The Price of Manhood: An essay on Grant's discovery of being
Grant's unwillingness to cope with the repression of his black community by considering running away leads him away from being the man that they want him to be. When Grant returns years later after leaving to gain an education, he had become a secular, educated man, now distanced from his oppressed, yet religious black community. He discovered that he was still a "nigger" in the eyes of the white people. Such is made evident when he must still enter through the "back door" at Mr. Henri's. He also learned to limit his perspective and hide his new vocabulary while in the presence of Sam Guidry, the Sheriff when he said that, "I was supposed to have said 'don't.' I was being too smart." (48) For Grant to lower his intellect in the presence of a white man, shows that the society that he lives in is clearly browbeaten, at least for the African-Americans. Black's seemed to have stayed in a vicious cycle that could never be broken. Grant was supposedly the man that was to b
The lack of faith that Grant has for God plays a major role in him not being able to realize that education does not make the man. The Reverend Ambrose, a man of faith, believes that true faith in God shields against oppression, and that anyone who denies God denies this truth and this shield. The Reverend Ambrose asserts that a man is not "educated" unless he believes in that lord. At one instance, Grant recalls Ambrose, " Again he reminded us that we were not all saved from sin. Even with the book learning, we were still fools if we did not have God in our heart." To the Reverend, religion represents more than a source of personal comfort. God represents a defense against the injustice of a white-dominated society. God is a source hope, change, and silent rebellion. Ambrose maintains veracity throughout the novel because he believes that Grant has forsaken his religion, and that his secular influence on Jefferson will be sinful as well. For Grant who remained to k
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 654
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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