Facing Injustice with Dignity and Courage

Michelle Pornsiritara

PAS 113B

Prof. Broadous

26 April 2012

Facing Injustice with Dignity and Courage

            In A Lesson before Dying, there is an important concept of human dignity through the character of Jefferson. He was a man that was called a hog by the defense attorney; all twelve white members of the jury agreed that Jefferson was an African American man that lacked intelligence to plan a robbery and murder. How is it possible for Jefferson to stand tall and prove to those people that he is not a hog, but a man? What could help Jefferson gain his courage to be strong after being brought down? Grant Wiggins gives Jefferson the power to be strong. Grant told Jefferson, “Do you know what a hero is, Jefferson? A hero is someone who does something for other people. He does something that other men don’t and can’t do. He is different from other men. He is above other men” (Gaines 191). Jefferson must therefore be courageous enough to show the community, especially during racially segregated times like 1940’s, that he has courage to stand tall with dignity because other African Americans had always fear to stand up in front of the white community. These two races are treated unequally by difference in levels of education, which lead to segregations in the community. Jefferson first struggles to keep his morals after internalizing himself as a hog. With Grant’s help, Jefferson soon comes to accept his fate, understand the social injustice, and then he bravely marches to death in order to prove himself a man.   

            Jefferson was a planation worker who was uneducated. This is during the 1940’s where there was separation between colors and African Americans were looked down upon. If there was a shootout or a violent incident between a Black man and a White man, the jury would most likely be biased and convict the Black man guilty because Whites were given a privilege. These privileges are described as “[…]conditions I experience that I did not earn but I have been made to feel are mine by birth, by citizenship…” (McIntosh 1). This is the way that society sees white people and they would not be blamed or looked down upon for any problems that occur in society. Colored people would get blamed. It is something that was passed on to give an ideal image of where a certain group stands in the society. Race was an issue because it was a way to identify people of who they were based on the color of their skin and their physical characteristics. Caucasians and African Americans were the two races in the community during the 1930’s and 1940’s. The slavery problem contributed to how society views the two different races. During slavery, the lighter skin slave child would have to clean the house, but the darker skin slave child would have to be out in the field working under the blazing sun. Mulattos in the community felt that they were higher in status than African Americans because they were mixed with White. Whites were given a privilege, such of how society sees White people; they would not be blamed or looked down upon from any problems caused in the society.

Grant had taught Jefferson to stand up with dignity to prove he was a strong man during his execution day so it would spread a message to the White community that African Americans do have courage. They would not expect an African American man to be brave enough; this will then spread awareness to the community on how African American people were being treated in society. People in society assume that a certain race would act or be doing something that other races do not. Stereotypes are negative and lead to racial profiling. The racial problems in the community have triggered these stereotypes and therefore led to racial profiling.

            Jefferson questioned his self-worth because he took defense attorney’s word to heart. Jefferson was describe as a “…cornered animal to strike quickly out of fear, a trait inherited from his ancestors in the deepest jungle of blackest Africa...this skull holds no plans” (Gaines 7). This term was very dehumanizing because it compared Jefferson to an animal. It shows that the White people in the courtroom do not care about the value of Jefferson’s life because of his skin color by describing his brain lacking intelligence to even plan a crime. Jefferson feels hurt after being pushed down by society; he then thinks of himself as being useless. He does not have morals or values to want to keep on living. He internalizes the beast, and then becomes the beast. Grant is a teacher who reaches in to help Jefferson as he is about to lose all hope through helping Jefferson to regain his values and have dignity. He represents a strong educated African American man who does not practice religion, but has his own beliefs to change someone.

            Identity is how other people refer to someone and how they are viewed as. This could be based on their appearance, race, gender, or any physical characteristics. Society has its ways to identify people based on how they look like; and what qualities are considered a certain type. In the 1930’s, darker skin people were looked down upon as being less superior to lighter skin people. Therefore, the jurors looked down upon him and compared him to a hog lacking intelligence to even plan a crime. Jefferson internalized himself as an animal by believing what the jury said about him. This led to self-hatred as Jefferson despises himself and sees himself as someone worthless. Words are very powerful, that it had made Jefferson to force himself to believe what he was told. Jefferson treated himself like a hog and refused to speak to anyone.

