Good morning/afternoon, and welcome to today's Daily News. I am Lilly Zhang. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird explores the underlying racism that exists in Alabama, and perhaps all over America, in the 1930s. It focuses mainly on the practice of racial prejudice and discrimination. However, other subsequent issues are also mentioned throughout the novel. As we all know, To Kill A Mockingbird is set shortly after the Great Depression had hit America in 1929. It had a disastrous impact on the Southern part of America, including Alabama, because most of its citizens are farmers. Therefore, by extension, their lives are more reliant on agriculture. What is the Great Depression, you ask? Well, the Great Depression is basically an economic-meltdown caused by uneven distribution of income. In the late 1920s, not enough people could afford to purchase goods because of the way money was being distributed. The economy was greatly upset by this and as a result, farmers in the rural, Southern parts of America, such as Alabama, were in distress because less people were buying their products. This issue was also raised in Lee’s novel through characters like the Cunninghams- a family of local farmers who were hit hard by the Great Depression and became so poor the only way they can repay their debts is through home-grown crops. Early into the story, Scout gets in trouble when she tries to explain to the new teacher- Miss Caroline- that Walter wouldn’t take money from her because he was a ‘Cunningham’. As readers, we know the Cunninghams were poor but proud, so they never took anything of anyone they couldn’t repay. However being unaware of Maycomb’s ways, Miss Caroline blames Scout, which lead to Scout’s attempt to beat up Walter, b... ... middle of paper ... ...s social position, it’s not hard to believe that they were looked down upon by other ‘Maycombians’. Aunt Alexandra, for example, refers to Walter Cunningham as “trash” (p.245). Yet we know this is untrue as the Cunninghams are honest, hardworking people unlike the Ewells. Even though To Kill A Mockingbird was published in the 1960s, concepts from the novel can still be conveyed to a modern audience. For example, through the seemingly unimportant event of Jem inviting Walter to lunch, we too learn that one should be tolerant and understanding towards other people and not act as if you are mightier than them because they might have a different perspective from you. Modern audience can still understand the message because of the way it was presented. It is through ordinary situations like this that Lee passes on important lessons on moral righteousness and integrity.
Even though To Kill a Mockingbird was written in 1960’s the powerful symbolism this book contributes to our society is tremendous. This attribute is racism (Smykowski). To Kill a Mockingbird reveals a story about Scout’s childhood growing up with her father and brother, in an accustomed southern town that believed heavily in ethnological morals (Shackelford).
America has always been a country with different cultures, races, and people. Only, not everyone has been accepting of different kinds of people. A persons thoughts on another person can differ depending on a person's race, gender, or age. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, racial equality is nonexistent. The African Americans were treated like they weren’t people, and were totally isolated from the Maycomb, Alabama society. America will never achieve true racial and social equality because people are ignorant, have a history of being prejudiced, and are unjust.
The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.
Why do people these days tend to make fun of other people based on that person’s clothing and their skin color? Why don’t people realize that these assumptions can lead to violence? It could also end up killing innocent citizens who don’t have anything to do with this. In another way you can put it is that, prejudice ruins and sometimes even destroys humans. It also causes people to lose the way they look at their fellow human. . In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how prejudice causes people to believe in rumors, judge others by their skin color, and the beliefs of others.
The Stock Market Crash caused many people in the 1930’s to lose everything they had, especially money and land. Harper Lee makes the Cunninghams poor and dirty. Because they are poor, they pay people who helped them with goods. In her novel, Harper Lee tells of when Atticus helped Mr. Cunningham and he payed Atticus back by placing goods on Atticus’s back porch. The Cunninghams never took offers from anyone since they couldn’t pay it back. In the novel, Scout’s teacher offers Walter Cunningham money. Even though he needed it, Walter refused because he knew he could not repay his teacher. Harper Lee tells the stories about Walter and Mr. Cunningham to prove how bad the Stock Market Crash was and how poor it made people in the
“Because—he—is—trash, that’s why you can’t play with him.” Scout wants to invite Walter Cunningham over for dinner because his father did not want to convict Tom Robinson. Furthermore, Scout wants to be friends with Walter because she likes him. Aunt Alexandra will not allow her to have anything to do with Walter because of his family’s history and because they are in a lower social class than the Finches. This shows how Aunt Alexandra places the Finch family on a pedestal because of how long they have been a part of Maycomb and their overall social respect. She does not want anything to tarnish her family’s stature so she shelters the children from anyone she deems unworthy. Some may have agreed with the thoughts of the Cunningham family as “trash”. During the tough times of the depression many family’s had little money, such as the Cunningham’s, and as said in the novel, the Cunningham family had a drinking streak. Because of both defects they were seen as lower class. This does not excuse Aunt Alexandra of her rudeness towards them. After all, Mr. Cunningham did try to take Atticus’s side in the trial. Aunt Alexandra definitely shows her stance on social class throughout the
A big aspect of these two families that tells a lot about there personalities is there overall appearances. Walter Cunningham’s display is tidy and very clean. This fact is shown when Scout notices Walter in her new classroom and how he looks on his first day. “He did have on a clean and neatly mended overalls.”(19). His appearance shows how the Cunningham’s try hard not to look like beggars. Unlike the Cunningham’s, Burris Ewell does not dress like he is proud at all. In fact he does not care if he looked like a smelly, filthy rat. When Scout sees him...
