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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3 page paper discusses the themes and characterization in E.J. Gaines' book, A lesson before Dying. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MBgaines.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
to embrace a changing climate in the United States toward the black man in the 1940s. This books setting and sense of place is set amid a time of great
turmoil and uncertainty as African Americans moved in great numbers out of the South, effectively separating them from their roots and requiring them to become as white as possible. A
Lesson Before Dying is as much a novel about self discovery as it is about racism, historical events, and Jim Crow. The novels first
complicating problem is that Grant, the protagonist, must watch as his friend, Jefferson is tried, convicted and imprisoned unjustly. As a teacher he understand the power that he has to
move the next generation of African Americans toward a better life, but, the reader soon sees, this will be difficult for him to achieve because he is so bitter and
angry. His pessimism in the first third of the novel sets the tone and mood of the novel and it is one of the major hurdles and lessons that he
will have to learn. Grants turning point in his mindset and perspectives come with his realization that his pessimism is part of the problem and
not part of the solution. He begins to understand that change does not happen in one fell swoop, but that it is a slow process, much like erosion. Little by
little smaller victories and battles one begin to add up. In the end, the character comes full circle as he is able to champion and make a difference in his
community and in the lives of his students. And, yet, Jefferson still dies. This is shocking to the reader and twangs a deep sense of
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