Racial Injustice: A Perspective from 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

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Imagine growing up in a place where everyone was separated by race and gender. In To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, 6 year Scout Finch and her brother Jem grow up in Maycomb County or could be called a racist county . They live their lives witnessing black people getting harassed by other people in their town. Having to deal with grown ups tell them that black people are like trash, to look down on them, without realizing black people are humans too. Their father, Atticus helps them overcome this problem by telling them to fight back with words, not by a fist. Racist screams everywhere in Maycomb County, it doesn’t matter if the black person makes the same money as other people, they are still to be looked down upon. Not everyone …show more content…

Scout doesn’t understand what Atticus is trying to teach her, she’s too young to. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 39). It doesn’t matter if Scout is too young, Atticus has his ways of teaching her and Jem. For instance he told them that they should never judge a person by other people’s opinion. He shows his fatherly side telling them how to treat others and how words were more powerful than actions. Telling them how they should understand the person being targeted before judging them. He goes into full detail never sugar coating any words to make sure Scout and also Jem understands what he’s telling them. Scout shouldn’t be taught the wrongs and rights of the world yet, she should still be carefree and joyful. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”(Lee 149). Although Scout is young to learn about these things Atticus talks about, he wants her to know how the world sees things, but he wants her to have a different view than everyone else. He wants her and Jem to be able to know how the world sees things differently, and how that may affect on the truth and lie. It’s better at times for kids to know the lie, rather than the cold hard truth. “it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you.” (Lee 144). Scout is a curious girl so she asks her dad anything that pops up in her head, asking him what a “nigger lover” was. He responded saying that he loves everybody and hints that she

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