Inequality was a big problem in those days, when there was no clear understanding of what it was. The novel "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines was set in 1948 before the civil rights movement. It shows the problems and successes of African Americans. The short story “None of this is Fair” by Richard Rodriguez was about how Affirmative Action benefited the minority by making the success of white students unfair. In the novel, Grant is a black and educated person, he is different from other blacks who are only supposed to work in the field. In the story Rodriguez was a Mexican-American student and during his time there was a program called Affirmative Action. This program is designed to help minority groups obtain employment opportunities. Both Grant and Rodriguez, men of honor, fought against inequality and injustice to embrace their goals and be recognized for what they did. Grant was taking a different direction than other blacks. Instead of working in the fields as he should have, he decided to find a good education to serve his people. At that time it was very difficult for him because he was humiliated by white people and this made him feel inferior. Being a person of color at that time was not easy. As Grant said, “I hurried to my room with the folder of papers I had brought from school to work that evening” (page 10). This shows that he was a teacher and an educated person. He also said "And I teach what the white people around here tell me to teach..." This proved that he had to do what the white people tell him to do, not what he thought should be good for a black people to be successful in life. As Nelson Mandela once said “I was angry at the white man, not at racism. This shows that the blank… half of the paper… is not for a quota that must be completed in a college. Both Grant and Rodriguez, honorable men, fought against inequality and injustice to embrace their goals and to be recognized for what they did. In conclusion, as shown in the novel, Grant's life was affected after trying to teach Jefferson how to be a man, he is now a more flexible and understandable person. Also in the story Rodriguez had to face many problems during his journey to become a professor and in the end he had to let go of what he wanted. Works Cited Ernest J. Gaines “A Lesson Before Dying” Richard Rodriguez “None of This is Right” Nelson Mandela, South Africa's Liberator as Prisoner and President, Dies at 95 By Bill Keller, December 5, 2013 Obama's Speech at the Memorial Mandela (transcript); "Mandela taught us the power of action, but also of ideas", Tuesday 10 December, 09:09