Do you know what it takes to raise a family as a single parent? In Ernest J. Gaines "The Sky Is Gray"‚ Octavia finds out the hard way. Set in Louisiana‚ Octavia is forced to raise her family by herself when her husband is sent off to war. Octavia overcomes the hardships of segregation and poverty while doing so. Octavia shows the characteristics of a good parent by being stern‚ loving‚ and independent. Octavia is a well-rounded character because she is stern. She uses sternness to teach her children
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Few books can truly be said to have altered the course of history‚ and even fewer can be said to have started an entire war. Uncle Tom’s Cabin‚ written by Harriet Beecher Stowe‚ was one novel to do both. Abraham Lincoln said to Harriet Beecher Stowe upon meeting her‚ "So this is the little lady who made this big war.”. Uncle Tom’s Cabin had a tremendous effect on early 19th century thoughts of slavery; stirring abolitionist support in the north. The novel is a realistic‚ although fictional view of
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In Ernest Gaines‚ “The Sky is Gray‚” readers are introduced to James‚ a young boy growing up in Louisiana during a time when Jim Crowe laws still played a significant role in the daily life of African Americans. Under the guidance of his mother‚ Octavia‚ James learns survival skills based on rationale‚ accept generosity without showing weakness and with the help of a preacher and student‚ he learns to exercise stoicism in order to thrive and survive in a segregated world which is not an easy task
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"A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines has changed my opinion on the death penalty. Before reading the book I believed capital punishment was not a good form of criminal punishment because it did not deter crime. After researching capital punishment I now believe that capital punishment sets an example for others not to commit crime because they will receive the same punishment. "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines‚ is about a man who is being persecuted for a crime that he did not
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consists of surfing through the web and‚ copy and paste. Although in Ernest J. Gaines case‚ author of a lesson before dying‚ he actually gathers research and actual evidence himself. Research is an attempt to find out‚ while evidence is proof of what actually happened. The research and evidence that Gaines collected were crucial to the story and without could have changed the outcome of the book. Many statements could have been false if Gaines didn’t conduct his research. Research and evidence are two vital
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consider what the early years of our public leaders may have been like. For example‚ what lessons did Dr. King’s father drive home during King’s childhood‚ or what was Jesse Jackson’s socio-economic status as a child. It is my belief that Gaines’ "The Sky is Gray" depicts the possible roots of a public leader‚ in the way the nature of the young narrator James is portrayed it illuminates the character traits in civil leader. This theory is supported by three specific events during the story. The first
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“And the peace of God‚ which surpasses all understanding‚ will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:7). In the novel‚ A Lesson Before Dying‚ by Ernest J. Gaines‚ one of the protagonists Jefferson discovers that the combined transformation of death‚ understanding‚ and religion can overpower the thoughts of a common man and no matter how much one struggles‚ hope will always confide them. Told in first person point of view‚ the author supports his theme by describing the setting
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Three Life Lessons that James Learned The story "The Sky Is Gray" by Ernest Gaines is about a day in the life of a mother and son. The family is portrayed as being poor‚ as were most blacks in those days‚ and the father was recruited by the army‚ leaving the mother to be the sole provider for the family. On this day‚ James‚ the son‚ is taken to the dentist by his "mama"‚ because he has a painful tooth. From this story‚ James learned three major lessons from the incidents that he witnessed that
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In the novel "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines the main character Jefferson was wrongfully accused of being an accessory to murder and for robbery. The author started the story off with Jefferson’s trial verdict and with no specific names because he wanted to give an run through of the novel and emphasize the importance of the trial. During the trial Jefferson- the young‚ black‚ African American man faces racism. Jefferson had got an ride from two of his friends. They had stopped to an
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Nancy Hen English 102 Mr shimizu A lesson before dying paper After reading the” lesson before dying “by Ernest J. Gaines the two characters that Really peeked my interest was Grant Wiggins and Tane Lou. These two are in relation by blood. this is very surprising being they are the total opposites when it comes to their characters. So I will be comparing these 2 characters. Tante Lou is the aunt of Grant and tante Lou are the total opposites of each other. Grant is
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