How Is Atticus Finch Disrespected In To Kill A Mockingbird

262 Words1 Page

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells a story of discrimination. The town favored against Tom Robinson, a black man, and so they naturally believed that he assaulted Mayella Ewell. Boo Radley was also discriminated against because the children mimicked and harassed him for never leaving the house or showing his face. This book teaches many essential lessons about family, forgiveness, the history of the American South, including issues with the Jim Crow Laws and segregation, and to never be afraid to stand up for what’s right. Atticus Finch never disrespected Tom Robinson although it was unlikely for a white man to talk to a black man during that time in history. Atticus not only taught his kids life lessons throughout the book but also

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Challenging Racial Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, is a novel which explores the theme of challenging racial prejudice. Within this novel, Lee has portrayed unintentional racial prejudice through the characters Atticus Finch, Link Deas and Scout Finch. With these characters, and their roles in exploring the theme of racial prejudice, Harper Lee has set unintentional boundaries for readers, as result, racial prejudicial thinking from contemporary perspective, in comparison to historical views, is challenged to a small extent.

    Read More

  • How Does Atticus Show Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself

    Read More

  • Discrimination in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

    614 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sometimes, people discriminate one thing, but strongly oppose the discrimination of another thing. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, this issue is very much expressed throughout the story. This thought-provoking story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during a time when there’s a rape trial against a falsely accused African American named Tom Robinson. There is also a discrimination, of sorts, towards a man named Boo Radley, by three young children named Jeremy “Jem” Finch, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and Charles “Dill” Baker Harris. Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are similar in their own ways through their inherent goodness.

    Read More

  • How Is Racism Shown In To Kill A Mockingbird

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, racism is a major theme. Atticus Finch, the narrator’s father, defends a negro, Tom Robinson, in the court of law against a white man, Bob Ewell. Robinson had reportedly raped a young white girl, Mayella Ewell. But according to Robinson he had gone to help Mayella, as he often did, with work around the house. As he starts helping Mayella, she tries to get Tom to kiss her and will not let him out of the house. Bob Ewell sees this and chases Tom out of the house and accuses him of raping his daughter. Atticus goes against almost everyone in Maycomb County’s opinion in defending Tom Robinson. Throughout the course of the novel, racism effects many characters such as Tom and Helen Robinson, Scout and Jem Finch, and Mayella and Bob Ewell. All these characters had there lives

    Read More

  • Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, racial discrimination is evident within To Kill a Mockingbird through many of the characters. Examples of this form of discrimination are Scout Finch getting stabbed by Bob Ewell, Atticus almost being attacked by a lynch mob, and Tom Robinson being shot seventeen times. One trial brought an innocent man to his premature death, a child to being assaulted by a grown man, and a father merely doing the right thing. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson were affected by racial discrimination throughout the entire novel.

    Read More

  • Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper lee in 1960. The novel tells the story of Atticus Finch, a white lawyer, and Tom Robinson, a black servant, accused of raping a white female. Finch defends Robinson in court arguing lack of evidence as his main point. However, the judge and jury still believe the woman’s testimony and orders Robinson to be killed. The novel has been praised for its outstanding literature since its publication. However, it remains a banned book by the American Library Association for its use of racial slurs and profanity. Due to it being banned, many high schools have reconsidered the notion of teaching it to their students. Two prominent authors wrote articles pertaining to this piece of literature: Angela Shaw-Thornburg wrote an article on her re-reading of the novel and her opinions on it; while Malcom Gladwell wrote an article comparing Atticus Finch to a state governor liberalist, James Folsom, and the restraints of liberalism in the south. In addition, Rebecca Best contributes her thought on how the novel should be taught by introducing the idea of “the other.” Regardless of the modern day political arguments surrounding this piece of literature, this novel contains a large insight into the time period of the 1960s which is an influential topic that should be taught to young high school students.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Diction In To Kill A Mockingbird

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is no doubt that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a famous novel known for its themes, most of them containing wise life lessons, racial inequality being an obvious and important one. Firstly, racism illustrates the lack of justice and people’s views on prejudice in Tom Robinson’s case. Secondly, the novel touches base on diction notably the racial slurs used. Finally, with racism being a theme of the novel, it affects the characters’ personalities. Harper Lee uses life lessons, diction and characters throughout the novel because it develops the main theme of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird.

    Read More

  • Racial Slurs In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    For instance, when Scout and Jem are walking home from school, Mrs. Dubose will tell them “your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for” (Lee 105). On page 322, the book says “Tom’s death was considered typical of a black person, at least in Maycomb. The town thought it was typical of a nigger to cut and run” (Lee 322). In the book, Atticus Finch individually defends a black man because he realizes it’s the right thing to do. However, in the grand scheme of things, Atticus actually putting in an effort to defend a black man didn’t make a very large dent in the town’s overall attitude towards black people because he is, no matter what others thought of him, just one man. Practically every student recieving a public education in the United States today read that book. They realize where racism started and grow compassionate for Tom because of the social injustice he faced throughout the book. It’s important for kids to keep reading these kinds of books, so we don’t go backwards in our efforts to stop

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird: Influences on Scout from Interactions w/ Others

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Discrimination and Prejudice

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee has numerous accounts of racism and prejudice throughout the entire piece. The novel is set in the 1930's, a time when racism was very prevalent. Although bigotry and segregation were pointed in majority towards blacks, other accounts towards whites were also heard of, though not as commonly. There are acts that are so discreet that you almost don't catch them, but along with those, there are blatant acts of bigotry that would never occur in our time. Lee addresses many of these feelings in her novel.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird In The 1930's

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Atticus Respectful In To Kill A Mockingbird

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that respect is demonstrated by treating people the way people want to be treated so that others can give one that respect back. Social justice requires respect because if one did not have respect for others views and thinking, then people would stop tolerating each other and become selfish in their thoughts and actions. The character of Atticus Finch demonstrates respect by the way he treats those of different gender, how he teaches his children, and how he treats outcasts of a town.

    Read More

  • Racism in American Schools

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though extraordinary changes have been made in the past to achieve racial equality, America is still racist, especially in schools. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is criticized for defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. During the 1930s, the time this novel took place, America was a very segregated country. At the time when Harper Lee wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird," America was fighting a civil rights movement. The events of racism in “To Kill a Mockingbird” reflect the time period.

    Read More

  • Racial Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 To Kill a Mockingbird.

    Read More

More about How Is Atticus Finch Disrespected In To Kill A Mockingbird

Open Document