Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Reflection on cultural diversity
Cultural diversity's influence
Literature`s impact on society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the today’s diverse society, people’s differences influence their roles in the community. Such traits like virtues, religion, culture, socioeconomic status, and gender contribute to societal variance. Although societal expectations alienate some from the community, people should accept others in the best interest of society; however, society must “draw the line” where tolerance condones physical harm upon innocent bystanders. Tolerating others’ differences is important as it promotes a broader view of society. According to Ronald J. Allen’s “American Flag Stands For Tolerance”, conflicting virtues and ideas encourages “debate, enlightenment, and renewed commitment” (20). Here, Allen implies that because controversy initiates new worldly aspects, accepting it would expand people’s comprehension of their surroundings. Hence, different perspectives would expand our own, helping us to thrive morally. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch emphasizes the necessity to look beyond appearances as …show more content…
For example, in Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Wife’s Story”, the narrator displayed hostility toward a stranger in fear that “the man would kill [her] children if it could” (9). In cases where people resort to aggressive acts, rejecting these forms of expression would be considered self-defense. Being cautious towards ferocious behaviours, as a result, would enhance safety within a community. According to the History.com’s article “9/11 Attacks”, extremists initiated a tragedy that resulted in “a total of 2,996 people...killed”. Some beliefs, such as the terrorists’, spur violence and corruption within society. Thus, in the best interest of society, people should cautiously tolerate differences to prevent the endangerment of a community. Ultimately, rejecting violent forms of expression promote security and balance within
To begin with, according to the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, accepting those who are “different from ourselves” is to be more understanding of the differences in others. In the novel, Mr. Raymond, tries to
The movie “The Help”, shows that many people will avoid being different in order to fit in with societal norms. When given a choice, societal expectations are considered more important and valuable than embracing differences. Different groups have different expectations that are held sacred to them. These rules are good and bad as they provide a safe acceptable path for people to follow, but also creates a wall that no one dares pass in fear of being belittled and scoffed at. If anyone does happen to intrude past this barrier, then they would be reprimanded by others for their brash behavior. These groups are made based primarily on a person’s sex and race. Throughout “The Help”, the many groups clearly display that societal norms are held
A distinct conscience is formed by the values and desires of one’s unique identity. However, common beliefs of societal standards can influence conscientious desires. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces a young girl named Scout, who learns about the difference between social conformity and human conscience. Through this, she notices the conflict it brings: choosing to conform or stand with your desire. Through Maycomb’s discriminatory principles, Atticus’ actions against common beliefs, and Scout’s comprehension of Boo, Lee reveals how society’s standards and conformity hinders personal desires for righteousness.
Growing up in Maycomb, Southern Alabama in the 1930s was not an easy thing. Amid a town of prejudice and racism, stood a lone house where equality and respect for all gleamed like a shining star amid an empty space. The house of Atticus Finch was that shining star. Jean Louise Finch, also known as “Scout”, is given the opportunity of being raised in this house by her father, Atticus. I stole this essay from the net. As she grows, Atticus passes down his values of equality and righteousness to Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as “Jem”. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, we see Scout learns many lessons about dealing with prejudice by observing the behavior of other characters in the story.
To Kill A Mockingbird reinforced my opinion that one should always stand up for what one believes, despite what anyone else may think. Furthermore, it emphasized my belief of “not everyone seems as they appear”. This was cemented through the case of Boo Radley. Moreover, it reiterated my belief of not believing in gossip, or, in the words of Marcus Aurelius, “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is perspective, not the truth”. This was again highlighted through the case of Boo Radley and the gossip the children heard and originally believed about
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that respect is demonstrated by treating people the way people want to be treated so that others can give one that respect back. Social justice requires respect because if one did not have respect for others views and thinking, then people would stop tolerating each other and become selfish in their thoughts and actions. The character of Atticus Finch demonstrates respect by the way he treats those of different gender, how he teaches his children, and how he treats outcasts of a town.
Prejudice, a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason nor actual experience, is an exceptionally large dilemma in society today. It is an every day reminder of how uncharitable we, as a human race, can be. Even in the early 1900s, as Harper Lee illustrates in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudiced assumptions have always been causing predicaments. To Kill a Mockingbird, an award winning novel written by Harper Lee, tells the story of how Scout and Jem Finch grows up in a small Southern town suffering through the Great Depression. In To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee expresses the theme of prejudice throughout the majority of her characters. Not only does she have many themes in her novel, but she is also able to incorporate them in many of her characters at once. The theme of prejudice is seen through Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson.
Albert Einstein once said “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.” Mr. Einstein means that he treats everyone with equality and he doesn’t care if they mean nothing in the world or everything. In Maycomb, Alabama where Scout, the narrator lives many people don’t believe in equality and respect. Atticus, her father and Calpurnia, their cook don’t hide the truth but they help positively influence Scout about equality and respect. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout is influenced by the adults around her, she learns to treat everyone with respect, she is learning everyone is equal and to not judge a person before they meet them, which become very valuable in later times.
