In A Lesson Before Dying, the idea of the "cycle" is mentioned multiple times.
We're first introduced to it when Grant is looking out of his window and watching the children cutting wood. He thinks to himself: "What am I doing? Am I reaching them at all? They are acting exactly as the old men did earlier. (...) Is it just a vicious cycle? Am I doing anything?" (Gaines 62). The cycle that Grant is referring to is the cycle that Jefferson is experiencing: African American children grow up and then get thrown in jail or given a death sentence.
This cycle has been around for a long time. Grant's old teacher, Matthew Antoine, tells Grant to "Just do the best you can. But it won't matter." when Grant asks him for advice (Gaines 66). Antoine is referring to the cycle and how Grant cannot change it as a teacher. It's clear that this cycle is quite difficult to break.
Later in the story, Vivian asks Grant whether the cycle will be broken, and he responds with "It's up to Jefferson, my love." (Gaines 167). At first, I found this phrase quite confusing. Jefferson can't really do anything in jail, so what can Grant be possibly talking about? Shouldn't Grant have more responsibility to change the cycle, since he is a teacher who can be a positive influence for the African American children? I thought of this response from Grant as evidence of his want to leave everything behind.
After reading Jefferson's journal, however, I think I've realized how Jefferson is going to break the cycle. In Grant's journal, we see the community's bond with Jefferson. Children to old folks all came and visited Jefferson in his last days. These visits are really the only time in the book where we get to see the entire community come together. They also could imply that Jefferson is moving them emotionally and influencing them to treat each other better.
Jefferson's journal also provides us insight on Grant. When given a pencil, Jefferson said that he didn't need the eraser because Grant had told to him to just scratch out his mistakes and keep writing. This is a chiller version of teaching compared to Grant's drilling at school. Additionally, the text is unaltered, possibly suggesting that Grant doesn't want to change it nor criticizes it. Jefferson's journal also shows the growth of him as a person; he calls himself a man. After reading this phrase: "tell them im strong tell them im a man," Grant could realize that his way of teaching Jefferson works, which could lead him to change his teaching style. By doing so, Grant would be reaching his students more effectively and could lead to the breaking of the cycle.
I think you have a good point about Grant's teaching. The way he left the notebook unaltered in chapter 29 really speaks to how he's grown as a teacher: he's no longer the guy who only cares about whether or not the sentences are straight. Instead, he cares about what they're saying. And I think you're right in that this will help Grant teach his students better, especially about the cycle they're part of. Grant is a major part of this community because he teaches all the children, having a major impact on them for multiple years until they finish sixth grade. The only other person who has more of an impact than him is Reverend Ambrose. If Grant can start teaching in this new way, there's no telling what could change within the community.
ReplyDeleteI think that the idea of the cycle is really interesting and although that particular crisis isn't completely solved by the end of the novel, I think we have much cause for hope. I really like how Gaines set up that conflict, with Grant himself realizing that they're in a neverending cycle. Even towards the last pages of the book, Grant tries to keep himself from crying over Jefferson because he realizes that more of his students will die this way. However, we all know how much Jefferson meant to Grant, and the tears do fall in the end for a very picture perfect credits roll scene.
ReplyDeleteAs an English teacher who believes in the power of personal writing and critical thinking, I agree with your assessment that the notebook is probably the single most successful assignment Grant has ever given--and it's striking how it really isn't even a developed idea or plan, just a whim, where Grant spontaneously is like, "Maybe I could get you a notebook--would you like that?" But the writing that results ends up being incontrovertible proof of the "success" of Grant's mission to teach Jefferson, and I really like the idea that he could try something like this in his own classes. Getting these kids to write about their lives, the community they live in, and indeed the "cycle" Grant keeps referring to could indeed lead to a change in consciousness, a critical/political awareness, and a host of other positive changes that reciting the pledge of allegiance or copying sentences in a straight line will not.
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