A Lesson Before Dying Reflection

       Throughout the book “A Lesson Before Dying,” i felt that jefferson never wanted to engage on fighting for his life. He knew that he was accused of something he did not do even though he did not do what he looked like he did during the crime. However, every since his lawyer viewed him as a hog , Jefferson has played the tole of a pathetic creature than to fight for his own life. I believed that Grant  tried his best to help Jefferson but he was too stubborn to realize it. Grant struggled to help Jefferson die as a man because Grant had trouble with knowing how to be a man and truly finding himself as one. Gant was so busy focusing on the racist society and his fears of becoming his old teacher that he could not focus on helping Jefferson fight for his life. Although Grant wanted to hwlp, Jefferson seemed to not care for his life due to what people viewed him as.

      Grants experiences shows how a racist society is racist even in its smallest interactions. throughout the chapters, Jefferson starts to take steps toward recovering his dignity by voicing and acting upon personal desires. He starts to realize how his life was going to end, even at a young age. Additionally, he eventually thanks Grant because he helped him realize his true self-being. Since he acknowledged his intelligence as a human action, he seem to be relinquishing his tendency to deny his humanity. Both Grant and Jefferson took a pivotal change in their life. They both realized how hard it is to die a man and even become a man. In conclusion, Grant and Jefferson was brought to reality on how cruel the world can be and how racism can change the lives of blacks as a whole dramatically.

A Letter to Grant

Hello Grant, I see that you are caught in an very rough situation. Here's what you should do: you should gather everyone together as you go and visit Jefferson. You should be honest and tell his godmother the truth and explain to both of them what you want to do to help Jefferson prepare for his death as a man. You should take control of the situation you are putting yourself in. You and I both know that once you tell Jefferson's godmother the truth he is going to be distraught about it but you have to gain control over the situation and have a man to man conversation and look at it on both sides.

The Sorrow of War (Assignment 5)

       The novel Sorrow of War, has shown me how cold hearted a person can be. This novel not only explains the ruthless things people can do to a person it also taught me the true significance of love and war. However, fighting in the vietnamese war can be a bit complicated due to not be connected with the real world and how one can not trust other people. One has to work hard everyday just to fight for their lives only to live another days worth of fighting and killing. Although kien and phuong were really close back in their time, they suddenly drifted apart as if kien never thought that it would happen to them. This novel also taught me how friendships can suddenly change over time ruining the memories of what one might have with one another. This novel not only teaches one how to survive, it also teaches people how soldiers during the war fought hard and mostly died just to save their country. While reading this novel one can gain huge amounts of knowledge about many things: friendship, love, and how to survive.


       The novel Sorrow of War, was written to acknowledge the mind of readers and to influence them about the real world and What one can go through. This novel also teaches the life of war and what soldiers go through to either survive or be killed. Throughout this novel, kien is one of ten survivors who tries to deal with his real life and the life of a soldier all at one time. He struggles with his love relationship because of how complicated phuong made it. He didnt know whether if he wanted to continue living the horrible life he was living or to push on. However, even though he stuggled he felt as if he was living in hell due to soo many tragic events occurred in his life.

The Image Poem

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

The Sorrow of War (Sunday)

• Pages: 126-146
• Passage One: In later years Kien regretted his harsh assessment of his father and his disdain for his dying words. He had been embarrassed about his eccentric father and had frequently shown dislike for his work and words when he was alive. That much was true.  (Pg. 127, 1st paragraph)
• Question One: Does the quotation relate to a theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate?
• Answer: Never mistreat the ones you love. Kien began to regret the way he treated his father.
• Question Two: Does the quotation characterize Kien, Phoung, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?
• Answer: This quote characterizes Kien and how he felt towards his father and also how he treated him.

• Passage Two: Kien had crawled most of the day and a night, dragging himself through mud on the forest floor, his naked body badly cut up. Men who had escaped from the massacre met up with him on the edge of the forest and carried him west to the border. He came to at clinic 8, safely close to the cambodien border. (Pg. 140, 4th paragraph)
• Question One: Does the quotation relate to a theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate?
• Answer: Never give up. As Kien was badly injured he continued to go on and find help.
• Question Two: Does the quotation characterize Kien, Phoung, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?
• Answer: This quote characterizes how strong and difficult kien was and what it took for him to survive his ambush.

The Sorrow of War (Saturday)

• Pages: 105-125
• Passage One: Kien squatted down near the four bodies, shaking and retching. In ten long years of fighting, since his first day at the front, he had never felt as bad. (pg. 106, 3rd paragraph)
• Question One: Does the quotation relate to a theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate?
• Answer: Never show fear. Showing fear lead to many dangerous things, and also come true.
• Question Two: Does the quotation characterize Kien, Phoung, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?
• Answer: This quote characterizes kien and how his fear almost led him to his death as if he felt like he was already dying.

• Passage Two: He reached out unsteadily and tried to embrace the ghostly shadow of the girl. In his drunkeness he was blubering, generating deep pity for for her poor lost soul as he blethered on with words of consulation for her. (Pg. 108, 2nd paragraph)
• Question One: Does the quotation relate to a theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate?
• Answer: Always think before you react. As kien approached the female enemy he began to feel pitty for her which is something one should never feel.
• Question Two: Does the quotation characterize Kien, Phoung, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?
• Answer: This quote characterizes how Kien feelings gets in the way of his missions.

The Sorrow of War (Friday)

• Pages: 85-105
• Passage One: Dying and surviving were separated by a thin line; they were killed one at a time, or all together; they were killed instantly, or were wounded and bled to death; they could live but suffer the nightmares of white blasts which destroyed their souls and stripped there personalities bare. (Pg. 89, 3rd paragraph)
• Question One: Does the quotation relate to a theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate?
• Answer: Many soldiers can die from many things while fighting for their country.
• Question Two: Does the quotation characterize Kien, Phoung, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?
• Answer: This quote characterizes the life of all soldiers and how difficult it is for one to fight and survive their country.

• Passage Two: “Anyway, im sure it wasn’t a human laugh because it was shaking and choking.” (Pg. 126, 4th paragraph)
• Question One: Does the quotation relate to a theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate?
• Answer: Never expect the unexpected. In this quote Kien began to think he was near an enemy that was trying to kill him but really was not.
• Question Two: Does the quotation characterize Kien, Phoung, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?
• Answer: This quote characterizes kien and his way of surviving.