A mentor is someone who uses his own experience to help guide his fellow companions
through overcoming obstacles and hard times. In Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before
Dying, Jefferson is struggling to find a way that he can still bring meaning into his life, and feels
that he has no need for existence. However, thanks to Grant’s support, Jefferson begins to
develop characteristics of an existentialist and shows how much Grant has had an impact on him.
Throughout their lives, both Grant and Jefferson have grown up in a racially biased community.
This has limits about them in the sense that they both have restrictions in terms of their knowledge and have to deal with racial discrimination in many places. Unfortunately, this problem ends up being the downfall for Jefferson as he is sentenced to death because he is falsely accused of …show more content…
However, it is somewhat the duty of a mentor to ignore all the negatives and look for the positives. Only with encouragement can a student truly believe that his goals can be accomplished. In the 1940’s, african americans were at a major disadvantage compared to the whites. Even though they were deemed politically equal, there was still a sense of separation between the two races. For instance, Jackie Robinson is a man who had to overcome a great deal of negativity. At first, he had to put up with being an incredibly talented baseball player who wasn’t allowed to showcase his greatness in the major leagues. Eventually, his dedication proved himself to all the white men. Being a black male and getting accepted into a MLB set a landmark for african americans. Now, people view Jackie Robinson as a mentor who revolutionized society. He supported his community by being the one individual who faced all the odds and became the man no expected him to
through overcoming obstacles and hard times. In Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before
Dying, Jefferson is struggling to find a way that he can still bring meaning into his life, and feels
that he has no need for existence. However, thanks to Grant’s support, Jefferson begins to
develop characteristics of an existentialist and shows how much Grant has had an impact on him.
Throughout their lives, both Grant and Jefferson have grown up in a racially biased community.
This has limits about them in the sense that they both have restrictions in terms of their knowledge and have to deal with racial discrimination in many places. Unfortunately, this problem ends up being the downfall for Jefferson as he is sentenced to death because he is falsely accused of …show more content…
However, it is somewhat the duty of a mentor to ignore all the negatives and look for the positives. Only with encouragement can a student truly believe that his goals can be accomplished. In the 1940’s, african americans were at a major disadvantage compared to the whites. Even though they were deemed politically equal, there was still a sense of separation between the two races. For instance, Jackie Robinson is a man who had to overcome a great deal of negativity. At first, he had to put up with being an incredibly talented baseball player who wasn’t allowed to showcase his greatness in the major leagues. Eventually, his dedication proved himself to all the white men. Being a black male and getting accepted into a MLB set a landmark for african americans. Now, people view Jackie Robinson as a mentor who revolutionized society. He supported his community by being the one individual who faced all the odds and became the man no expected him to