Prejudice is the preconceived opinion of a person or thing. The novel To Kill A Mocking Bird's main message to readers is not to treat other races, such as blacks, differently. There are 3 main types of prejudice: racial prejudice, social prejudice and religious prejudice. Maycomb is an old and tired town that puts a negative light on the town and the people. The poverty and lack of outside influence causes prejudice. The backwardness and narrow-mindedness of the community fuelled racism in Maycomb are negative qualities for social and religious prejudice. The foot-washers have a strong influence on the community and the town being prejudice towards the Radleys. In the trial there is a lot of racial prejudice toward Tom Robinson as there is no doctor present who could testify that Tom didn't commit the crime.
Maycomb town is described well in chapter 1 as it tells us why the people are so inward looking.
"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town."
This statement by Jem to the readers puts a negative light on Maycomb and its people. The personification of the word tired emphasises the lack of enthusiasm, about everything, the people of Maycomb have. It also suggests an unwillingness and lack of desire to change this fact. Tired' also indicates that the town is very boring and new concepts are not welcome. There is also the repetition of the word old' which gives the impression of a dirty decaying town. This emphasises how old fashioned and backward the town is. The paragraph also describes how the town is not looked after by anyone.
The poverty and lack of outside influence causes prejudice. Maycomb rejects outside influences because of the old fashioned views. The town's backwardness is highlighted by the way in which there are no activities or past times in Maycomb except gardening.
"A day was twenty four hours long but seemed longer."
This is emphasised when Jem says,
"Don't have any picture shows here."
These quotes emphasise the restricted and backward views the people hold.
It is apparent that the authorities do not wish for any outside interference, when during Scout's current affairs lesson it is said that:
"Few rural children had access to newspapers!"
This shows that there was no wish for the town to change. The outside influences would soon be expelled in later generations as the children are brought up to live by the inward-looking views of Maycomb.
‘“Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin. Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls. What passed for a fence was bits of tree-limbs, broomsticks and tool shafts. Enclosed by this barricade was a dirty yard.”’ Mayella only has one thing that keeps her sane from all the horrible things that has been happening.
In the town of Maycomb, a man who stands up against racism forever changes people’s views on racism. Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch all stand together against racism and prejudice in the tiny town of Maycomb. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, in the town of Maycomb, prejudice is a disease, but Jem, Scout, and Dill are immune to this illness because of the people who raise them. For example, when Cecil and Francis told Scout that Atticus is a disgrace to defend Tom Robinson, even though Francis is Scout’s cousin. When Scout and Jem hear the verdict of Tom’s case they both cry and are angry about the sentence while the rest of the town is ecstatic. And finally when Scout doesn’t want Walter Cunningham to come over for dinner because she thinks that he is a disgrace. For all of these reasons, the Finch family must not be racist or prejudiced.
Though both Scottsboro and Maycomb seem like a loving town with nice people, however, their dark sides are discovered through their actions. There are many parallels between Scottsboro and Maycomb, the major issue being the events that occurred during the Great Depression. The Great Depression happened after World War Two. It’s an economic crisis worldwide where mostly everyone has no job and money at that time. Maycomb is a town with a traditional old generation because their thinking is different than the city people, they dress differently and people like Aunt Alexandra would want to teach their kids about their family name or its legacy.
Maycomb is a fictional town in which we are exposed to the brutality of people. We follow Scout and Jem’s journey, which slowly reveals to us that the world is not a fair place and if anything, that the world can be quite cruel. This is shown through the ways in which characters act in a despicable manner towards others. Tom Robinson’s trial further gives us an insight as to the lies and racism that people are capable of. We are constantly confronted with the harsh reality that that the world is made up of numerous people that are filled with hatred, fueling them to act inhumanely towards others. Yet, at the end of the novel we are given a glimmer of hope as both Jem and Scout understanding this predominant concept, means that the next generation of Maycomb citizens may well be more compassionate towards one another
The town of Maycomb, filled with racist views which exposes the kids to the racist views of close friends such as Dill Harris, family members such as Aunt Alexandra, and neighbors such as Mrs.Dubose. Limited to so much time with the kids, Atticus tries his best to equip Scout and Jem with the ability to look past the disease, by having Scout and Jem look past, “Maycomb's usual disease” increases their father's attempt to persuade anyone's views to racial equality.
