In class we’ve been discussing a lot what it would mean for Grant to succeed in his mission. He is supposed to make Jefferson feel like and act like a man before he is killed, which is a daunting task. There are a lot of different ways of interpreting success specifically with Jefferson and him becoming a “man” before he dies, it is possible that him walking tall and proud to the chair could be seen as a man or maybe him leaving a legacy behind would mean he is a true man. I think that those things could count as Grant’s success with Jefferson, but it is important to measure Grant’s success overall based off of how he acts in the years following this experience.
We see throughout the story that Grant feels some sense of guilt or responsibility for Jefferson being in the cell and being considered by the community a “hog”. This guilt of Grant’s comes from him participating in the system that tells young black students not to learn anything useful in school. Grant says he teaches reading, writing, and basic math or whatever they tell him to teach. The students don’t seem to be learning anything meaningful, just learning to recite the pledge and write in a straight line. Grant is part of a system that keeps sending kids into this life, we know that Grant has friends who went to Florida and then the same situation happened to them as to Jefferson. It is not Grant’s fault, and he does almost try to fight it by asking for better supplies, but up until Jefferson he just teaches what he is asked to teach.
When Grant works with Jefferson there is much more meaning. Grant talks to him and gets him the journal to write in. There is a big difference between telling someone to copy down a sentence and telling someone to write out their own thoughts. Expressing thoughts on paper gives someone much more of a sense of self. Jefferson is able to write down his thoughts for the first time ever, and in that way he leaves behind a physical mark. The journal can be used to bring comfort to his loved ones and to maybe show the community that he was his own man.
The journal could make a difference in its own way, but I think that the biggest difference that Jefferson made on the world is on Grant. I think that now, after Grant’s experience with Jefferson, he will be more reflective on his teaching and maybe try to show the students a way around the life that the system has put in place for them. I think that in this way Grant succeeded because he gave Jefferson the tools to make a difference, and Jefferson was able to show Grant a solution.
I totally agree. The premise of Grant visiting Jefferson was to change him, to make him into a man. And while that happened, Jefferson also changed Grant. I think you're right in that Jefferson helped Grant find a way to try and teach his students about the system and more importantly, what they can do about it. I also think Jefferson helped teach Grant about the importance of relationships with other people and thinking about the people around you and your impact on them. Grant has definitely gained a better sense of the people around him through trying to get Jefferson to do things for Miss Emma.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely really hard to define success for Grant but I think that at the end we can say he did, based on Jefferson's writing. It's clear that he is very capable of forming clear and coherent thought, and that he is greatly affected and is proud of his own community. He is even able to "convert" Paul, a white man. It felt good for me to read the end of the novel because of this.
ReplyDeleteIn life, there are a number of scenarios and situations that don't define what success really is or entails. The entire situation with Grant and Jefferson doesn't have a true destination point. There's no ending that screams out "Congratulations! You've reached the happy ending!" However, there's a number of signs in the book that say that Grant has managed to change Jefferson for the better (and vice versa). That's always been the thing about trying to teach someone something; You usually end up solidifying your knowledge and learning things on the way.
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