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Ways how racism effects events in to kill a mockingbird
Effects of racism to kill a mockingbird
The effect of racism on killing a mockingbird
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee portrays racism that Scout a young girl, witnesses in Maycomb during the 1930s and demonstrates how her father , Atticus Finch influences his daughter in a positive manner of viewing the world in the novel . Thanks to moments of inspiration and acknowledging racial differences , Scout develops as a person both mentally and physically by the guidance of her dad. Thus, she gains understanding about the world around her through her lens of life as being a little white girl in the South. Harper Lee's portrayal of herself as a girl encountering racism and being influenced by others while experiencing new aspects of life , inspired her to write To Kill A Mockingbird. Racism affects how Scout treats people of color. She encounters racism throughout the novel and none more significant than Atticus telling her advice about how to treat others, especially people of color. Scout initially judges people by the color of their skin, but her father gives a lesson on how it's not right to degrade others and that she can't say comments about people the first time they are met . “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of …show more content…
view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (p.33) Atticus’s words of wisdom reflect the standards of life and respecting one another that Scout upholds herself by. She does not think like a racist , because of how Atticus views Blacks as human beings and contributors to society . This advice doesn't sink to Scout right away because she is a girl trying to contemplate what the world throws at her. Therefore, Scout struggles to listen and apply Atticus’s advice for living with sympathy towards people of color throughout the book, but when it concludes she understands it and puts the advice into use. Atticus stands up for his beliefs and influences his daughter to believe in equal rights while fighting for her ideas , no matter what struggles they faced. During harsh times full of racism it was difficult to view others as equals, so people put each other down to make themselves feel stronger. As a result Atticus instills a notion in Scout on how to face difficult situations courageously and not putting others down for people's personal benefits . "It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been in any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” (Ch.11) As a lawyer who despised guns and violence, Atticus is focused on bringing equality to the courtroom and he has a unique talent towards viewing negative situations such as the Tom Robinson trial positively. Due to this characteristic, Mr. Finch stood up for his beliefs and he didn’t care about what others thought of him. Mr. Finch loves his daughter and influences her to act kindly towards others with respect. Scout is greatly influenced by her father and experiences new things from the people around her, specifically Boo Radley and Atticus . Mr.Radley had a unique relationship with Scout , even though he was an outcast who offered gifts to the Finch siblings. “ Atticus, when they finally saw him, why hadn’t he done any of those things." "Atticus's hands were under my chin, he pulled up the cover and tucked it around me.” (p.323) Atticus’s loving role as a parent is emphasized in this passage by caring for his children deeply and encouraging them to grow . When he tucks his children in, it symbolizes a caring heart and empathy towards children. Thus, Scout matures and has deep relationship with others due to the nurturing she receives from her father . Atticus acknowledges that some people are evil and he still admires the good in them through their faults and weaknesses. For people who are enjoyable like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, Atticus thinks they have dignity and he should respect them due to their respectable traits as people. As a result of Mr.Finch’s decision to defend Tom, he risked himself in the line of life versus every racist ideal just to protect the safety and pride of a client he cared about. Before the gift exchanging interaction with Boo Radley, Scout started off as an innocent little girl due to her losing faith in humanity after the Tom Robinson trial.
She was shocked that Tom Robinson got found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit. The idea of treating Blacks unfairly confused her. As Atticus gave life advice, this concept became a bit more understandable, “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.” (p.321) Scout’s lack of understanding about life, was enough to move into a quest of understanding about life. She moved towards empathy and transcended into her own stereotyped assumption regarding time on Earth due to that
realization. Scout’s childhood experiences and influences along with an interaction of racism , constructed Scout as the strong character she is. She got stronger from everyday life and wiser from the lessons that her father taught her on a daily basis . Interactions with certain people of influence helped her understand life’s meaning and struggles that disadvantaged humans faced. Harper Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird to shine a light on issues with racism people still face and how parents can influence their children views on the world . When parents set themselves as role models for children, they encourage them to treat others with respect and kids are taught to contribute in society . If adults view the world like children, less conflicts would occur within ourselves and peace comes to society. Through Scout’s childhood , Harper Lee was able to portray herself as a little girl curious about the world around her, and to spread awareness of issues people faced a long time ago.
