Every second of everyday people talk. When people talk they spread their owns beliefs and most of the time they don't usually match up. People interact with others whom they disagree with often, reacting in different ways that are shown in literature. More specifically, To Kill A Mockingbird a novel by Harper Lee, Twelve Angry Men a play written by Reginald Rose, and Ronald J. Allen’s “American Flag Stands For Tolerance” which is his response to the Supreme Court's decision to consider flag burning an act of freedom of expression. All of these pieces of literature show how people act when faced with others whom they disagree with. Most people either accept or reject others with whom they disagree, whereas some are undecided. The decisions …show more content…
Francis speaks of Atticus in a condescending way to Scout. He insults Atticus because he heard Aunt Alexandra disagrees and does not support Atticus’s trail case. He then builds off what he hears and forms his own opinion, taunting Scout, which results in her objecting his claim. He shows his opinion to Scout when he says, “ ‘He’s nothin’ but a nigger-lover,” Scout opposes saying, ‘He is not!’ ” (Lee 110). Francis dislikes Atticus because of what he heard from Aunt Alexandra. He is unwilling to open his mind and take different ideas in. He does not think his opinion could be wrong, which is why he rejects Scout when she disagrees with him. Others who are close minded are rejecting of others’ input with whom they disagree with since they do not believe they can be wrong. An additional source is Twelve Angry Men. When the evidence for the trail was being sifted through by the jurors, a lot of jurors put in new ideas that proved the defendant to be not guilty. Jurior #3 did not take into consideration of any of the other jurors’ input and rejected them all. His rejection is shown when he states, “I’m ready to walk into court right now and declare a hung jury” (Rose 246). Juror #3 was so set on his own opinion that he rejected all of the other jurors’ input, ready to end it all by proclaiming a hung jury. He is close minded and believes that it is impossible for his judgement to be wrong, which is why he rejects any ideas that contradict his stance on the defendant being guilty. Stubborn people who think their reasoning is flawless, reject everyone else who disagrees with them. Narrow minded people are rejecting of those whom they disagree with since they believe their own thought are
“[T]here is one way in this country in which all men are created equal- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller; the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court” (Lee 233). These are the words uttered by Atticus Finch, an important character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a lawyer, and at this point in the novel, he is trying to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. This reflects upon how society was in the 1930’s, when the color of your skin affected your chances of winning a trial. In fact, it is speculated that To Kill a Mockingbird is loosely based off of the trials of the Scottsboro Boys, a famous case from this time period. Most of the main characters associated with both trials share similar traits, experiences, and backgrounds.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most successful works of fiction in American Literature. Although To Kill a Mockingbird is classified as a work of fiction, there is evidence to support the claim that To Kill a Mockingbird was modeled after the Scottsboro Trials of 1931. There are many parallels between the trial of Tom Robinson and the Scottsboro Trials. The Scottsboro Boys were nine, young, African American men who were falsely accused of raping two white women while illegally riding a train in Alabama. Harper Lee was also about six years old when these trials took place. This is the reason why Harper Lee chose to write her novel through the eyes of a six year old. The trials inspired her to write To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper
In his introduction, Atticus cautions the jury to be objective in their verdict, reminding them the doctrine of presumed innocence. He explains, “Gentlemen, I shall be brief, but I would like to use my remaining time with you to remind you that this case is not a difficult one, it requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant.” His use of the word “but” is cautionary, warning the jurors that there is no place for personal bias in the court and highlighting their legal obligation. Additionally, he employs an impassioned voice in his emotional appeal, drawing attention to the ethical question of the trial. When he states, “This case is as simple as black and white,” he acknowledges the ideological nature of it, expressing distaste for the racial prejudice that brought Tom Robinson under the court’s gaze.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a phenomenal book that portrays life in the South during the 1930’s. This poverty stricken time, in which many struggled to get through, seemed to never grow dull by the means of the Finch family. Harper Lee’s award winning book was captured in a film containing the same title. Although the movie was in black and white and average in length, it lived up to the vivid story depicted within many pages. This worldwide hit reached many minds, but it is up to the people to decide which one is better: the book or the movie.
Being judgmental is often a trait people possess. Atticus is one such person who does not possess this trait as seen in the fictional novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird tells the story of a young girl, Scout, who comes of age and eventually comprehends that not all people are open-minded, or kind. Scouts interactions with other people help to shape her and allow her to accept that not everyone has the same thoughts and opinions as her. Scout and Jem’s interactions with Atticus help the reader clearly understand that he is a responsible, courageous, and non-judgmental man.
