To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Prompt: Explain how the fictional Maycomb County in Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird represents many of the societal problems we have today, and explain how Atticus Finch's empathy for a ll people serves as a model we should all follow.
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Narrow-mindedness in To Kill a Mockingbird
“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging of the future but by the past.”-Edward Gibbon. There were many societal problems in To Kill a Mockingbird that were displayed such as, racism, child abuse, poverty, and alcohol/drug abuse. The main societal problem in To Kill a Mockingbird is narrow-mindedness. Despite Atticus’s strong efforts, the problem continued in the book. This is true in society today as well, our society has made steps to fix it, but narrow-mindedness is still around.
First, Racism and prejudice are examples of narrow-mindedness. There are many cases of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird, or as Atticus calls it “Maycomb’s usual disease”. Most of the characters in the book conformed to racism, and like Atticus said, “Only the children weep” when there are racism problems. Aunt Alexandra displays her racial discrimination when she gets upset because Calpurnia let Scout and Jem go to her church. Even their cousin, Francis, calls Atticus a “nigger-lover”. Mrs. Dubose says, “Your father’s [Atticus’s] no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” (135). We’ve made some major steps from racism, such as Obama becoming president, but it still exists. If you are a poor black person being on trial for a crime you can’t afford a good lawyer, so you are even more likely to ...
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...g speech, Atticus says “There is one 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 is a court….In the name of god, do your duty.”(274). Also, he later says “The one place a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom be he any color of the rainbow…” (295).
“History does nothing it does not possess immense riches, it does not fight battles. It is men, real, living, who do all this”-Karl Marx. In order to fix the societal problem of being narrow-minded, we have to learn from what the character Atticus said and did in To Kill a Mockingbird. We have to look at the world from the other person’s point of view, and treat them how you want to be treated. As a society, we have to stick up for people are being treated unfairly.
Why are different races and social classes treated so differently? Why was education so horrible at some points in time? Two of the characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are Jem and Scout. When Jem and Scout are growing up, they find out that many things are not as they seem. Certain people are not treated as well as others just because of the color of their skin, how they live, educational status, or even on just urban legend. At courthouses back then, blacks had to sit in a balcony. Many people in this time were so uneducated that they couldn’t read out of hymn books at church, if they had any. Harper Lee wrote a story to express the different kinds of prejudice and educational problems in the 1930’s in Maycomb County, Alabama.
Three students kicked out of a high school for threatening to bring a gun to school. Why would they? Because people were prejudice against them because other students thought they were “losers”. Moral: You shouldn’t not like a person because they aren’t like you. Prejudice was far much worse in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird. But, Prejudice is the reason for much social injustice. Three characters named Nathan Radley, Atticus Finch, and Aunt Alexandria show us this in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.
Atticus is a quiet, humble man who works to the best of his ability given his limited resources, and resolutely supports Tom Robinson’s side of the case, riling up his community imbued with discrimination. Without Atticus, the story would lose its equilibrium, and Jem and Scout would most definitely discard any insight they had into respecting humans for their unique qualities. Atticus supports the fact that, “Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal,” (233), and he tries to use this saying to bolster his argument throughout the trial. Jem and Scout respect the fact that their father is so supportive of equality, but because Maycomb County is already so biased against the black race, nothing Atticus said could have made a difference. After the trial comes to an end, Atticus tries to help the children process the evil essence of Bob Ewell: “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute ... if spitting in my face and threatening me saved
The first “mockingbird” that is featured in the novel is a man named Atticus Finch. Not only is Atticus Finch the sole representative of Maycomb in the legislature, but also he is a brilliant lawyer. In addition, he has a good reputation in both Maycomb’s black and white communities because of his exceptional character. However, his reputation is soon shattered when he is faced with a case in court that affects him personally: he must defend an African American man in court in Maycomb’s segregated society. If Atticus chooses to try defending the man, he will lose his good status in town, since his racist American neighbors will soon disrespect him for treating the African Americans as equal to the Americans, which is highly unacceptable in the United States during the 1930s. However, Atticus still accepted the case believing that if he does not, he w...
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.