Another form of prejudice that is found in To Kill a Mockingbird is religious prejudice. This form is first shown when the children are with Miss Maudie while she was tending to her garden. Jem, Scout and Dill kept asking questions about Mr. Radley. Miss Maudie tells them about Mr. Radley’s religious beliefs, calling him one of the “foot washing Baptists”, believers
There are many signs of prejudice towards people, what people believe or just think of one another, or problems around the town Maycomb Alabama such as racism towards Tom Robinson. In my essay I’ll be explaining the prejudice towards the characters in the novel and how it affects the character in the novel. I’ll be talking about three different types of prejudice. The first one is believing in something that may or may not be true. The second source of prejudice is judging some by the color of their skin or racism. And the last example of prejudice is judging someone by the first sight or judging a book by its cover in other words. So now I’ll explain the different types of being prejudice.
Life is like a forest, if a tree doesn't get enough sunlight it will die. in this case the sunlight and soil is Atticus and the sampling is Scout. Just as a sapling needs sunlight and nutrients, a growing child needs a wise adult. Maycomb is like a tree without sunshine and Atticus is keeping the town alive. He is trying to keep life fair and just for everyone in the town but not always succeeding. In this unfair society, one is usually faced with a restrictive social ladder that restrains its occupants into stereotyped categories. In this type of pessimistic backdrop, it is only natural to copy the actions that surround you. Set in the small sleepy town of Maycomb,Alabama, a court case arises bringing out the worst in everyone in the town. Atticus' wise teachings, Scout meeting both the black people in church and Boo Radley, and discovering the way Maycomb thinks of others helps Scout, older and wiser.
“To Kill a Mocking Bird” is a novel which was written by Harper Lee. In my essay I will discuss how Harper Lee explores the theme of prejudice by looking at the writing techniques and how they affect people.
Antagonization clearly presents itself in Maycomb county. The alienation of the poor and embarrassing, hatred towards people who encourage righteousness, and distressing its population shows this to be true. By making the county as a whole the protagonist, Lee conveys that racism and prejudice cause conflict in society. Interestingly, instead of having one antagonist to represent all that is evil, she says that all of the people who make up a county or community each work together to cause trouble, and potential death of an innocent “mockingbird.”
This shows that Atticus and his family are put on a lower level than normal citizens. Pre-conceived opinions are able to make people opposed to changing them as well, with the ideas sticking in Maycomb. The hierarchy or order of people is severely deformed in Maycomb, as normal, well-meaning people are discriminated against and put at the bottom of the pack simply because of the colour of their skin.... ... middle of paper ...
The 1930’s novel was set in a fictional Southern town called Maycomb County in Alabama. Maycomb could be classified as a safe town where “there was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go…..noting to see outside the boundaries….there was nothing to fear but fear itself” (...
In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, this book takes place on a small town called Maycomb. Two young childrens, Scout and Jem, are the childs to a Lawyer, Atticus, that is defending a black man. In this book, whites and blacks didn’t really got along with each other. This is called Prejudice and prejudice means to judge before getting to know and talk to the person/group, they judge by either how they look or their skin color. The story is teaching the readers a lesson, how throughout the book, how prejudice affected the relationship between blacks and whites. While some might argue that the lesson in the story could be “Kids fear what they do not understand, “ in the text it says how Cecil Jacobs told everyone in his school how Scout
.... Maycomb started off to be a small town where nothing exciting happened, until all the kids matured and learned over time from the adults setting examples. Its just like when you are doing something that might not be appropriate in front of little kids and you hear teachers or parents tell you to set a good example for the little ones. This is because all the little kids like to fallow in the foot steps of the big kids and will do any thing some one else does. So I have a question, for all of you that have little brothers and sisters or younger neighbours around. Do you set a good example around them? Are you a role model to them and do you help them overcome and mature? If not give it a try, don’t get embarrassed by hanging out with little ones because in the end your setting a good example for others and your self.
Firstly, minor characters break stereotypes to breathe life into the sleepy town of Maycomb, establishing setting. For example, Mr. Dolphus Raymond assumes the character of a drinker as a pretense for associating with coloured people, though in reality he is drinking coca cola and not alcohol, hidden the contents in a paper bag. He confesses this to Scout, saying “Secretly, Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live” (Lee 200-201). This proves that what is most outwardly transparent and unlikeable in a character may truly be interesting and good-natured. Mr. Raymond’s secret causes the reader to look past the paper bag and ask why a man might go to such extent to hide his best qualities. It proves that, in Mr. Raymond’s eyes, Maycomb isn’t yet able to handle the truth. He must hide it behin...