Webster dictionary defines prejudice as a feeling of dislike for a group because of sex, race, and religion. It’s when a person doesn’t like another person because of something beyond their control. “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” said Edward B. Hurrow, American Journalist and Broadcaster. People will base their opinions off of other people's opinions. They think they’re forming their own opinions when in reality they’re following other people’s prejudices. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many instances of prejudice such as Black vs. White, judgement of Boo Radley, and criticisms made by Mrs. Dubose.
“Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born prejudice; you’re
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taught it.” said Charles R. Swindoll, pastor and teacher of Stonebriar Community Church and Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary. You’re born thinking everyone is the same but as you grow up, people start to make it seem like some people's worth is less than others. As you go into life you learn how prejudice people really are. Whether it's in the courtroom where the blacks get discriminated against or at a black church where whites are treated unfairly and not welcomed such as in To Kill a Mockingbird. “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.” said Jem in Chapter 21 of To Kill a Mockingbird. This quote from the book goes to show that Tom never had a chance at being treated as an equal in court. Because Tom was black and Mayella was white, that automatically meant Tom was guilty. In the case between a white man and a black man, the white man will always win because of his/her color of skin. “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it Miss Cal?” said Lula in Chapter 12 of the book To Kill a Mockingbird. In this part of the book, Calpurnia took Jem and Scout to her church. Calpurnia is black, Jem and Scout are white. It goes to show that prejudism goes both ways. It’s not one specific group of people, it’s all of us. “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it can make great boasts.
Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” said the Apostle James in the Book of James 3:5 (NIV). James was one of the first Apostles to follow Jesus and was one of only three Apostles whom Jesus picked to watch his transfiguration. In this verse it describes how you shouldn’t be so quick to speak your mind or judge another because it can spread and turn into something completely out of hand and wrong. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Jem, Scout and Dill were very quick to judge Boo Radley on his past. They thought he was some evil guy when in reality he was a very kind, caring and shy guy. Atticus said in chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird,“I’d rather have you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. Boo Radley represented a mockingbird. In this text Atticus may have meant all of that literally but he meant it figuratively as well. There was no reason to take bad about Boo Radley. He did no harm, only good for the people around him. It was a sin to be judgemental about him. “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” said Scout in Chapter 31 of To Kill a Mockingbird. She finally realized that Boo had a really hard life. …show more content…
She figured out that she had been wrong about who he was. Boo wasn’t a scary man, he was just a timid one. “Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots” said Frank Howard Clark, American Screenwriter.
Criticism should be told to people but without the intent of it being too much. Mrs. Dubose always would criticize Jem and Scout when they would walk by her house. Mrs. Dubose once said to Jem that “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!....Your father is no better than the nigger trash he works for!” This really hurt Jem and caused him to lash out and destroy Mrs. Dubose’s camellias. She constantly would criticize both Jem and Scout because she’s very sad and lonely in her house and has nothing better to be doing. Mrs. Dubose just wanted someone to talk
to. Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird there are many instances of prejudice. Between Blacks vs. Whites, judging of Boo Radley, and the criticism from Mrs. Dubose it shows that not one particular type of person it prejudice, everyone is prejudice.
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.
How would you like it if someone walked up to you and berated you based on the color of your skin? A characteristic like that isn’t even something you can control, so an insult of that nature can leave one furious and oppressed. Discrimination is inevitable in any culture, throughout history, in modern times, and even in ancient times. For example, the oppression and murder of 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust, the African Slave Trade which occurred for multiple centuries, and more recently, the “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya people in Myanmar, brought on by the government of the Asian nation, all of which are tragedies doomed to happen when history repeats itself and people do not learn
Prejudice is defined as an "opinion formed without taking the time and care to judge fairly".In the novel 'To kill a mocking bird' there are several themes present like growing up, bravery and prejudice, but the main theme in this book is prejudice.
racism in the society is not as strong as it used to be but it is
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.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, many different themes come into view. One major theme that played a big role in the character’s lives is racial prejudice. Racism is an unending problem throughout the book. The song “Message from a Black Man” by The Temptations has many similarities to the theme of racial discrimination. Therefore, both the novel and the song prove that racism was a great obstacle for some people at a point.
