Maya Angelou, an American author, poet, and civil rights activist, once said, “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” Social injustice came about because of a community’s ignorance to appreciate the life they are given, instead of taking advantage of others. The inability to recognize a person’s experiences, either good or bad, and continuing to exploit their weaknesses is possessing no empathy--one of the main themes in To Kill A Mockingbird. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, our eight year old narrator, develops maturity throughout the book in the prejudiced town of Maycomb County (Alabama in the 1930s) in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Through the use of irony, symbolism, …show more content…
and humor, Harper Lee explores racism, discrimination, and prejudice between social classes. Through the ironic situations Harper Lee creates, the reader is able to discover and analyze the inequality present in the south during the 1930s.
As Ms. Gates, Scout’s third grade teacher, is explaining to the class about Hitler persecuting the Jews, the hatred she feels for him is fueled because “over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody” (Lee 329). This dialogue is ironic because they hate a man across the world for persecuting others, but then prosecute Tom Robinson, a well moraled black man accused of rape, because of the color of his skin. Maycomb County is blind to the social injustice occurring within itself and prosecuted Tom Robinson to save the last ounce of pride the “white trash folks” have for themselves. Another situation Harper Lee exemplifies irony is when Lula, a black woman in Calpurnia’s church, confronts Calpurnia about bringing “white chillun” to their church, referring to Jem and Scout, and how “they got their church, we got our'n” (Lee 52). Lula being racist towards the white children in a black community is ironic because in the South during the 1930s, white people were mainly racist towards blacks. It shows racial injustice between social classes and how it turns people against each other. Maycomb County has pitted each race against each other and neither of them are able to mix freely. Dolphus Raymond’s “drinking problem,” when he actually drinks Coca-Cola, is an excuse to give racists a reason why he enjoys the company of blacks more than
whites. Harper Lee applies the use of symbolism to reflect the injustice brought by the people in Maycomb County. Before Atticus Finch (Scout’s father) shoots Tim Johnson (the county’s dog), Jem Finch (Scout’s brother) observed he looked like a “car stuck in a carbed” (Lee 123). Tim Johnson could very well be a symbol for Tom Robinson because the second the rabid animal bit Tim, he was done for--just like Tom when Mayella Ewell (lower class white girl) accused him of rape. It was as if Atticus walked into the street, raised a rifle to his shoulder and pulled the trigger, but was “watching the whole time knowing the gun was empty” (Lee 282). Once Tom Robinson was accused, the racists took their tainted version of the law into their own hands and slaughtered him. The next use of symbolism was when Scout and Jem receive their new air guns, Miss Maudie Atkinson (the Finch’s neighbor) explains that all mockingbirds do is “sing their hearts out” and thats why its a sin to kill one (Lee 119). A mockingbird can be compared to Tom Robinson, once again, because they nor him do not bother anyone. They mind their own business but also contribute to the community. Tom left every morning to pick anything from cotton to pecans and even after, he still had the heart to do some of Mayella’s chores. He helped her out of the goodness of his heart but to save the last bit of pride the Ewell family had, Bob Ewell (Mayella’s father) accused him of rape. Humor throughout the novel sheds light upon the imbalance of social classes and how they regard each other. When Judge Taylor (judge of the rape trial) calls Bob Ewell to the stand, he “rose and strutted to the stand” almost as if he were a rooster (Lee 227). This humorous comparison concludes that since he lives among all of the animals in the dump, he has become one. It presents him as a part of the white trash social class and accused Tom Robinson of rape to have someone below him on the social ranking. The next use of humor is when Tom Robinson took the stand and is being sworn into oath, he puts his “rubber-like left hand” on the Bible and raises his right (265). In doing so, his left arm slips off and hits the clergy table. This is another humorous way to display Tom’s social class. He has been working everyday since a child to pay for what he’s got, which isn’t much. By performing treacherous work all the time, he got his left arm caught in a machine, leaving it crippled. The fact that he was accused for raping Mayella Ewell is an injustice in social class because they know he has no chance to plead innocent against a white girl’s word. In courts back then, when it was a white man’s word against a black man’s word, a white man always wins… “They’re ugly, but they’re the facts of life” (294). To Kill A Mockingbird is praised due to its blunt representation of the inequality between social classes. It makes people understand what others think before making a judgement and discover the prejudices against social classes that still exist today. Everyone has their blind spots and the people of Maycomb County were ignorant to their acts of taking advantage of lesser people. Even today anyone can make a difference by helping, not discriminating for any reason. This novel will continue uncovering the harsh facts of life that nobody can run away from. Harper Lee skillfully uses irony, symbolism, and humor to disclose the social injustice throughout our world.
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.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Alabama in the 1930s, and concerns itself primarily with the interrelated themes of prejudice and empathy. These themes are explored as the story follows Scout Finch as she learns lessons in empathy, ultimately rejecting prejudice. While all characters in Lee’s novel learn from their experiences, not all are able to grow in the same manner as Scout. The idea of a positive role model, typified by the character of Atticus Finch, and the ramifications of its absence, is a concept that Lee places much emphasis on. The isolated setting is also pivotal in the development of characters. Lee uses the contrast between characters that learn lessons in empathy and compassion, and characters that cling to the ideals of a small town, to explore factors that nurture or diminish prejudice.
Growing up in Maycomb, Southern Alabama in the 1930s was not an easy thing. Amid a town of prejudice and racism, stood a lone house where equality and respect for all gleamed like a shining star amid an empty space. The house of Atticus Finch was that shining star. Jean Louise Finch, also known as “Scout”, is given the opportunity of being raised in this house by her father, Atticus. I stole this essay from the net. As she grows, Atticus passes down his values of equality and righteousness to Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as “Jem”. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, we see Scout learns many lessons about dealing with prejudice by observing the behavior of other characters in the story.
