‘’All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’’ The story takes place in the 1930s in alabama in the imaginary district called maycomb county. Blacks during this time period in the south were very oppressed.lynching was a common occurrence. The south was most conservative part of the union that is due in part to the history of slaves,secession from the north. Humans are in a constants battle with itself whether to kill the mockingbird without knowing the other people’s perspective which later manifest itselfs as racisim, sexisim and classisim due to the lack of empathy Harper Lee conveys a racial element in …show more content…
I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pan’’ said by scout in chapter nine.This reveals the mindset of southern women that they expect girls to carry themselves as ladies since that is what the gender is, even though she's just a kid. she also didn't ask her once about this she just pushed it on to her. Some girls aren't as lucky as scout to have an understanding father, those girls who aren't are trapped in this false identity ‘’lady’’ and ‘’proper lady’’ Dill even got into the action of sexisim though subtle and he had not a clue. ‘’Cry about what, Mr. Raymond?” Dill’s maleness was beginning to assert itself’’ remarked by Dill in chapter twenty. Dill previously said that crying is best reserved for the girls that goes to show you that kids are taught that only girls cry which makes them weak and emotional beings further pushing female …show more content…
‘’... There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors,’’ there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes’’ said jem. Jem is saying there is a class distinction based on a economic standpoint such as wealth/poorness.If you base of by that then is goes from ordinary people and neighbors to negroes as he said in the same order. The blackes would be on the bottom, because everyone else got a headstart and blacks also have little to no opportunities. Their communities were repeatedly harassed. the racist were counterproductive saying there uncivilized so they don't let them get an education to become more civil. they are also projecting what they are uncivilized people lynching blackes who are innocent “”it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”” -Att icus Aunt Alexandra is also a good example of class prejudice because she forbids Jem and Scout to have dinner with walter cunningham because he is beneath their social status “” ...Because—he—is—trash, that’s why you can’t play with him. I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what. and she also mentioned they don't have a rich family history as the finches. That segregation of the poor, breeds hate withing the poor whites because they're frustrated they were doing alright till there depression happened and put people over the edge. thst
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
In the United States' Declaration of Independence the founding fathers stated: "…held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Prejudice is arguably the most prominent theme of the novel. It is directed towards groups and individuals in the Maycomb community. Prejudice is linked with ideas of fear superstition and injustice.
The theme of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird broadens to a further extent than just the situation of racial discrepancy between the blacks and the whites. Although, the racial discrimination mainly towards the blacks is the most prominent occurrence of injustice at Harper Lee’s time- the early Twentieth century, the whole novel includes several, other forms of prejudice that portray the unfavourable effects that was endured by innocent people. These blameless individuals were referred to mockingbirds, since it was a sin to kill one as said by Atticus, “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” So, therefore mockingbirds are a representation of the main events that occurred during Harper Lee’s life such as having African Americans taking away their life due to the colour of their skin.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
In the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout was child who was just starting school. Without a mother, she grew up with her father and brother. This affects her because… The reader is able to see her before the majority begins to try and change her, from her escapades in the summertime with Jem and Dill, to her hard temper whenever someone insults her family. But as she grows older and her actions become more unruly, Maycomb’s majority begins to usher her away from these actions. "Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants (108),” said Scout about her Aunt, who supposedly moved in with Scout’s family to help her niece act with more maturity like a woman. As the book progresses and years pass, Jem, her relatives, and the neighborhood ladies all continue their pressure on Scout to comply with their wishes. At first, Scout dismisses their hopes of her acting more like a girl. When her Uncle Jack asks her if she wanted to be a lady when she grew up, Scout simply responded that she didn’t particularly want to. But in order to make peace with her Aunt as they began to irritate each other, Scout became more open to the idea of trying to act like a girl. After hearing the news of Tom’s death, Scout even says, “if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I (318).” This shows that while having the pressure of her family and the women of the town to conform into acting like a girl, Scout resisted them as much as she could. In the end, Scout is still somewhat of an ‘Other,’ as she is still stuck with her tomboyish personality, but she showed significant changes toward the wishes of Maycomb’s majority
Thus making it seem as though women can’t handle tough situations. This does not reside well with Scout because she is a woman and knows she could handle it. This shows how females are classified into a group that is delicate and incapable of doing things. Secondly, Scout is told many times that she is not enough like a girl but she does not really care. Scout proclaims, “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants” (Lee108). This puts an idea in Scout’s head that she must wear a dress to be accepted as a woman and that it is wrong for her to do adventurous things outside like she does with Jem. If Scout wasn’t such a happy and confident person, this could make her feel like there is something wrong with her and that she is different in a bad way. Nonetheless, she doesn’t listen to Aunt Alexandra because she really does not care what people think of her. Scout does not allow the stereotypes of being a lady classify her into that specific status. Thirdly, Scout doesn’t like being called a girl because the characteristics
One of the major themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is prejudice. As this book takes place half a century after the Civil War, there is a lot of racial, social and religious prejudice going on.
