Vocabulary in A Lesson Before Dying

In Louisiana, a parish is the local government division equivalent to a county in other U.S. states, used here to name the community and its courthouse, jail, and surrounding land.

A formal address used by a lawyer speaking to the all-white jury, carrying an ironic weight here because it signals who holds power in the courtroom.

Would equally be willing to; used here to argue that executing Jefferson would be no different from executing an animal, meaning he lacks the reasoning of a human being.

Asking for someone's opinion or input before making a decision; used here to highlight that no Black person was included in or asked about the verdict.

A large farm estate in the American South, historically worked by enslaved people; here it refers to the property of a powerful white man whose household Black people must enter through the back door.

Called or ordered to come, especially by someone in authority; used to show the power imbalance between the white household and the Black visitors waiting in the kitchen.

Made to feel deeply ashamed and stripped of dignity, especially by being treated as inferior; distinct here from the expected posture of humble submission.

Showing a low or submissive attitude toward those in power; here it refers to the deferential behavior Black people were expected to perform before white authority figures.

The section of a prison that houses inmates who have been sentenced to execution and are waiting for their death sentence to be carried out.

Pulled back emotionally from other people; refusing to speak, respond, or engage, as Jefferson does during Grant's early visits to his cell.

A narrow, built-in bed attached to the wall of a jail cell or similar confined space.

Crouching down low with knees bent and body close to the ground; used here to show Jefferson eating off the floor in an animalistic way.

Feeding an animal extra food to make it heavier before slaughter; Jefferson uses this phrase about himself to say the state is keeping him alive only to kill him, like a hog being prepared for slaughter.

Having little importance or worth; Grant uses this word to express his contempt for Pichot, whose small power over him Grant resents deeply.

Contemptible and mean-spirited; used here not to describe someone who is suffering but someone who causes suffering through pettiness and cruelty.

To successfully achieve or bring about a result through effort; used here as a challenge to Grant's purpose — what real change can he make for a man about to die?

Unable to do anything effective or useful; Grant feels this way when his visits seem to make no difference to Jefferson's suffering.

A section of a jail or prison containing a row of individual cells; the area Grant must enter, with the permission of white deputies, to reach Jefferson.

A law-enforcement officer who works under a sheriff; here the white deputies control Grant's access to Jefferson and treat him with contempt.

Treating someone as if they have little worth or dignity; used to describe how the white deputies handle Grant before allowing him into the jail.

A device used to execute condemned prisoners by passing a lethal electric current through their body; the method of execution Jefferson faces.

Found officially guilty of a crime by a court; Jefferson is convicted by an all-white jury despite not having committed the murders.

The punishment officially given to someone found guilty of a crime by a court; here it refers to Jefferson's death sentence.

Quietly looking inward at one's own thoughts and feelings; used to describe a change in Jefferson as he begins to reflect on his own humanity rather than shutting everyone out.

A sense of one's own worth and the right to be treated with respect; the central quality Miss Emma and Grant want Jefferson to reclaim before he dies.