I propose that A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines should be included in the English curriculum at Christopher Dock High School. It explicates the details of a small Cajun community near Bayonne, Louisiana where much racism exists. I believe that a student would grow morally if they learned about discrimination, which existed only sixty years ago in this country. The majority of students who attend Christopher Dock have never been victimized because of their skin color. I firmly advocate students learning about things that they have never experienced because it would help them gain awareness of the types of problems there are in society. Learning about racial intolerance would aid in shaping their character and would prepare them to go into the world with a conscious, developed mind. This is one issue that the story involves. There are also a few others including dignity, loyalty, and human will.
             In A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson, a black youth, has been falsely accused of murder and is sentenced to death. Grant Wiggins is a teacher who has returned from the university to open his own school. His Tante Lou is good friends with Miss Emma, godmother to Jefferson, who has been traumatized by the fact that he will die soon. He was called a "hog" by the defense attorney and he has lost all self-worth. As he waits on death row, his aunt, Miss Emma, wants Grant to visit Jefferson and teach him that he is a "man". Grant is forced to accompany the two old ladies to the home of Henri Pichot, the plantation manager. They convince him to request that the local Sheriff, Sam Guidry, allow Grant to "teach" Jefferson. But the cold-hearted Grant is skeptical of the usefulness of teaching and is beginning to share his former teacher's views: know your place as a colored man in the South and RUN!
             Nonetheless, Grant teaches Jefferson and gradually gets through to him. Paul,
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