            While in jail, Jefferson feels his life is worthless as he just sits and refuses to eat. Grant is pressured by Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma to help with Jefferson’s condition. He refuses to eat or even talk with Grant for the few times he came to visit. Grant then came up with the idea to give Jefferson a radio to listen to. “Last Friday was the first time he ever asked me a question or answered me without accusing me for his condition. I don’t know if you all know…But I found a way to reach him for the first time” (Gaines 182). The radio helped ease Jefferson’s mind and wallows him to feel less locked up. As Jefferson is starting to pick himself up, Reverend Ambrose argues the radio is a sin for Jefferson inside the jail-room, Grant said that he could take the radio away from Jefferson, but he would not be able to reach him. The only thing that keeps him from thinking he is not a hog is that radio (Gaines 183). So far, Grant has started to find a way to communicate with Jefferson in order to help him.

            Grant is the only man who Jefferson speaks to and interacts with which develops a bond between them. Grant taught Jefferson about the social injustice. “That’s why they are always looking for a scapegoat, someone else to blame. I want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be. To them, you’re nothing…You can prove them wrong” (Gaines 191). Grant is telling Jefferson about how society sees him as a person to blame because he is an African American man. Grant wants Jefferson to be able to show the community that his death can have a meaning. In that case, Grant wants him to prove to the community that his life is worth more than what the predominately White community sees him as. Referring to the white community, “The last thing they ever want is to see a black man stand, and think, and show that common humanity that is in us all. It would destroy their myth. They would no longer have justification for having made us slaves and keeping us in the condition we are in. As long as none of us stand, they’re safe” (Gaines 192). Grant is stating that only Jefferson could prove to the White community that he could stand bravely raise a meaning for the society. Jefferson’s death could bolster the community to an understanding more of how African Americans are being treated during this time.

            Grant Wiggins is an elementary school teacher; he was an educated African American man. He lives in a segregated community where there is racism involved in conjunction to segregation. He dislikes his environment and he believes that nothing will change. This contributes to the fact that he does not believe in religion nor goes to church every week. Schools used to be segregated during the 1930’s as African Americans had their own schools to go to that lacked funding. “American education was racially segregated in the 1930’s precisely because of the White presumption that Blacks were inherently incapable of learning at an advanced level” (America 1930-1939: Education). Up until the 1940’s, it still remains a segregated society. There was racism, separation between bathrooms, schools, churches, and etc. Grant’s school is related to the school that was in the 1930’s through 1940’s, especially in the segregated South. During that time period, “Black schools, especially in the South, were thus underfunded and rudimentary. There were a mere handful of black schools throughout the South” (America 1930-1939: Education). Schools for the African American communities are were usually poor because they lacked funding. Teachers who taught there were only given small amount for salary; the classrooms were usually crammed and crowded together.

Segregation still exists today as people tend to live in neighborhoods and attend school that is predominately their own race. They may feel more attached to their cultures and same values they share. Although there are some schools that are diverse, majority of schools are predominately a certain race. There is probably a sense of bonding with their own race as minorities do not enroll in most schools that are predominately white. “In the mid-1960’s, 80 percent of American students were White. Today, due to immigration and other factors, children of color make up almost 40 percent of the student body. While the student body as a whole has grown much more diverse, many majority white-schools have been seen only a slight bump in their minority enrollment” (Lockette). There continues to be separation in society today, but issues with racism are reduced as people become more aware and acknowledge the idea of living in the society without judging people based on their identification and race.

            Grant has always been a man who dislikes how African Americans are being viewed in society and he thinks they are treated very unequally. “He feels that they are all bending to the will of the whites and seems very frustrated that so few of them don’t act out against those who are keeping them down” (Smith). He wants Jefferson to understand the meaning of what situation he is in. Grant says that White people look down on him, and he wants Jefferson to prove them wrong. “I want you to chip away that myth by standing. I you-yes, you can call them liars. I want you to show them that you are much a man-more a man than they can ever be…You have the chance of being bigger than anyone who has ever lived on that plantation or come from this little town” (Gaines 192, 193). The reason African Americans are being treated unequally or looked down upon is that no one has ever stood beyond what the White community expects. For that reason, Jefferson can prove to the jury that he has dignity by standing tall and brave. Their idea of viewing African Americans as being weak would start to change. In addition to that, this would also raise awareness to the community.     

            Through Grant’s teachings, Jefferson has transformed himself from a man losing all his hopes to a man with dignity and Jefferson comes to accept his fate while in jail. Through times spent there, Grant taught him how to prove the society that he can stand up while society looks down upon him because they would not expect an African American man to have enough courage to stand. Grant helps Jefferson reacts to the injustice of society and Jefferson’s bravery in the courtroom had proved that he was the strongest man there. This made Jefferson be able to show the community that he could die with dignity. Grant’s teachings had given Jefferson a lesson before dying. Grant is the force that help pulls Jefferson up.

