A Lesson Before Dying: A Big Read Documentary
Series: The Big Read
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Length: 00:28:55
It's the story of an uneducated young black man named Jefferson, accused of the murder of a white storekeeper, and Grant Wiggins, a college-educated native son of Louisiana, who teaches at a plantation school. In a little more than 250 pages, these two men named for presidents discover a friendship that transforms at least two lives.
In the first chapter, the court-appointed lawyer's idea of a legal strategy for Jefferson is to argue, "Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this." This dehumanizing and unsurprisingly doomed defense rankles the condemned man's grief-stricken godmother, Miss Emma, and Grant's aunt, Tante Lou. They convince an unwilling Grant to spend time with Jefferson in his prison cell, so that he might confront death with his head held high.
Also in the The Big Read series
Bless Me, Ultima: A Big Read Documentary
(00:28:57)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima is about pride and assimilation, faith and doubt. This half-hour program includes readings by actor Cheech Marin and commentary by Rudolfo ...
The Death of Ivan Ilyich - A Big Read Documentary
(00:28:39)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
It's not dark yet. Well, actually it is. But actor Alfred Molina makes a book with Death in the title an absolute thrill to listen to. The program features several cultural ...
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter - A Big Read Documentary
(00:29:07)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Actress Mary-Louise Parker said this is one her favorite novels of all time and so she jumped at the chance to read excerpts. There's commentary by musicians Blake Hazard (of ...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - A Big Read Documentary
(00:29:16)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Actor Sam Elliott perfectly reads passages from Twain's tribute to American boyhood. The program also includes commentary by Ken Burns, P.J. O'Rourke, and Anne Fadiman. Music ...
Washington Square - A Big Read Documentary
(00:28:41)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Actress Annette Bening breathes new life into this classic by the prolific Henry James. Commentary from a diverse range of cultural figures - Colin Meloy (of The ...
The Age of Innocence: A Big Read Documentary
(00:29:03)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Actor Alfred Molina shines with masterful readings of excerpts from Edith Wharton's masterpiece. The screenwriter of Scorsese's film adaptation, Jay Cocks, is one of several ...
Sun, Stone, and Shadows: A Big Read Documentary
(00:52:59)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Today we hear stories by two giants of Mexican literature, Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes. The former is read by actor Tony Plana; the latter by the author himself.
The Poetry of Robinson Jeffers: A Big Read Documentary
(00:26:54)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
A great poet of the Western landscape, Jeffers celebrated the heartbreaking beauty of existence and reminded humanity of its responsibility to the natural world.
The Poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: A Big Read Documentary
(00:20:57)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
Longfellow was an immensely versatile poet who excelled at virtually every form and genre from the epic to the sonnet. Find out why.
The Poetry of Emily Dickinson: A Big Read Documentary
(00:22:33)
From: National Endowment for the Arts
“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers –,” “Because I could not stop for Death –”, and “I dwell in Possibility –” are some of most memorable opening lines in American poetry, ...
Related Pieces
Piece Description
It's the story of an uneducated young black man named Jefferson, accused of the murder of a white storekeeper, and Grant Wiggins, a college-educated native son of Louisiana, who teaches at a plantation school. In a little more than 250 pages, these two men named for presidents discover a friendship that transforms at least two lives.
In the first chapter, the court-appointed lawyer's idea of a legal strategy for Jefferson is to argue, "Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this." This dehumanizing and unsurprisingly doomed defense rankles the condemned man's grief-stricken godmother, Miss Emma, and Grant's aunt, Tante Lou. They convince an unwilling Grant to spend time with Jefferson in his prison cell, so that he might confront death with his head held high.
Broadcast History
http://www.neabigread.org/books/lessonbeforedying/radioshow.php
Transcript
A Lesson Before Dying
Radio Show - Transcript
Josephine Reed: Now, The Big Read.
KenYatta Rogers reading A Lesson Before Dying...
"Gentlemen of the jury, look at this. [...] Do you see a man sitting here? Do you see a man sitting here? I ask you, I implore, look carefully— [...] Look at the shape of this skull, this face as flat as the palm of my hand, look deeply into those eyes. Do you see a modicum of intelligence? Do you see anyone here who could plan a murder, a robbery, can plan, can plan, can plan anything? [...]
"What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this." [...]
The jury retired, and it returned a verdict after lunch: guilty of robbery and murder in the first degree.
Reed: That's KenYatta Rogers reading from Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying, a novel about a man condemned to death an...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing Grace | Cephas and Wiggins | Masters of the Piedmont Blues. | 2002 | 00:00 | |
| Guitar Man | Cephas and Wiggins | Masters of the Piedmont Blues. | 2002 | 00:00 | |
| John Henry | Cephas and Wiggins | Masters of the Piedmont Blues. | 2002 | 00:00 | |
| Piedmont Medley | Cephas and Wiggins | Masters of the Piedmont Blues. | 2002 | 00:00 | |
| Were You There? | Cephas and Wiggins | Masters of the Piedmont Blues. | 2002 | 00:00 | |
| Moanin' | Lead Belly | Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1,. | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | 1996 | 00:00 |
| Leaving Blues | Lead Belly | Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1,. | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | 1996 | 00:00 |
| Let It Shine Me | Lead Belly | Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1,. | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | 1996 | 00:00 |
| Cotton Fields | Lead Belly | Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1,. | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | 1996 | 00:00 |
| Death is Awful | Dock Reed and Vera Ward | Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 5—Spirituals,. | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | 1956 | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
Written and produced by Molly Murphy and Dan Stone.
