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Can an ignorant society be a productive society? Is the loss of civil liberties justified by the economic betterment of man? The idea that one race is stronger, faster, smarter, and better than another is an example of racial ignorance which is well documented in the world. As we look at our past, it is easy to pass judgment on our forefathers as they raped the dignity and humanity out of the black men, who they thought were unfit to be equal to them. Was it not up to the black race as a whole to stand up against their white oppressors to shed some light on their ignorant thoughts? It was up to the black people to do this, however those who took a stand were thrust back down, those who spoke up were silenced, and those who stood their ground were persecuted by a justice system in place to guarantee the rights of the white man.
This message of white superiority over the blacks, beat down the blacks hope for the future, and made them into mindless drones, without thoughts. Most of the black men had no education and they were forced into the cotton fields, but a few were able to break the rules, while others let the white men get to them and lost all hope. There were many ways to deal with the white man, you could either sit down and let him destroy your spirit, or you could fight a futile battle for civil rights and liberties. In the late 1940 s, at the dawn of the understanding of racial rights, should the black men and women have fought for equality, or run away? Should they have met the battle head on, or given up in futility? Since slaves were captured in Africa and brought on boats to North America, the blacks have been treated like second class citizens, because in many respects they were.
The book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines shows a lot about this time period when the blacks were second class citizens in the late 1940 s. The book is a documentation of racial ignorance, and more so, how people deal with that racial ignorance. On one hand you have those who are willing to fight the oppression, and on the other there are those who wish to run away and escape it all. Miss Emma is an old, worn out slave. She is someone who has lived under the white oppression her whole life; she was a maid for a rich white family.
When her grandson, Jefferson, is charged with murder because the only defense provided by the lawyer was that a pig doesnt know any better Miss Emma's outrage is directed to clearing Jefferson's name, not of the murder charges, but freeing him of the disgrace handed to his dignity by being called a pig. Miss Emma is old and will be dying, tired of the world she has lived in, and with that prospect of dying from a disgraced family, she must fight against what she has lived like by making the white men listen to her instead of her being bossed around. This subtle defiance made her seem desperate and needy to the white people around her, however she got what she wanted by calling in favors. Miss Emma also manipulates the people, white and black, by using guilt to get what she wants. This is her prime weapon against anyone; guilt brought on by saying she is old and dying.
In the meeting at Pichots house, when they were trying to get permission to go and visit Jefferson at the jail, she gets the upper hand on the situation, leading the men to believe that granting her the right to visit her grandson was giving a dying woman her last wish. Im old. My heart wont take it, he need to die not a pig. Shows how she manipulated Mr.
Pichots by manipulating him into to having to choose between a simple request, or destroying an old womans will to live. This is also another method Miss Emma used, she played on the white mans power, as though they had all of the power, and it would make them feel good if they gave her permission to see Jefferson. To the white people, Miss Emma is just a lower person whos day they can make better, and they think that by granting that wish, that maybe they can live with themselves one more day as they abuse the black people. I think inside they knew what they were doing was wrong, and they could somehow justify the abuses to themselves if they allowed her to see her grandson. Even though the white men of the past thought they were superior, at the very root of humanity there is a conscience, this will not allow for one person to so readily strip another of their dignity, maybe it will remind the man of what Miss Emma has done for the family, or maybe it will remind him of his grandma, wanting to make one last wish before she dies. Regardless of what Miss Emma managed to conger up in Mr.
Pichots soul she knew very well he could not say no to a woman on her deathbed. Miss Emma's ability to manipulate people through guilt was a handy tool in getting what she wanted out of the white people, however this was only limited to small things, and no major political movements can ever be attributed to guilt. Miss Emma uses guilt to get what she needs from white men, that is because she is not beaten mentally, she has the will and desire to fight for what she thinks is just and right. However, a contrasting view is shown by the very person which Miss Emma is trying to save.
Jefferson has been humiliated in front of the whole town when he was called a pig. Jefferson believes what the white man has said about him to be true and he...
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Research essay sample on Second Class Citizens Miss Emma
