T-2 Final Essay
What is the central idea of to kill A Mockingbird?
Justice and judgement, where does it stand? Well, in the 1960’s that was rather scarce. When the book had been written there were rather large issues/problems of racism and judgement toward people with colored skin. Harper Lee being the small couple to a few people who weren’t raised a racist, like the way others were supposed to be raised, she strongly believed that discriminating against another person based off of the color of their skin was wrong and she wanted her point across about her views and opinions with it, thus creating the book to kill A Mockingbird. Many people had their opinions of it, others being outraged because of their beliefs, but even so it became a very popular novel and received several awards, including the movie that came out a year after the release of the book in 1961 and became a huge hit, like the novel.
Supporting this, In the later chapters, the finch family, but, Scout especially would often get the harshest bashing, being criticized about her father fearlessly defending someone accused of raping a White
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Even after Atticus's obvious and clever points, Tom still gets convicted and tried back into prison, even though Atticus perfectly showed that he was innocent and had done nothing wrong, giving the Ewell's humiliation on their lies. Both of them being confident of their father winning over the case, boiling up another anger inside them, though this time not acting out on anyone or doing anything like in previous times. Later on Tom dies from getting shot since he had been trying to escape, and gotten very close until they repeatedly fired the gun into the colored man. Though Atticus may have obviously lost this case, he was still proud to provide an example of his beliefs in
At this point, Atticus receives his call to adventure and has to determine whether to take the case or not. In the beginning, Atticus realizes the attention that this case will bring and what it’ll mean for his family. He knows that it will expose his children to the cruelties of society that he’s tried to protect them from. Atticus comes to the conclusion that if he refuses the case, there will be no one else to take it and he’d essentially be declaring Tom guilty from the start. He knows that the chances of Tom getting off innocent is slim, although he needed to try for the sake of his own conscious and for everything he tries to instill in his children. This is where the psychological journey for Atticus and his family begins as they battle their own morals against the widely held prejudice in the
Often in life people prejudge others, but their view changes as they get to know the person. In to kill a mockingbird by Harper lee Jem and Scout prejudge Boo Radley and their father Atticus. Jem and Scout believe their father has absolutely no skill. Throughout the book the kids get to see more of his skills. Boo Radley is considered a monster in Maycomb and Scout and Jem use the town’s judgment as their own. After learning more about Boo and getting to know him they realize he is opposite of what they thought. Because Jem and Scout are influenced by other people’s opinions they are able to learn from their mistakes and develop a new perspective on people.
The Ideas of Hypocrisy, Prejudice and Dignity in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird In Maycomb, the town in which Harper Lee's book 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is set, hypocrisy and prejudice are prevalent in most of its citizens. Although many of the characters morals are admirable, you soon realise that what people say and what people do are not always related. Mrs Grace Merriweather falls into this category. She is seen to be 'the most devout lady in Maycomb' and her eyes 'always filled with tears when she considered the oppressed' yet she is just as prejudiced to the black citizens or 'darky's' as the majority of the ladies of the 'Maycomb Alabama Methodist Episcopal Church South' are. Mrs Merriweather appears to be the most hypocritical character in this chapter.
This man is unfortunately victimized since his society does not believe he is innocent due to the color of his skin. Being the black man that Tom is, it is clear that “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella opened her mouth and screamed” (241). There is no way that a black man’s words would override the voice of a white person. No testimony, evidence or speech can help Tom prove he is not guilty. Atticus understands that Tom is victimized by racism, so he explains: “When it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (220).
People are responsible for acting according to their conscience. The justice system was created in order to be our aid in making moral and ethical decisions, but when the Justice system fails, we should still be able to follow our conscience to make the right the decision. In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” one of the characters, Atticus Finch, helps not only characters in the book, but the readers, understand that the legal system does not always serve justice, in fact, the legal system only is as moral and just as the community it serves. In the town of Maycomb, just like many towns in the American south during the 1930s, racism as a personal feeling and racism as a cultural, legal, and economic institution are practically one
Regardless he still works as hard as he can to keep tom free. It shows how perseverance he really is. He believes that everyone deserves equal but because of his skin color Tom is being treated differently. “The one place where a man should get a square deal is the courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way to carry their resentments into the court” (189). Being and all white jury striked of all black people there was much prejudice towards Tom. He knows there is virtually no way he can win because of all the rasim. Again he keeps standing for what he believes is right. Atticus ignores what everyone else says and focuses on the case.> He keeps on going and working on the case the hardest he can. He knows that the townspeople think down of him because he helps a man of black skin but he defends him
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest” Ellie Wiesel. Readers may find the amount of injustice in Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a little shocking. This could be why it’s such a popular book. People like the suspense of knowing someone’s right, but still being found guilty for something they did not do. There are many times throughout the book when people are powerless to prevent injustice but they still protest it. This shows that even when people unjustly punish there should always be someone to protest it. The theme of injustice is a common one in harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, whether it be through racism, misinformation, or Arrogance.
