Steve Gaines

Predisposition before Settling In In an 1973 interview conducted by Forrest Ingraham and Barbara Steinberg, Ernest J. Gaines states that although he is not devoutly religious, it is his belief that “for you to survive, you must have something greater than what you are, whether it’s religion or communism, or capitalism or something else, but it must be something above what you are” (Gaines and Lowe 52). When applied to the narrator of his subsequent work, A Lesson Before Dying, it would seem that this

about a teacher trying to teach a man named Jefferson that he is a man, not a hog, before he is executed. • It was important for Jefferson’s caretaker, Miss Emma, and the entire black community that he dies as a man- proud and brave. Author- Ernest J. Gaines • Born in 1933 in Oscar, Louisiana • Author and educator • Wrote several books- Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman discusses period from the Civil War to the civil rights movement • 1994- National Book Critics Circle Award for A Lesson Before Dying

Earnest J. Gaines Author 's Date of Birth: January 15, 1933 Author 's Date of Death (If still alive, then not applicable): N/A What genre of literature did this author typically write: Fictional short stories and Novels Name the most noted or famous literary work this author is known for: “A gathering of old men” (1983) When was this work published? 1983 Tell why this particular work was so important or significant for this author and what made this work his/her most famous?  Gaines is best known

In past years, as well as, in the twenty-first century, African Americans are being oppressed and judged based on the color of their skin. In, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, this is the primary conflict that plagues Jefferson’s as well as Grant’s everyday life. By pleading guilty to a murder that he did not commit, Jefferson has to choose to die just as he is, a hog in the white’s eyes, or die a man. On the other hand, Grant, who is his teacher, is faced with being looked down upon by

time period there was an abundance of racial segregation between african american people and a strong bias towards white people. This shouldn’t be an excuse or reason of why there was very little dignity throughout the novel. Furthermore, Ernest J. Gaines gives us plenty of examples of how these characters showed this lack of dignity among themselves and others. Grant Wiggins, a school teacher, is the most educated man in the community. He 's been to the university and came back home to teach at

After the Civil War ended, many blacks and whites, especially in the South, continued living as if nothing had changed with regards to the oppression and poor treatment of African Americans. Narrator Grant Wiggins, of Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying, possesses a similar attitude toward race relations. Through his experiences with a young man wrongly accused of murder, Grant transforms from a pessimistic, hopeless, and insensitive man into a more selfless and compassionate human being who

Iconic Contemporary Themes Displayed: Ernest J. Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying "I was not there, yet I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not hear the verdict, because I knew all the time what it would be..." (3). Ernest J. Gaines begins his contemporary masterpiece with a captivating and explosive first paragraph. Immediately capturing the reader's attention, the fast paced novel takes us on a voyage of thematic discovery. Through the voice of Grant Wiggins, a school teacher

In the world we live in today, religion is an extremely vibrant factor, not only in the environment surrounding us but with the people we interact with as well. In Ernest J. Gaines' novel, A Lesson Before Dying, it is easy to see how religion impacts the community. In a small community such as this novel depicts, religion is the driving force behind nearly every decision made in the story and can be justified solely on the individual's values. It is interesting to view religion as the most

In Ernest J. Gaines novel A Lesson Before Dying, a young African-American, Jefferson, is caught in the middle of a liquor shootout, and as the only survivor is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. During Jefferson’s trial, his attorney calls him a hog in an effort to persuade the jury that he could not have possibly planned a crime like this. Having heard this, Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma, calls on the local school teacher, Grant Wiggins, to visit Jefferson in prison and help prove to

The fictional town of Bayonne in A Lesson Before Dying is based on a plantation where the author Ernest J. Gaines was born. This novel took place in the late 1940s a time when radical discrimination was a major problem, and the Jim Crow laws validated segregation and discrimination. Although the major personalities are males, there are three female characters that influence the males to solve the difficulties in their life they would usually ignore. Each female character persuades and motivates Jefferson