“Agape means understanding, redeeming good will for all men… Therefore, agape makes no distinction between friends and enemy.” Martin Luther King Jr.’s “An Experiment in Love” emphasizes the importance of understanding and compassion, and the equality of all men on earth, for “all men are brothers.” To Kill a Mockingbird, set in the 1930’s, similarly examines these ideas during the time of the Great Depression, when many families were unable to find work and therefore became impoverished. It was also a time when racism was largely present. In many situations, racism was taught to one’s children, and then to the next generation. When ignorance is taught to children by their own parents, it is not uncommon that those children will continue
By reading To Kill A Mockingbird we can learn what we could do right in the present, changing our attitude about life can come from a life experience but reading a novel which gives us specific ideas like ‘have moral standards and stick to them no matter what’ appears loud and clear from scouts experiences of sticking up for Atticus, to Atticus’ own courage in standing up for Tom Robinson against most of May comb County.
Racial prejudice is widespread in the county of Maycomb, and a prime example is the Tom Robinson case. Tom, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella, a white woman. Atticus puts forward all evidence from his witnesses that clearly proves Tom was innocent, Jem even says, ?and we?re gonna win Scout. I don?t see how we can?t? (pg 206), but Tom still received a ?Guilty? verdict. Atticus tried removing the prejudiced thoughts of the jurors by saying, ??the assumption - the evil assumption - that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings??. (pg 208). Atticus? saying insinuated the point that all of God?s children were created equal. To the jury, the only important thing was that Tom was black and the accuser was white, he never stood a chance under those conditions. These racial tensions between blacks and whites had made their way into the courtroom, a place where everyone should receive a fair trial no matter what race or colour, but an unjust verdict was reached. The prejudice that was felt towards Tom made him lose all hope of freedom, and as a result, he died upon an escape attempt. Tom was victim of racial prejudice and loss of hope.
To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on “Maycomb’s usual disease,” as a pivotal part of the book, but also shows that compassion and wisdom can exist in these most bleak areas. The prejudice and bigotry comes from the lack of knowledge of Maycomb, and their fear of changing what they have grown up with. Pre-conceived ideas are the main reason that Maycomb is ignorant of black people as they are afraid of what a change of those pre-conceived ideas will bring. Even so, compassion still exists, as Atticus is able to save Scout and Jem from the influence of ‘Maycomb’s usual disease.’ Wisdom is also embodied by Atticus, where his wisdom, which is not necessarily knowledge but life experience, is able to force him to do things which are right, shown in his reluctant shooting of the rabid dog.
Atticus was a man of strong morals and conscience and in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, had to overcome the backlash and hate from defending Tom Robinson. With what seemed to be the majority of Maycomb County against him and his own safety at stake, Atticus knew that he couldn’t win the trial. Yet accompanied by his rationality, good ethics and determination he overcomes the trial. It is not the desired ending, but for his efforts in the trial, Atticus gains the respect of the black community and the respect of others in Maycomb by following through and overcoming the challenges that followed the
Scout lives in Maycomb County where she has to discover the unfair realities of society alongside prejudice people and some honest, accepting, and compassionate people. Her father, Atticus, is a lawyer who teaches her life lessons to help her understand different perspectives. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how people’s ignorance results in prejudice against others and can only be stopped through understanding and compassion. Lee exemplifies the ignorant people in a society and their effect on others using the people in Maycomb County.
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.
Racism presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. One obvious way that racism presents itself is in the result of Tom Robinson’s trial. Another apparent example is the bullying Jem and Scout had to endure as a result of Atticus’s appointment as Tom Robinson’s defense attorney. A less easily discernible case is the persecution of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who chose to live his life in close relation with the colored community.
"Any ordinary favour we do for someone or any compassionate reaching out may seem to be going nowhere at first, but may be planting a seed we can 't see right now. Sometimes we need to just do the best we can and then trust in an unfolding we can 't design or ordain." - Sharon Salzberg. To Kill A Mockingbird embodies those very words in every aspect and exemplifies them through its three main characters: Atticus, Scout, Jem. Yet, with racism and discrimination seemingly making its way back into the twenty first century with increased shootings of African American males and Donald trump making an effort to export all Muslims out of America etc..., the
'Democracy,' she said. 'Does anybody have a definition?' ... 'Equal rights for all, special privileges for none' (Lee 248).