"A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines

An exploration of the book "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines is becoming quite common in many high school literature courses. If you are not familiar with it, it is a novel that explores racial and social inequality. In my class, I center my unit on the book on one question—what is a man?  Specifically, we analyze how the roles of men have evolved over time and place. In other words, in what ways is a man of today different from a man of the 1950’s, or a man living in another country? These questions are tools to help students develop an objective perspective of the world, while helping them develop their own individual identity. 

Before we read the text, we examine a variety of depictions of men. I choose several “commonly accepted” images of men from magazines and television ads. As a class, we discuss each image and talk about the implications on the youth of today. It is important to address what each image is trying to tell us. For example, physical fitness and attractiveness is the key to being successful professionally as well as personally. Being a great athlete, for example, is more important than going to college. The goal is for students to recognize that their identity, and what they perceive is important, is largely shaped by external forces, such as the media. Once students grasp this idea, you can move on to more specific examples, or have them share their own personal experiences. A fun sociology experiment is to have students observe men interacting in society. Students should select a place to observe and document their findings. The next day, students can share their findings with the class and see how the results compare.

In addition, we also look at examples of men from other regions in the U.S., other economic areas and other countries.  A great activity for students is to have them create a diagram, a poster, a PowerPoint, etc., that illustrates the similarities and differences between men from various geographical and social environments. Each group can then present their findings and discuss the results. You can map out the results and determine similarities. Another activity is to have each student select a song that depicts men in a specific way. I use “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé.

Prior to reading the text, we look at how images and expectations of men have changed over the course of time. One transformation that is essential to illustrate is the effect slavery, and subsequent "freedom," had on African Americans. If you need supplemental material to help your students understand this overall topic, you can use a documentary called “Tough Guise.”  It is a PBS special that can be found on YouTube. I ask students this question— even though African American men are “free,” how are they still controlled by the society in which they live?  It’s always interesting to see how the responses change after reading the text. Here are some other ideas and lessons that you might find useful.

"A Lesson Before Dying" Activities and Lessons:

Design for Social Justice

This lesson will work best once it is adapted for your classroom needs. However, I really like that the lesson takes the topic of social roles and broadens it to community and global needs.  The students use what they have learned and design a plan to spark a change.

Building A Literature Website

I love the premise of this lesson. Students not only examine the social issues in the text, but use what they have learned to create an informative web site. The lesson includes a lot of supplemental links and suggestions to help you adapt the lesson to fit your needs.

Media Analysis--Culture and Gender Roles

This is a great pre-reading activity. In groups, students critique elements of advertising.  They determine how each ad influences our perceptions of image and equality.