Harper Lee published a book that sold over 30,000 copies and takes place in Alabama during the Great Depression. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has a character Atticus who changes some people's mind about how they treat other people and what they think of other people. Atticus Finch stands as a sterling example of a man of principle throughout the whole novel.
Being very young in the beginning of the book, her views of racism have been guided by the people she's around. Before the trial, Scout’s life was relatively sheltered. She knows that blacks are segregated, but their lives do not touch Scout except for Calpurnia. Scout really isn't exposed to the harsh realities of racism until the trial. Here, Scout encounters the taunting of kids and adults. She endures remarks about her father being a "nigger lover" and then finally the travesty of injustice that happens to Tom. Here father provides her with many answer to all the questions she has on the subject, and helps her understand that black people are just regular people, and they need to be treated as regular people.
A very important and evident reason for her difference on perspective on life is her age. At the beginning of the book, Scout is aged 6, and even by the end, she is still only 9 years old. This gives her a different viewpoint on life because she sees things only as being fair, and not as laws. What is important to her is having the right thing done, instead of what is expected in society. The way that Scout is looked at within the novel simply because she is young is quite undermining to her, especially when her teacher, Miss Caroline, tells her “[you] tell him I 'll take over from her and try to undo the damage--Your father does not know how to teach." (Lee, ?) What Miss Caroline is referring to here is the fact that Scout is too young by some peoples’ definition to be so advanced at her age, and that she must become more like someone in every-day society. To go along with Scout’s viewpoint and the viewpoint others have on her because of her age, her harshness of judgement is much less harsh than most people’s would be. She judges people much less, like Tom Robinson, and in her mind everybody is equal. After Tom Robinson has been convicted of rape in his trial, Atticus says “it’s not fair for you and Jem, I know that, but sometimes we have to make the best of things, and the way we conduct ourselves when the chips are
First of all, Scout allows the reader to focus more on the exterior of situations. Children tend to experience things differently from others. Events that take place in society may be of great importance to adults and mean nothing to children. Things of importance differ between children and adults. But sometimes, a child’s perspective may be the best way to look at things. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the whole town was talking about Tom Robinson’s trial, especially since he was African American and Atticus, a white man, was to be his lawyer. According to reviewer Edwin Bruell in Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, “[To Kill A] Mockingbird, he tells us, is about the townspeople, not about Robinson” (Mancini 101)....
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the reality of the world in the 1930s through the point of view of a little girl named Scout. She starts as a carefree tomboy, but learns to be more ladylike as the story continues. Her life really starts to change during a trial where her father is defending a black man. Also, she learns that killing a mockingbird is a sin.Overall, she grows up throughout the book, and starts to realize all the issues of Maycomb.
She does this because Francis called Atticus a n*****-lover. On page 114, when her Uncle Jack asks her what Francis called Atticus, she replies, “A n*****-lover. I ain’t very sure what it means, but the way Francis said it- tell you one thing right now, Uncle Jack, I’ll be- I swear before God if I’ll sit there and let him say somethin’ about Atticus.” Even though she does not know what it means, she knows what Francis said is an insult. As a result, Scout decides to dive head first into the problem and chases Francis. She is aware of all the consequences she will face, but she does not care. She wants to stand up for Atticus and do what is right according to her. This is her stepping into level three of Kohlberg’s stages. What she does conflicts with the rules, but it lives up to the higher rules of morality depicted in level three of Kohlberg’s stages. The last event that influences Scout’s personal growth is when she escorted Arthur/Boo Radley home in chapter 31. On page 372 and 373, Scout says, “...if Miss Stephanie Crawford was watching from her upstairs window, she would see Arthur Radley escorting me down the sidewalk, as any gentleman would do.” She does this
The story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee portrays many different scenarios of racial discrimination. Discrimination occurs in the book and many people are affected by the racial slurs and other occurrences. In the story, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson are all people that are discriminated against or are affected by discrimination. Racial discrimination is a major part of Kill a Mockingbird. Scout is a young, elementary school girl and she is the main character and narrator of the story.
