Preview

A Lesson Before Dying: an Unfair Treatment for Blacks Essay Example

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1111 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Lesson Before Dying: an Unfair Treatment for Blacks Essay Example
An Unfair Treatment for Blacks

Imagine being treated differently or discriminated against for having brown eyes, while everyone else has blue eyes, and even segregated or separated for being different. Do you think it would be right not to be considered human beings for not being the same as the others? Something similar happened in the United States a few decades ago. In the book of A Lesson Before Dying, by Earnest Gaines; it describes very specifically how blacks lived, and how they survived in that period of time. This book is about a black man who is sentenced to death for supposedly killing a white man and a teacher is listed to help him die with dignity. After I read the book and watched the movie, I got to a strong conclusion that the book written by Mr. Gains is astonishingly better in comparison to the movie because it is more understandable as it is written in an admirable way to persuade the readers to comprehend better the themes, and characters from every prospective in a very persuasive way.

The two main themes that are highlighted in the story are: discrimination and teaching. In the movie, racism is not well address because it doesn’t present the reality of blacks, at this period of time. In the other hand, in the novel, perfectly describes the truly emotions of the characters; their challenges and how they conquer those discriminations. Discrimination is wholly addressed in the book with a complete chapter and multiple scenarios of concrete examples: separated but equal societies, schools, neighborhoods, stores, and even morgue services. In the contrary, the movie shows a few illustrations of black characters as Grant, and Jefferson being reminded they were black, whether they were in jail or were educated. For instance, at the beginning, Grant is forced, by guiltiness from his aunt and from Miss Emma to visit Jefferson, who is sentenced to die for the death of a white man; act which he didn’t committed, but had to pay for.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The courthouse scene is the most important scene because it determines the plot for the rest of the novel. At the courthouse, a young African American male named Jefferson is sentenced to death row for crimes he has not committed. Appalled by this, Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma forces a school teacher named Grant Wiggins to care for Jefferson. Grant teaches Jefferson the life qualities of becoming a man so that he will not die a “hog”. Gaines uses in-depth characterization, styles, and themes to create his classic work.…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The two main themes in the second part of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee are Social inequality and perspective. Social inequality is ubiquitous throughout the book, showing up in interactions, thoughts, and behaviors. The Ewells are a stain in the fabric of Maycomb’s society, stealing, lying, and acting disrespectful because of lack of education and Moral development. The social inequality also sheds light on another issue, because the Ewells blamed a black man for raping their daughter, and the Ewells are eventually even caught in the act of lying about it. In the end the black man still gets crap for it, and eventually gets shot.…

    • 194 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book is told from the point of view of Grant. Although not attend Jefferson's trial, he is able to give details of it because everyone in his small community has been talking about it. Grant Wiggins, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, often criticizes his society, which feels strongly white racism . He sarcastically states that it teaches children to be strong men and women despite their environment, but it is a difficult task. Grant longs to flee and escape from society that feels never change.…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the pursuit of social justice and civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael, sought to amend a flawed system. To accomplish this task, these men entered the armory and chose to wield nonviolence as their weapon. Their goal: to combat violence with nonviolence, to fight hate with love, and to spread equality through peace. In the end they succeeded. Violence breeds violence, hate breeds hate, it is an ineffective approach and an archaic mean to resolving societies issues. Malcolm X and Carmichael were both extreme individuals but that does not make them violent. They attacked social justice and civil rights passionately and assertively, not violently. The methods used and arguments made by Martin Luther King Jr. in Letter from Birmingham Jail, Malcolm X in The Ballot or the Bullet, and Stokely Carmichael in Black Power, demonstrate the potency of nonviolence. These men address three separate issues in each of their works. King discusses social issues in regards to the nation as a whole in his letter. Malcolm X speaks to the political equality of black individuals in African American communities. Carmichael discusses white supremacy and its oppression of African American citizens in their own community. Fighting with peace, protesting with nonviolence, is the most effective measure when pursuing social justice and civil rights. I will show how Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael used passive methods and nonviolent means in conquering the issues they had at hand.…

    • 3564 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    To kill a mockingbird is an insightful novel that effectively educates its reader about the discrimination and prejudice against African Americans that was occurring at the time. Through the pity and intensity of Tom Robinson’s trial the reader learns how the rights of African Americans were very different than the white Americans at the time. To kill a mockingbird highlights the pure injustice that Tom Robinson faces, when accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Due to these accusations Tom’s fate is put on the line and his dignity is robbed from him as the whole of Maycomb assumes that Mayella Ewell is right. Immediately the town people build a sense of hate and anger towards Tom Robinson and attempt to act on their thoughts and opinions. Throughout this text one will learn how not only Negro’s were affected by this prejudice and discrimination but how innocent white Americans, such as the finch family were too.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Emmett Till Essay Example

