This is a blog for students in Mr. Agostino's period 3 and 6 English 11 classes to use as a forum for meaningful discussion about Ernest J. Gaines's novel A Lesson Before Dying.
Why do you think Miss Emma wants Grant to talk to Jefferson so badly when she is the one who cares about him so much? Why do you think she doesn't go herself?
NOTE TO RESPONDERS: IF YOU DO NOT CITE PAGE NUMBERS OR PROVIDE SPECIFIC DETAILS FROM THE READING, YOU ARE NOT DOING YOUR JOB. YOUR GRADE FOR THESE ENTRIES WILL REFLECT YOUR FAILURE TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
1)I think that Miss Emma wants Grant to talk to Jefferson because she might know that as a kid Grant was told that he was going to end up dead because of violence and this probably maid Grant think how meaningless his life was was.Jefferson is feeling the same way so having someone that had dealt with the feeling of know that everything you do is meaningless. 2)Yes,he would have more faith in himself because once he see's that no one is judging him and all they want to do is help he might just change his mind about believing that his life is meaningless.Then he would live his last days as a man.
1)why do you thing the author decided to pick the day after Easter. 2)Do you think that Jefferson has become a man yet or does he need more time to learn.
1)I think he related it to Easter becuase it relates to jesus.Thought this whole book there is religus connections. He gave him one last day to pray witch relates to people going to church 2) I think Jefferson is a man. He just is depressed becuase of his situaton. When Mrs.Emma came to visit him in jail he was not really talking to her saying that "it dont matter" becuase he was going to die anyway and also unfairly. He is a man he just needs to relize it.
1.) The author decided to pick the day after Easter because he wanted to symbolize that it was close to Jefferson's execution for something he didn't do and Easter was when Jesus was nailed to a cross for doing what he believed it.On page 139 Jefferson was asking Grant about if Christmas was when Jesus died or when he was born. They both knew that Jefferson was going to die soon if he didn't do anything to stop it.
2.) I think Jefferson still needs time to learn because he doesn't have confidence in himself to even believe that he isn't what everyone says he is. He still calls himself a hog and doesn't learn anything from Grant's visits. If he were a man he would have learned that everyone believes that he isn't a hog and that he should die with dignity.
Summary: Tino said that Miss Emma thinks that Grant can relate more to what Jefferson is feeling and would be able to help him better than she can.He also said that he thinks Jefferson would have more faith if people did too because then he would see that no one would judge him and he could live his last days as a man
I think that that that chapters 21-23 were very reveling and allowed the reader to see who Jefferson really was as a person because in the beginning of the book Jefferson seems like and average African American at the time that got in a jam and screwed up. After these chapters you can see that Jefferson is an individual that wants to talk and be with everyone.He most likely didn't care to start off because he knew he was going to die and their was nothing anyone could do to help him.Knowing that no one can help him he has moved on from being stubborn and reluctant to talk he now realized that everyone just wants him to be happy and enjoy his last days alive. SUMMARY- Miss Emma is not doing to well and she is in the bed sleeping.Grant visits Jefferson and he begins to talk and they have a good time conversing about things. Grant shows that he really dose care about Jefferson because he wants to get him a radio and he dose which in turn makes Jefferson trust him more.The bad thing were that reverend Ambrose did not approve of it and thought that it was a sin box and he fights with Grant about it.
1.)I think that grant tells him this because On page 193 Grant said that he is no "Hero" and that he will never be one but Jefferson can.Jefferson is able to go farther then anyone has gone before.Then he goes on to say that he is a drifting peace of wood and he need Jefferson to help him find his path and stop "Drifting".
2.)Pages 199-201/Grant was probably mad that the two mulatto's were talking about Jefferson, a man that can't defend himself for a crime he did not commit and that they had no right to insult him like he was not even a human.
1.) You mean Grant? I think Grant got angry at Vivan because he loves her, and thinks that when Vivan leaves her husband, she will go to him. Since Vivan asked Grant what love is, that makes Grant question wether or not she actually loves him or belives that he loves her more than just in a sexual way. On page 210 he says that he loves her and said "In bed for a few moments isn't enough." This means that she just thinks she uses her in a sexual way but he actually loves her.
2.) I think that if Grant were to compromise with Reverend Ambrose and help Jefferson have more faith in God, it might make him have more faith in himself. Jefferson won't just listen to Reverend Ambrose because he knows that Reverend Ambrose doesn't actually like him. Grant refuses to tell Jefferson that because he doesn't have faith in God and he doesn't want to lie to Jefferson saying that he has faith.
1) i Think grant is trying to relate to jeffreson in every way possible. He is showing grant there similaritys saying hey im man even though hogs dont pray i dont either. He is trying to give jefferson reasons and just small things to show him that hey the world is a messed up place, and that its not just him that feels down about his situation it is everyone around him.
2)I have always thought be yourself but i think to make miss emma happy he should change becuase during the whole story it has shown that she has been hurting just as much as she has and it is deffintly eating her away inside. for the reverend i think not so much becuase he isnt as big as a part in jeffersons life as he makes it seem.
1) I believe that Grant is trying to be as honest and truthful to Jefferson as possible so he would not think that grant was hiding anything from him in any way.Also this would be a great way to connect to Jefferson and get even closer as friends.
2)There is always room for change in a person and it maybe change for good or bad but in this situation i believe Grant should do what ever would make Miss Emma happy because she has always been there for him now its his turn to be there for Miss Emma
1.) I think Grant knows he means a lot to Jefferson but I don't think he knows exactly how much he has impacted Jefferson before he gets killed. Jefferson cries a lot when Grant comes to meet him and he also writes about how much he changes since meeting with Grant.
2.) This chapter can show one of the main themes. It shows hope, that Jefferson has in himself to die with dignity. He now thinks more highly of himself than he did before Grant started talking to him. It can also show that Grant impacted Jefferson a lot more than he was planning on. He made Jefferson think a lot more about the good things before he dies, and how hard he tries to express himself more. On page 228 it shows that Jefferson is trying more because Grant tells him he can only give him a B on what he has written because he hasn't gone deep enough yet.
1) I think in the begging of the novel grant thought he ment nothing to jefferson and as time went by he stood strong with his belive but twords the end you could tell that grant knew even if he did not make it so clear but what jefferson wrote on chapter 29 makes it obv. that he cares and grant knows.
2) This chapter sum's up the book almost but deffintly tells te story in a whole new short way from the view of the victem in the story witch made me think of the book as a whole much diffrently. but the capter shows change in feelings thought the book and the main theme i think is Belive in yourself.
1.) I think they were talking about the chair coming out of the truck because it is probably the chair that they are going to execute Jefferson in. I also think they were describing the chair because it showed that the execution was actually going to happen and the town was going to hear about it soon.
2.) I think Jefferson wants Paul to be at his execution because he actually likes Paul. He feels comfortable around Paul and that will make him relax and act like a man then act like a hog, like everyone is expecting him to. I think he wants people that mean a lot to him there like Miss Emma,Grant,Nanan and Taunt Lou.
Summary: 1.) Grant is trying to relate to Jefferson and trying to get him to realize that he isn't a hog because he doesn't pray. It can also help them become closer friends and have Jefferson know that Grant isn't hiding anything from him.
2.)Jefferson should do whatever Miss Emma wants because she has always been there for him. He should be himself but also make Miss Emma happy. Jefferson shouldn't change for Reverend Ambrose though because he isn't a major part of his life.
1) I think that they were doing this to illustrate that this is the end and most important moment in his life and the book because the chair could be represented as judgment
2)Paul was one of his best friend and he really was happy that even in a horrible place like jail he w2as able to find a man that would help him get threw it and become a man.
Why do you think Miss Emma wants Grant to talk to Jefferson so badly when she is the one who cares about him so much? Why do you think she doesn't go herself?
ReplyDeleteWould Jefferson have more faith in himself if Grant and the other people around him had a positive attitude when talking to him?
ReplyDeleteNOTE TO RESPONDERS: IF YOU DO NOT CITE PAGE NUMBERS OR PROVIDE SPECIFIC DETAILS FROM THE READING, YOU ARE NOT DOING YOUR JOB. YOUR GRADE FOR THESE ENTRIES WILL REFLECT YOUR FAILURE TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
ReplyDelete1)I think that Miss Emma wants Grant to talk
ReplyDeleteto Jefferson because she might know that as a kid Grant was told that he was going to end up dead because of violence and this probably maid Grant think how meaningless his life was was.Jefferson is feeling the same way so having someone that had dealt with the feeling of know that everything you do is meaningless. 2)Yes,he would have more faith in himself because once he see's that no one is judging him and all they want to do is help he might just change his mind about believing that his life is meaningless.Then he would live his last days as a man.
Mike: You are the next facilitator. Where are your questions?
ReplyDelete1)why do you thing the author decided to pick the day after Easter. 2)Do you think that Jefferson has become a man yet or does he need more time to learn.
ReplyDelete1)I think he related it to Easter becuase it relates to jesus.Thought this whole book there is religus connections. He gave him one last day to pray witch relates to people going to church
ReplyDelete2) I think Jefferson is a man. He just is depressed becuase of his situaton. When Mrs.Emma came to visit him in jail he was not really talking to her saying that "it dont matter" becuase he was going to die anyway and also unfairly. He is a man he just needs to relize it.
1.) The author decided to pick the day after Easter because he wanted to symbolize that it was close to Jefferson's execution for something he didn't do and Easter was when Jesus was nailed to a cross for doing what he believed it.On page 139 Jefferson was asking Grant about if Christmas was when Jesus died or when he was born. They both knew that Jefferson was going to die soon if he didn't do anything to stop it.
ReplyDelete2.) I think Jefferson still needs time to learn because he doesn't have confidence in himself to even believe that he isn't what everyone says he is. He still calls himself a hog and doesn't learn anything from Grant's visits. If he were a man he would have learned that everyone believes that he isn't a hog and that he should die with dignity.
Summary:
ReplyDeleteTino said that Miss Emma thinks that Grant can relate more to what Jefferson is feeling and would be able to help him better than she can.He also said that he thinks Jefferson would have more faith if people did too because then he would see that no one would judge him and he could live his last days as a man
I think that that that chapters 21-23 were very reveling and allowed the reader to see who Jefferson really was as a person because in the beginning of the book Jefferson seems like and average African American at the time that got in a jam and screwed up. After these chapters you can see that Jefferson is an individual that wants to talk and be with everyone.He most likely didn't care to start off because he knew he was going to die and their was nothing anyone could do to help him.Knowing that no one can help him he has moved on from being stubborn and reluctant to talk he now realized that everyone just wants him to be happy and enjoy his last days alive. SUMMARY- Miss Emma is not doing to well and she is in the bed sleeping.Grant visits Jefferson and he begins to talk and they have a good time conversing about things. Grant shows that he really dose care about Jefferson because he wants to get him a radio and he dose which in turn makes Jefferson trust him more.The bad thing were that reverend Ambrose did not approve of it and thought that it was a sin box and he fights with Grant about it.
ReplyDelete1.) Why do you think Grant tells Jefferson that he needs him more than Jefferson needs Grant?
ReplyDelete2.)Why do you think that Grant got so mad at the two mulattos when they were talking about Jefferson?
1.)I think that grant tells him this because On page 193 Grant said that he is no "Hero" and that he will never be one but Jefferson can.Jefferson is able to go farther then anyone has gone before.Then he goes on to say that he is a drifting peace of wood and he need Jefferson to help him find his path and stop "Drifting".
ReplyDelete2.)Pages 199-201/Grant was probably mad that the two mulatto's were talking about Jefferson, a man that can't defend himself for a crime he did not commit and that they had no right to insult him like he was not even a human.
1.) Why do you think that Jefferson got angry with Vivian for asking him what "love" is.
ReplyDelete2.) Do you think that if Grant were to help out Reverent Ambrose to teach Jefferson about god that this would help him become a man any sooner.
1.) You mean Grant? I think Grant got angry at Vivan because he loves her, and thinks that when Vivan leaves her husband, she will go to him. Since Vivan asked Grant what love is, that makes Grant question wether or not she actually loves him or belives that he loves her more than just in a sexual way. On page 210 he says that he loves her and said "In bed for a few moments isn't enough." This means that she just thinks she uses her in a sexual way but he actually loves her.
ReplyDelete2.) I think that if Grant were to compromise with Reverend Ambrose and help Jefferson have more faith in God, it might make him have more faith in himself. Jefferson won't just listen to Reverend Ambrose because he knows that Reverend Ambrose doesn't actually like him. Grant refuses to tell Jefferson that because he doesn't have faith in God and he doesn't want to lie to Jefferson saying that he has faith.
1.) Why do you think Grant tells Jefferson he doesn't pray either?
ReplyDelete2.) Do you think Jefferson should change for Reverend Ambrose and Miss Emma or do you think he should be the way he has always been? Why?
1) i Think grant is trying to relate to jeffreson in every way possible. He is showing grant there similaritys saying hey im man even though hogs dont pray i dont either. He is trying to give jefferson reasons and just small things to show him that hey the world is a messed up place, and that its not just him that feels down about his situation it is everyone around him.
ReplyDelete2)I have always thought be yourself but i think to make miss emma happy he should change becuase during the whole story it has shown that she has been hurting just as much as she has and it is deffintly eating her away inside. for the reverend i think not so much becuase he isnt as big as a part in jeffersons life as he makes it seem.
1) I believe that Grant is trying to be as honest and truthful to Jefferson as possible so he would not think that grant was hiding anything from him in any way.Also this would be a great way to connect to Jefferson and get even closer as friends.
ReplyDelete2)There is always room for change in a person and it maybe change for good or bad but in this situation i believe Grant should do what ever would make Miss Emma happy because she has always been there for him now its his turn to be there for Miss Emma
1) Do you think that Grant will ever know how much he meant to Jefferson? Explain Answer.
ReplyDelete2) Can this chapter be seen as a summing up of the main themes and the main action of the novel? Why or Why not.
1.) I think Grant knows he means a lot to Jefferson but I don't think he knows exactly how much he has impacted Jefferson before he gets killed. Jefferson cries a lot when Grant comes to meet him and he also writes about how much he changes since meeting with Grant.
ReplyDelete2.) This chapter can show one of the main themes. It shows hope, that Jefferson has in himself to die with dignity. He now thinks more highly of himself than he did before Grant started talking to him. It can also show that Grant impacted Jefferson a lot more than he was planning on. He made Jefferson think a lot more about the good things before he dies, and how hard he tries to express himself more. On page 228 it shows that Jefferson is trying more because Grant tells him he can only give him a B on what he has written because he hasn't gone deep enough yet.
1) I think in the begging of the novel grant thought he ment nothing to jefferson and as time went by he stood strong with his belive but twords the end you could tell that grant knew even if he did not make it so clear but what jefferson wrote on chapter 29 makes it obv. that he cares and grant knows.
ReplyDelete2) This chapter sum's up the book almost but deffintly tells te story in a whole new short way from the view of the victem in the story witch made me think of the book as a whole much diffrently. but the capter shows change in feelings thought the book and the main theme i think is Belive in yourself.
Questions
ReplyDelete1)On page 239 why do you think they described taking the chair out of the truck step by step.
2)Why do you think jefferson said "You go'n be there, paul?" do tou think jefferson wants im there or not. explain why
1.) I think they were talking about the chair coming out of the truck because it is probably the chair that they are going to execute Jefferson in. I also think they were describing the chair because it showed that the execution was actually going to happen and the town was going to hear about it soon.
ReplyDelete2.) I think Jefferson wants Paul to be at his execution because he actually likes Paul. He feels comfortable around Paul and that will make him relax and act like a man then act like a hog, like everyone is expecting him to. I think he wants people that mean a lot to him there like Miss Emma,Grant,Nanan and Taunt Lou.
Summary:
ReplyDelete1.) Grant is trying to relate to Jefferson and trying to get him to realize that he isn't a hog because he doesn't pray. It can also help them become closer friends and have Jefferson know that Grant isn't hiding anything from him.
2.)Jefferson should do whatever Miss Emma wants because she has always been there for him. He should be himself but also make Miss Emma happy. Jefferson shouldn't change for Reverend Ambrose though because he isn't a major part of his life.
1) I think that they were doing this to illustrate that this is the end and most important moment in his life and the book because the chair could be represented as judgment
ReplyDelete2)Paul was one of his best friend and he really was happy that even in a horrible place like jail he w2as able to find a man that would help him get threw it and become a man.