A Gathering Of Old Men Research Paper

Shannon Wynne
Advanced Placement Literature
Dr. Power
14 December 2011
Achieving Manhood through Literature, Not Violence
Louisiana in the 1970’s was a hard place to live for African Americans due to the lingering racism and black codes that were still prominent in society. During this time, blacks only had a few options on how to respond to the black codes. They could either accept the codes or passively react to the white men or they could reject the codes and either escape from the south and racist communities or die at the hands of the white men (Mallon). The characters in A Gathering of Old Men had to choose between these two options for most of their lives. The novel describes the day that they reject passivity and embrace bravery and courage through Ernest Gaines, who grew up in a situation similar to one in…show more content…
Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Vol. 5: Civil Rights Movements to Future Times (1960-2000). Detroit: Gale, 1997. 129-134. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Dec. 2011.
Estes, David C. "Gaines's Humor: Race and Laughter." Critical Reflections on the Fiction of Ernest J. Gaines. Ed. David C. Estes. The University of Georgia Press, 1994. 228-249. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Ed. Jennifer Baise. Vol. 62. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.
Gaines, Ernest J. A Gathering of Old Men. New York, Toronto: Random House, 1983. Print.
"Gaines, Ernest J." Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 580-583. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.
Griffin, Joseph. "Calling, Naming, and Coming of Age in Ernest Gaines's A Gathering of Old Men." Names 40.2 (June 1992): 89-97. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 181. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Nov.