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To kill a mockingbird movie analysis
Problems with racism in literature
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Injustice of people based on race
“...my father had fought for him all the way.’ Then Mr. Underwood’s meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case.’ Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (pg. 323). The trial is shown as injustice because an innocent man goes to jail. Injustice isn’t just shown in the trial it’s shown throughout the whole book, multiple characters (like Tom Robinson, Atticus, Dolphus Raymond) in To Kill A Mockingbird were discriminated against due to the color of their skin and who they associated with.
Even though Dolphus Raymond, Boo Radley, Mayella Ewell and more faced injustices in the book the one that affected everyone whether good or bad was Tom Robinsons trial. His trial was merely based off of the color of his
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Atticus, Scout and Jem becomes more aware of the prejudice in Maycomb County when a black man, Tom Robinson is accused of doing something he didn’t do. Atticus loses his case and he along with Scout and Jem learn that blacks cannot have a fair trial, Jem has a hard time coping with this. However, they do learn through this process not to assume someone’s character without knowing the first, such as Boo Radley. “...Atticus, he was real nice…’...most people are, Scout, when you finally see them” (pg. 376). Scout and Jem’s view of their father changes from the beginning of the story, where they view Atticus as an old lawyer and that all he does is work and read to the end where they realizes that their father is really a good man. The events/conflicts in the novel, big or small all connect to Scout and Jem’s life. In just a few years, they grow from being an innocent young girl and boy to mature adults. These events have made them more aware of the world around them, and as a result they lose their
...e through understanding Bob Ewell and his misdeeds, appreciating Boo Radley and his valorous actions, and acknowledging Atticus’s moral advice. At the end of the novel, it is evident that the children mature into more sympathetic, sensitive young people, indicated by their ultimate understanding of those of whom they have encountered. Furthermore, as Atticus hints throughout the whole novel, the positive characteristics of an individual will almost always prevail, demonstrated to Jem and Scout as they meet different kinds of people and hone their notions about the world around them. Above all, Jem and Scout’s appreciations for human goodness are altered for the better: their ability to sincerely understand the way in which individuals work and feel emerges at the end of the novel, when the children are finally able to accept the contradictory parts of human essence.
Throughout history, racism has played a major role in social relations. In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, this theme is presented to the reader and displays the shallowness of white people in the south during the depression. The assumption that Blacks were inferior is proved during the trial of Tom Robinson. Such characteristics served to justify the verdict of the trial. In this trial, Tom Robinson is accused of raping Mayella Ewell and is found guilty.
The dominating theme of racial discrimination is clearly evident throughout the book. Unfortunately, the society itself is the ultimate cause of such dilemma. Maycomb County is segregated into the hardworking, honest black people, and the privileged and prejudiced white people. The long hold racist attitude towards the black people are unforgiving as they have not been recognised as human beings, and are treated inhumanely. When Tom Robinson; a respectful black man is wrongfully accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, Atticus is assigned to fight for Tom in the trial. Due to Atticus being a white man ...
Throughout History, men have looked down on blacks and women. But this does not justify the view that blacks and women are below white men. When people look down on blacks and women, they preform injustice. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is full of injustice. During this time period, everyone looked down on blacks and women, which makes Maycomb one in the same with the discriminators. In particular, the people in Maycomb looked down on Tom Robinson, and many others looked down on Scout. Around the Finch household, Aunt Alexandria always tries to do away with Calpurnia, the black housekeeper and cook as Alexandria says, “We don’t need her (Calpurnia) now.” (182). Injustices in Maycomb include the case of Tom Robinson, the way Aunt Alexandra treats Calpurnia, and the way people treat Scout.
It was clear based on the evidence that Tom was innocent, but with the jury consisting of only white men in 1930's Alabama, they decided to convict Tom only because it was a white man's word against a black man's. This upsetted Jem and Scout as they were sure that Tom and Atticus would win the case. It made them realize that people with prejudice will make unfair decisions, even when it's clear that they are making the wrong decision: "...but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (Lee 323). Seeing this changes Jem and Scout's perception of the people living in Maycomb, as they start to question whether the people of Maycomb were as good-hearted as they thought. Nowadays, there would not be racial prejudice in a courtroom, however the jury that was biased during Tom's trial could be the modern equivalents of people who use racial profiling, racial bias, and stereotyping. The kids and the reader learn that people who make judgements and decisions based on prejudice are people who should not be considered
His father, Atticus, is a wise man who sees around the conflicts of the town and as for Jem's little sister, Scout, she is also a child who is under the influence of those around her. Consequently, Jem was stunned by the trial and the cruel way whites treated blacks, Jem stated. “Atticus” Jem said bleakly. He turned around and looked at me. “ What, son?”
