Mrs Emma's lesson before dying

Born into a world of discrimination, facing many adversities and challenges in her lifetime.she managed to grow up helping others and demanding nothing but respect in return. Raised in 1950's with no rights in the eyes of society, based of the color of your skin is hard, being this and a woman is even harder. Mrs. Emma overcame this, she used her struggles to educate and guide those around her.

She in this sense became a mother figure, with Jefferson as one of her son and the day he was dragged off to jail and accused of the murder of 3 men, one of them white, was the scariest moment of her life.His court date.. he most disappointing day of her life. " she was remembering, she was thinking; she was not seeing... called him a hog," they were trying to get him off by calling him a hog, by calling him a fool. she just wanted to make him understand that he was more then just a fool, more than just a boy, that he had much to learn but can still die with dignity, die a man.

Although Jefferson may not see it right away but she only wants the best for him. struggling to get Jefferson to understand this she calls on a Mrs. Grant Wiggins, a teacher and friend of Miss. Emma for help." i don't want them to kill no hog" she said."i want a man to go to that chair, on his own two feet." with this in mind Mrs. Emma pushed though Jefferson's hardheadedness and convinced Mrs. Wiggins to speech to him and some how along the way made Jefferson come to a realization, that there was more to him than just stupidity, that he deserved respect as much as anyone else, he realized his self worth and he thanked Miss. Emma for never forgetting this. Although his fiat was sealed, Jefferson would die with dignity, die a man.

A Lesson Before Dying

by Ernest J. Gaines

pages13 -20