In response to Jenny’s post “The Path Towards, But Not To, Freedom” I agree that education is a essential source that allows for hope and opportunity. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying  by Earnest J. Gaines, an African American man, Grant, was a teacher. He was completely different because unlike the other blacks who had to work in the field/plantation, Grant had a high education. Grant stated, “I was too educated for Henri Pichot; he had no use for me at all anymore” (21). This quote emphasizes that with knowledge, he had his own thoughts and opinions, and therefore did not want to stay listening to the white master’s demands. However, as Jenny states, education alone, will not lead to freedom, rather, it is a path towards freedom. The main issue here is ignorance as well as discrimination towards blacks.

Further more, I agree with Jenny about the emphasis Emma makes on the word hog. Obviously, hog is stated in a negative connotation as she states, “Now his godmother wants me to visit him and make him know—prove to these white men—that he’s not a hog, that he’s a man” (23). With an increasing education, Grant slowly makes the transformation from a hog, to ultimately, a man.