A Lesson Before Dying
Title: A lesson before dying | Author: Ernest J. Gaines | Quote from the novel | My thoughts | Author’s message about society and/or human nature: “Then I began to listen, to listen closely to how they talked about their heroes, how they talked about the dead and about how great the dead had once been. I heard it everywhere.” (Gaines 90). | It is our human nature to constantly want the next best thing. To look up to someone or something. We admire anything that we feel is better than ourselves. It is in our human nature to strive to be more like the people we most respect. | Authors Style: “She was right; I was not happy. I had heard the same carols all my life, seen the same little play, with the same mistakes in grammar. The minister had offered the same prayers as always, Christmas or Sunday. The same people wore the same old clothes and sat in the same places. Next year it would be the same and the year after that, the same again.” (Gaines 151). | The Christmas program symbolizes how unhappy the main character is with his life because it reminds him he isn’t moving forward. He seems to feel like he isn’t getting any farther in life. Each year it’s the same ole show with the same costumes, characters, and prayers. He questions if he is making a difference as a teacher. Will his life always be the same? Never moving further. While everyone around him enjoys their time eating, and talking. Grant stands alone and unhappy. | Character: Miss Emma“He faced the gray concrete wall and didn’t answer her. “Oh Lord Jesus,” she cried. “Oh Lord Jesus, stand by, stand by.”” (Gaines 74). | This statement proves how much she loves her godson. That she would do almost anything to make him happy. Miss Emma is incredibly humble and wants nothing more than to make Jefferson see his worth. She demonstrates her strength and faith in the Lord to help her godson. | Personal connection/ most memorable: Personal connection to Vivian “”I want you to go up there,” Vivian