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The effects of peer pressure on behaviour
The effects of peer pressure on behaviour
The effects of peer pressure on behaviour
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“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime...” is a quote from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini that proves that no matter how long ago it was, a life judgement can affect someone for the rest of his or her life. Judgement can always be challenged throughout life. With just a single choice, the future of one’s existence can change in an instant. Tom Robinson goes through the struggle of racism in order to attempt his freedom from a crime that he did not commit. In To Kill a Mockingbird, fair judgement is clouded by racism because of predominantly white juries, peer pressure, and biased people.
One way that fair judgement was effected in To Kill a Mockingbird was
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due to predominantly white juries.
Back in the nineteen thirties, African Americans were not given equal or fair treatment, even though legally they had equal rights. Often they would still be seen as less of a person, or not even seen as one by the racist white citizens. Because the African Americans were not treated fairly, they were not allowed to serve on the jury. They would specifically not choose blacks for jury duty. This was just plainly unfair to the defendant because usually, even though they claimed to be fair, the whites would go against the African American just because of their skin color. No matter what the law said, there was always going to be racists in Maycomb County. For example, if there was a white defendant and a white jury, they would be truly and honestly fair, but since Tom Robinson was African American and the jury was purely white, they would favor the white plaintiff over the African American even if they believed he was innocent. Back in those times, it was considered frowned upon if one were to favor an African American over a white. It was considered betrayal and social disgrace. The reader can see a clear example of this when Atticus is continuously bashed for helping the African American, Tom Robinson. He was considered an outcast in several people’s eyes because he went against …show more content…
the social acceptance. People would shun him or if they had enough guts, they would say something to him as Miss Stephanie did: “‘Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin‘ bastard?’ Miss Stephanie said. Atticus said, ‘No, too old,’ put his hands in his pockets and strolled on (Lee 230).” This quote comes from after the trial when people were giving Atticus trouble for defending Tom Robinson. This scene even shows the racism that occurs within the text. Even though it had not been the white jury, it was an example of a white pedestrian being extremely racist over the case. In this quote, it was shown that people did not think it was socially acceptable to help an African American. Not only was it a predominantly white jury, but it was also all men. Towards the end of chapter twenty, Atticus states directly to the jury, “Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as it’s jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up (218)”. This quote clearly shows that he is referring to all men when he says “gentlemen”. The power of this quote is phenomenal because Atticus is telling the men on the jury that in order for this to be a fair trial, they have to act justly, and if they don't, then what was the point of the court? Overall, the predominantly white, male jury played a huge role with the decision of Tom Robinson’s future. Peer pressure was another factor that clouded the fair judgement in To Kill a Mockingbird due to the extreme racial issues.
Back in the time when this story took place, racial segregation was no stranger to the world. The whites treated the African Americans poorly just because of their skin color. Even though there were laws; the majority of people did not abide by them. It was extremely rare to find a person that was not racist in these times. Peer pressure had a big role in this because people did not want to be criticized if they tried to stick up for the African Americans. If one participated in helping the negroes, it was considered “social suicide”. Atticus Finch was a great example of someone who went against society and defended a black man. This man was completely innocent and Atticus was just doing the right thing. Peer pressure was awful in this text because of how mean people were if one did not do what society thought was right. In chapter nine Scout and her cousin had a discussion about what Francis thought of Atticus: “Francis looked at me carefully, concluded that I had been sufficiently subdued, and crooned softly, ‘Nigger Lover’...” (Lee 92). This direct passage shows the cruelty that went on when one tried to help an African American. One would be called awful names that were considered the worst possible insult in the world. All of this had to do with peer pressure. If everyone wasn't trying to just fit in, they could stand up for what is right, just as