In the modern day, courts have a central role in dealing with crimes and giving out the punishments for offenses. These courts according to a major character in To Kill a Mockingbird known as Atticus claims that “courts are the great levelers” and they make every man equal. However, the contemporary court system is the exact opposite of what Atticus claims it to be as courts are notorious for favoring certains parties and not treating everyone equally. The present day court system fails to bring equality to the men who are tried in it as they are often wrongly convicted and sentenced for crimes they never committed due to an inherent bias in the courts.
‘Justice’ is a term that changes throughout history by drastic degrees, and something that is different depending on where and how you were raised. In Canada, we are raised by terms of Justice that center around equality, while in many middle eastern countries’ justice centers solely around religion. Justice is the philosophy of moral rightness, and because of this, everyone has different perspectives and ideas of what ‘true’ justice is. How to Kill a Mockingbird, is a critically acclaimed book written by Harper Lee which centers around a court case, set in the great depression, about a black man getting falsely accused of sexually assaulting a white female. Throughout the book, we see different characters thoughts of what is ‘right’ and what
Scout Finch is a strong-headed figure who stands up for what she thinks is right, especially when defending her father. Even though she might not understand the exact implications of a slight to her father, she is quick to rush to defend him. Although her anger is sometimes misplaced, Scout’s frustration initiates from a boundless love for Atticus, and a wish to protect his reputation. In one instance, after Atticus is called a “nigger lover”, Scout pounces and pummels the instigator of the taunt. She later told her Uncle Jack, “I ain’t very sure what it means, but the way Francis said it…
Black and white, right and wrong; do decisions that simple and clear even exist? Does a decision ever mean gaining everything without giving anything up? Many characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are forced to make difficult, heart wrenching decisions that have no clear right answer. Harper Lee presents many of these important decisions in To Kill A Mockingbird as ethical dilemmas, or situations that require a choice between two difficult alternatives. Both of these alternatives have unpleasant aspects and question morals and ethics. A person is put in an awkward position, with their mind saying contradicting things. These dilemmas are presented in many different ways. The decisions in the beginning of the book are simple and can be solved quite easily, yet they are symbolic of later decisions. Other dilemmas place adult-like decisions in the lap of a child. One dilemma concerned a man burdened with the strict traditions of the South. Then there are the two biggest dilemmas, Atticus' decision to take the case and Heck Tate's choice between truth and the emotional well being of a man. Lee's ingenious storyline is established by these crucial and mentally arduous choices faced by the characters.
"The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells,'" Atticus solemnly explains this to his brother. First of all, Atticus demonstrates courage when he undertakes the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape. Atticus knows he won't win the case and like Mrs. Dubose in her battle against morphine, he is "licked" before he begins. Nevertheless, Atticus knows that Tom is innocent and that he must fight for him, since no one else will. Atticus's strong sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom with vigor and determination, giving it all he's got with one mission in mind. He wants the people of Maycomb town, whether they believe it or not, to hear the truth about Tom, "That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told"
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.
The hatred that the citizens of Maycomb felt towards the black community extended to anyone who became involved with them, especially the Finch family because Atticus was appointed to defend Tom Robinson. Scout and Jem suffered the most from this hatred because their peers were children, who are nearly always less candid than adults. Most of the people who were unhappy with Atticus would just try to keep away from him, which was bad enough. The children however, verbally abused Scout and Jem. Scout responded to this with physical violence, even though it was discouraged by her father. The sad thing is that they were mistreated even by members of their family, like Scout’s cousin Francis.
The dictionary definition of the word “justice” expounds upon righteousness; however, the consequences given to some is anything but right. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, stresses upon the corruptness of society’s version of impartiality. Only a handful of the characters in her story truly understand the means of which justice should be dealt and who in fact deserves it. In her novel, Lee accentuates the use of conflict and the symbol of the mockingbird to establish the notion that justice is as corrupt as those who deal it.