Grant's Major Frustrations

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

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.

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

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

During the mid 1960s Grant was determined to modify its strategy and align itself in a different section of the market. One aspect of this strategy was to rapidly expand into suburban shopping centers and on the other hand, Grant also wanted to modify its product line (product mix). This rapid expansion required Grant to increase their physical store space to accommodate new items in their existing stores, in addition to an overall change in product mix (including larger items such as furniture and appliances). Not only did they have to increase their existing store space, they also needed to sequester new properties (which they did via long-term lease agreements) in suburban areas in order

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.

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).

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.

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.

For the majority of the novel, Grant denies that he can help Jefferson in any way at all. When his aunt and Miss Emma request that Grant go talk to Jefferson to teach him that he is a man, Grant explains, "It is only a matter of weeks, maybe a couple of months – but he's already dead…All I can do is try to keep the others from ending up like this…There's nothing I can do anymore, nothing any of us can do anymore" (14). Before receiving extreme pressure from his aunt to comply, Grant goes so far as to refuse to even attempt to help Jefferson. With this attitude that "There's nothing [he] can do anymore," Grant can, in fact, do nothing. Even though Grant correctly recognizes the fact that Jefferson will die in a short while, he fails to acknowledge the possibility of working through the injustices to make a difference. Grant, himself, feels stuck in his environment – he is "just running in place" there – yet he feels a sort of responsibility for his people and an attraction to the town, and cannot bring himself to leave (15). In order to "try to keep the others from ending up like" Jefferson, Grant wants to help his students, but he fails to respect them (14). If Grant has a bad day, he takes out his anger on his students, slapping them on the back of the head for playing with an insect, or sending them to the corner for an hour

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

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.

In addition,Grants attitude begins to change after a few visit at the the cell with jefferson. Jefferson opened up to Grant about how he never had owned a radio or ate a bowl of ice cream in his life. Grant stated “I saw a slight smile come to his face, and it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all”. This action was a turning point for Grant. Jefferson’s thoughts revived Grants emotions and helped him see the actual person he was. Grant learned how to become educated and think like a man, rather than being negative all the time. He figured out that he wasn’t just accomplishing a good for Jefferson, but teaching his students that as an African American, you shouldn’t allow the white take control nor advantage of you.

Through teaching Jefferson, Grant realizes that he had falsely attributed self-worth to things such as education and that there was much more to a human than his original understanding and he recognizes this when he says “My eyes were closed before this moment, Jefferson. My eyes have been closed all my life.” (Gaines, 2002, p. 225”). Indeed it was Jefferson that taught him that redemption belongs to everyone and that his duty to his community is worth much more than he initially ascribed to it. It is clear that Grant learnt from Jefferson as much as Jefferson learnt from Grant.