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Historical elements of killing a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird connection to racism
Similarities between killing a mockingbird and scottsboro trial
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In To Kill a Mockingbird, the ideas of racial segregation and dominance over Blacks are some of the first examples of the theme of historical influence that is presented throughout the novel. These ideologies that occurred in Maycomb, Alabama, were primarily based on the insights of Jim Crow. To expand on, the infamous Jim Crow Laws were a set of laws and a system regarding the interactions and rights between the Black minority and the White majority. The following statutes, which operated between 1877 and the 1960s, watered down the rights of African Americans and were in effect in several southern and borders states such as Texas, Alabama, and South Carolina ( Pilgrim). But even so, the appearance of Jim Crow was not uncommon in other municipalities Mr.Gilmer, the prosecutor, replies by exclaiming that Tom Robinson is suggesting that Mayella is lying. Whereas Tom Robinson on the other hand responds by saying that it is simply not true and that Mayella was not thinking in her best state (Lee). As one can tell, the Jim Crow laws were significant in the timeframe and social aspects of the 1930s including the Great Depression. However, they are only one of the many historical influences that are brought about in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Jim Crow laws play an essential part in characterizing many of the individual’s personalities in To Kill a Mockingbird. But even so, Jim Crow was only a part of the many historical influences that are illustrated throughout the storyline. In this case, the psychological effects of mob mentality are clearly evident and are shown in the story to affect the behavior of many residents. Furthermore, mob mentality is the psychological term used to describe the negative aspects of herd mentality. Herd mentality is otherwise described as the conscious thought that one takes when they are confined to groups of various sizes ( Smith). The individual loses their opinions and beliefs and are bound This is all due to the fact that mob mentality is infectious and alters the values and decisions of the individuals that take part in the harmful actions. In conclusion, mob mentality along with Jim Crow ultimately creates the last major historical in influence To Kill a Mockingbird: The influence of the Scottsboro Trials. The Jim Crow laws explain why the rights of African Americans are not treated to a respectable extent, whereas mob mentality illustrates the psychological effects of a mob and herd in the context of negative actions and feelings. When these two ideologies and laws are paired together in the same scenario, the Scottsboro Trials are the results. In this situation, the Scottsboro trials have a strong influence on many elements that are presented throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. To explain in brief, the Scottsboro Trials were a set of trials that took place throughout the 1930s due to apparent cause of rape of two white women. The reason for the trials started when several passengers were riding on a train from Tennessee to Alabama for the possible search of work on March 25, 1931 (Johnson). Some of these very passengers
Investigating the similarities between the Scottsboro case and Tom Robinson’s trail, the first major parallel the shadow of lynching that menaces the accused in both. The threat of lynching occurs in the novel when after Tom Robinson is transported to the Maycomb city jail. That night a mob of people from nearby community called Old Sarum gather around the jail in an attempt to abduct him. This type of behavior is by all means very plausible for this time period. In a nearly identical event, as to that in the novel, on a cold night in 1931 after the Scottsboro boys were sentenced a scene right out of To Kill a Mockingbird seemed to come to life. That night Dan T. Carter, the court historian, accounts, “ farmers from the nearby hills began gathering, and by dusk a crowd of several hundred stood in front of the two-story jail.” (Carter 7) Just like the Old Sarum mob most of these people were poor white farmers seeking the blood of a black man. The connection of the southern society’s feeling toward a black man committing a crime against a while f...
One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.
This concept of hatred spreads past, even the bounds of individuality. Notably, this collective hatred shows in the moment the mob comes by the Jailhouse to lynch Tom Robinson, for a crime that he has not even been found guilty of by a court. This attitude and contempt stemming from the collective hatred of the mob. This proves itself to be more true when looking at the definition of the collective unconscious, which “is a level of unconscious shared with other members of the human species comprising latent memories from our ancestral and evolutionary past.”(McLeod). The men who are coming by to lynch Tom are doing so because he is not like them. He is black. In the end, it takes a little girl to calm them. Atticus says “That proves something—that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human.”(Lee 210). Their rage and anger directed collectively towards Tom Robinson is only quelled by remembering their own individual humanity. This scene incorporates the sense of bigotry that encompasses the whole mob, while having it quelled by the aspect of enlightenment through the understanding of an individual’s humanity. Ultimately this illustrates the inherent ability to grow out of groupthink and into an individual understanding and power for goodness.
Mob mentality is the actions of what people do in large groups. Mob mentality can be defined as the unique behavioral characteristics or actions that people do in big groups, usually with little amount of individual thought (Smith). One reason why people do these actions is that people often do what others are doing around them, so they don’t feel left out, or sometimes feel like they have to do what others are doing around them to fit in (Smith). Another reason people do these actions in big groups is that when there around so many other people they don’t feel like they are consequences for their actions since they are with so many other people (Smith). The longer people are doing these actions in a mob, the harder it is for people to remember why they started the mob in the first place (Edmonds). Examples of the actions are, destroying property, or hurting people (Edmonds). Mob mentality can be seen in To Kill a Mockingbird in many ways. One example of this is people in a big group vandalizing a building, or attacking someone, they feel they can do this and get away with it since they are in a big group. We see this in To Kill a Mockingbird when the mob comes to the jail cell to lynch Tom Robison (Lee 172-174). Mob mentality and Jim Crow laws were not the only thing that had an influence in To Kill a Mockingbird so did the Scottsboro
To Kill The Mockingbird was about a black guy named Tom Robinson who was accused of raping a young women by the name of Mayella Ewell. In the court, significant evidence was presented to the juror's that would prove that Tom Robinson was innocent. The evidence showed that a left handed male must have beat Mayella because the bruises were on the right side of her and Tom Robinsons left arm was disabled. Robinson could not have beat Ms. Ewell. Tom Robinson was still convicted and later on was shot at a prison fence while he was trying to run away. The juror's discriminated Mr. Robinson and was prejudice towards him because all though evidence was presented to them that would prove Tom innocent they ignored it because the guy was black and in the 30's discriminating blacks were heavily favored.
