Examples Of Justice In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, writes about justice and fairness, and how these two concepts are so important to civil society.

Atticus Finch was a lawyer. His first two clients were hanged in the Maycomb County Jail when they would not plead guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder and escape with their lives. Because of this, Atticus had a profound distaste for the practice of criminal law (Page 5).

Atticus, a widowed father of two, does his best to teach his son, Jem and daughter, Scout, how they should treat others, regardless of their social status or race. They lived on the main residential street in town with their cook, Calpurnia, a black woman. (Page 6) Atticus Finch was poor, but not as

poor as the farmers, country folk, of Maycomb County. Because the farmers were poor, the professional people were poor, too. (Page 27).
After a difficult day at school, Atticus told Scout that if she could learn a simple trick, she would get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. He said, “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.” (Page 39) Scout questions Atticus on why she has to go to school, when the Ewell family, who had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations, did not. Atticus explained that the common folk judiciously allowed them certain privileges, and they were allowed to bend several laws by the simple method of becoming blind to their activities. (Page 41)
When Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro accused by Mr. Ewell of raping his 19 year old daughter, Atticus tells Scout the reason he is defending Tom Robinson, is because he is sure the man is innocent and is only being accused because of his color. (Page 100) Even some of Atticus’ family calls him a “nigger-lover” and that by having a black housekeeper and defending Negros, he is ruinin’ the family. (Page 110) Jem and Scout are harassed at school, but Atticus made Scout commit to a policy of cowardice and promise not to fight to defend him. (Page 119)
Atticus tells Scout that Tom Robinson’s case is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience – and that he couldn’t go to church and worship God if he didn’t try to help that man. (Page 139) He says it is not fair that Jem and Scout feel like they have to stand up for their father. Atticus never told his children that he was actually appointed by the court to defend Tom Robinson. Even though he was appointed, the town did not like that Atticus aimed to defend him. (Page 218)
After the testimony of the witnesses during the trial, Atticus argued that the state had not produced any medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson was charged with ever took place, and that it relied on the testimony of the two witnesses whose evidence had been called into serious question and flatly contradicted by the defendant.

He stated, “The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is.” (Page 271) Atticus told the jury in his closing statement, “Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal”, and that in the court system, all men are created equal, but a court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. His final words were, “In the name of God, do your duty.” (Page 275) The jury found Tom Robinson

guilty.
Mr. Ewell stopped Atticus at the post office, spat in his face, and told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life. (Page 290)
Atticus felt he had a good chance to appeal the verdict, but also knew that a lot of folks have been found guilty on circumstantial evidence. Jem is upset about the unfairness of the verdict. Atticus tells him, he’ll understand more as he grows older. (Page 295)
The death of Tom Robinson was even more upsetting to Atticus and his children. Mr. Underwood, of the Maycomb Tribune, likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children. 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. (Page 323) Atticus had told Jem and Scout that is was a sin to kill a Mockingbird. Mockingbirds sing their hearts out and do not do any harm to anything. (Page 119)
In the end, justice was served when Mr. Ewell died when Boo Radley stabbed him as he attacked Jem and Scout.

The Book Thief: Topic #3
The except from Part III, “The Struggler Continued” is an example of irony because Max Vandenburg is a Jew trying to survive by pretending to be a German. Walter Krugler, Max’s friend from childhood, gave him a copy of Mein Kampf (My Struggle) by Adolph Hitler, along with a train ticket which he places in the book at page 13, for luck (Page 158). Max reads the book on the train. Mein Kampf. Of all the things to save him. (Page 160)
The excerpt from Epilogue, “Wood in the Afternoon” is an example of irony because Alex Steiner was drafted into the army and he survived the war, while his son, Rudy dies.
The author, Markus Zusak, might have chosen to use irony in the novel to give more character to the characters and lighten the fact that so many people have suffered and died.
The use of irony in the novel gives deeper meaning to the story, adds to the characters and makes the reader more engaged in the story.

Lord of the Flies: Topic #6
In the book, Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Piggy meet in a very interesting situation.

They find themselves on an island after the plane they were on crashes. Piggy was a short, fat boy and Ralph was fair-haired. At the beginning of the book their relationship seems fine, but then Ralph asks for the fat boy’s name. Piggy answers, “I don’t care what they call me,” Piggy said confidentially, “so long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school.” Ralph was faintly interested. “What was that?” The fat glanced over his shoulder, then leaned toward Ralph and said, “They used to call me Piggy.” At this point, Ralph laughs at Piggy for his name and Piggy is upset that Ralph is making fun of his nickname. (Page

11)
Later, on the beach, Ralph decides to go for a swim and asks Piggy if he can swim. When Piggy says he can’t swim because of his asthma, Ralph makes fun of Piggy and makes him feel bad. (Page 13) “Aren’t you going to swim?” Piggy shook his head “I can’t swim. I wasn’t allowed. My asthma- “then Ralph says, “Sucks to your as-mar”.
After a while, Piggy and Ralph get warmed up to each other. Now they are sharing everything. Ralph and Piggy began looking for other people on the island. They share their ideas and they come up with using the conch shell to call everyone on the island to have a meeting. It worked and they finally got a person to come them. (Page 17) Piggy exclaimed: “there’s one!”.
After they find all the people on the island, they have a meeting and see who should be the chief. A boy named Jack thought he should be chief because he was chapter chorister and head boy. The choir raised their hands and voted for Jack. Ralph asked, “Who wants me?” Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air. This showed that Piggy was accepting Ralph. (Page 23)
Later, everyone is thinking about how they can make a fire. Jack comes up with the idea to use Piggy’s glasses to start the fire. Jack takes Piggy’s glasses. Piggy keeps asking Jack to give them back because he can’t see. When Ralph got the fire started, he stood away from the pile of boys and put the glasses into Piggy’s groping hands. Ralph is being nice to Piggy because he doesn’t want anyone to bully him. (Page 41)
Later on, when the fire went out, Ralph took Piggy’s glasses and said, “I will give them right back” (Page 73) Piggy was trusting Ralph to give them back, because he needs his glasses to see.
Ralph was very excited when Piggy came up the idea of moving the fire from the mountain. Piggy said, “We got no fire on the mountain. But what is wrong with a fire down here? A fire could be built on them rocks. On the sand, even. We’d make smoke just the same.” “That’s right!”, Ralph said, “Smoke!” “By the bathing pool!” Piggy was so full of pride for his contribution to the good of society. (Page 129)
When Ralph and Piggy end up alone, after one of the boys is murdered, Ralph says to Piggy, “I’m frightened. Of us. I want to go home. Oh God, I want to go home.” M “It was an accident,” said Piggy stubbornly, “and that’s that.” He touched Ralph’s bare shoulder and Ralph shuddered at the human contact. Piggy tried to comfort Ralph by showing his affection and that he really cared about Ralph. (Page 157)
Ralph and Piggy end up facing Jack and his tribe. A monstrous rock struck Piggy, crushing the conch shell, and Piggy fell to his death. The sea sucked his body away. (Page 181)
When the boys are rescued, Ralph’s tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. (Page 202)