May 11, 2021

A Lesson Before Dying vs. George Floyd Trial

Through a trial determining whether they had committed a crime, both Jefferson and George Floyd were stripped of their identities by the attorneys. The justice system that people depend on to keep the country safe and keep people accountable for their actions failed them. In doing so, it also failed all people of color. A Lesson Before Dying described the tone of a time in which if a black man had possibly committed a crime or in a situation where it seemed that way, he would be considered guilty and sentenced to death. The phrase, ‘innocent before proven guilty’ was applied only to white people while blacks were accused of crimes they had not committed and were the first ones to be singled out when any crime took place. Not only the people of Louisiana, but the justice system as well had a prejudice against black people which caused a chain of disadvantages. A similar theme is presented in today’s world where blacks are still accused of crimes they did not commit and more harshly sentenced for crimes committed.

In the process of attempting to save Jefferson’s life, the defending attorney diminished any feeling or thought that he was an actual man. He brought down who Jefferson is as a person by bringing him down to the level of an animal. The attorney even told the jury that he “would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this” (Gaines 8). Jefferson was a symbol for black people in Louisiana, along with in America, during the 40s. He got an unfair trial for a crime he witnessed but did not commit. His trial, illustrated through the book, was unfortunately not unique to blacks in this time considering that the majority of them got the same fate. Society was working against them and the justice system was in on the process. Similarly, although based almost 80 years later, George Floyd was killed by the very organization that swore to keep people safe. In his case, the trial was not even based around whether he had committed a crime; it was merely about the officer who killed him and whether or not it was justifiable that he did. Despite what the trial was about, defendants made sure to bring up anything and everything negative on George Floyd to excuse his death in a way. Decades after the events in A Lesson Before Dying took place, another black man’s life worth was lessened by a trial that was based around what an officer did to him. It was almost as if both George Floyd and Jefferson had died twice: once physically, and again when they were attacked for their character and who they were.

A Lesson Before Dying has a theme of racism that people often like to say does not exist anymore in modern day society. There have been improvements since then in the sense that towns are not as segregated and white folks generally can be around black folks in a respectable manner while treating them as their equal. But despite progress shown between the book and present day, the two trials display that black people are still treated and looked at in a similar manner. It proves that the justice system has not made enough progress to be able to offer a fair trial, regardless of race. There should not be so many connections with racism today as there are throughout the book. People should be able to rely on the integrity of the law to protect them instead of being scared for their literal lives. Rather than being an image of progress, A Lesson Before Dying exposes the fact that these injustices are still occurring and further progress is a necessity with regards to black people.