What had brought it there? There was no odor that I could detect to have attracted it. I watched it closely, the way it opened its wings and closed them, the way it opened its wings again, fluttered, closed its wings for a second or two, then opened them again and flew away. I watched it fly over the ditch and down into the quarter, I watched it until I could not see it anymore. But tell them he was the bravest man in that room today. Tell them so.
A Lesson Before Dying. Plot Summary. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.
The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of every Shakespeare play. Sign Up. Already have an account? Sign in. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this LitChart! Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? Themes All Themes. Symbols All Symbols. Theme Wheel. Everything you need for every book you read. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive.
As Grant spends more time with Jefferson, he begins to see signs that his new student can change; this inspires him and makes him feel validated as a teacher. His beautiful girlfriend, Vivian Baptiste , is also instrumental in encouraging him to spend more time with Jefferson and see the signs that Jefferson is growing braver and stronger. He continues to question the virtues of Christianity, but nonetheless respects religion for its ability to inspire hope in its believers.
For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:. Chapter 2 Quotes. Related Themes: Racism. Page Number and Citation : 13 Cite this Quote. Explanation and Analysis:.
Related Themes: Women and Femininity. Chapter 4 Quotes. Related Characters: Grant Wiggins speaker , Jefferson. Related Themes: Education. Page Number and Citation : 31 Cite this Quote. Chapter 6 Quotes. Related Symbols: Food and Meals. Page Number and Citation : 45 Cite this Quote. Chapter 7 Quotes. Related Characters: Grant Wiggins speaker , Dr. Joseph Morgan. Page Number and Citation : 56 Cite this Quote.
Chapter 8 Quotes. Page Number and Citation : 62 Cite this Quote. Page Number and Citation : 66 Cite this Quote. Chapter 10 Quotes. Page Number and Citation : 79 Cite this Quote.
Chapter 13 Quotes. Related Themes: Religion, Cynicism, and Hope. Page Number and Citation : Cite this Quote. Chapter 17 Quotes. Chapter 18 Quotes. Chapter 19 Quotes. Related Characters: Grant Wiggins speaker. Chapter 21 Quotes. Chapter 23 Quotes. Related Characters: Grant Wiggins speaker , Jefferson speaker.
Chapter 24 Quotes. Chapter 25 Quotes. Chapter 26 Quotes. Chapter 27 Quotes. Chapter 31 Quotes. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Chapter 2. The narrator, who Lou addresses as Grant , goes to the kitchen to talk to Miss Emma. Grant tells Miss Emma that he only knows how to teach what white people have taught Chapter 3.
She tells them that Henri Pichot arrives in the kitchen, followed by Louis Rougon; both men are white, Grant notes. Pichot is in his mid-sixties, carries a drink, and wears a grey suit with Chapter 4. He drops off Emma at her house, As Grant drives, he thinks about Bayonne. It is a town of 6, people, about 3, of Grant arrives at the Rainbow Club, and sees Joe Claiborne, who owns it and runs the Baptiste enters the Rainbow Club.
She is tall, well-dressed, and very beautiful—and she knows it. Grant greets her with a kiss and says he loves her. Vivian asks why he had Grant and Vivian dance, slowly, and Grant tells Vivian that Jefferson has been sentenced to death, Chapter 5. Grant does not escape from his problems forever. As he receives pressure from his aunt to follow her wishes, Grant reluctantly begins to meet with Jefferson, his constantly pessimistic attitude prevents him from perceiving the changes that begin to take place in Jefferson.
Funny books? He looked at me with an inner calmness now. Was it the ice cream? In his next visit with Jefferson, Grant brings some pecans and other nuts the school children gathered together for him. I want you to ask me questions. I wanted to throw my arms around him and hug him. I wanted to hug the first person I came to. I felt like someone who had just found religion. I felt like crying with joy. Grant shows more emotion here than he has anywhere else in the novel — he equates his joy with someone who has just found religion.
Interestingly, Grant left religion behind at college when his studies became more important than it. Perhaps this joy Grant finds fills the void left by his loss of religion.
Clearly Grant notices a change in Jefferson — he begins to see that he can do something to help him — but Grant still has more changes to undergo. At this point, though Grant, himself, has clearly changed drastically, he still attempts to hide from his problems. While Antoine feels superior because of his lighter skin color, Grant feels superior because of his education, which, he thinks, puts him in a higher social class.
Jefferson exemplifies the young black male who has internalized into self-hatred the hatred shown him by white racists.
Because of his court-appointed attorney's racist remark, he sees himself as a beast — not worthy of the dignity and respect due all human beings. His lack of self-worth and self-esteem is a major factor in his apathy and defeatist attitude.
In order to reach him, Grant must first break through the barrier of his self-hate. In effect, Jefferson feels that he was not condemned to die like a man, but to be destroyed like a beast.
Worse, he believes that he is no better than a dumb animal and that he deserves to die, since he sees his life as worthless. When he thanks Grant for the pecans, apologizes for his obscene comments regarding Vivian, offers Grant a sweet potato, and begins to write in his journal, he becomes transformed.
Also note that he writes in his diary, "Man walks on two feet; pigs on four" after Grant has convinced him that the racial myth stating that his life is worthless is absolutely wrong: Jefferson's life does have meaning.
Note that Jefferson is not illiterate; he is merely uneducated. Consequently, he knows wrong from right. Jefferson has worked hard all his life. He is not the stereotypical lazy, shiftless Negro.
He has grown up without a male role model, but he has been raised with love by his godmother, Miss Emma. He was raised by Miss Emma and Mr. Oscar, his godparents. Vivian is losing her patience with Grant, but she rescues him and brings him to her house. She feels angry with him for fighting, but she nurses his wounds and offers to let him stay overnight. In one of their last conversations, Jefferson asks Grant if he believes in God, and Grant answers him.
All along, Grant has been trying to help Jefferson care about his godmother, Miss Emma, and her desires. For Grant, God is love, compassion, and empathy, not kneeling and baptism and preaching the Bible. At this moment, Jefferson is experiencing an epiphany, but not the kind that Reverend Ambrose wants. Yet Jefferson has taught Grant about dignity and self-worth, about the potential for a human to change, and what salvation really means.
Grant claims that Jefferson has become a braver man than he. Grant says he would not have been able to stand and face the execution as a prisoner. He was not even able to attend as a witness. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook.
Themes Motifs Symbols. Mini Essays Suggested Essay Topics. Suggestions for Further Reading Ernest J. Quotes Grant Wiggins Quotes.
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