To Kill A Mockingbird embodies those very words in every aspect and exemplifies them through its three main characters: Atticus, Scout, and 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 lessons of compassion, understanding and forgiveness shown in To Kill A Mockingbird could be of great use in today’s society. To Kill A Mockingbird demonstrates the value of compassion and understanding through one, Atticus and his taking of Tom Robinson's trial, two, Atticus and his relationship with Scout, and finally, with Atticus and Mrs. Dubose. To start, for most people, the second they learned of Tom Robinson’s accused crime, they knew his fate had most likely already been decided, jail it would be for Mr Robinson, yet Atticus Finch embraced the challenge and took on his case.
In Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee employs Atticus’s strengths and weaknesses to point to the integrity of his character and roles in the novel. Atticus displays his integrity courageously in his positions as a father, lawyer, and member of the community. Reflecting on the moral of the story, Atticus represents the integrity that leaves an impression on his audience – he ends up teaching his audience. It’s inevitable not to walk away without the new perspective of what it means to judge someone before he remembers, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39).
One character that puts himself in other people’s shoes is Atticus. He never tries to judge a person until he really knows them. An example from the book is when he took Tom’s case. During that time blacks were treated poorly because the color of their skin, but he still took the case anyway because he does not judge a man unless he really knows him. An example form the test is when Atticus responded to Jem, “You aren’t really nigger-lover, than are you? I certainty am. I do my best to love everybody…” (Lee 144). One can conclude that Atticus believes everyone is equal no matter the color of his or her skin. He tries not to be prejudice and judge a book by its cover. Atticus it not prejudice because he understands that we cannot control or change some of our physical features like our skin color. We also cannot change if we were born in a poor family, with little to no education. Atticus unlike most townspeople in Macomb does not judge a man by his color of skin, and the clothes on his back. Being non-prejudice to one man puts himself in their shoes to understand his life, and understand what he may be going through. Secondly, Atticus looks at other people’s point of view. He knows the important lesson of looking for a different point of view, by doing so you may see something that was not visible before. An illustration from the text is when Scout is talking about Miss Caroline and he responds by saying, “ –until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. Atticus said I had learned many things today, and Miss Caroline had learned several things herself” (Lee 39). From this, one can see when you look from a different perspective both people learn and see new ideas. In an argument typical we are straight minded and think our point is always right, although no know can be right all the time so we have to look from there perspective. Lastly, is when Atticus walked in Mr. Ewell’s shoes.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch, a well-respected defense attorney in Macomb County, made a life-altering decision to whole-heartedly defend a benevolent black man, Tom Robinson, who was wrongly accused of rape. Many conflicts arose because of Atticus’s choice to defend a black man against a white man’s word. Despite the towns cowardice and ridicule, Atticus stays true to what is right. “They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience” (140). Throughout the story Scout, Atticus’s daughter, transforms from a trouble maker always looking to pick a fight with anyone she disagreed with, into a young lady who was able to follow her father’s example and “consider things from his point of view... you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (30). Through Atticus’s wise, unchanging character, the theme is revealed. The bond between Atticus and Scout teaches her the one thing that he was trying to do all along: Don’t just fight; stand up and fight for what is right, no matter what the cost.
To Kill a Mockingbird, the novel by Harper Lee embodies a work of Southern literature, set in the 1930s in a small town in Alabama. The book’s genre exemplifies a coming-of-age historical fiction story. The narrator, a young girl named Scout Finch, describes the lessons she and her brother Jem learn when their father, a lawyer named Atticus, defends an African American man who stands accused of raping a white woman. The novel’s premise revolves around the efforts of a father raising his children and guiding them in their moral development. Along the way, the book deals with the themes of courage, prejudice and maturity. These three concepts are defined differently by Atticus than by most of the other people in the town where he lives. According to Atticus, courage means doing what remains as right and resisting what remains as wrong, even if other people oppose you. In contrast to the prejudice of the townspeople, Atticus believes it important to treat everyone equally. Maturity, in Atticus’ view, refers to having a sense of conscience and seeking to protect those who remain innocent. As these definitions show, Atticus Finch displays a strong sense of ethics. His goal as a parent remains to pass his values on to his children. This paper will argue that Scout and Jem learn the true meanings of courage, prejudice and maturity through the influence of their father and the example he sets for them.
In the quote Barbara Jordan states, “We, as human beings , must be willing to accept people are different from ourselves” is the quote that I will be connecting this to two different story to show how many people discriminate other because they have a different outlook on this topic . In the story Texas v. Johnson Majority Opinion “We decline, therefore, to create for the flag an exception to the joust of principles protected by the first amendment”. Which in my opinion is showing that there are abusing the first amendment because if people have the freedom of speech then why are they ignored just for saying what they believe in if you have freedom of speech. And in the story American Flag Stands for Tolerance Ronald J. Allen states, “The
A person becomes prejudiced by what he or she is taught as well as a lack of exposure and education. While many people are influenced by peers and family to become prejudice, others simply adapt to the surrounding environment. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, brother and sister Jem and Scout, are taught about the surrounding racism shown to members of the African American community and poor white citizens. Through the characters of Jem and Scout, Harper Lee, in her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” suggests that through the experiences of Jem and Scout, their perspective on people should not be influenced and determined by others opinions and racist views.