Examples Of Dehumanization In A Lesson Before Dying

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Dehumanization
Dehumanization has been around for many years and seen all throughout our world’s history. Dehumanization means to deprive of human qualities, personality, or spirit. In history, people had been dehumanized for all types of reasons, whether it be because of race, gender, age, sex, or any other characteristics. One of the most brutal and memorable examples of dehumanization was the holocaust which took place in many different locations in Europe. Hitler was ruling German at the time and started this disturbing holocaust. Many Jews were dehumanized in this time. The Germans were horrible to the Jews and treated them like they were animals. The Germans had animalized the Jews as shown in the book Maus I and Maus II. Spiegelman depicts the Germans as cats and the Jews as mice because …show more content…

Another huge historical impact with dehumanization is shown profoundly in A Lesson Before Dying. Ernest Gaines does a great job of showing dehumanization in the 1940’s. A young man named Jefferson, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, is on trial for robbery and murder of a gas station clerk. While Jefferson’s lawyer is supposed to be defending him, he instead makes him out to be a dumb hog who couldn’t possibly have the brains to carry out such plan. He later goes on to say “oh, pardon me, pardon me, I surely did not mean to insult your intelligence by saying ‘man’ would you please forgive me for committing such an error?” He dehumanizes Jefferson by saying he is no longer a man but now a hog. Dehumanization is a very serious issue and it is shown profoundly in these two readings Maus I, Maus II, and A Lesson Before Dying. The authors do a grand job of using this theme in their writings and keeping the reader’s interest by making the reader unable to put down the book. These two writings impact the characters greatly both similarly and differently. Some characters can handle it and let it make them stronger where others cannot bear to live

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