To Kill A Mockingbird
The novel To Kill A Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee. The story takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the Great Depression. The story follows the childhood of a young girl named Scout and her life growing up in Maycomb. She bares witness to the injustice of Tom, and a mysterious neighbor named Boo. In the end all this ends up shaping her childhood and future. To Kill A Mockingbird contains many types of prejudice, including racial prejudice, prejudice against social standing, and prejudice against gender. There are many examples of racial prejudice, Tom being one of them. Tom was judged only by his color not by his personality, heart, mentality, or character. Tom was brutally killed by 17 bullets. Miss Gates
…show more content…
This may not be as present as the others, but it still is. They are all poor, some more than others, and you think that would make them equals but it doesn’t. Some of the people in the town judge everyone based off of how they rank in society or if they blend in with their society or not. Just because someone acts different doesn’t mean that they don’t have similarities. This evidence proves prejudice against social standing. Prejudice against gender. People are told how they are supposed to act even before they grow up just because of their gender. Its not right. People don’t have to act or look like something just because of their gender. Just like when Scout was told oh she’s just a girl she’ll grow out of it or she’s a girl she has to wear a dress. This evidence proves prejudice against gender. Mrs. Dubose has been quoted saying ““What are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!”” (p135).
Racial prejudice, prejudice against social standing, and prejudice against gender are all present in To Kill A Mockingbird. Don’t judge a person by the color of their skin. Just like how you don’t judge a book by its cover. You have no idea what is inside or what they could really be like. They could even be your best friend if you get to know them. This kind of injustice can and is still happening today. It needs to
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.
In conclusion, the author produces prejudices that surround each one of the characters in the novel. Each of the characters constructs their own internal turmoil dealing with the times and the race they were born into. The novel shows prejudices towards looks, class, race, and religious beliefs. In my opinion, the author shows that prejudice encompasses everyone's life in one form or another. Nobody can fully be excluded from the prejudices that are formed in this world. While the authors' sometimes-exuberant description of prejudice is narrated throughout the novel, he also describes through the use of the character Sandy, life is "Not Without Laughter" (p.249)
Growing up in a prejudiced environment can cause individuals to develop biased views in regard to both gender and class. This is true in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, where such prejudices are prevalent in the way of life of 1930s Maycomb, Alabama. The novel is centered around the trial of a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. The narrator, a young girl named Scout, is able to get a close up view of the trial because her father is defending Tom Robinson, the defendant. The aura of the town divided by the trial reveals certain people's’ prejudices to Scout, giving her a better perspective of her world. Throughout the story, Aunt Alexandra’s behaviors indirectly teach Scout that prejudice is a disease with deep and far reaching roots.
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird sets place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the prominent period of racial inequality in the mid-twentieth century. To Kill a Mockingbird explores the transformations that follow one’s coming-of-age alongside the ambivalent morals of the 1950s. Changing the setting would affect the character development, conflict and atmosphere developing a new theme.
When Tom said in the trial that he felt sorry for Mayella (a crime worse than rape in the jury´s eyes) - the lowest class showing superiority for a class above themselves. The white community was frightened for their own position in society; the only reason Tom was found guilty was to maintain the traditional hierarchies.
Tom was sent to jail for doing absolutely nothing wrong, except being black. He never had the luxury to grow into old age, as his life was taken from him when he was shot seventeen times during his attempt to escape from jail. Tom Robinson’s life would have been completely different if he had not been black. The discrimination would not have occurred and the accusations would not have been leveled or believed.
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.
The novel not only explores racial prejudice, but also prejudice against gender and social status. Maudie is a victim of prejudice agains...
The ideas of the stereotypical male and female were around at this time. Several characters in the book refusing to conform to the stereotype are put under pressure by members of the community to do so. Racism is an important theme in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Even those who are not racist accept racism as part of everyday life. ' Everybody says Nigger.'
Sexism is not as common a topic in comparison to racism, but does play a role in the development of the novel. This type of discrimination is expressed towards women from men and women alike. Men feel compelled to protect women from unsightly things, (Lee 221), and the women in Maycomb have the mind set that, to be a lady, they must conform to society's expectations of them. They believe they must dress, act, and speak a certain way to appease the community. Aunt Alexandra is a big believer in acting the way society expects her to and attempts to impose these values on her niece, Scout, who becomes mortified, as she has always been a tomboy and prefers spending time in the dirt. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my [Scout's] attire. She said I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed ...
Prejudice, the act of judging someone based on outward appearance or social standing. In the 1960’s Harper Lee wrote a book called To Kill a Mockingbird, about prejudice and how hard the times were. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many examples of prejudice showing how morally wrong it was. There are several examples of prejudice in the book: Tom Robinson because he is African American, Boo Radley because of his standing in their society, and the Cunningham Family because of how poor they were. The following paragraphs will discuss these examples.
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.
The culture of discrimination in these parts of America was cruel to those in the coloured community. The time in which these texts were set differ as there is an approximate 50 year gap between periods, but unfortunately racial intolerance didn’t abate, it grew stronger. In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Scout shows how the community had a huge influence on her own racial intolerance in chapter 20 where she states “I had a feeling that I shouldn’t be listening to this sinful man who had mixed children and didn’t care who knew it… (Lee, 2004)’. The man explains to Scout that the contempt the community has towards his marriage to a black woman drive him to pretend to be an alcoholic to excuse him of his actions. This is an example of the undertone of racism in ‘To kill a Mockingbird’, which can be compared to ‘A Time to Kill’ where the displays of racism were on a grander, more vicious scale.
'Democracy,' she said. 'Does anybody have a definition?' ... 'Equal rights for all, special privileges for none' (Lee 248).
Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee “To better understand a person you have to climb up inside their skin and walk around in it.” The quote previously stated by Atticus in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an unveiling of the upcoming forms of prejudice. The setting for the novel is a fictitious town called Maycomb. This town is located in Alabama. The racial prejudice shown in the novel has a lot to do with the town being situated in the southern United States.