Ernest J. Gaines' A lesson before dying : a teacher's guide

TEACHER'S GUIDE

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ERNEST J. GAINES'

A Lesson
Before Dying

NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS

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READ

ERNEST J. GAINES'

A Lesson
Before Dying

TEACHER'S GUIDE

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting
excellence in the arts — both new and established — bringing the arts to all Americans,
and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1 965 as an
endowment independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest
annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner
cities, and military bases.

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Sources

Eig, Jonathan. Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson '$ First Season. New York: Simon and Schuster,
2007.

Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.

Margolick, David. Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink. New York:
Random House, 2005.

Ferris, Bill. "Meeting Ernest Gaines." Humanities, July/ August 1998.
Web version: http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1998-07/gaines.html

Acknowledgements

David Kipen, NEA Director of National Reading Initiatives

Sarah Bainter Gunningham, PhD, NEA Director of Arts Education

Writers: Deborah S. Replogle with Molly Thomas-Hicks for the National Endowment for the Arts,

with a preface by Dana Gioia

Series Editor: Molly Thomas-Hicks for the National Endowment for the Arts

Graphic Design: Fletcher Design/Washington D.C.

Image Credits

Cover Portrait: John Sherffius for the Big Read. Page iv: "Low Sky Over a Field of Sugarcane," photograph by
Samuel Portera; A Lesson Before Dying book cover, courtesy of Vintage Books, a division of Random House,
Inc., New York. Page 1: Caricature of Dana Gioia by John Sherffius. Inside back coven Photograph of Ernest
J. Gaines, courtesy of Philip Gould.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Suggested Teaching Schedule 2

Lesson One: Biography 4

Lesson Two: Culture and History 5

Lesson Three: Narrative and Point of View 6

Lesson Four: Characters 7

Lesson Five: Figurative Language 8

Lesson Six: Symbols 9

Lesson Seven: Character Development 10

Lesson Eight: The Plot Unfolds 11

Lesson Nine: Themes of the Novel 12

Lesson Ten: What Makes a Great Book? 13

Essay Topics 14

Capstone Projects 15

Handout One: Sharecropping 16

Handout Two: Pre-Civil Rights South 17

Handout Three: Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis 18

Teaching Resources 19

NCTE Standards 20

mo*1*

*A low ashen sky loomed over the
plantation, if not over the entire state of
Louisiana. A swarm of black birds flew
across the road and alighted in a pecan
tree in one of the backyards to our left.
The entire plantation was deadly quiet,
except for the singing coming from the
church up the quarter behind us."

—from A Lesson Before Dying

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iv • THE BIG READ

National Endowment for the Arts

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Introduction

Welcome to the Big Read, a major initiative from the National Endowment
for the Arts. Designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American
culture, the Big Read hopes to unite communities through great literature,
as well as inspire students to become life-long readers.

This Big Read Teacher's Guide contains ten lessons to lead you through
Ernest J. Gaines' classic novel, A Lesson Before Dying. Each lesson has four
sections: a focus topic, discussion activities, writing exercises, and
homework assignments. In addition, we have provided capstone projects
and suggested essay topics, as well as handouts with more background
information about the novel, the historical period, and the author. All
lessons dovetail with the state language arts standards required in the
fiction genre.

The Big Read teaching materials also include a CD. Packed with interviews,
commentaries, and excerpts from the novel, the Big Read CD presents
first-hand accounts of why Gaines' novel remains so compelling more than
a decade after its initial publication. Some of America's most celebrated
writers, scholars, and actors have volunteered their time to make these
Big Read CDs exciting additions to the classroom.

Finally, the Big Read Reader's Guide deepens your exploration with
interviews, booklists, timelines, and historical information. We hope this
guide and syllabus allow you to have fun with your students while
introducing them to the work of a great American author.

From the NEA, we wish you an exciting and productive school year.

~£jUAfc M^^.

Dana Gioia

Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Arts

THE BIG READ • |

Day One

FOCUS: Biography

Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD. Read
Reader's Guide essays. Discuss the ways
Gaines used elements of his own life to
create the novel. Write about how a good
novel can transcend time and place.

Homework: Chapters 1-4 (pp. 1-32) *

2

Day Two

FOCUS: Culture and History

Activities: Discuss the accuracy of Gaines'
depiction of a small Southern town. Write an
essay analyzing the way Henri Pichot treats
Inez and Miss Emma.

Homework: Chapters 5-9 (pp. 33-74).

3

Day Three

FOCUS: Narrative and Point ofView

Activities: Explore possibilities of alternatives
to first person narration. Write a brief
description of the trial in either first or third
person.

Homework: Chapters 10-13 (pp. 75-1 02).

4

Day Four

FOCUS: Characters

Activities: Discuss Grant's role as the novel's
protagonist, the antagonistic forces, and
characters within the novel. Write a short
essay on a character or situation that serves
as an antagonist to Grant

Homework: Chapters 1 4-1 7 (pp. 1 03-1 34).

5

* Page numbers refer to the June 1 994 first
Vintage Contemporaries Edition.

Day Five

FOCUS: Figurative Language

Activities: Discuss the ways Gaines uses
description of the scenery to evoke different
moods. Write an essay on why the symbol of
the "hog" affected Miss Emma,Tante Lou, and
Jefferson so deeply.

Homework: Chapters 18-21 (pp. 1 35-1 67).