Works Cited

America 1930-1939: Education. Segregation. Bookrags.com. Web. 30 March 2012.

Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: First Vintage Contemporaries Edition,

            1994. Print.

“League of Struggle for Negro Rights (1930-1936): The Black Past:

            Remembered and Reclaimed.” The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed.

            Web. 18 April 2012.  

Lockette, Tim. The New Racial Segregation at Public Schools. Alternet.org, Feb. 2010. Web.

            30 March 2012.

McIntosh, Peggy.  “White Privilege and Male Privilege.” A Personal Account of Coming to See

            Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies (1988). 1988. Print.

Smith, Nicole. “Analysis of “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines: Themes of Women and

            Community”. Articlemyriad.com. Article Myriad, 2010. Web. 30 March 2012.

Poverty Increasing Everyday

Michelle Pornsiritara

Pas 113b

Prof. Broadous

March 22, 2012

Poverty Increasing Everyday

            In America, the number of the poverty population is rising. Back in the 1960’s, it was a problem that only African Americans had faced. At that time, schools were overcrowded in some neighborhoods; many people relied on health care plans, stood in long lines to apply for a job, and went to shelters to receive food or for a place to stay. Their inadequate wages and the unemployment rate had caused a poverty issue in the African American community. Up until today, poverty is now affecting all races all over America and still is a problem because people lose their jobs. There are about 16 million children in poverty today (60 minutes). This is the fastest fall in the middle class, as there is now a big gap between the high class and low class. Homeless people and those in financial needs go to rescue missions, family housing, and other shelters to seek help. Inside each place is crowded as about thirty beds are cramped together into the room. The spaces of these people are limited as they don’t have much choice; their clothes and food are from donations they receive. Each person in poverty contributes to the socially, psychologically, and economic problems. These social, psychological, and economic problems they face imply how the world views the homeless and lower class in a broad sense.

            There are currently about half of Americans who are suffering financially (Smiley). In society, people look down upon homelessness as being unsanitary and unclean. There are negative degrading sayings that people in poverty are close to losing their homes. They are said to be people who steal, don’t want to succeed, and give up on life. Society puts on stereotypes of the people in poverty that they lack motivation in life. Their limited space to have enough access for financial help contributes to their poverty. There are many excuses though as to why people are in poverty and why they become homeless. “As McAdam notes, excluded groups lack conventional resources and inducements to affect change but must rely on negative inducements and reduction” (Cohen). It is a generation to generation problem, and they can’t find a way out easily as there are barely any resources for them. As a family is at a poverty level, their child falls into the poverty level too. They can’t seek much help when the environment they are in doesn’t provide them with enough support such as money, shelter, or food. Children, especially who are raised in poverty would be living in poverty with their family. There are 25% of children in poverty since the Great Depression (60 minutes). A child born into poverty makes it difficult for them to break the cycle. They usually stay in poverty to their adulthood. The only way out is education, but college level education prices are high. Another factor that leads to homeless is someone who lost their job, this causes them to lose their home, and seek help from shelters. As the issue of poverty arises, we should look at the problems that caused the people to fall into the homeless category, not by socially implying what kind of people are homeless.

            In poverty environments, living in crowded spaces, struggling to have meals each day and fighting everyday just to live on without enough necessities is difficult. Some people in poverty have to adapt to the environment they are in. Children in poverty at a young age face problems like starving, sleeping uncomfortably, and not being given the proper care by their parents at a young age could lead to future problems. People in poverty are looked at by society as having post-traumatic stress disorders, mentally challenged, being traumatized, and other psychological problems. The space in which these people lived in could lead to this problem. People in poverty feel hopeless, powerless, negative, and inferior. “The loss of stable shelter, whether sudden or gradual, may produce symptoms of psychological trauma. Second, among those who are not psychologically traumatized by becoming homeless, the ongoing condition of homelessness—living in shelters with such attendant stressors as the possible loss of safety, predictability, and control” (Goodman). Their limited space doesn’t give them much opportunity to live life comfortably. Their space in the shelter provides them with only the necessity to live, like a place indoors to sleep and just portions of food to live on. At San Fernando Rescue Mission where I volunteered at, some people seemed very grumpy, unhappy, and I came across someone who was mentally ill as she spoke to herself continuously. When we served food to them, some were very eager to eat as if they haven’t eaten for days. Although they can survive, it isn’t very convenient as many prefer to live with more comfort. The people in poverty would therefore feel unhappy and unmotivated. Especially homeless young adults are in a lot of stress. They are separated from family support networks; lack enough food to eat, and lacking a comfortable place to sleep on. If they lack coping skills, they could have future psychological disorders. Some parents don’t raise their children well in poverty; children are sometimes being abused by their parents if their parents are mentally-challenged. This causes the child to be traumatized. Since their space is limited, people in poverty are more trapped inside as they are less likely to see a way out.