In a desperate attempt to save his client, Tom Robinson, from death, Atticus Finch boldly declares, “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white” (Lee 271). The gross amounts of lurid racial inequality in the early 20th century South is unfathomable to the everyday modern person. African-Americans received absolutely no equality anywhere, especially not in American court rooms. After reading accounts of the trials of nine young men accused of raping two white women, novelist Harper Lee took up her pen and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, a blistering exposition of tragic inequalities suffered by African Americans told from the point of view of a young girl. Though there are a few trivial differences between the events of the Scottsboro trials and the trial of Tom Robinson portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as the accusers’ attitudes towards attention, the two cases share a superabundance of similarities. Among these are the preservation of idealist views regarding southern womanhood and excessive brutality utilized by police.
Harper Lee’s acclaimed novel To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates, through the young narrator Scout Finch, the many prejudices of Maycomb in 1930. It is through Lee’s creative approach to interpreting these prejudices that we as readers are able to experience the animosity of this particular period in time. Social prejudice in 1930s Maycomb is highlighted through the community’s rigid class structure. We also see the prejudices and gender stereotypes employed against women in Maycomb, through the female protagonist’s narration. However, the most dominant issue explored in this novel is racism, which is brought to light through Tom Robinson’s trial. It is through Lee’s unique analysis of social, gender and racial discrimination that she manages to accentuate these prejudices of 1930s Maycomb in To Kill A Mockingbird.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a novel set in the 1930s in a racially prejudice town called Maycomb County. A black man is accused of raping a white girl, and although it’s clear that he did not do it, the all white jury refuse to take a black man’s word over a white girl’s. Through the innocent eyes of an eight year old girl, the theme of racial prejudice is developed throughout the novel, although at times she is oblivious to it. In this essay I am going to discuss how Lee develops the theme of racial prejudice in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”.
When reading To Kill a Mockingbird(1960), the reader is likely to go into deeper thoughts, and figure out the true meanings and morals to Harper Lee was trying to express. The small town of Maycomb, Alabama is full of social injustice. The citizens are a group of small-minded people who judge and treat people differently based on their different beliefs. The children Scout, Jem, and Dill are sweet innocent kids who are growing up and learning the horrible discrimination of the town. Judgement and hatred towards others is what they are seeing so that is how they are going to act also. They haven't learned otherwise little kids do what adults and older role models do because they looked up to and what to be just like them. Through the book
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee taught many lessons. The biggest lesson I learned is that there will always be people who treat people badly because of social inequality, but there will also always be people trying to fight against that. Aunt Alexandra chose to be mean to little Walter Cunningham, just because he didn’t have as much money as them. That is a form of social inequality. Also, when Tom Robinson was found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit for being black.When Atticus stood up for Tom Robinson that was people fighting against social inequality.
This is about social inequality in the book “To kill a mockingbird”. The book is set in alabama during the 1930. The main character are Scout, Jem, Dill, Atticus, and Calpurnia. The plot was about who was Boo Radley and how to get him out of his house. Later it becomes about a man named Tom Robinson and him being tried for rape. Now let us get into the three main topics in social inequality Race, gender, and financial.
Prejudice, in itself is injustice, becomes a major player in the fight for justice when the forces of justice are antagonized. Through trials of court and mentality, Lee brings her characters and readers on a journey through the deep south to show the change of power and righteousness from prejudice to justice. In To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee utilizes the characters, settings, and conflicts in order to illustrate the impact of prejudice on justice.
To Kill a Mockingbird, a book written by Harper Lee, takes place in the era of the Great Depression. Many people are struggling, and race discrimination is prominent. Many events throughout this book evince social inequality within this time period, such as when Jean Louise Finch is repeatedly suppressed by her aunt and told to act like a girl. When Tom Robinson is charged guilty just because of his skin tone, social inequality is also evident. The different families that appeared in the book also depicts social inequality when one could be defined by his family name, for instance, the Ewells who are known for being filthy and disrespectful. Though the importance of morality is stressed by Atticus, Jean Finch’s father, the constancy of social
Discrimination is common nowadays, and barely anyone considers or realizes the effect it provides. In this story, the answer of what effect discrimination delivers is displayed. From discrimination in the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee the effect given is injustice being done towards another. This unjustness is demonstrated in the book towards Walter Cunningham, Helen Robinson and Tom Robinson.
“In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee, 295). This statement from Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, exemplifies the theme of racial prejudice that Lee weaves into her story. Racism, defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language as “discrimination or prejudice based on race”, has been a major social issue throughout American history, especially in the Deep South. There, for many years, white men and women wrongly regarded blacks as inferior, unintelligent, and sub-human. Harper Lee, a descendant of General Robert E. Lee, experienced first-hand racial tension and bias, while growing up in the South.
Throughout the years social Equality has improved Social equality by definition means a state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in certain respects, including civil rights, freedom of speech, property rights and equal access to certain social goods and services. In the Book To Kill a Mockingbird the author Harper Lee states through fiction the way people were treated during the great depression. Through the comparison of character interactions in the novel and the influence of current events, it is revealed that the concept of social equality has greatly changed from the 1930s to present day. During the 1930s social equality wasn’t a thing given to everyone.
Dillon Tan Jiunn Jye Mr. Keddy ENG3U 20th October, 2016 The hopeless existence of social inequality . One of the common ways authors tend to express their message and emotions is through writing novels, which in most cases was inspired by their life experiences and stories that they consider significant. This can be applied to Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird” as well, as she tries to convey the existence of social inequality in her childhood, in which she transforms her experiences into a novel which she portrays the existence of social inequality, the importance of moral education, and the coexistence of good and evil. In the book of “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, the story follows a young girl “Scout Finch”, her brother, and her friend,