Atticus's battle for justice causes more problems for Scout. She is continually defending him but the racist remarks do not stop. These remarks just show how cruel children can be to other children. She feels the need to defend her father to Francis, her cousin. He was also taunting her with accusations: "At a safe distance her called, `He's nothin' but a nigger-lover'." The benign force of racism has disrupted their lives, especially Scouts, through the old fashioned and discriminative opinions of the younger residents of Maycomb.
Harper Lee once said, “The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think…” In that case, To Kill A Mockingbird is the perfect fit with its detailed incorporations of imagery and symbolism in which makes the reader think about its significance. The novel focuses on the childhood of Scout Finch in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930’s. Throughout the story, lessons and morals are given by the community resulting in the maturity of not only the children, but everyone involved. The combination of topics tied into one makes this novel a classic to American literature. After reading the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, it is clear that Harper Lee purposely continued to keep symbolism relevant throughout the story to help contribute to the central topics of the novel.
In To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee it is very evident that her life experiences when paired with the era in which she lived helped her develop this piece of iconic American literature. The themes and subtle critiques of the society she grew up in are reflected in To Kill a MockingBird, which is what made this book one of the greatest literary works of all time. She grew up in a time of great social inequality and prejudice towards African Americans.This is one of the many examples of her life that formed a major theme in this book, her foremost popular work.
First of all, Scout allows the reader to focus more on the exterior of situations. Children tend to experience things differently from others. Events that take place in society may be of great importance to adults and mean nothing to children. Things of importance differ between children and adults. However, sometimes a child’s perspective may be the best way to look at things. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the whole town was talking about Tom Robinson’s trial, especially since he was African American and Atticus, a white man, was to be his lawyer. According to reviewer Edwin Bruell in Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, “[To Kill A] Mockingbird, he tells us, is about the townspeople, not abou...
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author writes about racism during a controversial time through the eyes of a young girl learning to see the world in a new perspective because her father, Atticus Finch, a hero. Atticus challenges the standards of society and teaches his children, Scout and Jem, to see the world in different ways then how society sees people, on a two color spectrum, black and white. In teaching his children both moral and ethical values, he allows them to be children but at the same time to have an understanding of how society works in an adult’s point of view. Atticus Finch challenges the federal court system by taking on a controversial case in a prejudice society that almost guaranteed him to lose.
As the story progresses certain events introduce new lessons for Scout to learn about segregation. A specific is when Atticus and the children visit Uncle Finch and Francis calls Atticus a “n***** lover,” to Scout. The importance of this quote is months later after Francis calls her this, Scout asks Atticus what it means aftering hearing Mrs. Dubose call him one. Atticus not wanting to tell young Scout the true meaning simply tells her that “trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves.” This not being the full meaning still gives Scout a better idea of how the colored people were treated in
I think that over the course of this novel Scout comes out to be quite clever and forever learning new morals and ways of life. By the end of the novel she has learnt one key lesson. That she must see thing's from other people's views. She shows this in the book in the last chapter when she is standing on Boo Radley's front porch. Here is the quote on what she said: "Atticus was right.
Life was hard for people of color in the South during the Jim Crow laws. More than l4,000 blacks were lynched in the South throughout this time, and racism was at its peak. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in the Jim Crow South during the 1930s. The novel tells the story of Scout Finch and her family in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout is the daughter of Atticus Finch, a white man chosen to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. In this coming-of-age story, a young girl becomes aware of the prejudice in the world around her and she changes over the course of the novel. She begins as innocent and naive them becomes confused, and finally understand the racism in the end.