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How does prejudice affect the world today? Well during the book To Kill A Mockingbird it plays a huge role. In the book Scout lives with Atticus which is her father, and her brother Jem. As the book goes on many people in this book are affected by prejudice. As the book goes on Jem and Scout are realizing that everything doesn't always go their way, and that they need to learn how to deal with all of the problems that are occurring around them. So many people in this book are learning very meaningful lessons about life, like how to treat and respect others. A number of people are treated unfairly, and judged, because they don't have all of the the money or qualities that other people have. In the book the Cunninghams who are a poor family …show more content…
First of all Tom Robinson is not treated fairly in the trial at all. Most people knew that Tom did not really have a chance because he was black and Mayella is white and no white person in that town were going to take a black man’s word over a white woman’s. And also since the jury was almost all white so there was really no way that they were all going to take Tom’s word just because he was a black man and they thought that negroes were not as good as any white person. Next, Atticus defends Tom in the trial and really has no problem with black people in general. People like Mr. Ewell for example really does not like atticus especially after the trial. But he is very much respected by the family of Tom but not so much by other people, which there are not many people but there are few. The next reason is Tom’s death. Now this is partly Tom’s fault but they still have not have acted the way that they did. Tom was found guilty after the trial and so he was on his way to his cell when he ran for the fence. Now Tom was either going to get shot or hung and in this moment it was pretty much up to him. So Tom ran for the fence and as he was doing so he got shot seventeen times, which is very uncalled for. “You are really a nigger lover then aren’t you?” (lee
Atticus has a certain pressure to work on this case. He is punished and despised by the racist whites that think he is doing the wrong thing because Tom Robinson is a black man. At one point in the story a mob of whites come to the jail seeking Tom Robinson. Atticus knows they are going to make trouble for Tom so he stands up to them. He says, "' You can turn around and go home now Walter. Heck Tate's around here somewhere. '" This says he is an unselfish and courageous person. He also feels pressure from the blacks. They will accept him if he defends Tom but they wont if he does not. Lastly and the thing that makes him do it the most is his own conscience. I think he would not forget the time of the trial and have guilt for the rest of his life if he didn't try for Tom Robinson. Atticus telling the reasons why he is doing the case, "'the main one is, if I didn't, I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't represent this country in legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem what not to do.
Racial prejudice is shown greatly in this novel in Maycomb County. In the court scene in To Kill a Mockingbird there is a black section and a white section, which are segregated. The colored balcony ran along three walls of the courtroom like a second story veranda, and from it we could see everything (Lee 219). That shows an unfair segregation for the blacks because they have to sit in the balcony but the whites don’t. If a white man had committed the crime that Tom Robinson was accused of, the investigation would’ve been much more thorough. “Did you call a doctor, Sheriff?” asked Atticus. “No Sir,” said Mr. Tate (Lee 224). Just because he was a black man, they accused Tom of being guilty just because people said that he was. Although it isn’t directly related to the court scene, it is shown that there is racial prejudice when Tom runs from Mayella Ewell instead of staying so they thought him guilty for that. He would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to l...
Scout's perception of prejudice is evolved through countless experiences in Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird. Written in the nineteen thirties, To Kill a Mockingbird promotes the understanding of self-discovery through Scout, an intelligent and outspoken child living with respectable family in Maycomb County, Alabama. Throughout various encounters in the novel, Harper Lee causes Scout's perspective to change and develop from innocence to awareness and eventually towards understanding.
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 shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
Discrimination and Prejudice in Killing A Mocking Bird Discrimination and prejudice were very common acts in the early and middle 1900's. Prejudice in this book is displayed by the acts of hate and misunderstanding because of someone's color. People of color were the majority that were treated unfairly. During this time in the southern states, black people had to use separate bathrooms, drinking fountains, sections in restaurants, churches, and even go to separate schools. Although much of the discrimination was directed towards blacks, there were plenty of accounts towards impoverished families by those that had money.
When most people were against him and are trying to convince him not to, Atticus was determined to continue defending Tom Robinson (an African American who was accused of raping a white lady name Mayella Ewell - Mr. Ewell's daughter). (Make it active voice ?) Due to his good morals, Atticus felt like he needs to help Tom Robinson “This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience --- Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man” (108). As addressed in To Kill a Mockingbird, Jim Crow laws manipulated individuals ethics to think that blaming African Americans is fine since all they do is not good (change the wordings).
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.
Tom Robinson’s trial, and in fact his entire life, was badly affected by racism. It is truly a testament to the corruption of society when a person who has earned a bad reputation is held in higher esteem than a person who was born with it, as is the case with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Even though Tom was obviously honest in his testament, the jury sided with Bob Ewell because he was white. They made this decision despite the fact that the Ewell family was widely known to be a worthless part of society. Jem, not being racially prejudiced, could not understand this mentality. As Atticus pointed out, “If you (Jem) had been on the jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.”
Tom was very confused when he was accused of this incident because he had never been anything more to Mayella Ewell than an acquaintance. “The older you grow the more of it you’ll see. The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box”(Lee 220). This is how Atticus described the trial to his son Jem because he could not comprehend how unjust the trial was unfolding on a daily basis. The proceedings were not equitable towards Tom Robinson because everyone should have realized at the trial that he had not done anything wrong. In the end, Atticus lost the trial. Not because the jury and judge thought Tom Robinson had committed the crime, but simply because he was black and they were racist. 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
Everybody in the town of Maycomb looks down on Atticus because he is defending a black man in court. All evidence in the case shows Tom Robinson innocent, but he is still charged guilty because of the all white jury. The actual rapist was Mayella's father. In the end of the book, Tom is shot so that he wouldn't be found innocent.
Atticus has a different set of values that do not rely on the same social scale as he accepts people no matter their family background or skin tone. As the trial for Tom Robinson is coming up in part two, Jem starts to take an interest. After asking if Tom could win the case, Atticus replies with, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man, the white man always wins” (Lee 295). Tom is destined to lose the case even if he is innocent because Bob Ewell stated he did rape his daughter and is guilty. Bob Ewell, besides the fact he is below the homeless and can not be trusted, will still have the community fall into his favour because Tom Robinson is a black man which means they have less respect even when it comes to the law.
In the court, the director leaves out the systemic racism that Harper Lee claims is the reason Tom Robinson is convicted of rape (Dave). The racist community, and a mob of white men, make up the deciding factor of the court. However, for someone watching the movie it would not be understood that the hatred expressed towards Atticus is for supporting a black man ("Overview: To Kill a Mockingbird"). The only reason Tom loses the case is because he is black and the movie underplays this as the reason.
The Dangers of Prejudice To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel that transcends time, and holds its relevance today. Throughout the trial and conviction of Tom Robinson, you see how racial prejudice skewed the judgement of people, and caused turmoil. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee emphasizes the blatant issues of sexism, racism, and social class and how these issues can manifest in a community and affect their judgment. Throughout the novel, sexism is shown through the eyes of Scout and the women of Maycomb.
“It is not a person or situation that affects your life; it is only the meaning you give to that person or situation…” stated by Shannon L. Alder. Which shows that it depends on how that person will handle the situation and apply it into his/her life. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee is about a young girl who throughout the book explores the idea of prejudice. Precisely due to her father, Atticus, who is going to defend Tom Robinson who is a African American man and prove his innocence for a false actuation. From start to finish the readers get to see the unraveling truth behind prejudice with a different perspective.