Pages 187 - 204
Chapters 24 - 25
What do you imagine when you think of a hero? A fireman? A person serving in the military? A young man on death row? That is what Grant tries to convince Jefferson he is. Grant thinks Jefferson is the only hope the black community has to prove to the white people, that they are equals. He thinks Jefferson can show them, that by dying as a man, that they are not below white people. I think he believes if the community sees that Jefferson can stand up to the white people, they can too, and that will be the first step to ending the racist word they live in.
So how can his death be heroic? The importance has been placed on Jefferson dying like a man, which simply meant him dying with his head held high. But to die a hero would mean he would have to take it a step further. To show the white community that blacks are worth more than they think they are. If he shows respect to the men who are going to kill him, he could die a hero. If he showed no fear, only love and pride for his community, they he would die a hero. Jefferson just has to believe in himself before he can do that.
He also wants Jefferson to fight for something he believes in, because Grant never has. Up until now that is. Grant gets into a fight with two men in a bar, because they are bad-mouthing Jefferson. This is the first time Grant has ever done anything that was not expected of him. He wanted to stand up for something he believes in, and he believes Jefferson is worth something. This is a great feat for Grant, to do something on his own accord, not because he was told to. Maybe this is the first steps for him breaking away and really acting on his wishes. Maybe Grant can become a hero for the community too.
Martyrs are people who die for a cause they believe in. So what would be the cause for Jefferson to believe in? That black people are equal to whites? I guess he could try to prove that, but they seems to be a bigger issue than he can conquer alone. Just to prove he is a man? Well yeah, that would show them something, but it's not really a cause. What if he dies for all other boys like him? What if the thing he dies for is to show that they don't have to end up like him, and they do have a chance at a better life. Why else would Jefferson write a journal? It isn't for him to look back on in later years, but it's for Grant to share with his students. Jefferson is a martyr for the future society. He's fighting to be someone the community can look up to, but also to be someone little boy can look to and think "I don't have to do that. I have other options." In a way Jefferson is admitting his own stupidity, and encouraging others to be smarter than he is.
"supermen 8.jpg." Churchill JCR. Web. 12 Jul 2011. <http://jcr.chu.cam.ac.uk/ents/Churchill%20JCR%20Ents%20-%20WordPress/jcr.chu.cam.ac.uk/ents/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/superman-8.jpg>.
Yet, how does a man on death-row prove his manhood? How does a man condemned to die show that he is human? How can his death go from just one more death to a martyrs death?
ReplyDelete