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A Lesson Before Dying Unit
Transcript of A Lesson Before Dying Unit
accused of murder
lower economic status
History and Background
*Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois
-What are their philosophies?
-How did they impact society at the time?
A Lesson Before Dying: The Film
*Who learned the lesson in the story? Justify your answer.
*What was the overall plot of the film? What was the climax of the movie?
*What types of prejudice existed in the movie? give examples.
*What is segregation? How did it affect the story?
*What are the levels of respect in the story?
*Which characters were round? which were flat?
Terms from Film
Major Events in Film
About the Author
Ernest J. Gaines
How can I teach him to die like a man, when I don't know how one should live?
Seems a man about to die needs a preacher, not a teacher.
He needs you both, he just don't know it yet.
A Lesson Before Dying Unit
*Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X
-What impact did they have on the Civil Rights movement?
-Who do you think influenced them?
*What were the social issues that affected society and the characters in the movie?
About the Book and Movie
The novel was published in 1993.
Jefferson was blamed for a crime that he didn't commit. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Grant is told to go to the jail and teach Jefferson how to be a man so that he can die like a man and not a hog. Grant doesn't know how to teach him to be a man because he doesn't know how to be one.
"Who really learns the lesson in A Lesson Before Dying?"
The Rising Action
The Falling Action
The movie was released for television audiences in 1999.
Jefferson dies an admirable death and Grant Wiggins learns to accept his own responsibilities as a teacher in the black community. He also realizes that running away from your troubles isn't the answer
Grant agrees to help Jefferson and visits him regularly. Grant progresses slowly at first, as Jefferson refuses to emerge from his shell of anger and resentment.
Grant reaches a point of where he is (briefly) converted to Jefferson as a Savior-type figure and understands the importance of Jefferson’s contribution.
Grant cannot bear to attend Jefferson's execution. He remains at his schoolhouse, but hears from Paul, the white deputy, that Jefferson did, in fact, die with pride and courage.
BIRTH DATE: January 15, 1933 (Age: 80)
EDUCATION: San Francisco State University, Standford University
PLACE OF BIRTH: Oscar, Louisiana
OCCUPATION: Educator, Author
In addition to The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a fictional personal history spanning the period from the Civil War to the civil rights movement, his novels include Catherine Carmier, Of Love and Dust, In My Father's House, and A Gathering of Old Men. In 1994 he received the National Book Critics Circle Award for A Lesson Before Dying.
Point of View/ Voice
•“I be on my knees”
•“Living the good life”
•“Maybe too smart for your own good”
• Grant Wiggins
• Miss Emma
• Tante Lou
• Henri Pichot
• Sam Guidry (Sheriff)
• Mrs. Guidry
• Vivian Baptiste
• Jefferson’s Lawyer
• Mr. Grope
• Reverend Ambrose