Dear Advice Column,
My name is Grant and I am a school teacher here in Bayonne. A couple of weeks ago store owner Mr.Groupè was killed during a store robbery. Jefferson was with two strangers named, Brother and Bear, who needed money. While in the store the two brothers decided to rob Mr.Groupè. Mr Groupè was shot and killed during the robbery by one of the brothers. Jefferson stood there not knowing what to do. He then drank some of the liquor and stole money from the cash register. As he was leaving two white men saw him and called the police. Jefferson then went before a judge. During his trial the state prosecutor called Jefferson a "hog". The jury found Jefferson guilty and he received the death penalty. After the trial, Jefferson's nana pleaded to the sheriff and judge to allow myself to talk to him and make him a man before his execution. I was not excited about this and I really did not know what I would say. The first visit was me and Ms. Emma. Jefferson laid there still on the bed. Ms. Emma cooked him a basket of food and attempted to talk to him and all he said was "what's the point?". As he knew none of this mattered. One day while visiting alone I took Jefferson some more food. He asked if I had bought corn because that's what hogs eat. He then proceeded to get on his knees, put his head in the bag and started to eat like a hog. I really do not have a clue on what else to do. I tried talking to him but it does not seem to be working. I am writing to the Advice Column to figure out my next step.
Sincerely, Grant
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ReplyDeleteDear Grant,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are in a very precarious situation. Although your task will be difficult, it is still doable. First, you must try to establish a good rapport with Jefferson. Let him know that you are indeed interested in his thoughts and concerns. Once this rapport has been established, try then to build a wall of trust around your relationship. It is apparent from your original letter that Jefferson's recent relationships have completely destroyed his trust in man. Because of this lack of trust in humanity, Jefferson is pretending to be a "hog." This is just his defense mechanism for avoiding all real life situations and relationships. Once this relationship of trust has been established, he should be more open to receiving your teachings. I must warn you , however, that time is of the essence being that Jefferson is on death row. You must see him as often as possible if you are to teach him to become a man before he is put to death. I hope that you are successful in your task. Please keep me updated.