A possible reason as to why the book was called “To Kill a Mockingbird” is because a mockingbird is a harmless and innocent animal. Therefore, when it is killed, peace is disturbed. In the story, Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Due to this, innocence and peace have been disturbed.
In a desperate attempt to save his client, Tom Robinson, from death, Atticus Finch boldly declares, “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white” (Lee 271). The gross amounts of lurid racial inequality in the early 20th century South is unfathomable to the everyday modern person. African-Americans received absolutely no equality anywhere, especially not in American court rooms. After reading accounts of the trials of nine young men accused of raping two white women, novelist Harper Lee took up her pen and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, a blistering exposition of tragic inequalities suffered by African Americans told from the point of view of a young girl. Though there are a few trivial differences between the events of the Scottsboro trials and the trial of Tom Robinson portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as the accusers’ attitudes towards attention, the two cases share a superabundance of similarities. Among these are the preservation of idealist views regarding southern womanhood and excessive brutality utilized by police.
In the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest” Ellie Wiesel. Readers may find the amount of injustice in Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a little shocking. This could be why it’s such a popular book. People like the suspense of knowing someone’s right, but still being found guilty for something they did not do. There are many times throughout the book when people are powerless to prevent injustice but they still protest it. This shows that even when people unjustly punish there should always be someone to protest it. The theme of injustice is a common one in harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, whether it be through racism, misinformation, or Arrogance.
Everyone should follow Scout’s example. Atticus has taught his daughter some of the most extremely significant lessons humans lack today. Scout is young and innocent; she sees the world in extravagant gray, not exclusive black and white. Throughout To Kill A Mocking Bird, Scout obtains understanding of justice to the innocent, hypocrisy, manners and understanding others.
Furthermore, Harper Lee exhibits her view on the lack of justice through allusion. “I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man,” Reverend Sykes is foreshadowing the Jury’s decision of Tom Robinson’s trial and how he knows that it is an injustice that black people like Tom Robinson are always unfairly trialed and persecuted. Furthermore, Reverend Sykes understands the injustice that Tom Robinson faces and has come to terms that he will be convicted guilty just like all other colored men when on trial. To conclude, through the use of colloquial language and foreshadowing, Harper Lee explores the key theme of injustice, which stems from 1930’s Alabama, which this novel is based
A small city nestled in the state of Alabama, Maycomb has got its faults, just like any other place in the world, but one of its main faults or (pg.88) “Maycomb's usual disease,” as Atticus calls it in the book is prejudice. Jem and Scout learn a lot about prejudice when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell and their father, Atticus, is called on to be his lawyer. They realize the hate that people have buried deep within their heart when they see a black man accused of doing something only because of his color. On pg.241, Scout starts understanding this and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” As the case continues, up until the death of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout learn more and more about prejudice and how the hate that people have towards others causes them to take wrong actions. They also see how unfair it is that a white man can get treated better and think of himself better than a black man only because he was born white. This prejudice and the trial cause Jem and Scout to get in argum...
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's only novel, is a fictional story of racial oppression, set in Maycomb, A.L. in 1925 to 1935, loosely based on the events of the Scottsboro trials. Unlike the story however, the racial discrimination and oppression in the novel very accurately portrays what it was like in the 1920's and 1930's in the south. Tom Robinson, the black man accused of raping a poor low class white girl of 19, never stood a chance of getting a fair trial. This can be supported by giving examples of racially discriminatory and oppressive events that actually took place in the south during the time period in which the novel is based. In addition to actual historical events, events and examples from the book that clearly illustrate the overpoweringly high levels of prejudice that were intertwined in the everyday thinking of the majority of the characters in the book supports the fact that Tom Robinson never stood a chance of getting a fair trial.
Scout and Jem grow up and mature a little faster than others. According to Dare: Much of the credit for Scout's moral development is owed to Atticus. He is a loving, patient, and understanding father who guides his children to virtue while respecting them as individuals capable of judgment and decision. He teaches them compassion and tolerance, frequently advising Scout to "step into the shoes" of others such as the Ewell’s and Boo Radley. Though Scout and Jem are young, they see things how their father has taught them to.