            The economy of America has risen out of the Great Depression in the 1930s, but why are there still poverty issues from the 1960s up until today? Currently, the middle class is disappearing, and soon there predict to be only the high class and low class. The top wealthy class of the nation sits at 4% (Smiley). People become invisible as they fall into the poverty level, which is hard to get back up. The government money doesn’t go on to improve the poverty issue. As a parent loses their job, they lose their houses, as many houses now are going into foreclosure. Their children fall into poverty too. Their children will have to cut back on what they eat to save up money. If families are in so much need for financial help, they will go into shelters to seek help and the life struggles continue on. They affect the economy by relying on welfare, but still it doesn’t cover for that long. Even with welfare, larger families would still struggle financially. Still it isn’t enough to lower the poverty problem, as there are limited jobs and it is hard to find a stable job to support a family. The recession and poverty rates today are being compared to that of the Great Depression as to whether over time the economy is actually get better or worse. The economy does affect how people live, if they can’t afford to live comfortably, their space is then limited to another space that is smaller.

            As more fall into poverty, programs like rescue missions, shelters, and housing centers could only provide limited space for people in poverty to stay at. The place that people in poverty live in is definitely limited as the environment is more packed. They couldn’t live comfortably, like eating full three meals in a day, sleeping as much as they want, or having the option to choose what to wear. These programs are usually non-profit that does not use any money support from the government. Having a limited space in a shelter environment prevents them from doing what they would please. Having their own space like a house, it has a sense of belonging and warmth. As a shelter only provides space with the necessities to be able to live, but an actual home would provide a space that provides enough to relax and enjoy. When people in poverty lack that space, they don’t have enough to go beyond to live fully well.     

Works Cited

Cohen, Marcia B, and David Wagner. "Acting on Their Own Behalf: Affiliation and Political  

            Mobilization Among Homeless People." Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 19.4

            (1992): 21-40.

Goldstein, Adina. "'A Place of My Own' Homeless Families in the New York City Shelter

            System: The Long-term Stayers. a Comparative Study of Homeless Families Headed by

            Women." Dissertation Abstracts International, A: The Humanities and Social Sciences,

            68.11 (2008): 4863.

Goodman, Lisa, Leonard Saxe, and Mary Harvey. "Homelessness as Psychological Trauma:

            Broadening Perspectives." American Psychologist, 46.11 (1991): 1219-1225.

Hard Times Generation. Interview. 60 Minutes. CBS. WCBS, New York: Nov. 2011. Television.

McChesney, Kay Young. "Homeless Families, Homeless Children: How Family Poverty Leads

            To Homelessness." Society for the Study of Social Problems, (1988).

Smiley, Tavis. “Remaking of America.” PBS.org. 2011.

