Essay #1 A Lesson Before Dying For your first paper, write an essay about the lesson of the novel, in other words, what is “the lesson.” You may want to focus your essay on a particular character and the lesson that they are faced with, or discuss an overall lesson that Gaines would like the reader to gain from the entire novel. In this paper I will be expecting you to develop a clear thesis with support from the text. Your essay should be well thought out and developed in a convincing, structured manner. I expect you to follow MLA format. Papers must be typed, double spaced, in Times Roman on a 12-font scale. I will be looking for good writing. That means your paper should be well organized, with clear transitions, and fully developed paragraphs. Capture the reader’s interest. Don’t forget to pay attention to the mechanics: spelling, grammar, and punctuation.