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9

Day Nine

FOCUS: Themes of the Novel

Day Six

FOCUS: Symbols

Activities: Discuss the religious symbolism in Activities: Examine the themes justice,

the novel. Write an essay on the symbolism of commitment, and manhood. Ask students to

a character's name. identify other themes.

Homework: Read Handout Three and Homework: Prepare outlines and begin

Chapters 22-24 (pp. 1 68-1 94). essays.

7

Day Seven

FOCUS: Character Development

Activities: Discuss the role of heroes in the
novel and what the concept of heroism
means to Grant and Jefferson. Write an essay
on a female character whose actions can be
considered heroic.

Homework: Chapters 25-27 (pp. 1 95-2 1 8).

8

Day Eight

FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds

Activities: Examine the major events of the
novel as they pertain to Grant and Jefferson.
Discuss the ways the lives of the two men
are linked. Map a timeline. Write several
paragraphs anticipating the novel's end and
how the actions of Grant and Jefferson might
affect the community.

Homework: Chapters 28-3 1 (pp. 2 1 9-256).

10

Day Ten

FOCUS: What Makes a Great Book?

Activities: Explore the qualities of a great
novel. Discuss what A Lesson Before Dying can
teach us about the pre-civil rights South.

Homework: Finish essays.

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THE BIG READ • 3

FOCUS:

Biography

The author s life can inform and expand a reader s understanding of a
novel. One practice of examining a literary work, biographical criticism,
looks through the lens of an author's experience. In this lesson, explore the
authors life to more fully understand the novel.

Ernest J. Gaines was born into a family of sharecroppers in Pointe Coupee
Parish, Louisiana. He attended grammar school in the plantation church,
and was primarily raised by his aunt. A Lesson Before Dying tells the story
of a young black man convicted of participating in the murder of a white
man and consequendy sentenced to death in Louisiana in the 1940s.
Although a work of fiction, this novel reflects the racial discrimination and
stereotypes Gaines would have encountered in the pre-civil rights South.

Discussion Activities

Listen to the Big Read CD. Students should take notes as they listen. What do
they learn about Ernest J. Gaines? Based on what they learned about the novel, ask
them to identify ways Gaines used elements of his own life to create the world of
the novel.

Copy the Reader's Guide essays "Introduction to the Novel" (p. 3),"Ernest J.
Gaines" (pp. 4-5), and "The Pre-Civil Rights South" (pp. 6-7). Divide the class into
groups. Assign one essay to each group. After reading and discussing the essays,
each group will present what they learned. Ask students to add a creative twist to
make their presentation memorable.

Writing Exercise

Gaines believes that all great writers are regional writers but that their works are
universal. Ask your students to choose a favorite book. Have them write a
paragraph on how a novel about a particular place can cross regional boundaries
and appeal to readers who have never lived in that period or place.

EJ Homework

Read Chapters 1-4 (pp. 1-32). Prepare your students to read three to four chapters
per night in order to complete the book in ten lessons. In the novel's opening lines
Grant says, "I was not there, yet I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not
hear the verdict, because I knew all the time what it would be." Ask your students
to consider why Gaines might open the novel in this way.

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FOCUS:

Culture and
History

Cultural and historical contexts give birth to the dilemmas and themes at
the heart of the novel. Studying these contexts and appreciating the intricate
details of the time and place can assist us in comprehending the motivations
of the characters. In this lesson, use cultural and historical contexts to begin
to explore the novel.

A Lesson Before Dying is set in the 1940s, a gap between two very
important eras in American history — the period of Reconstruction
following the U. S. Civil War but before the Civil Rights movement began
in earnest in the 1950s. The economy of the South was still primarily based
on agriculture. Sharecropping — tending a portion of another persons land
in exchange for a percentage of the crops — was common among both black
and poor white families.

Discussion Activities

Copy Handout One, "Sharecropping," and Handout Two, "The Pre-Civil Rights
South," and have your students read them in class. Gaines has said that one of the
reasons he started to write was so he could memorialize the Louisiana of his
boyhood and the people who lived there. On page 25, Grant describes the
fictional setting of the novel:

Bayonne was a small town of about six thousand. [. . .] The courthouse was there;
so was the jail. [. . .] There were two elementary schools uptown, one Catholic,
one public, for whites; and the same back of town for colored. Bayonne's major
industries were a cement plant, a sawmill, and a slaughterhouse, mostly for hogs.

Ask your students to locate other descriptions of the setting in Chapters 1-4.
Based on what they learned from listening to the CD and reading the handouts,
how accurate are Gaines' depictions of a small Southern town in the 1 940s?

Writing Exercise

Many of the characters in A Lesson Before Dying live on a former plantation that is
farmed by sharecroppers. Ask students to write a one-page essay on the way
Henri Pichot treats Inez and Miss Emma in Chapter 3. Does he treat them with
respect? Based on what students learned from the handouts, can they understand
why Inez and Miss Emma defer to him? What can we learn about the culture of
1 940s Louisiana from reading their exchange?

23 Homework

Read Chapters 5-9 (pp. 33-74). What differences do you see between Grants
classroom and yours? How does his role as a teacher influence the way he views
himself and others?

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THE BIG READ • 5

FOCUS:

Narrative
and Point of
View

The narrator tells the story with a specific perspective informed bv his or
her beliefs and experiences. The narrator can be a major or minor character
within the novel. The narrator weaves her or his point of view, including
ignorance and bias, into the telling of the tale. A first-person narrator
participates in the events of the novel using "I." A distanced narrator (often
not a character) does not participate in the events of the story and uses
third person (he, she, they) to narrate the story. The distanced narrator can
be omniscient, able to read the minds of all characters within the novel.
Ultimately, the type of narrator determines the point of view from which
the story is told.

A Lesson Before Dying\s told from the first-person point of view of Grant
\\ iggins, schoolteacher for the black children in the quarter. His hesitancy
to become involved in the events of the novel establishes one of the major
conflicts in the story — his reluctance to visit Jefferson versus his aunts
determination for Grant to help Jefferson die with dignity

Discussion Activities

Grant tells his aunt and Miss Emma, "Jefferson is dead. It is only a matter of weeks,
maybe a couple of months — but he's already dead. [. . .] And I can't raise the dead.
All I can do is try to keep the others from ending up like this — but he's gone from
us" (p. 1 4). Why does Grant lash out like this? How does his reluctance to help
affect the way he views the situation? How do his views on his own life and
teaching as a profession affect the way he tells the story?

Why do you think Gaines chose Grant as a first-person narrator rather thanTante
Lou. Miss Emma or Jefferson? How would the novel have been different if it were
told from the perspective of one of these characters?

Writing Exercise

Have your students choose one of the two writing exercises below Invite them to
share their writing by reading it aloud to the class.

• Write a description of the trial from the first person point of view of one of
the other characters.

• Write a description of the trial from an objective third person point view as it
might be reported in the local newspaper.

Q Homework

Read Chapters 10-13 (pp. 75-102). Make a list of the primary characters and what
motivates each of them.

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FOCUS:

Characters

The main character in a work of literature is called the "protagonist." The
protagonist often overcomes a weakness or ignorance to achieve a new
understanding by the works end. A protagonist who acts with great courage
may be called a "hero." Readers often debate the virtues and motivations of
the protagonists in the attempt to understand whether they are heroic. The
protagonists journey is made more dramatic by challenges presented by
characters with different beliefs. A "foil" provokes the protagonist so as to
highlight more clearly certain features of the main character. The most
important foil, the "antagonist," is any character or force in a literary work
that opposes the efforts of the protagonist, barring or complicating his or
her success. The antagonist doesn't necessarily have to be a person. It could
be nature, a social force, or an internal drive in the protagonist.

Discussion Activities

Grant Wiggins is the protagonist of the novel, but his life becomes inextricably tied
to Jefferson's. Ask your students to examine how Jefferson acts during the visit
with Grant in Chapter I I and how he later acts when Miss Emma visits, as
depicted in Chapter 16. Grant tells his aunt,"He treated me the same way he
treated her. He wants me to feel guilty, just as he wants her to feel guilty. Well, I'm
not feeling guilty, Tante Lou. I didn't put him there. I do everything I know how to
do to keep people like him from going there" (p. 1 23). Why is Grant offended by
Jefferson's behavior? Does Jefferson want Miss Emma or Grant to feel guilty, or is
he simply unable to cope with his fete?

Writing Exercise

Ask your students to write three paragraphs on a character other than Jefferson
or a situation that serves as an antagonist to Grant. What is the conflict? How
does Grant respond? Is his response appropriate? Have students support their
ideas using examples from the text.

EJ Homework

Read Chapters 14-17 (pp. 103-134). Ask your students to pay close attention to
the way Grant describes the scenery during his walk with Vivian.

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THE BIG READ • 7

FOCUS:

Figurative
Language

Writers often use non-literal language to invite readers to visualize events,
view internal conflicts, glimpse social themes, or grasp abstract concepts like
beauty, truth, or goodness. An author uses figurative or non-literal language
to stretch our imaginations, challenging us to decode the references and
meanings bound within images, similes, metaphors, and symbols. Such
devices require a reader to participate actively in the novel, as the reader
begins to (implicitly or explicitly) interpret non-literal elements of the tale.

Gaines vividly describes the Louisiana countryside throughout A Lesson
Before Dying. Imagery, a description that appeals to one or more of the
five senses (touch, taste, smell, hearing, or sight), assists the reader in
understanding the time and place where the novel is set. Imagery can also
project emotion, enabling the author to imply a mood without disrupting
the narrative to inform the reader of a characters emotional state.

Discussion Activities

One of the most beautiful descriptions of the plantation occurs in Chapter 14
when Grant takes Vivian on a walk down the quarter. Ask students to close their
eyes while you read page 107 aloud to the class. What emotions are evoked by
the images of "a low ashen sky," "a swarm of blackbirds," and the plantation
cemetery? How does the mood change once Grant and Vivian turn on the road
that leads to the field of sugarcane?

Writing Exercise

The defense attorney compares Jefferson to a hog by saying, "Why, I would just as
soon put a hog in an electric chair as this" (p. 8). Have students write a few
paragraphs on why that image backfired as a defense argument What was the
attorney's purpose in using that characterization? Why did the remark affect Miss
Emma.Tante Lou, and Jefferson so deeply? Even though Jefferson suggests it, why
won't Miss Emma bring him corn to eat?

EJ Homework

Read Chapters 18-21 (pp. 135-167). Have students pay close attention to Grant's
actions during the Christmas program. As the schoolteacher, he is in charge of this
event. Why is this an uncomfortable situation for Grant? How does he respond?

8 • THE BIG READ

National Endowment for the Arts

Lesson

FOCUS:

Symbols

Symbols are interpretive keys to the text. Most frequently, a specific object
will be used to stand for a more abstract concept. A figurative meaning is
attached to the object above arid beyond face value. Symbols may be of two
types: universal symbols that embody recognizable meanings wherever used,
or symbols specific to a particular story. Found in the novels title, at the
beginning and end of the novel, within a profound action, or captured by
the name or personality of a character, symbols can reveal the authors
intentions or can reveal a new interpretation of the novel.

An author does not always include symbols intentionally. Sometimes, they
develop organically as part of the writing process. In a 1998 interview with
Humanities magazine, Gaines said, "Students come up now and ask me,
'Did you know you put those symbols in there?' You never think of
symbols." Gaines does not intentionally insert symbols into his writing;
they evolve as part of the creative process.

Discussion Activities

There is a great deal of religious symbolism in A Lesson Before Dying. Like Gaines,
many Southern writers such as Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, Katharine
Anne Porter, and Zora Neale Hurston use religious symbolism to reflect the
moral ideals of a story's characters or to highlight the conflict between characters
whose religious views differ. Ask your students to consider the way religion
permeates the society in which Grant lives and the way it influences the actions
of Vivian, Grant, Miss Emma,Tante Lou, and Reverend Ambrose.

Grant's classroom is in a church. How is this appropriate for his role in the black
community? Does this contribute to Grant's conflict with the Reverend? Does
Tante Lou expect more out of Grant as a teacher than helping children learn to
read and write? If so, what?

Writing Exercise

Choose a character from the novel whose name might serve a symbolic function.
Explain how the name as a symbol relates to the character. Does the person
reflect or contradict the values of his or her namesake? Why might Gaines have
chosen to depict the character in this way?

EJ Homework

Copy and distribute Handout Three. Ask students to read the handout and
Chapters 22-24 (pp. 168-194). Ask them to play close attention to the scene in
Chapter 24 when Grant describes a hero.

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THE BIG READ • 9

Lesson Seven

FOCUS:

Character
Development

Novels trace the development of characters that encounter a series of
challenges. Most characters contain a complex balance of virtues and vices.
Internal and external forces require characters to question themselves,
overcome fears, or reconsider dreams. The protagonist often undergoes
profound change. A close study of character development maps the
evolution of motivation, personality, and belief in each character. The
tension between a character's strengths and weaknesses keeps the reader
guessing about what might happen next, affecting the drama and the plot.

In A Lesson Before Dying, Grant must teach Jefferson how to die like a
man. In doing so, Grant examines his place and purpose in the community
and Jefferson learns to act with dignity and pride while facing his own
death.

Discussion Activities

Discuss Handout Three, "Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis." What qualities did these
men possess that made them cultural heroes? In Chapter 1 2, the old men in the
bar reenact highlights of the baseball games of their hero Jackie Robinson. Grant
later tells Jefferson, "A hero is someone who does something for other people. He
does something other men don't and can't do. He is different from other men. He
is above other men" (p. 191). Ask your students to consider the rest of Grant's
comments on pp. 191-194. Do they agree with his definition of a hero? Can
Jefferson be the role model Grant wants him to be?

Consider the ways Grant is a hero to his students and his aunt. Does he ever
disappoint them? If so, what do we learn about Grant's character in these
moments?

Can small actions be considered heroic? Are there opportunities for personal
heroism in the world of A Lesson Before Dying7. If so, who are the heroes of the
novel so far? Do they possess any of the same qualities as Jackie Robinson or Joe
Louis?

Writing Exercise

Grant's speech to Jefferson seems to imply that only men can be heroes. Ask your
students to write a brief essay on one of the women in the novel whose actions
could be considered heroic. What is most admirable about her? How do her
actions affect others? Do those who benefit from her actions realize it?

EJ Homework

Read Chapters 25-27 (pp. 195-218). Ask your students to pay close attention to
the scene in Chapter 25 where Grant fights with the mulatto sharecroppers. How
does Grant describe the mulattoes' racism? Are his remarks about them equally
racist? Ask your students to consider the ways this scene advances the plot of the
novel.

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FOCUS:

The Plot
Unfolds

Hie author artfully builds a plot structure to create expectations, increase
suspense, and inform character development. A novels plot follows a series
or events as they lead to a dramatic climax, a tragic realization, or a happy
ending. The authors timing of events from beginning to middle to end
can make a novel predictable and boring, or stimulating and riveting.
Foreshadowing and flashbacks allow the author to defy time while telling
the story. A successful author will keep a reader entranced by clever pacing
built within the tale, sometimes confounding a simple plot by telling stories
within stories.

The events leading to Jefferson's execution shape the way Grant views
himself and others. While Jefferson's fate is strongly foreshadowed
throughout the novel, Gaines chooses to show us Grant's transformation
slowly, creating tension that might not otherwise exist. In Chapter 25,
Grant fights with the mulatto sharecroppers. This is a major turning point
in the novel because it demonstrates how deeply Grant is affected by his
relationship with Jefferson.

Grant's journey toward self-discovery defines the novel's pacing as much as
Jefferson's impending execution.

Discussion Activities

Divide your class into two groups. Ask one group of students to examine the plot
structure as it relates to Jefferson, the other as it relates to Grant Students should
identify the novel's major events from the perspective of the character they were
assigned using passages from the novel to explain why these events are the most
significant Have each group write these events in a column on the board. Draw
lines to show where Grants and Jefferson's lives intersect Discuss the ways each
of them change during those scenes.

Divide students into groups and have them map a timeline showing the
development of the plot as a whole. Students should define the events that
constitute the beginning, middle, and end of the novel. Groups should present
their timelines, discussing any discrepancies along the way.

IB Writing Exercise

Ask students to anticipate the novel's ending. Have them write several paragraphs
describing what will happen to Grant and Jefferson. Ask them to consider the
ways the actions of these two men might affect the entire community.

EJ Homework

Read Chapters 28-3 1 (pp. 219-256). During his last days in jail, Jefferson keeps a
journal. Why is Sheriff Guidry concerned about how Jefferson will portray him?

National Endowment for the Arts

THE BIG READ • | |

FOCUS:

Themes of
the Novel

Profound questions raised by the story allow the character (and the reader)
to explore the meaning of human life and extract themes. Themes
investigate topics explored for centuries by philosophers, politicians,
scientists, historians, and theologians. Classic themes include intellectual
freedom versus censorship, personal moral code in relation to political
justice, and spiritual faith versus rational commitments. A novel can shed
light on these age-old debates by creating new situations to challenge and
explore human nature.

Use the following themes, as well as ones students identify, to determine the
themes of A Lesson Before Dying. Which themes seem most important?
Why?

Discussion Activities and Writing Exercise

Use the following questions to stimulate discussion or provide writing exercises.

Using historical references to support ideas, explore the statements that A Lesson
Before Dying makes about the following themes:

Racial Injustice: "They sentence you to death because you were at the wrong
place at the wrong time, with no proof that you had anything at all to do with the
crime other than being there when it happened" (p. 1 58).

1 . Has Jefferson been treated unjustly? Would a young white man in the same
situation have been punished as severely? Why or why not?

2. How have Grant, Tante Lou, Miss Emma, and Reverend Ambrose suffered from
racial injustice? How has each responded?

Commitment: "You hit the nail on the head there lady — commitment.
Commitment to what — to live and die in this hellhole, when we can leave and live
like other people?" (p. 29).

1 . Why doesn't Grant leave? Why did he come back after he left the first time?
Why won't Vivian support his desire for both of them to leave?

2. How does Grant explain "obligation" to Jefferson? Why does he bother? Does
Grant practice his concept of obligation?

Manhood: "Do you know what his nannan wants me to do before they kill him?
The public defender called him a hog, and she wants me to make him a man" (p.
39).

1 . How does Miss Emma define manhood? How does Grant?

2. The final entry in Jefferson's journal is, "good by mr wigin tell them im a man. . ."
How does Jefferson define manhood?

EJ Homework

Students should begin working on their essays. See "Essay Topics" at the end of
this guide. For additional questions, see the Reader's Guide "Discussion
Questions" (pp. 14-15). Outlines are due at the end of next class.

| 2 * THE BIG READ National Endowment for the Arts

Lesson Ten

FOCUS:

What Makes
a Great
Book?

Novels illustrate the connections between individuals and questions of
humanity. Great stories articulate and explore the mysteries of our daily
lives, while painting those conflicts in the larger picture of human struggle.
Readers forge bonds with the story as the writers voice, style, and sense of
poetry inform the plot, characters, and themes. By creating opportunities
for learning, imagining, and reflecting, a great novel is a work of art that
affects many generations of readers, changing lives, challenging
assumptions, and breaking new ground.

03 Discussion Activities

Ask students to make a list of the characteristics of a great book. Write these on
the board. What elevates a novel to greatness? What are some of the books they
consider "great?" Do any of these books remind them of A Lesson Before Dying?

A great novel stands the test of time and is read long after it is written. Gaines
published A Lesson before Dying in 1994. The novel is set in the late 1940s. Do you
believe this novel will endure the test of time? Is the novel as relevant today as
when it was first published? Do you think that its subject and themes will continue
to be relevant? Why or why not?

Writers can become the voice of a generation or of a particular group of people.
What kind of voice does Gaines provide through Grant? What can this teach us
about the concerns and dreams of people of color who grew up in the pre-civil
rights South?

Writing Exercise

If you were the voice of your generation, what would be your most important
message? Why might you choose to convey this in a novel rather than a speech
or an essay? What story would you tell to get your point across?

Be available to assist students as they work on their essays in class. Have students
partner with each other to edit outlines or rough drafts. Provide them with the
characteristics of a well-written essay.

EJ Homework

Students should work on their essays. Rough drafts are due next class. Celebrate
by participating in a Big Read community event.

National Endowment for the Arts THE BIG READ • | 3

The discussion activities and writing exercises in this guide provide you with possible essay topics,
as do the "Discussion Questions" in the Reader's Guide. Advanced students can come up with
their own essay topics, provided they are interesting and specific. Other ideas for essays are
provided here.

Students should organize their essays around a stated thesis, argument, or idea about the novel.
This statement should be focused, with clear reasons supporting its conclusion. The thesis and
supporting reasons should rely on references to the text.

1 . Tante Lou, Miss Emma, and Vivian are used to
taking care of themselves and others. Explain
the role of women in the novel. What was
their function in this society? Was their
contribution and sacrifice recognized?

2. Education is very important in this novel, both
its attainment and the lack of it Tante Lou
continually refers to Grant as "the teacher."
The other men call him "Professor." Yet Grant
hates teaching, echoing the feelings of his own
teacher, Matthew Antoine. Contrast the
opinions of education presented in this novel.
Why do some seek it and others consider it a
burden? What role does it play in the
characters' lives and the life of the community?

3. Reread the description of Vivian from Chapter
4 (pp. 27-28) and the passage in Chapter 1 5
about Vivians marriage (p. 1 1 1). What was the
cause of conflict between Vivian and her family
over her marriage? What causes the conflict
between Vivian and Tante Lou over her
relationship with Grant? Why does Grant say
that the conflicts are not the same, as Vivian
believes?

4. Find specific examples of how Gaines uses
different levels of language and non-verbal
communication to make his characters realistic.
How does the manner in which they speak or
don't speak enhance the story? How would the

novel change if everyone spoke as Grant does,
or as the older people in the quarter do? Or
as Jefferson writes?

5. Grant's fight with the mulatto sharecroppers
demonstrates his anger and frustration. Why
are the sharecroppers' comments about
Jefferson particularly hurtful? Would Grant have
reacted in the same way if a black man had
made similar comments? A white man? What
might this scene teach us about the racial
tensions in Louisiana in the 1940s?

6. On the morning of Jefferson's execution, Grant
leaves his classroom to stand outside, alone, to
wait for news. He asks himself, "Why wasn't I
there? Why wasn't I standing beside him? Why
wasn't my arm around him? Why?" (p. 250).
Attempt to answer these questions, referring
to the text of the novel for examples of
Grant's strengths or weaknesses.

7. Paul earns Grant's respect through his
treatment of Jefferson and his visitors. How is
Paul different from the other jail keepers?
How do his actions at the end of Jefferson's life
demonstrate Paul's goodness? Why might he
have chosen to attend the execution even
though it was not part of his job? Why did he
choose to drive out to the quarter to tell
Grant the news personally?

I 4 * THE BIG READ National Endowment for the Arts

These activities may be linked to other Big Read community events. Most of these projects could
be shared at a local library, a student assembly, or a bookstore.

1 . News video: Have students script and shoot a
video news segment about Jefferson's case that
might appear on a national network broadcast
The segment could include any of the following:
on-the-spot interviews with the two attorneys
immediately after the trial verdict an interview
with Miss Emma. Mrs. Grope, Reverend
Ambrose, or an eye-witness account of the
execution from Paul. Students might choose to
combine several segments to make a whole
program on Jefferson's case. Screen the video
for the class, at an assembly, or as part of a
showcase for parents.

2. Performance: Have students choose one or
more powerful scenes from the novel to
dramatize, using Gaines' dialogue and his
narration as direction. Present the scenes as
part of an assembly, or as part of a showcase
for parents.

3. Photo Gallery: Create a photography exhibit
using archival photos (or a combination
including students' photos) to illustrate the
South of the 1 940s. The photos should
correspond to the setting, the events, or the
society portrayed in the novel. Each photo
should be captioned. Students should be able to
discuss the photos and explain their choices.
Have students display this gallery at the school
or local library.

Retrospective: Have students do further
research on sports in the 1 940s, especially with
regard to black athletes. They should focus on
the life and career of either Joe Louis or Jackie
Robinson. They should include photos of the
athletes, posters (either authentic or student-
created), enlargements of trading cards, and
either an audio or video of a boxing match or
baseball game. Students may obtain a transcript
of the event and present it as it would have
been broadcast live. Students may choose to
assume the identity of the athlete for an
interview discussing his life. Students should do
an in-class presentation, an in-school assembly,
or a showcase for parents.

Reading: Have students read the James Joyce
short story "Ivy Day in the Committee Room,"
mentioned in the novel. Have students
summarize the story and choose to read one
or two particularly meaningful passages. Have
them explain why this story might be
considered universal, "regardless of race,
regardless of class." Explain how this story
applies to the novel, citing passages that show
the connection.

National Endowment for the Arts

THE BIG READ • | 5

HANDOUT ONE

Sharecropping

The concept of sharecropping evolved in the South
out of economic necessity. The Souths main
industry, farming, only operated successfully with
free slave labor. After the Civil War, the
Emancipation Proclamation, and passage of the
Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, the
white plantation owners found themselves "land
rich but cash poor," with no one to work their
land and no money to hire anyone to do it. The
mass exodus of former slaves to the North and the
absence of any other profitable industry added to
the region's woes.

Many of the freed slaves who stayed in the South
knew only one vocation, farming. But they were
no longer content to work for somebody; they
wanted to own land and support their families.
Unfortunately, none of these men had any money,
nor owned the things needed to operate a
successful farm. Thus, sharecropping became the
norm.

Landowners, usually whites, would lease a portion
of their land, along with tools, seed, fertilizer, and
other necessities, to former slaves or poor whites.
In return, the sharecroppers paid their debts with
interest to the landowners by giving them a
portion of their crops. Since the farmers had no
money, plantation owners operated stores that sold
needed goods, which the farmers "charged," and
the bill was "paid" with another portion of the
crops. Whatever portion of the crops was left over
after the sharecroppers paid their bills could be sold
and the profit kept. However, there was rarely any
portion of the crops left over or any profit made.
The farmers were obliged to continue this
arrangement year after year in vain hope of getting
out of debt, creating a never-ending cycle of
poverty.

Many sharecropping agreements were verbal. Some
of the sharecroppers actually signed written
contracts, but, often illiterate, they could not read
these agreements to understand that they heavily
favored the landowners. Examples of this
inequality can be found in samples of old contracts
stipulating that the landowners or their agents
could specify how the land was cultivated. In
addition, those who raised cotton were required to
pay to have it ginned on the plantation before
turning it over to the owner.

The Freedmen's Bureau was created to regulate this
system. It attempted to establish model contracts
that protected sharecroppers, proposed standard
payment of one-third of the crops for a year's rent,
and created a council to settle disputes between
landowners and sharecroppers. The sharecroppers
formed organizations such as the Colored Farmers'
Alliance and the Southern Tenant Farmers Union
to aid and support their members. The federal
government established the U.S. Farm Security
Administration to help stop the abuse of
sharecroppers, but still it continued.

So why did freed slaves choose to stay despite such
a harsh lifestyle? Sharecroppers hoped they could
ultimately buy their own farms. This method of
farming continued from Reconstruction until the
Civil Rights Movement. Falling crop prices,
continued black migration to the North after
World War II, and more rights and opportunities
for blacks finally destroyed this way of life, but not
before it left its mark on generations struggling to
survive.

| 6 * THE BIG READ

National Endowment for the Arts

HANDOUT TWO

Pre-Civil Rights South

Life in the pre-civil rights South offered little
opportunity and denied its black citizens many of
the most basic human rights. Slavery had been
abolished in the Confederate States by the
Emancipation Proclamation in 1 863. The Fifteenth
Amendment to the Constitution ( 1 870) gave all
men — white and black — the right to vote.
However, the Supreme Courts decision in the
Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896 made segregation
virtually the law of the land. In light of Plessy, it
was not illegal to have separate facilities for black
and white Americans as long as they were equal.
This gave rise to the "separate but equal" notion.
Unfortunately, "separate" was rarely "equal."

In the 1940s, the decade in which A Lesson Before
Dying takes place, the South was still governed by
many of the laws enacted after Reconstruction.
These statutes, known as "Jim Crow" laws, were
designed to keep former slaves from achieving
equality with their former masters. Louisiana,
where Ernest J. Gaines was born and the novel is
set, had the most such laws of any state.

Jim Crow laws prohibited miscegenation
(intermarriage between different races) and made it
punishable by harsh prison sentences and steep
fines. Many laws made it difficult for blacks to
exercise the right to vote by requiring that they pay
poll taxes they could not afford or take tests they
could not pass. One of the most ludicrous laws in
Louisiana prohibited blind people of different races,
who could not even see the color of each other's
skin, to be housed and treated at separate facilities.
Neither white nurses nor white barbers were

allowed to serve blacks. A black person accused of
any perceived offense to a white person was subject
to intimidation, violence, and possible lynching by
groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.

Jim Crow laws extended well outside the
geographical area known as the "Deep South." In
Oklahoma, it was a misdemeanor for white
teachers to teach at a school that accepted students
of both races. Oklahoma also required separate
facilities for swimming, fishing, and boating, in
addition to separate phone booths. As late as 1 948
even California, the state to which Grants parents
have "escaped," had laws outlawing marriage
between the races.

A Lesson Before Dying is set just before the Civil
Rights Movement gained momentum. In 1954 the
U. S. Supreme Court ruled segregation of public
schools unlawful by unanimous decision, after
hearing the Brown v. Board of Education case.
Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, for
refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery
public bus to a white man. Martin Luther King, Jr.
helped organize a bus boycott and was elected
president of the Montgomery Improvement
Association, making him the official spokesman for
the boycott. Still, another decade passed before
Congress ratified the Civil Rights Act of 1 964,
nullifying the country's Jim Crow laws and ending
legalized segregation.

National Endowment for the Arts

THE BIG READ • | 7

HANDOUT THREE

Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis

Two of the greatest African-American athletes of
the 20th century, Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis,
are remembered not only for their ground-
breaking achievements but also for personal
courage that allowed them to break the race barrier
in their sports a full decade before the Civil Rights
Movement began in earnest. The two men were
born just five years apart in the rural South, both
sons of sharecroppers. Their families ultimately left
the region in search of a better life.

Joe Louis Barrow was born in Alabama in 1914.
After his fathers death, his mother remarried, and
in 1 924 the family moved to Detroit. When he
began boxing as a teenager, he dropped his last
name. Known as "The Brown Bomber," Louis
fought his two most important bouts against the
same opponent, Max Schmeling, a German boxer.
During their first match in June 1 936, Schmeling
knocked Louis out in Round 12. This first
professional defeat devastated Louis and his fans,
causing tears in the dressing room and riots in
Harlem.

Although he beat his next opponent, "Cinderella
Man" James J. Braddock, a year later and became
the first black heavyweight champion, Louis
longed for a rematch with Schmeling. On June 22,
1938, he got his chance. This rematch became a
symbolic batde: Nazism and all Hider stood for,
against democracy and the American way of life.
Louis took only 124 seconds to knock out
Schmeling and become the hero of all Americans.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Georgia in
1919 but grew up in Pasadena, California. He
began his sports career as a semi-professional
football quarterback but later played baseball in the

Negro American League. After meeting with
Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers,
Robinsons life and professional sports in America
forever changed.

