Prejudice victims are affected by unjustified or incorrect judgment that directly impacts their lives. Billy Graham, a promoter of peace, argues that, "Racial prejudice, anti-Semitism, or hatred of anyone with different beliefs has no place in the human mind or heart" (Billy Graham). As Billy Graham said, prejudice is a common and alarming problem in the twentieth century that should not have a place in society. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudice is the result of ignorance, as seen through Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson.
To begin, Arthur is a victim of prejudice. He is the object of several rumors, and is not accepted in Maycomb’s society. For instance: "People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped
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in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work" (Lee 10). Indeed, the town perceives Boo Radley as an evil person simply because he has made a few mistakes during his childhood. According to the city, he is guilty of every criminal act or unexplained situations. This is an example of prejudice since Maycomb’s citizens create false ideas and stories about Boo without knowing who he really is. Moreover, according to Miss Stephanie, "Boo was sitting in the living-room cutting some items from the Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulling them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities” (Lee 13). This shows that Maycomb’s society treats Boo with an unfair judgmental approach based on his mysterious actions and his opinion about social life. They tell different stories to justify their behavior towards Arthur Radley although they have never seen him before. Thus, Boo Radley is being judged based on unfounded ideas and unsupported accusations, all proof of the presence of prejudice in the city. Additionally, Boo’s case is not the only example of prejudice in the novel.
In fact, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson also suffers of racial prejudice and segregation existing in the 1930s. This is proven as Mr. Underwood explains: "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" (Lee 323). Tom Robinson is judged to be a cruel person and associated with violence, hatred and thuggery. Indeed, he is unfairly treated simply due to his skin colour. Furthermore, Mr. Gilmer is very disrespectful, using the term "niggers" to describe the black society throughout Robinson’s trial by saying, “I knowed who it was, all right, lived down yonder in that nigger-nest, passed the house every day” (Lee 234). Therefore, according to Maycomb’s folks, the black society is inferior to the white people, allowing them to denigrate the black society in a very insolent way. Likewise, as shown in Tom’s case, the words of a white man always win against those of a black man. During the trial, Tom is dishonestly treated due to the prejudice related to black people. Consequently, Tom is a victim of prejudice since he was accused of raping Mayella, despite the circumstantial evidence towards Bob Ewell. Overall, the fact that Tom was brought to trial was a major illustration of prejudice in the
novel. Briefly, the theme of prejudice is described throughout the story as a racial and social problem. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, this is shown to be true, as Harper Lee demonstrates the causes and consequences of prejudice that reign in the city of Maycomb through Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson. Boo’s actions are seen through a judgmental filter while Tom Robinson’s innocence is ignored due to his skin colour. However, prejudice is hideous and must be eliminated in order to achieve peace and justice. All in all, prejudice should not have a place in the human mind or heart.
Harper Lee wrote a story to express the different kinds of prejudice in the 1930’s in Maycomb County, Alabama. The thesis has been explained by using actual quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird, and then gave logical explanation on how it was relevant. Prejudices affect the world even today and still they are something that is a horrible thing.
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.
In the 1930’s many African American men were wrongly accused of rape and murder. The issue of racism is brought up in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” when Scout overhears her teacher saying that it's a great thing that this is happening to Tom Robinson because the black men are getting too comfortable thinking that they’re mighty. Racism didn’t only affect Tom Robinson, but it also affected those who supported him. The lives of Scout and her family are changed when Scouts father who is a lawyer, steps in and defends Tom Robinson. Atticus’ lawsuit affects Scout and his children in several ways. As kids who were raised to respect everyone, and not judge people by their race they seem to be the outcast in school because of this. The children in Scouts, school are not accustomed to people respecting African-Americans and as a result they taunt and harass Atticus’ children. As a result of the violence towards Scout, Scout responds to violence with violence. However, Atticus is not happy with the way Scout is handling her problems. Racism is a reoccurring theme throughout the course of the story and affects all of the main characters in several ways. Maycomb as a whole is affected because of racism and many become outcasts such as in Mrs.Dolphus Raymond's
America is the proud author of many timeless novels. Fitzegerald’s The Great Gatsby, Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men all reveal a glimpse into previously unseen worlds to their audiences. But few of them has so profound an impact as Nelle “Harper” Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. This captivating novel enthralled the country and made it reexamine its preexisting perceptions about childhood, bravery, and morality. In spite of the importance of these concepts, the most far-reaching theme is how prejudice and education coincide, or, more accurately, how prejudice and a lack of education coincide (Theme 1). In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee explores how a normally rational person’s ability to reason can be tainted by prejudice, even subconsciously. Rarely do the characters in Lee’s novel make an effort to be cruel, but in the 1930s South, prejudice was less about an active effort to hurt others, but instead was an affliction brought about by an unconscious combination of upbringing, culture, and social or economic status.