Jim Crow laws severely limited the way that African Americans could participate in society, which was an idea present often in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Jim Crow laws were created for practicing racial segregation, which if enforced, would reinforce the inequality of blacks. In To Kill a Mockingbird, these laws greatly contributed to determining the verdict of Tom Robinson’s case. Atticus Finch was helping Tom Robinson, a black man, win a case in court, which was frowned upon by the citizens of Maycomb. While the majority of Maycomb, in the novel by Harper Lee, were happy with the laws, Atticus Finch was not.
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.
Mob mentality is a key historical influence on Harper Lee’s novel, and another historical event includes The Scottsboro Trials.
Jim Crow Laws were a way of life from 1876 to the 1965. While exploring the site I became more informed of these laws. Several places on the website assisted with this information. On “Bitter Times” I started to understand how African Americans were robbed of their basic rights in the hands of Jim Crow. After that, I visited the “Danger, Violence, Exploration” page, which explained the cruelty that African Americans had to face due to whites in the south. Next, I decided to go on the “Whites Remember Jim Crow” where I was educated by more elderly whites on how they believe that the past was more peaceful with Jim Crow regarding race relations than now. I viewed all of the slide shows and listened to all of the audio clips on each page. It was interesting yet melancholy to hear the African Americans that were raised in that time period speak of their experiences. They would be yelled at for just walking on the sidewalk. Also, there was a man speaking of times that he was falsely accused for crimes he did not commit and sent to jail just because of the color
In 1960, a novel was written to outline injustices and racism against those who were innocent, though unfairly judged because of social expectations and prejudiced beliefs. This novel not only presented these issues, but is also considered a revolutionary piece of literature, still being read by many people today, more than 50 years later. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has caused some controversy about the intents of the book and the way certain people or groups are presented. Whether To Kill a Mockingbird as a narrative outshines the issue it presents is a debatable argument. However, I believe that the narrative of the novel supports the concerns exhibited for numerous reasons. In what follows, some of these are presented: the historical
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that people can be consumed and overwhelmed by power over long periods of time. They corrupt other people of their beliefs and teach their children that same concept. This effects other people who don't share the same opinions and they may be dismissed for refusing to accept their false beliefs caused from being consumed by power for so long. Those people who are unaware of the dangers of a power consumed person experience thralldom and may suffer for a long time because they are subjected to servitude. It is hard for a person to break” a tradition they have been believing in for so long, and reject any other people opinions if they are not their own.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee seems like a complete replica of the lives of people living in a small Southern U.S. town. The themes expressed in this novel are as relevant today as when this novel was written, and also the most significant literary devices used by Lee. The novel brings forward many important themes, such as the importance of education, recognition of inner courage, and the misfortunes of prejudice. This novel was written in the 1930s. This was the period of the “Great Depression” when it was very common to see people without jobs, homes and food. In those days, the rivalry between the whites and the blacks deepened even more due to the competition for the few available jobs. A very famous court case at that time was the Scottsboro trials. These trials were based on the accusation against nine black men for raping two white women. These trials began on March 25, 1931. The Scottsboro trials were very similar to Tom Robinson’s trial. The similarities include the time factor and also the fact that in both cases, white women accused black men.
Tom Robinson is at the stand being questioned by Mr. Gilmer. Dill starts to feel sick because of how Mr. Gilmer is treating Tom. The narrator explains, “Well, Dill,after all he is just a negro” (Lee 266).This piece of evidence shows that prejudice is used as an antagonist in the novel by giving an unfair trial to Tom Robinson. The quote states “he is just a negro,” which shows that the trial is unfair just because of the towns racial views on people of color. The jury is all white and the case is black versus white. The jury is very biased towards the case. The prosecuting lawyers and defending lawyer are giving their closing statements. Atticus ends with a powerful speech that prove Tom is innocent and his views on race. The jury thinks over all the evidence for a long time and come to a verdict. The author of To Kill A Mockingbird quotes, “Guilty...Guilty...Guilty...Guilty…” (Lee 282). This quote shows the jury is very prejudice. There is more than enough evidence to prove Tom did not rape Mayella and that Bob Ewell beat her. Even though there is enough evidence to proves Tom’s innocence the jury’s verdict is guilty just because of their hate and their prejudice towards African Americans. Ultimately, prejudice is being used as an antagonist is very thoroughly shown throughout the entirety of the
Mob mentality is used to refer to the unique characteristics that emerge when people are in large groups (Smith). One reason mob mentality often arises is people often do what others around them are doing. Mob mentality is often used as a security blanket for everyone in the group, so that no specific person is or feels responsible for the groups doing. Groups that show mob mentality often have a very invincible behavior. Usually in situations when mob mentality erupts, the situation turns violent. Mob mentality can be seen in To Kill A Mockingbird in many different ways. Mob mentality not only occured in the South, but in other places that are not as expected. Such as in the North in the case of the Indiana lynching. The Indiana lynching was shown in the photograph as a crowd of happy, easy-going people crowded around a maple tree, of which had to black men hanging from it (Beitler). Mob mentality can also be seen in To Kill A Mockingbird on page 261 when Scout starts acting like the older women (Lee). These two situations are alike, because the characters in each event all shared the same mentality. Mob mentality is clearly noticable in To Kill A
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...