On August 28, 1945, Branch Rickey subjected
Robinson to shouted racial slurs and
dramatizations of demeaning situations. When
Robinson proved he could handle the pressure,
promising silence for three years despite the
expected racial abuse, he was offered a contract to
play for the Dodgers' farm team. On April 15,
1947, Jackie Robinson broke the "color line" by
walking onto Ebbets Field in a Dodgers uniform
wearing number 42. Rookie of the Year in 1947
and National League MVP in 1949, he was
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1 962,
and posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold
Medal and the Medal of Freedom. In Robinsons
honor, Major League Baseball retired the number
42 from professional baseball.

In Chapter 12 of A Lesson Before Dying, Grant
relates the euphoria of the men in the bar as they
relive some of Jackie Robinson's greatest plays.
Grant also remembers the heartbreak of Joe Louis'
stunning defeat by Max Schmeling and his
inspirational victory two years later. Ultimately,
each man's victories — in the ring and on the
baseball diamond — promised the hope of a world
in which people were judged on merits and
abilities rather than skin color.

| 8 * THE BIG READ

National Endowment for the Arts

Printed Resources

Eig. Jonathan. Opening Day.The Story of Jackie Robinson's First
Season. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007.

Margolick, David. Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling,
and a World on the Brink. New York: Random House, 2005.

Web sites

http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/ 1 998-07/gaines.html
Humanities: The Magazine of the National Endowment for the
Humanities. A 1 998 interview conducted by Bill Ferris, then
chairman of the NEH, in which writer Ernest Gaines talks
about storytelling, race, and his Louisiana roots.

http:// 1 98.4 1 .70.4/lhs/la_authors/gainesinterview.htm
An interview with Ernest Gaines conducted by students
from Lafayette High School in Lafayette, Louisiana on April
21,1 998. It was part of a project on Southern authors that
appeared on the web site Louisiana Legacy: A Celebration of
Literature Through Technology.

http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/33.htm
An article on the Plessy v. Ferguson case — one of the earliest
desegregation cases argued before the Supreme Court. This
article appears on the web site USINFO, which delivers
information about current U.S. foreign policy and about
American life and culture.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/malu/documents/

jim_crow_laws.htm

A sampling of Jim Crow laws from various states created by

the staff at the Martin Luther Kingjr., National Historic Site

and posted on the National Parks Service web site.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/sharecrop/

ps_delany2.html

PBS's American Experience series entitled "Reconstruction:

The Second Civil War" includes a model contract that

reveals some of the injustices typical of sharecropping

arrangements.

http://www.time.com/time/time I OO/heroes/profile/
robinsonO I .html

Time magazine's "1 00 Most Important People of the
Century" issue. Jackie Robinson was named one of the
twenty people who exemplify courage, selflessness,
exuberance, superhuman ability, and amazing grace.

National Endowment for the Arts

THE BIG READ • | 9

5

CTE Standards

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Standards"

1 . Students read a wide range of print and non-
print texts to build an understanding of texts,
of themselves, and of the cultures of the United
States and the world; to acquire new
information; to respond to the needs and
demands of society and the workplace; and for
personal fulfillment Among these texts are
fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary
works.

2. Students read a wide range of literature from
many periods in many genres to build an
understanding of the many dimensions (e.g.,
philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human
experience.

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to
comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate
texts. They draw on their prior experience,
their interactions with other readers and
writers, their knowledge of word meaning and
of other texts, their word identification
strategies, and their understanding of textual
features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence,
sentence structure, context, graphics).

4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written,
and visual language (e.g., conventions, style,
vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a
variety of audiences and for different purposes.

5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as
they write and use different writing process
elements appropriately to communicate with
different audiences for a variety of purposes.

6. Students apply knowledge of language structure,
language conventions (e.g., spelling and
punctuation), media techniques, figurative
language, and genre to create, critique, and
discuss print and non-print texts.

7. Students conduct research on issues and
interests by generating ideas and questions, and
by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and
synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g.,
print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to
communicate their discoveries in ways that
suit their purpose and audience.

8. Students use a variety of technological and
information resources (e.g., libraries, databases,
computer networks, video) to gather and
synthesize information and to create and
communicate knowledge.

9. Students develop an understanding of and
respect for diversity in language use, patterns,
and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups,
geographic regions, and social roles.

1 0. Students whose first language is not English
make use of their first language to develop
competency in the English language arts and to
develop understanding of content across the
curriculum.

I I . Students participate as knowledgeable,

reflective, creative, and critical members of a
variety of literacy communities.

I 2. Students use spoken, written, and visual
language to accomplish their own purposes
(e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and
the exchange of information).

*This guide was developed with NCTE Standards and State Language Arts Standards in mind. Use these standards to guide and develop
your application of the curriculum.

20 * THE BIG READ

National Endowment for the Arts

[* I iT* j

escapes Louisiana. Maybe that is because

my soul never left Louisiana, although

my body did go to California."

—ERNEST J. GAINES

NATIONAL.
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS

'Why wasn't I there? Why
wasn't I standing beside
him? Why wasn't my arm
around him?... Why wasn't
I down on my knees?"

—ERNEST J. GAINES

Grant Wiggins in A Lesson Before Dying

The Big Read is an initiative of the National
Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading
to the center of American culture. The NEA presents
The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of
Museum and Library Services and in cooperation
with Arts Midwest.

A great nation deserves great art.

•ti' - .INSTITUTE o< . .,

:'.\. MuseurrUdLibrary

' .••„•• SERVICES