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A Lesson Before Dying

Ernest J. Gaines

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Course Hero. "A Lesson Before Dying Study Guide." Course Hero. 2 Oct. 2017. Web. 31 May 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Lesson-Before-Dying/>.

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Course Hero. (2017, October 2). A Lesson Before Dying Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved May 31, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Lesson-Before-Dying/

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Course Hero. "A Lesson Before Dying Study Guide." October 2, 2017. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Lesson-Before-Dying/.

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Course Hero, "A Lesson Before Dying Study Guide," October 2, 2017, accessed May 31, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Lesson-Before-Dying/.

A Lesson Before Dying | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Ernest J. Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

a-lesson-before-dying-ernest-gainesGrant Wiggins, Chapter 24want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be.Sources: Academy of Achievement, ErnestJGainesAward.org, Writing A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines Copyright © 2017 Course Hero, Inc.HogStands for the dehumanizing effect of racismNotebookRepresents how Jefferson reclaims his humanityRadioSymbolizes Jefferson’s need for something of his ownSymbolsJefferson’s godmother; insists that Jefferson learn he is a man before he diesMiss EmmaUneducated minister; uses the power of faith to strengthen his communityReverend Mose AmbroseSpiritually conflicted teacher; saves himself by helping Jefferson face deathGrant WigginsUneducated young man; elevates himself by facing his unjust death with dignityJeffersonMain CharactersFrustrated with the absence of literature that spoke to his own rural, southern, African American experience, Gaines started writing in his teens. His 1971 novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is considered a classic, and A Lesson Before Dying won the 1994 National Book Critics Circle Award.ERNEST J. GAINESBORN 1933AuthorTaking responsibility causes growth, and personal growth benefits the community.Responsibility to the CommunityFaith liberates the mind and gives people a chance at other types of freedom.Power of FaithGrowth can happen no matter how adverse or hopeless circumstances may seem.Personal GrowthIn the Jim Crow South, young, black Jefferson sits on death row. Grant Wiggins, a frustrated black teacher, is sent by Jefferson’s godmother to teach Jefferson that he’s a man, not the hog his white attorney claimed. Their roles soon reverse, and Jefferson becomes the hero Grant needs.The Making of an Unlikely HeroTHEMESEnglishOriginal Language1993Year PublishedErnest J. GainesAuthorA Lesson Before DyingHistorical FictionNovel
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