"Cry about the simple hell people giving other people--without even thinking. Cry about the hell that white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people too."(269). In to Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the fictional book is based on racial inequality. Throughout the book Scout, the protagonist, is the daughter of Atticus Finch who is a lawyer for the African Americans. During the book Atticus is defending someone by the name of Tom Robinson. The book is all about how the court and the jury decide if Tom Robinson is guilty or innocent of rape, this teaches Scout and Jem how racism can affect many lives, it is important to treat all people equally everywhere and all of the time, and you also to not judge others for things that they cannot control. Throughout the book the …show more content…
"When I went back for my breeches--they were all in a tangle when I was gettin' out of 'em, i couldn't get 'em loose. When I went back--"(78). Jem learned when he goes and gets scouts pants and finds that the hole that was in them was stitched up and they were folded on the fence that Boo Radley was the one that stitched and folded his pants. He learns that all of the rumors that were spread about Boo were wrong and you can't judge something if you don't know that it is true."This time we aren't fighting the Yankees, we're fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they're still our friends."(102).They are now being judged in the story because of their dad who is defending Tom Robinson, who is African American. Tom Robinson was a good "church going" man, but just because of his skin color, he and many others are being judged. These are just a few feelings that Jem and Scout are feeling because of the
In To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee people were judged by unfair standards that resulted in oppression. Scout and Jem are the children of a white lawyer who has to defend a black man accused of raping a white female. In the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama equal rights were not factors. Which says that the problems of human inequality and the divisions within society were unfair and unjust, like Boo Radley being treated unequally by others. People were judged regarding their race, economic status, or social standing. The race of Tom Robinson led to think he was guilty of a crime he didn't commit. Racism also led to Aunt Alexandra's harsh beliefs against Calpurnia.
The novel to kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, focuses on "Maycombs usual disease", but also shows the compassion and wisdom that can exist in the is most bleak areas. The prejudice throughout the novel comes from the fear to change what they have grown up with, and the lack of knowledge of Maycomb.
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.
In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the movie show two themes from social inequality; race, class and gender. Tom Robinson, the man who was accused of raping a young woman, was only convicted base on his skin color. The matter of the subject wasn’t if he did it or not, but of he did it no matter what. The inequality of class was shown multiple time throughout the
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere”. Martin Luther King envisioned a world in which society lived without hate but in peace with one another, his dream was cut short when he was assassinated purely because of the racial prejudice someone had. The injustice he faces relates heavily to his quote as it speaks the truth about the innocence of one person and it must be protected from the evil of society. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee, addresses the cruel society in which injustice is served based on the withstanding prejudice and racism the town of Maycomb contains. The author addresses this to the reader through the use of characters that symbolize the victims of
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Jem learns many new things along the way and also matures in the process. Lee uses the story to shine light on important topics such as racial prejudice, justice, and compassion. Examples from the story are when no one took Tom Robinson's case. The reason no one took his case was because he had African American descent. Atticus took the case because Judge Taylor appointed Atticus to Tom Robinson's case because he knew he would do a good job . Society now has figured out that we are equal when the novel was written they could’ve used more people like Judge Taylor because he wanted Tom to have an equal shot at being found innocent.
Since Jem is a couple years older than Scout, he understands most things better than she does just because he’s been exposed to the world a little more than Scout has. During the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, these two young kids start viewing everything slightly different in their small county called Maycomb, such as how they view their father, racism, Boo Radley, and the people in the place they live. When Scout and Jem heard about the case their father had taken, they didn’t know what to think, but after they knew what really happened, they did not like the way their county was treating the black man, Tom Robinson.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”-Martin Luther King Jr. This quote shows how racism is like darkness and hate and love and light are the only way to drive racism out. The story takes place at the time of the great depression. Scout lives in a very racist and judgement city in the south. A black male is accused of raping a white woman. Scouts dad Atticus gets appointed to be the defendant's lawyer. Racism is an antagonist in To Kill A Mockingbird because the white people of Maycomb discriminate the blacks and make them feel lesser. The theme racism can be harmful to everyone is shown by many characters throughout the book.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, racism has a negative outcome on most characters. Tom Robinson the man that was accused of raping a white woman, Helen Robinson Tom Robinson wife, and Jem atticus son were all affected negatively by racism.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, racism is a major theme. Atticus Finch, the narrator’s father, defends a negro, Tom Robinson, in the court of law against a white man, Bob Ewell. Robinson had reportedly raped a young white girl, Mayella Ewell. But according to Robinson he had gone to help Mayella, as he often did, with work around the house. As he starts helping Mayella, she tries to get Tom to kiss her and will not let him out of the house. Bob Ewell sees this and chases Tom out of the house and accuses him of raping his daughter. Atticus goes against almost everyone in Maycomb County’s opinion in defending Tom Robinson. Throughout the course of the novel, racism effects many characters such as Tom and Helen Robinson, Scout and Jem Finch, and Mayella and Bob Ewell. All these characters had there lives
“Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of
Alveda King once said, “Racism springs from the lie that, human beings are less than fully human. It’s a self centered falsehood that corrupts our minds into believing we are right to treat others as we would not want to be treated”. This quote suggests that racism, a major theme in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is only sprung if one is ignorant or self centered. To Kill A Mockingbird takes place during the Great Depression where a 6 year old Scout and 9 year old Jem learn life lessons from their lawyer father, Atticus, and many more people who they are influenced by in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. During the trial scene in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses characterization to show that racism exists in a world of ignorance,
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.
In To Kill a Mockingbird there can be plenty of confusion about the theme or what is going on at times but in the end, it is still a valuable book. There is a bit of problem between the Finches, Ewells, and the lower class African Americans. Also, the meaning of the mockingbird from the title comes out. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author reveals what the mockingbird represents, as well as the theme of discrimination and racism.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, a man, who is a lawyer, named Atticus Finch teaches his kids to treat people equally despite being in a world of segregation. The kids learn from Atticus that they must accept everyone as equal and treat them the same as everybody else in order to help the next generation see everybody as equal. First, after Jem finishes reading to Miss Dubose and Atticus defending Tom Robinson he teaches the kids to treat everyone equally. Finally, when Scout and Atticus are talking about Boo, Atticus explains to Scout that a person has to know someone before they can be judged. Ultimately, this story provides strong teaching moments about segregation.