Also significant is the defense attorney's closing argument in which he refers to Jefferson as "a boy," "a fool," "a cornered animal," and "a thing to hold the handle of a plow" and urges the jury to note "the shape of this skull, this face as flat as the palm of my hand, . . . those eyes [without] a modicum of intelligence."
The defense attorney argues that Jefferson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. ... This further calls into question the validity of their decision: we get the sense that they assumed that Jefferson was guilty until proven innocent, exactly the opposite of the usual presumption in American courts. Gaines also offers an allusion to the ...
The three men drove to a store, where Brother and Bear demanded that Alcee Gropé, the store owner, give them drinks on credit. Alcee refused, and the ensuing argument led to a shootout. Alcee, Brother, and Bear all died, leaving Jefferson alone in the store. Grant says Jefferson stood at the scene of the crime, confused and frightened, and ...
Based on Jefferson's lawyer's arguments, explain why the defense attorney did a poor job. He instead focuses his defense on the fact that Jefferson is too stupid to be worth executing. What are the jury's verdict and the judge's sentence? Jefferson is guilty of robbery and murder in the first degree. The Judge later sentences Jefferson to death ...
In short, the attorney's reference to Jefferson as a "hog" is much more than a cruel insult; it is a classic example of dehumanizing language that symbolizes the attitude of racist whites toward blacks.
The attorney paints a picture of Jefferson that Grant, Emma, and Reverend Ambrose spend the remainder of the novel refuting: he calls Jefferson an animal and a “hog,” and tries to convince the jury to spare his life on the grounds that it's immoral to kill a mere animal.
How does the prosecution present him? How does the defense present him? Defense: innocent by way of lack of intelligence enough to understand what happened; it woul be like killing a hog. Prosecution: the murder and robbery were done with intent.
What is the prosecutor's version of the story? How about Jefferson's lawyer? The prosecutor says that Jefferson and the other two men intended on robbing the store and killing Mr.
In this novel Jefferson is called a hog by his own defense attorney in order to save his life. By calling Jefferson this though, the word was implying that he does not have the intelligence or morals to kill a man.
Vivian and her car. What does Wiggins ask for that irritates the superintendent? A raise.
Further, although Grant and Jefferson are not blood relatives, they are connected through their common experiences as black males. Although physically free, Grant lives in a mental prison of his own making created by his hatred of whites, his arrogance, and his detachment from the black community.
What types of preparations are completed to get Jefferson ready for the electric chair? The chair has been delivered and hooked up, the instruments had been tested, Jefferson had to be shaved, Jeffersons things are distributed according to his wishes.
When his lawyer calls him a "hog," Jefferson takes the insult to heart and begins to consider himself powerless in the white-dominated society. He becomes sullen and withdrawn, accepting a living death and therefore becoming a dark symbol of his oppressed people.
Darrin Donte Miller is affecting as the defendant, and Keith Patrick McCoy is his attorney in Circuit's "A Lesson Before Dying." The prospect of an undignified death looms large in Ernest J. Gaines' classic book, "A Lesson Before Dying.Jan 18, 2008
Compassion. Miss Emma is the first character to show compassion and caring for Jefferson after he is sentenced to death. She urges Grant to visit Jefferson, so he could teach Jefferson how to become a man. She wants Jefferson to die with dignity.
Grant relates Jefferson's side of the story. Jefferson says he was on his way to a bar when Brother and Bear pulled up in a car and gave him a ride. They had been drinking and asked if he had any money to buy alcohol at Gropé's store.
What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this.
When Grant comes home from school on the afternoon of the trial, he finds his aunt, Tante Lou, and Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma, sitting quietly at the table. He hurries to his room. He knows they want to talk about the trial and wishes desperately to avoid the subject. For courtesy’s sake, however, he goes out to the kitchen.
The first chapter opens with the novel’s fundamental concern: how can justice prevail in a society dominated by a single group of people? In Jefferson’s trial, the judge is white, the lawyers are white, and every member of the jury is white. Therefore, Jefferson receives a trial not by his peers, but by his oppressors.
It doesn’t matter anymore. Just do the best you can. But it won’t matter.
During the next few weeks, Grant awaits the annual visit by the superintendent of schools. He makes sure that his students appear clean and well behaved, since the superintendent could arrive at any moment. When the superintendent, Dr. Joseph Morgan, finally arrives, Grant notes Dr.
The next week, the school receives its first load of wood for the winter. As Grant’s students saw and chop the wood, Grant recalls his own elementary school days and his teacher Matthew Antoine. A bitter, defeated man, Mr. Antoine hated teaching and hated his students. Grant calls Mr. Antoine a mulatto, referring to Antoine’s mixed race.
In these chapters, Gaines illustrates the racism that plagues Grant. Sheriff Guidry agrees to let Grant visit Jefferson, but in warning Grant against aggravating Jefferson, Guidry denies Grant the right to elicit an emotional response from Jefferson. Guidry wishes Jefferson to remain meek and without convictions.