Worthless

During the early American time when slavery was allowed, many African American were treated like animals or property. Europeans judge Africans by the way they act, talk, dressed, lived not being use to Africans living they would call them the same thing as they called American Indians “Savages.” American believed that because good sent them to be in high position and African Americans were dark skinned because they were being punished because they were evil and dumb that African Americans were meant to serve them. “A lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines it proves how many African American were being humiliated and where taken their dignity during the 1940s in states that African were not really treated as humans after a hundred years that slavery was abolish.

 “A lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines. Is about an injustice that has been committed against a young African American boy named Jefferson. They humiliate him and treat him like he is worthless. “But let us say he was (guilty). Let us for a moment say he was (guilty). What justice would there be to take his life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this.” (Page 8) Jefferson’s Attorney tries to win his case by humiliating Jefferson by calling him a hog and that it really would not matter if he was sentence to help. He really didn’t care so he just treated him like nothing and did not really try to help out Jefferson’s life. By telling him that he is nothing, that he is ignorant, he couldn’t possibly kill the owner of the store. Humiliating him in front of the whole courthouse in front of those he loved. Little by little talking his dignity, freedom, and humanity away.

For many different cultures there was trauma a treatment that made other cultures feel less by taking everything away American Indians is a good example of treatment that leads them now believe something they are not. UK Pubmed Central stated, “American Indians experienced massive losses of lives, land, and culture from European contact and colonization resulting in a long legacy of chronic trauma and unresolved grief across generations. This phenomenon, labeled historical unresolved grief, contributes to the current social pathology of high rates of suicide, homicide, domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism and other social problems among American Indians.” For there American Indians were treated as well like animals they were taken out their homes treated as well as slaves, raped many women and men, and taking their humanity away.

As Hispanic women many stereotype that Mexicans are lazy, and are made to have babies and people that live in the United States treat Hispanic people like they are not worth anything. For some that traumatized them and start believes something they are not. They started acting like people society wants them to act. Instead of proving them wrong they are proving them right and makes it harder for upcoming people generation and start generalizing. Jefferson was called a Hog so because he already was sentence to die he did not believe that he could change the way people look at him. He started acting like someone he was not. He acted like an animal, he ate like and animal.

            During the Jewish Genocide many families were separate, murdered, raped, treated like animals. Hitler managed to influence people to treat other people like animals. Debbie came to Animo Locke Tech Charter High School. She told us of her experience of the Jewish holocaust. Even though it was very sad she still tell us her story to help others understand what happen from a persons first had experience. She told the class that in order for her to survive she told us that she would prick her finders and use her blood as make for her to look like she is healthy so they would not kill her. If you where sick they would kill you because that’s what they wanted them to die slowly. Suffering. They lived in in a room with a lot of people it was crowded. Many families where torn apart like her family that was torn apart. Many people where treated like animals they got them like animals like sheep’s getting them and slaughtering them.

            A for Jefferson he was treated like a hog he started to believe it he “Gentleman of the jury, look at him-look-look at this. Do you see a man sitting here? Do you see a man sitting here? I ask you, I impure, look carefully-do you see a man sitting here? Look at the shape of this skull, this face as flat as a palm a murder of intelligence? Do you see anyone here who could plan a murder, robbery, can plan-can plan any-thing? A cornered animal it strike quickly out of fear, a trait inherited for his ancestors in the deepest jungle of blackest Africa-yes, yes, that he can do-but to plan?” (Page 7) The attorney who was supposed to represent him helps him out off this situation. To show him that he is innocent. He is did not commit the crime. But the attorney does not like him because what he is really doing is humiliating him in front of many people. People that he loved that he cannot him self. People that are judging him. Feeling that everyone the whole world is against him he feels that whatever the attorney and what he always been called that is true. That he is and animal that he cannot be anything in life that he degraded and de humanized.

Work Cited

Brave Heart MY, DeBruyn LM. "The American Indian Holocaust: Healing Historical Unresolved Grief." UK PubMed Central. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://ukpmc.ac.uk/>.

Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson before Dying. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1993. Print.