Narrative

Time

It is 2012, Lee is now a woman in her late forties, and she is petite and with a thin frame.
She aged significantly from the hardships that she had been through in her lifetime. The wrinkle
on her forehead is visible and her hair is in gray strands. She is now a monk in Wong Tai Sin
Temple in Hong Kong. She is trying to make up good deeds in the life she has left. Lee suddenly
has a flashback of her life from August 10, 1993, nineteen years ago, when she was only thirty.
On that time, it was a humid day in the busy crowded streets in Kowloon. Food vendors were
trying to sell their food and merchants laid down their goods to sell. These small streets were
crowded as cars drove past the people walking along. The sun was blazing hot as it shined
directly to Lee’s face as she was selling siopao, Chinese steamed buns. Sweat dripped down her
forehead as she stood there waiting for sunset to arrive so she could end her exhausting day. As
she was selling her food, smoke polluted the air; it wasn’t comfortable to breathe in. Lee still
slowly inhaled and exhaled, she reached down to feel her stomach. She was nine months
pregnant.
At sunset, Lee packed her stuff to head home. She lived in the poor suburban area of
Kowloon. It was an old small house. She set her things down and lit a candle since it was getting
dark, and she had no electricity. A few moments later, she heard footsteps staggering in through
the door. Lee knew immediately that it was her husband, Wong. He was heavily drunk. Wong
started having gambling problems as he was lured by some of the merchant on the side street
sellers to make bets. Gambling caused Wong to lose money. He was in a very depressive state
for years and Lee tried to help him become the same person again, it wasn’t possible. He started
to take drugs as to relieve stress and pain. This cost him a lot. Wong had taken the wrong path by
his choice to start gambling. He thought it was by chance that could make him richer, but it
wasn’t. It only made him more addicted and he neglected his wife, and started to abuse her.
Wong approached Lee. He was drunk, his clothes were ripped and dirty. His hair was
messed up. Wong was tall; he had a lanky body. Lee’s heart raced quickly as she panicked inside
to whether her husband was going to hit her. She was afraid as she knew he was going to ask for
her money. She doesn’t want to be in this abusive relationship anymore. Wong came close to
Lee and strikes her. Lee lost balance and fell to the ground; she struggled as she pushed herself
back up. Wong unintentionally knocked down the candle setting the room on fire. As Lee tried to
escape from him, he reached to her and tried to strangle Lee. She used all her strength and
pushed Wong over, and accidently knocked him unconsciously on the fire. Wong’s body was
already covered in flames, as Lee yells out for help. She ran out of the house to save herself, but
deep inside she felt guilty for her husband’s death. That neighborhood was quiet years after that
as reporters only reported that they found a dead body burnt in fire. Only the ashes of that house
remained.
A week passed by, it was August 17, 1993; Lee went into labor and gave birth to a baby
girl. She named her Ann. They both moved together from Kowloon to settle together in Wan
Chai, Hong Kong. That city had more opportunities than Kowloon. Lee never talked about her
husband to Ann. She knew deep inside that she doesn’t want Ann to feel resentful of her horrible
past. Ann grew up to be the typical teenage girl. On the outside, she was slim, petite, and had
beautiful long black hair with brown eyes. Ann seemed cheerful, and had a lively personality.
Everyone in school thought that she was a very happy person. It was different because when Ann
arrived home, she was quite; she didn’t spoke much with her mother, Lee. There wasn’t much
communication between the mother and daughter. Since Ann was little, she lived by herself at
home while Lee went out to sell siopao. As Ann grew up to be a teenager, she changed. Ann
once had overheard her mother talking about her past. Ann deep inside knew that she wasn’t
supposed to know or have heard that. The thought of her father being burned in the flames to his
death has haunted her for years. One day Ann patiently came home from school, she set her
books down and went to sit in the dining table. Ann had a blank look on her face. She seemed
callous and insensitive. Lee made soup for her; her mother asked Ann what was wrong. Ann
responded with a shrug, no words, just silence filled the room between these two. There was no
conversation. Ann went up to lock herself up in her room alone. Lee thought that this is normal
for her daughter to act this way since everything seemed okay. Their lack of communication
caused them to not understand each other.
Few years have passed; it was August 2011, Ann was nineteen years old and was in
college. She was a very friendly and outgoing person in school, but no one knew of her bipolar
disorder. Secretly, Ann started to take drugs as a way to cope with her emotions. She thought
she wasn’t content with her life. Ann never appreciated what she had or the fact that her mother
had to work to be able to make her go to school. Ann felted emotionally trapped inside. She was
always depressed at home. During her years in college, she allowed her grades to drastically
drop; no one knew her true behavior. Ann secretly took ecstasy in her room to make herself feel
consciously happier. Until one day, while Lee was preparing to go sell, she heard a thumping
sound from upstairs. It was from Ann’s room. Lee rushed in to find her daughter’s body on the
floor with drugs scattered all over. Ann had overdosed on drugs. Ann had no pulse and her eyes
were dilated. Lee never knew that Ann had been secretly using drugs for years.
The flashback ends, as Lee comes back to the present day, where she is now an old
woman. She opens her eyes to see the bright sunny day as the breeze slowly moves through her.
It felt relaxing. After Ann’s death, Lee has ordained to become a monk in a temple. She wants
to find inner peace and also make up for her traumatizing past experiences. Lee hopes that in
the next life, she will be a better person and she would be able to fulfill her life with more good
deeds. Lee thinks that life does go on, even after living through horror, she can still find a bright
way out. She hopes that time will heal her. As Lee’s last thought disappears, she closes her eyes
as few tears rolls down her face. It is deeply silent in the Wong Tai Sin Temple, and Lee goes
into a meditative state.