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Emmett Till was an African American boy born on July 25, 1941 in Webb, Mississippi. When he was two years old, his family and he moved to Illinois, Chicago. He practically grew up with his mother, Mamie Carthan Till; she had separated from his father in 1942. Now, keep in mind that during this era, segregation was still present in some states although the Brown V. Board of Education ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional in 1954. However, the court ruling did not stop de facto—African Americans sitting down in the back of the bus, stepping down to the street if a white man was walking on the sidewalk, or having separate facilities such as bathrooms and restaurants.…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being black, which led to prejudice was a main theme in this entire book. There was not only a prejudice between whites and blacks, but between lighter-skinned and darker-skinned blacks. Lighter-skinned blacks tried to act as if they were higher class to the darker skinned blacks.…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racism, the belief that some races are better than other races, it destroys society and it lowers one's freedom of speech, it was present in To Kill a Mockingbird from start to end. Most of the white community had a biased opinion about black people and their community,you see that when Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to the black church because their father Atticus was away, but when they tell him about that their visit aunt Alexandra was not happy about it that there is segregation. Tom Robinson (a young innocent black man) falsely accused of raping a white girl Mayella Ewell, after him arriving at Macomb County there were some people from town that wanted to kill him before trial and later dies after the trial. Africans-American also served as slaves during that time, were given not much respect and if the white folks did not like them they would have been falsely charged and sent to jail or killed. Overall racism was active at all times in the novel and it got worse as the book proceeds and it shows how hard life was as a black person back then.…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Grant has learned to accept this place, and wants to retain the little respect he has earned by being educated. Later, when he and Miss Emma enter the prison, and Miss Emma asks the deputy how Jefferson was faring in the prison environment, he responds, “‘Quiet,’” (Gaines 69). Miss Emma, believing that he was silencing her, replies, “‘Yes, sir,’” (69). The deputy Paul realises that she misread his response although he was truly answering her question. This shows the compliancy that was expected in negroes in this time period. They could either obey, or be treated even worse than they initially were. Early on in the novel, it is shown that Grant does not teach the skills that he believes that the children should learn. He only teaches “...what the white folks around here tell me to teach…” (13) because he knows that he will be acted against if he tries to break the…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Altogether, black people, and even people associated with black people in the historical fiction book To Kill a Mockingbird face Social Injustice caused by a majority seeing them…

    • 1819 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience”(Harper Lee). In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee shows many great examples of themes. A lot of life lessons can be taken from the novel. In the 1960s in the south much discrimination against race was happening. Throughout time things have gotten progressively better. In To Kill a Mockingbird relationships for family, the perspective, and racism are all immense themes being portrayed in the novel.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The idea of reparations stems from the argument that African Americans should receive compensation for their unpaid labor, captivity, and the ongoing discriminations. Slavery did provide the means for whites to build wealth, income, and status while African Americans have continued to struggle. The oppression of segregation and the lack of rights made it impossible for African Americans to have any political and economic power to change their position. African Americans were unable to vote and use the power government to better their situation, like the Irish immigrants did in New York, until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 and that only allowed free black men to vote.…

    • 1549 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Example Of Racism Essay

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages

    As children, we were taught to treat others as we wished to be treated. We were taught to love and value one another, we were taught morals. However, as time passed, a growing hatred consumed us. We as a nation lost our empathy amongst each other and began to dehumanize our own neighbors. We as a whole began to discriminate on the basis of skin color, religion, and race. Racism is an injustice act that has been around for centuries, affecting millions of people all throughout the world, and can still be found in present day. Although I believe this to be true, there is a growing opposition that believes that racism is not an injustice but rather the reality of life. Racism is instilled in people through various influences and as a result, they have shaped…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial inequality remains a daily and general fact of life still to this day. It happens in many different forms. Some basics, housing, (People of the same race will live only in community were other people of their same race and or wealth are just for comfort) credit markets, (Minorities will always have a harder time receiving credit because of the history of lack of wealth) employment (Employees tend to hire a white person over a minority and when handed a resume, a white name on a resume [John vs Jamal] would get looked at first,) education (because minorities tend to live in poor neighborhood the school lack resources and fund, thus leaves for poor education )and the criminal justice(minorities always look guilty in…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It was the second day of second grade. I was on the school bus sitting next to my best friend when the bus suddenly halted, making a loud SCREECH. I looked out the window to see the reason why. There was a metro bus, green, long, and making me late to school. As I was staring at the bus and the line of people that seemed to stretch out for miles, one person, in particular, caught my eye. It was a woman she looked young, probably 19, but she looked foreign. Foreign to the average American, but not me. She reminded me of my aunt. She was wearing a lavish dark cloth carefully stitched with elegant embroidery that covered her whole body. I didn’t continue to think much of it as I began to play patty cake with my friend, but a few moments passed…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays