Teachers play a very important role in A Lesson Before Dying. This is because teaching is one of the only
available professional jobs for black people in this time and place (according to Grant), and they
are in a position to have a tremendous impact on the students in their
community. Grant, the narrator of this story, is a teacher himself, and we see
that he was both impacted by his past teachers and that he is playing a
significant role in influencing others as a teacher. The teachers in this story
are not the typical inspirational teachers that we are used to seeing in
novels. They are completely the opposite: they have a grouchy and negative
attitude, and they display little to no hope or expectation for their students.
This attitude is understandable, because they are aware of the vicious cycle in
the South and the reality of being a black student in the South. However, this
cycle is the obstacle that Grant has to help overcome, and he shows some hope
as he continues to teach despite the fact that he understands what he is going
up against.
We see the
importance of teachers in Grant, but also in his past teacher: Matthew Antoine.
Antoine was not a great teacher: he told his students that they should all run
away, and he basically gave up on hope for breaking the cycle. He discouraged
Grant from seeking an education, and he told Grant he will never be able to do
anything significant. Despite this, Antoine obviously had an impact on Grant’s
life as we see that Grant visited Antoine many years later after becoming a
teacher. Grant also isn’t the greatest teacher, and he shares some of the
attitude that Antoine had. However, one of the reasons why Miss Emma chooses
Grant to undertake the mission of making Jefferson into a man is because he is
a teacher. Teachers are figures of hope and change in this society and community, whether or not
they are the traditional inspirational teachers or not.
The main
obstacle that both Grant and Antoine face in this story is the cycle of the
South. Both of them know how difficult society makes it for black students to
succeed, and that everything is put up against them. Grant understands the
vicious cycle for black students both from his experience as a student and his
experience as a teacher. The majority of Grant’s classmates from when he was
younger is in jail or dead, proof of the effects of the cycle. Grant also sees
the cycle as a teacher, one example being when the superintendent Dr. Joseph
comes by to check up on the students and treats them in a disrespectful way. All
of this explains why Grant is a grouch: it is hard to find hope in his
community’s situation. However we can see that even though Grant has a negative
attitude, he also has some qualities of a good teacher and a hero. He actually
cares for his students, because he gets upset when they aren’t learning
properly. We see this in the following quote:
"Exactly what I'm trying to
do here with you now: to make you responsible young men and young ladies. But
you, you prefer to play with bugs. You refuse to study your arithmetic, and you
prefer writing slanted sentences instead of straight ones. Does that make any
sense?" (5.47).
Grant shows that his motive is to make good citizens out of
his students, people who can rise up and break the cycle that black people have
been struggling with for generations. This is also what he is doing with
Jefferson. Although Jefferson doesn’t have much time left, Grant is trying to
pull out Jefferson’s potential with what is left and make him into an example
for others.
Although
Grant often acts hopeless, he still perseveres as a teacher because he loves
his people and his community. Grant sees some hope in Jefferson, since he
continues to make him into a man. In recent chapters we have seen how Grant has
made some breakthroughs with Jefferson. Jefferson has actually started to talk
to Grant, and he agrees to write his thoughts down in a journal. Jefferson even
shakes hands with Grant at one point. Grant is continuing to play his part in
breaking the cycle through his interactions with Jefferson, and through this he
is showing what an impact a teacher can have on others and his community.
Works Cited
Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson
before Dying. New York, Vintage Books, 1993.
You make very valid points in your post! When I first read the book, I was surprised about how growchy Grant was towards the kids, and how like you said, was the opposite of the typical inspirational teachers that we are used to seeing in novels. But then I also realized that Grant also broke the cycle by being a teacher.
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I also think that Grant is breaking the cycle by teaching others. However, it also seems to me like becoming teachers is another cycle. We see that Irene is sort of being gear up to become a teacher, much like how Grant was geared up by Antoine. Maybe by trying to break the cycle, Grant is becoming a part of another cycle.
ReplyDeleteOooh I like how you kind of brought all the points together in this post. I agree that Grant is in a position like Antoine, but he has a completely different mentality. He is actually trying to make a change in the cycle- even if he can't do it, he might be able to through Jefferson. I think Grant being a teacher impacts the way and approach he talks to Jefferson with and I think that's good because he doesn't lose his temper really easily and tries to talk think through with him.
ReplyDeleteIt's come up several times in class discussion that A Lesson Before Dying is kind of an inverted hero story. There's barely any physical movement, and the progress of the hero (Jefferson) is exemplified in his death. It seems that Grant's 'grouchiness' while teaching is another example of the inversion cycle. He almost grows more than his student, Jefferson.
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