Atticus did. Scout defends her father’s reputation when Cecil Jacobs made a remark to her at school saying, “Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers” (82). Now to the reader, this quote does not seem to be an insult, but to anyone who heard that back then, it was shocking. The peer pressure of society made being friendly to an African American something to be ashamed of when it should not have been. There was so much pressure that even the innocent children would bash the blacks. They did not know any better because they grew up being told that African Americans were less than them. Continuously throughout the story, the use of slang names or nicknames, were used by the white, racist characters to address the African Americans in the story. These words were meant to hurt the people because of their awful meaning. “The word ‘Nigger’ is used forty-eight times in the novel (Saney 59)”; this is an excerpt from Isaac Saney’s critique on the racism in To Kill a Mockingbird. In the end, peer pressure truly did affect the fair judgement in the trial because people were afraid that if they went against society, that they would not be accepted anymore. The last factor that clouded the fair judgement was biased people. To put it simply, people were just racist back in the nineteen thirties. They believed that if someone was African American, or if they were in a lower social class, that they were less of a human person. In Kathryn Lee Seidel’s critique on To Kill A Mockingbird, she explains that, “She (Scout) is prejudice against all manner of persons, including African Americans and people of lower social classes (Seidel 79).” The Scout that she was talking about was the young girl who grew up in a society full of biased people. To break away from the biased culture was extremely difficult for the people of Maycomb County. Scout grew up in it so she did not know any better. She was just an innocent little girl until she was opened up to the reality of the trial. The trial ruly did allow Scout to “wake up” and finally see the biased society that she lived in. Mr. Ewell is a phenomenal example of a biased person in this story. He used awful language to scrutinize Tom Robinson; “He (Bob Ewell) stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. ‘I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin on my Mayella!’ (Lee 184).” In this quote, the reader can clearly see that Bob Ewell is biased. He hates African Americans which can be seen when he uses the awful name. Another example of the biased people in Maycomb County would be that the citizens clearly do not care about the mentally disabled. Boo Radley is a prime example of this. As the kids grew up, they heard stories about how all of the bad incidents that happened in town, had to be the cause of Boo Radley. There were crazy stories told about him and no one seemed to care enough to tell the children the truth. According to the kids he was “...six and a half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats h could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained… (19).” Just by hearing this insane story, the reader can clearly see that the citizens of Maycomb County cared quite little for the mentally challenged and were extremely biased about it. In the end the biased people of the county clouded the fair judgement because of their inability to think outside the box. They could not take a couple of minutes to try to understand the other side of the story because they were set in their way. No matter how much evidence was in Tom’s favor that proved that he was innocent, he would never have been set free because of the biased people. “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed (254).” Overall, predominantly white juries, peer pressure, and biased people, all played an enormous role in To Kill a Mockingbird. Each one affected the fair judgement of the trial in it’s own way. Life is not fair as seen in this book, when a completely innocent man is sent to jail for a crime that he did not commit. This all happened just because of the color of his skin. All it takes is one decision, one judgement, or one action, to affect the rest of a person’s life.
In the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
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...
Nearly the whole last half of the book is about racism. The attitude of the whole town is that Tom Robinson, because he is black and,"…all Negroes lie,…all Negroes are basically immoral beings,…all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…"(Lee 207), will be found guilty regardless of how good a case Atticus makes for him. There was substantial amount of evidence that suggests his innocence. Even the prosecution's two witnesses' stories contradicted each other. The jury did not give a guilty verdict it gave a racist verdict. Not a verdict based on fact, but a verdict based on the color of a man's skin. This is important because the author was not making this racism up; it was what it was like in those times. She is trying to show how ignorant and blind people can be just because of differences between them, as well as how society treats racial minorities.
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.
Towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus decides to represent a colored man by the man of Tom Robinson, who is being accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell’s daughter. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent, but he does not think that Tom will be found not guilty because of they way the townsfolk treat colored people. They treat them like dirt; like they are worth nothing. Atticus went ahead and represented Tom despite the fact that he knew the townsfolk would call himself and his children names and treat them disrespectfully. Even Scout’s relative Francis said rude things about them. “‘I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-...’ ‘Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'.’” Atticus set a good example for Scout and Jem. He had a difficult decision to make, but he chose what he thought was
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).
