They wanted Grant, the African-American teacher to go and help prove that Jefferson wasn’t a “hog” like he was called in court. This shows that whenever people ask you to do things that seem unimportant to you and uninteresting, they can turn out for the better in the end. This also shows that it’s not always a bad thing to put other before yourself and try to change someone else’s life, especially whenever you know that their life isn’t going to last very much longer. Grant wanted to stop going to visit Jefferson after he went a few time and didn’t want to have any part in dealing with Jefferson, because he acted like he didn’t want the help. After much convincing from Tante Lou and Vivian encouraging him to continue he decided to keep visiting Jefferson. After a few more times, Jefferson came around and started talking and getting along with Grant. This shows that perseverance can help you get through anything even if it’s something that you don’t want to do. This also shows that some people need a little more work and Jefferson was upset and he wasn’t going to get over everything and do everything that his visitors wanted him

In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, the main character, Grant, is trying to console Jefferson. Jefferson has just been framed for a murder he did not commit, and many believe it is because he is black. Two white men went into a liquor store, already drunk, and attempted to shoot the owner who, in turn, shot back. In the end of the firefight, Jefferson was the only man standing. When at the trial to convince the jury Jefferson did not actually shoot the people, his attorney realizes his attempts at proving Jefferson’s innocence were futile, and says, “What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog

Although Grant had graduated College and is known as the educated man in town, he still feels very inferior to the whites. His knowledge meant nothing to any one of them. As a teacher Grant fears for the future of his students, because he feels like any wrong-doing of theirs will impact others perspectives on what he taught them. "Exactly what I'm trying to do here with you now: to make you responsible young men and young ladies. But you, you prefer to play with bugs. You refuse to study your arithmetic, and you prefer writing slanted sentences instead of straight ones. Does that make any sense?" (5.47) the following statement also signifies that Grant became harsh with his students, not because it was done from cruelty but because he felt as if his people had been laughed at enough: "You were supposed to say, 'You were looking out the window, Mr. Wiggins,' not 'you was looking out the window, Mr. Wiggins.' Get back in that corner and face the wall and stay there."