Prejudice as defined by the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is, “a feeling of like or dislike for someone or something especially when it is not reasonable or logical.”prejudice is prevalent through many of the characters in the book. Scout, is the book’s narrator and is 7 at the beginning of the book. Her father, Atticus is a lawyer in the town of Maycomb, where the story takes place. Tom Robinson, a black character, is also very important throughout the plot of the book. Tom was accused of raping a white girl, Mayella and was sentenced to a trial which the book centers around. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, she implies that prejudice, whether it be social
Prejudice is a real life problem in the world. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes the prejudices found in a small American town in the 1930's. Race, social class, and gender are examples of prejudice.
Prejudice is a preconceived feeling or opinion that is not based on reason or actual experienced. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee one of the main themes was prejudice. Prejudice is based on ignorance and that is shown in the novel. Many characters were unwilling to understand others which displayed their ignorance. Harper Lee explored different types of prejudice throughout the novel with character interaction. She used different characters in the novel to express and expose prejudice. The prejudice in the town did not only effect one group of people it harmed the whole town. There were three main types of prejudice in the novel. There was racism, sexism, and classism.
Prejudice is defined as an opinion formed without taking the time and care to judge fairly. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are several themes presented like bravery, prejudice, and growing up. The main theme in this novel though is prejudice. In the book, it is not just a case of black and white, but the entire novel is about prejudice in many forms, including class, gender and racial prejudice. Throughout the story, we see all these events in a young girl’s eyes named Scout.
Prejudice, the act of judging someone based on outward appearance or social standing. In the 1960’s Harper Lee wrote a book called To Kill a Mockingbird, about prejudice and how hard the times were. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many examples of prejudice showing how morally wrong it was. There are several examples of prejudice in the book: Tom Robinson because he is African American, Boo Radley because of his standing in their society, and the Cunningham Family because of how poor they were. The following paragraphs will discuss these examples.
Racism. racism is the prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race, based on the belief that one's own race is superior. This belief has been around for many years, ever since the beginning of humanity. Many experts say that racism started in the colonial era and is know starting to diminish. Nonetheless there are still people who believe in the supremacy of their race and think someone's ethnicity makes up their personality. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the people of Maycomb treat African Americans like they're second class citizens. In this Novel, Lee expresses one’s appearance doesn't change people of other ethnicities character and opinions. In which Lee means your appearance can’t change
...teaches Scout and Jem moral education by trying to get them to think black people are equals with them. Jem just starts to begin to understand this near the end of the novel. The title To Kill a Mockingbird to me portrays a theme of heroism through Boo Radley. Boo Radley is innocent, like a mockingbird. He never did anything to anyone. He helped Scout and Jem a lot like leaving them presents, putting the blanket on Scout during the fire and most importantly saving their lives. All Boo Radley did was good but was prejudiced against for staying in his house and thats like killing a mockingbird which is a sin. Boo Radley is the perfect example of a mockingbird because he only wanted to help but was “killed”(disrespected) by everyone else in Maycomb County for being different. Scout finally begins to see that her own prejudice on Boo blinded her from Boo’s true humanity.
He is shy, not very talkative or social so he is judged which leads him to become anxious when he has to meet and interact with people. His behavior is misinterpreted and he gets called a monster. Boo is a homebody which the people of the county do not understand therefore unaccepting of his way of living. One day Jem and Scout were in his yard but he did not realize it was them. He shot at them to get them off of his property which scared them and from that moment on they labeled him as a killer and a scary man. Boo Radley was also judged as a kind and caring person in another instance though. Scout was gathered with neighbors as they helplessly watched Mrs. Dubose’s house burn. In that instance, Boo was judged as caring and helpful because he placed a blanket on a shivering Scout. Although Boo Radley seemed different, he was a good man at heart and did not deserve to be judged by others because they felt he was
Prejudice is a strong word. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, a black man, Tom Robinson, was accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, and was brought to trial. There were distinct views concerning Tom Robinson's innocence – views influenced by prejudice. The townspeople of Maycomb believed in Tom's guilt while Atticus and the children believed in Tom's innocence.