Judgement is the act or process of forming an opinion or making a decision after careful
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.
Most people know about not judging a book by its cover, it is the same message with people. If one judges a person merely on what they look like they will miss what is important, who the person is, what their morals are, and what their intentions are. It takes a person who has read the novel To Kill A Mockingbird to write this essay because it is a good example of treating others with respect and not judging others based on what they look like. Many characters in Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird learn that one cannot know a person until they look beyond that person’s appearances.
Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Racism is still an issue that can be seen in the twenty-first century. Although, tons of progress has been made over the last century, some still hold on to racist beliefs. The majority of classic American literature demonstrates the racism that was present in the early twentieth century. By looking at the theme of race in the American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that people are quick to judge others based on their own opinions and feelings.
Racial prejudice is widespread in the county of Maycomb, and a prime example is the Tom Robinson case. Tom, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella, a white woman. Atticus puts forward all evidence from his witnesses that clearly proves Tom was innocent, Jem even says, ?and we?re gonna win Scout. I don?t see how we can?t? (pg 206), but Tom still received a ?Guilty? verdict. Atticus tried removing the prejudiced thoughts of the jurors by saying, ??the assumption - the evil assumption - that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings??. (pg 208). Atticus? saying insinuated the point that all of God?s children were created equal. To the jury, the only important thing was that Tom was black and the accuser was white, he never stood a chance under those conditions. These racial tensions between blacks and whites had made their way into the courtroom, a place where everyone should receive a fair trial no matter what race or colour, but an unjust verdict was reached. The prejudice that was felt towards Tom made him lose all hope of freedom, and as a result, he died upon an escape attempt. Tom was victim of racial prejudice and loss of hope.
Robinson had been falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Atticus had proved that Tom was not the rapist of Ms. Ewell, yet still, the white jury had lied that he was guilty, and he was brought to jail but was later killed. In a country like America, the government is expected to be just. Yet, decisions are not made on what is right or what is wrong-they are made on what the majority wants. In this case, Tom Robinson was right, yet the majority, racist whites, wanted him guilty. In the society back then, everything of a white was greater than anything of a black. So, a white’s life, words, and actions were more important than that of a
A major theme from To Kill A Mockingbird is life is not always fair, and justice does not always happen. This theme is recurring throughout the whole book, and shows true aspect and troubles of the past and present.The first piece of evidence I have is when Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout after the play “Jem was lying on his back. There was an ugly mark along one side of his face. His left arm lay out from his body; his elbow was bent slightly, but in the wrong direction”(355). Bob said he would “get atticus” after he spoke against Bob’s word at the trial. When the kids were walking home from the play, Bob attempted to harm or maybe even kill Jem and Scout, he did break Jem’s arm in the act. Another more major event of injustice was when Tom
In the 1930’s racism was a big part of the south and many whites thought they were superior over blacks. Though this may not have been fair almost every white person accepted this way of the society and this is shown in many of the characters in the movie. Unfortunately a well supported case much like this one was not supported by the members of the jury leading to a rough. In the movie To Kill a Mockingbird main character Atticus Finch is given the case to defend Tom Robinson a black man. This racial discrimination is all over this movie when it comes time for Atticus to step up to the plate and defend Mr. Robinson.
During this time period, African Americans were thought of as the underclass. In this time period the white people couldn’t do wrong it always had to be the African Americans. So Tom Robinson, the African American that works for the Finch’s, gets accused of raping a white girl. Atticus Finch, the father, got appointed to fight the case. He knew that at that point in history all of the odds were stacked against him because he was fighting for a minority race of African Americans. People in town started calling them nasty names and picking on the family. Tom Robinson was actually innocent but because he was fighting against a white plaintiff and a white jury. At this time in history there are some changes going on in civil rights to promote equal rights for African Americans. Towards the end of the book the jury takes a long time to come up with an answer to the case. It took so long because they knew with the evidence they had that Tom was innocent but it just was not the right time in history to declare the colored man clear of