Incident by Countee Cullen
Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.
Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, "Nigger."
I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.
In A Lesson Before Dying, the first 4 chapters focus on the power of just one word as this poem does. Using only the first 4 chapters of the novel to support your claims, explain the power of the one word in the novel and how it is used as a catalyst for this novel. Who do you think is most affected by the word? Why? (The deadline to post a response to this question is midnight July15,2013. Remember use only your first name and last initial when posting a response. )
7 comments:
Although the "n- word" is a problem, in this book, I think the book focuses on the power of the word "hog". Jefferson was called a hog while he was on trial. The book is built off of that one word. Miss Emma and Tante Lou, relatives of Jefferson, felt awful when "hog" was used. They know Jefferson feels that same about it. They want Grant Wiggins, the teacher, to visit Jefferson in the jail and teach him that he is not a hog, but a man. Wiggins does not want to do it. He hates the town. He wishes to be anywhere but there, but, he cannot let them down. Without the word "hog", there would be no need to go to the jail. I think Grant Wiggins is, actually, the most affected by the word. Although Jefferson was offended and hurt by it, that one word changed Wiggins the most. He would have never had to worry about going to the jail or going to the Pichot plantation, which he told himself he would never do. Everything is on Wiggins. If he does not teach Jefferson that he is a man, the blood of Jefferson and his family seems as if it will be on his hands.
Brittney P
In the first chapter it is clear to see that the book will be centered around the word "hog". While Jefferson is on trial, his public defender calls him a hog in an attempt to show the court that he is unintelligent and is incapable of committing the crime. The jury still finds him guilty and Jefferson's Aunt Emma refuses to let Jefferson die as a "hog", but she wants him to die a man. Aunt Emma then asks the help of Grant Wiggins to teach Jefferson that he is a man and not a hog. Grant is hesitant about doing it because he feels there is no point in trying to teach him because he's a dead man anyway. I think Grant is most affected by the word "hog" because after.a drink he finally expresses why he's hesitant to help Jefferson. By the end of chapter four Grant has made the decision that he'll help him.
Lealah W.
Normally, the word “hog” has no emotional meaning; however, in the first four chapters in this book, it causes emotional disruption in several characters’ lives. Because the lawyer called her Jefferson a hog, Miss Emma, his godmother, is dead-set on making sure Jefferson dies the man she raised him to be, which causes Grant Wiggins and his aunt to get tied into the plot. The character who appears to be most affected by the word “hog” is Miss Emma because of her uncharacteristic actions. Whenever someone speaks to her, Miss Emma appears to be deeply contemplating the use of the word “hog” towards her godson. Additionally her actions are quoted as being “slow”, “dry, mechanical, unemotional” and “looking...but not seeing”. Although she would normally snap at Grant for acting the way he is to his aunt, she sits unmoving and lost in thought. She even disregards her pride entering the Pichot’s house through that back door that she never wanted to go through again. When Henri Pichot tells her he cannot change the verdict, Miss Emma assures him that she is “not begging for [Jefferson’s] life no more” and that she wants to “see him die like a man” as her last favor “fore [she] close[s] [her] eyes”. This shows that she has accepted the death sentence and is more consumed by the fact that someone called her godson a hog. All because of a seemingly simple word, this strong, proper lady has turned into a hull of her former self.
- Hannah S.
In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson is sentenced to death for a crime he never committed. However, he won't be sentenced as a man, but as a hog which mocks his intelligence as a human being. Henri Pichot, his defense attorney, tries using a degrading tactic to save Jefferson's life. Miss Emma is the character most affected by the word hog. The defendant described him as a human being incapable of thought process that only knew how to obey commands given to him. Miss Emma would not have minded so much if this tactic had actually worked, but since it did not, she did not want Jefferson put to death as an animal in the eyes of his executioners. She wants him to die "on his own two feet" as a man. She does not want Jefferson to die believing he is less of a man and that his life has importance just like everyone else. She believes that he should be put to death as a human being so that the community can see he is human put to death and not a hog put to slaughter.This one word shows that there may be a change in someone's perception of the Aftican American race in the novel.
-AR
In the first chapter of the novel, Jefferson's defense attorney uses the word "hog" in an attempt to sway the jury in Jefferson's favor and find him not guilty of a crime he did not commit. However, the use of this word emphasizes the inequalities of the time period and characterizes all black men and women as less than human. Use of this descriptor rightfully offends Miss Emma and Tante Lou who then beg Wiggins to teach Jefferson to be a man before he is put to death; the word "hog" is the driving force behind much of this novel. Though Jefferson's point of view has not yet been revealed, his acceptance of the "hog" defense suggests that he partially believes himself and others like him to be subhuman as well, making him most impacted by its use. Catherine A.
No particular word stood out to me until I reached chapter four. When I read that there was "... a slaughterhouse, mostly for hogs," in town, it reminded me of when Jefferson was called a hog in chapter one. The fact that people compare him to an animal that is commonly killed shows that no one has an ounce of respect for Jefferson, and, most likely, any other African Americans. Workers kill hogs and feel no remorse, and that is how Jefferson will be executed. The word "hog" mainly affects Miss Emma because she raised Jefferson, and she will not have him seen in such a disrespectful way, even in death. She wants to take one last stand for him.
-SA
As I began reading the novel, I noticed the use of the word "hog" in the courtroom and thought it odd but not of much importance, but as I got farther into the book, I realized how much impact the use of the word had. I finally realized how the meaning of the word "hog" was really derogatory and degrading when Grant mentioned there being "a slaughterhouse in town, mostly for hogs". That reference made me realize that they referred to Jefferson as an unimportant animal. The use of the word effected Miss Emma the most because she raised Jefferson and "...didn't raise no hog...". She wanted people to realize Jefferson was more than a hog; a man.
Olivia T.
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