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
In society, people are wrongly judged by false impressions, social status and race as well as other factors that influence the self-image of an individual. This is highly significant in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird through the characters of Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson who are innocent victims of prejudice by the people of Maycomb. The first character who represents the conception of misjudgment is Arthur Radley, who is misunderstood by others and dubbed as an intimidating person. Through the rumors being about him, it shows that he is an innocent victim because he just chooses not to associate with society, and people do not respect his way of life because it differs from theirs. The other character who represents this conception of misjudgment is Tom Robinson who is looked hatefully upon by the majority of Maycomb’s people. Through the events of his condemnation from the white community, this demonstrates Tom being as an innocent victim; his skin color defines his destiny in court. But truly, these innocent victims are kind people. The people of Maycomb are too judgmental, not understanding that Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson are truly good people; completely disregarding their real personality.
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
“To better understand a person you have to climb up inside their skin and walk around in it.” The quote previously stated by Atticus in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an unveiling of the upcoming forms of prejudice. The setting for the novel is a fictitious town called Maycomb. This town is situated in Alabama. The racial prejudice shown in the novel has a lot to do with the town being situated in the southern United States. The backwardness and narrow-mindedness of the community fueled racism in Maycomb. These negative qualities account for the social and religious prejudices in the novel. Maycomb people have very inward looking views and so these views are passed on from generation to generation. Prejudice is the preconceived opinion of a person or thing. There are three main types of prejudice: racial prejudice, social prejudice and religious prejudice. These three are the types of prejudice most dominant in To Kill A Mockingbird.
In Maycomb County, Alabama, the white community where the story takes place, blacks, such as Robinson, are seen as evil and as a disturbance. In a jury of all whites, Robinson’s truth of not raping Mayella is not justified in the courtroom. In his trial, Atticus, his lawyer, rhetorically asks the whites in the courtroom on what they think of Negroes; they are liars, deceitful, and immoral beings according to the jury, yet Atticus opposes this saying, “But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing..." (Lee 232). Atticus starts off by repeating the statement the white community addresses on Negroes, that they are evil in every aspect of life, and therefore they should not be trusted with women and in the community overall. Then, Atticus turns the tables on to the people of the courtroom, telling them that they must have lied or done evil before too, henceforth, making other people of different races evil. The racism toward Tom Robinson makes him feel as if he is guilty for his race. The white community makes Tom’s innocence feel obstructed because he has been accused of a rape as well as being told he is “evil” as well. The whites treat Robinson as if he is the worst sin,
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.
Racial Prejudice is a problem in which humankind has been experiencing over the last few decades and has been posed as a problem in which a sense of moral conscience is needed in a person to battle the prejudice in the world. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, the event illustrated to show the idea of racial prejudice in the town of Maycomb, is the Lynch Mob scene. In this scene, Atticus, whose name was based on a Greek city of Attica, which was the home of justice, prevents Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white female, from being murdered by the mob. Harper Lee uses various language techniques to further emphasise his point. Through writing this novel, Harper Lee has been referred to as the forerunner of the Civil
Prejudice is one of the major themes of Harper Lee’s award winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Aside from winning many honors, the book displays many themes that today’s society can still relate to, like civil rights. Today, civil rights are being denied all over the world; people are discriminated based on their background. Many people make efforts against these denials of civil rights, but how are they denied today?