Harper Lee addresses prejudice, tolerance, and the courage it takes to make a societal change. For instance, Harper grew up hearing the reactions and suffrage taking place during the Scottsboro trial. She takes inspiration for her novel by including an all white jury, rushed trials, and an attempted lynching in her retelling. Both the Tom Robinson trial and the Scottsboro
The text To kill a mockingbird (TKAM) written by harper Lee depicts the story of life in the south of America in the 1930’s as seen through a young girl, Scout Finch. Although a coming of age story TKAM also concentrates very heavily on prejudice. This include racial, social and gender prejudicial attitudes. This is where TKAM connects to Reginald Rose’s play twelve angry men (TAM) where social, racial and personal prejudice attitudes begin to effect the results of a court case. The two texts differ however, as the prejudice in TAM was able to be overcome by the men, where as in TKAM readers were instead shown what happens when people’s prejudicial views cannot be battled, and this resulted in two very different outcomes
This quote shows how fair Atticus is, he’s trying to understand other people in different situations. His advice is very true and is valid throughout the entire book, it could even be considered a theme on it’s own. Atticus’ quality of respect is very high and continues on into the trial further into the book which helps him during the case and helps Lee build to the theme: “‘Gentleman,’ he was saying ‘I shall be brief, but I would like to use my remaining time with you to remind you that this case is not a difficult one, it requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant. To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white,” Lee 271 Atticus voices in his final words at the trial.
In real life there are many different types of people, some of them are similar
Atticus, he does not sway away from his righteous morals. Judge Taylor appoints Atticus to take the Tom Robinson case because he knows Atticus is the only one who will defend Tom. Along with the townspeople, Atticus’ family criticizes and insults him. Francis
Both Skeeter and Scout face discrimination in both of their towns. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and in the film The Help directed by Tate Taylor both share the same theme which was that segregation in the South was evil. In To Kill a Mockingbird the story is told by Scout Finch, the main character. The book takes place in Maycomb, Alabama, the “tired old town”, during 1933 through 1935. It is learned that her father Atticus Finch, an attorney, tries to prove the innocence of an African-American man named Tom Robinson from an accusation of rape. The story goes on to tell the reader that Scout’s mysterious neighbor Boo Radley saves Scout and her brother Jem from Bob Ewell. The film The Help was set in 1960’s Mississippi. The
As most everyone knows, there are differences between a book and it’s movie adaptation. This is applicable to the book and it’s movie counterpart To Kill a Mockingbird, as well. But aside from the differences, there are also similarities between these two.
As Atticus is wrapping up his speech, he addresses the courtroom about court. “‘A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men that make it up’” (Lee 274), is an appeal to logos because a court is only fair if the people of the jury are fair. Singling out the jury puts more pressure on them to make the transparent decision that Tom Robinson is not
The Scottsboro Trial and the Tom Robinson Trial are almost identical in the forms of racism and prejudice shown and the the actual trial and the trials outcome. The racism and prejudice is clear and is a key factor throughout both cases, which took place in the same time period. Both trials are very common when it came to the time period, the time the trials have taken place in, those who were persecuted and lastly, why they were persecuted in the first place. “All blacks were liars, and always was not to be trusted was a major part of all of these trails” was the thought during this time. Someone that was white was believed no matter what when it came to a black mans word. Both trials were perfect examples of how the white people of Alabama were above the law. They showed that they could do whatever they wanted to the black people and get away with it. Examples in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Portrayed similar factual evidence that the Tom Robinson trial and the Scottsboro Trial are similar.
A Time to Kill and To Kill a Mockingbird both have a number of similarities to be compared and contrasted. Both stories can be compared in their themes about justice and racial prejudice. However, this is where the similarities end. The themes and ideas in both novels are vastly different in shape and scope. In A Time to Kill justice is the main theme and most of the ideas are focused on justice and the gray in between the lines of black and white set by the law, racial prejudice is also touched upon very frequently in the comparisons between Jake Brigance and Carl Lee Hailey and how he wouldn't even have had to face trial if he was a white man. In To Kill a Mockingbird justice is a theme which is not expanded upon or explained in nearly as much detail as it is in A Time to Kill. To Kill a Mockingbird also has a much larger variety in it's themes, ranging from the themes of justice to the exploration of a child's way of perceiving right and wrong as well as the idea of coming of age. These stories are honestly and objectively far more different than they are alike.