“Prejudice is a learned trait. You're not born prejudiced; you're taught it.” -Charles R. Swindoll. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is set in the time period of the 1930’s, in Maycomb County, an imaginary district in southern Alabama. Due to the fact that this novel is set in the 1930’s, the characters are extremely judgemental and prejudiced. Throughout the novel, there are various cases where the characters say or do things that would be severely frowned upon in modern times. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee demonstrates the theme of prejudice. The three main types of prejudice shown in the novel are gender prejudice, class prejudice, and racial prejudice.
The citizens of maycomb country show social prejudice by the unjustified attitude towards an individual based on the individual's membership in a family or group. When Jem observes scout on the bed she says, “There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes”(374). The statement that Jem says about the separation of herself and the neighbors with the Cunninghams, Ewells, and the Negroes, shows the social prejudice of the town of maycomb. The age that children think that shows that the social diversity of people in maycomb is awful. Lastly, when Atticus is speaking with a finch he states, “You, Miss Scout Finch, are the common folk. You must obey the law.” He said that the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewell's. In certain circumstances the common folk judiciously allowed them certain privileges by the simple method of becoming blind to some of the Ewells’
A mockingbird is a harmless bird that creates music for the enjoyment of people, thereby symbolizing innocence. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, an attorney for the state of Alabama, teaches his children, Jem and Scout many valuable lessons, such as how it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, which symbolizes destroying innocence. He also teaches his children to step into the shoes of another person before passing judgement, which helps his children to get a grasp of the destructive nature of prejudice. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbol of a mockingbird to demonstrate how even the most harmless and selfless people, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are faced
During the 1930s blacks have faced discrimination and racism. Racial violence became more common, in the South as the days went on. Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist, in every state of the union, producing in many city states a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Harper Lee has shown many examples of what blacks had face and she used the book To Kill a Mockingbird to demonstrate them. In Maycomb, Alabama Scout the narrator in this book walks us through about what she see’s from her point of view. Race relations still occur both in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and to this day. One will discuss if social injustice has remained the same. Another will discuss how
To kill a mockingbird holds many messages in regards to the equality among all people, These messages are communicated through the experiences that the children go through whilst growing up. Throughout the novel, as the children grow up the country; America is also growing, maturing and learning what exactly it means to be equal. The events that the children experience in Maycomb county Alabama lead them to see the world in a different light, these experiences make the children see that the world is not black and white and that society's perception of the world and what is right may be flawed but ultimately, what this novel is trying to communicate to the readers is sympathy and the understanding or empathy of and toward others.
“Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born prejudice; you’re taught it” –Charles R Swindoll. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about a young girl named Scout who lives in a world filled with prejudice. There are many instances and types of prejudice in the novel. A man named Tom Robinson was convicted for doing a crime he never did because of the color of his skin. To this day, Tom would have never been tried because the evidence assuredly shows he is not guilty. One only becomes prejudice if you are taught it from other prejudice people. Harper Lee shows this idea throughout her novel through her characters, dialogue and theme.
The women in Maycomb county are expected to act, talk, and dress a certain way. Scout is not the average southern girl. At one point Jem is starting to grow up and grow apart from Scout, and he gets tired of her not behaving according to society. Jem commanded Scout, “It's time you started bein and girl and acting right!” (Lee 131). Scout does not fit into the mold of women in Maycomb county. She wears overalls and is adventurous. She does not want to just sit at home all day and do nothing. Scout is curious and wants to be with her brother, but Jem is getting older and does not want to be seen with his sister. One lady in the neighborhood, Mrs. Debose, often criticises Scout for not wearing dresses and always being dirty. One time she even said to Jem, “So you brought that dirty little sister of yours, did you?”(Lee 122). Scout plays outside with Jem and is not always inside helping with housework. She is a kid. She should be able to play outside and get dirty without being ridiculed for not being a proper lady. Children need to have time to go and play. They need time to be kids. If Scout wants to wear overalls and play outside, no one should judge her for doing so, or her father for letting