Instead of letting other people’s wrong beliefs get to them, they stuck to their own. Atticus speaks in the text, “‘...You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view’”(Lee 39). When Atticus shares this information, it gives the kids a more of an understanding of other people’s circumstances. Instead of assuming something, they will have to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. This is will help them not be prejudice towards others in their lives. Later in the text, Atticus shares, even more, wisdom with the members of his family. The book says, “‘Atticus, he was real nice’...'Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them’”(Lee 376). When speaking to Scout, Atticus explains that people can change for the better. Those people just have to realize their wrong behavior, like being prejudice to an innocent man. When taught correctly, moral education can have a positive impact on people. It just takes time to finally understand such content instead of making assumptions. Social inequality and moral education are obviously shown throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. As shown in the essay, Harper Lee uses these themes to convey to her readers in not only in the 1930s and 1960s, but also in present day
The novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee has numerous accounts of racism and prejudice throughout the entire piece. The novel is set in the 1930's, a time when racism was very prevalent. Although bigotry and segregation were pointed in majority towards blacks, other accounts towards whites were also heard of, though not as commonly. There are acts that are so discreet that you almost don't catch them, but along with those, there are blatant acts of bigotry that would never occur in our time. Lee addresses many of these feelings in her novel.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” is marvelous and unforgettable novel. Not only show how dramatic, sad in and old town – Maycomb be like, but through her unique writings, some big conflicts about politics and critical is going on through this tired old Southern town. Not just in general like education, friendship, neighbors but also pacific in individuals like family and the people’s characteristics themselves. In one book yet can covered with such many problems, Harper Lee must have been experienced a lot and deeply understanding that time. That is why the book lives, becoming literature and get the love from the audiences a lot. One of the problem and mostly run along with the story and interest me is racism between white people and black people socially.
Racism presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. One obvious way that racism presents itself is in the result of Tom Robinson’s trial. Another apparent example is the bullying Jem and Scout had to endure as a result of Atticus’s appointment as Tom Robinson’s defense attorney. A less easily discernible case is the persecution of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who chose to live his life in close relation with the colored community.
Segregation is the exclusion of a certain racial, religious, or other categorized group from actively participating in aspects of society. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, was set during a time period where segregation was customary in society; it affected the way people portrayed certain ideas and how people regarded one another. In the southern United States at this time there was a clash amongst races that separated people. Whites in particular served a less complicated lifestyle than blacks, as blacks were considered to be of lesser importance. The struggles endured by those dealing with segregation were overlooked by the discriminative inhabitants of Maycomb who were brought up in a society where their unjust actions were accepted. Engrained in their minds was an inequality that divided races, which lead to the inability to combine races into an integrated society.
Racism is simply not just towards black but also can be towards other races , blacks can be racist towards white people as well as white are racist to every other race there is. Everyone no matter how much money ,who you're with or who your parents are is capable of being either racist or being discriminated themselves . Many people think that racism is only towards black people. That isn't true white people are constantly also being discriminated as well as the black. Jem and scout are get called out because they are white . “Lula stopped, but she said ‘You ain't got no business bringin’ white chillun here — they got their church, we got our’n. it is our church ain't it Miss cal?’ calpurnia said ‘ It's the same God , ain't it ?’ Jem said,
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many minor themes are present such as gender and age. However, the largest and therefore major theme of the book is racism. All of the events and themes in the book had only one purpose, to support the theme of racism.
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many minor themes are present such as gender and age. However, the largest and therefore major theme of the book is racism. All of the events and themes in the book had only one purpose, to support the theme of racism.