To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Three stones can kill a bird. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, takes place in the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama. The story follows Scout Finch, a little girl narrating the book, along with Jem Finch, Scout’s older brother. As the two get older, it shows the unraveling of the Tom Robinson case that is being lawyered by their father, Atticus. Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, by Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell is the father of Mayella Ewell who is revealed to be sexually abusing Mayella as well as using all of their money on alcohol, leaving their family in poverty. This accusation came after Bob Ewell discovered Mayella forcing herself on Tom Robinson, which enraged him …show more content…
But, since the case is a debate between a black man’s words against a white family’s and the setting is located in the 1930s in the racist city of Maycomb, the outcome is stacked against Tom Robinson. Leading to a countless number of racist remarks to the Finch family, especially Scout and Jem, by the local community and the growth of racism in the city. Although, both Scout and Jem are immune to the prominent racism displayed by the rest of the city since they were taken care of by Calpurnia, a black woman. Yet in this case, the local authorities, such as Sheriff Heck Tate, are not immune as they continue to do nothing and stay neutral. In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbolic significance of the White Camellia, Mad Dog, and the Mockingbird to foreshadow later events. At first, Lee uses the White Camellia to foreshadow the spread of racism in the city, especially with the appearance of the Ku Klux …show more content…
Dubose, a prominent racist as well as an owner of White Camellias, looks down on Scout and Jem, who often walk by because Atticus is in charge of Tom Robinson’s case. At one point, Jem loses it and destroys the White Camellias, showing that Jem would advocate for the destruction of racism. Afterwards, the same kind of flowers returned to Jem from Mrs. Dubose as her parting gift. Scout narrates, “Inside, surrounded by wads of damp cotton, was a white, waxy, perfect camellia. It was a Snow-on-the-Mountain. he screamed, flinging it down” (Lee 148). This shows that the White Camellia is a sign that Mrs. Dubose is trying to spread racism to a younger audience, such as Jem, to keep the cycle of racism continuing. Especially since the Camellia is ‘white’ and ‘perfect’, it is specifically trying to spread white supremacy, which was what the White Camellia was all about, foreshadowing the appearance of the Ku Klux Klan. It also predicts that Jem would advocate against racism, as he destroyed the White Camellias after he received them. As time passes, the case of Tom Robinson slowly starts to come up. The case is an uproar in Maycomb, causing the white community to target Tom Robinson. One day, in particular, Jem, Scout, and Dill follow Atticus to the county
To Kill A Mocking Bird is set in a small town in South America called Maycomb. Most of the town’s people of this happy town are not at all what they seem for there is a great hate for all coloured humans. At first glance many readers would wonder how the title evolved, but once you explore the text you begin to understand what the bases of Harper Lee’s message. Harper Lee has portrayed two characters as Mocking Birds. The first of these is Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a Negro living in Maycomb who becomes notorious when he is wrongly accused of the rape of a white woman. Atticus knows that the battle will not be an easy case to win, but decides to represent Tom Robinson, as he says that he couldn’t hold his head up in town or tell the children what to do.
Let us put each other in the shoes of the jury, friends, and family observing in on a discrimination case. Jem and Scout the son and daughter of a lawyer named Atticus Finch get a taste of what the real world is like when, Tom Robinson a poor black man who is married and has kids is falsely accused of raping and assaulting a white woman named Mayella. Mayella Ewell is a young girl considered to be “white trash” who is all by herself to take on the role raising her little siblings while her father Bob Ewell, who is an alcoholic, abuses her. The question arises, is Mayella Ewell Powerful? Mayella Ewell is powerful in this discrimination case because of her race as white woman, her higher class than Tom Robinson, and her gender as a female.
Jean Louise Finch, known to Maycomb as Scout, is affected by racial discrimination in many ways throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Although most discrimination appears as white people against African American people, there is one case where the discrimination appears as African American people against white people. On a Sunday when Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus, is not home, Calpurnia, their cook, takes the two children to her church. Once there they were confronted by a woman named Lula. She is racist against white people, and shows it by saying, “‘I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to n***er church’” (Lee 158). By writing this event into the story, Harper Lee shows how racial discrimination can affect anyone of any race. “The society that imprisons Tom Robinson is the same one that imprisons Scout…” (Durst Johnson 301). Although their reasons for being confined are different, the same society caused it.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of the struggle of a white family facing discrimination for defending a black man. Scout and Jem are two young children living in Maycomb, believing that everyone is like their father, Atticus, who embodies justice and equality. Atticus takes on the case of defending Tom Robinson, a man who is being charged with raping a white woman. Before the trial, the Finches are forced to withstand torment from the townspeople. Their beliefs are shaken when a black man is given a rigged trial and he is innocent.
The story “To kill a Mockingbird” takes place in an old tired town in Alabama during the Great Depression. In the story the main conflict involves a black crippled man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob Ewell. The Ewells were the lowest of the low in Maycomb; they lived in the town dump and had no education. The Accusation of Tom Robinson was caused by the Ewell’s in an effort to better their lifestyle and increase their rank in the town. Although the story is told from Scout’s eyes, the whole story revolves around this questionable trial and shows that being vulnerable and innocent is a dangerous characteristic to have and can easily be taken advantage of.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a heroic tale of leadership and courage during racial times. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus, To, Jem and Scout are unfortunately exposed to a really racist and prejudiced society and town. Which ends up causing them to lose a case and really confuse Jem and Scout when they are young. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, it uses characterization to help show a theme of loss of innocence when people are exposed to surprising and unfair situations.
Throughout the novel Harper Lee explores the racism, prejudice, and the innocence that occurs throughout the book. She shows these themes through her strong use of symbolism throughout the story. Even though To Kill a Mockingbird was written in the 1960’s, the powerful symbolism this book contributes to our society is tremendous. This attribute is racist (Smykowski). To Kill a Mockingbird reveals a story about Scout’s childhood growing up with her father and brother, in an accustomed southern town that believed heavily in ethnological morals (Shackelford).
Racism is wrought within the whole story. For example, even though Calpernia is a female, Aunt Alexandra overlooks her good work because of her race (p. 129). Blacks, because they are considered inferior, are expected to do everything for whites. People are so biased it doesn’t matter how well a job a black person does they are still frowned upon. Furthermore, the jury declares Tom Robinson guilty even though the evidence is clearly in his favor (p.211). A human being has more color pigment in their skin so it is assumed they are guilty without question; truth is never a factor. It is easy to associate the mockingbird symbol to Tom Robinson, a harmless man who becomes a victim of racial prejudice. The Maycomb community are trying to make a fool of them selves by believing they are model citizens and good Christians, even though a small number amongst them know that they are wrong to persecute and hate due to color.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about a black man named Tom Robinson who is imprisoned and on trial for raping a white woman. Throughout the novel Harper Lee explores the theme of imprisonment in many forms such as restriction because of age and/or gender, because of one’s past, and because of social circumstances such as racism. The novel’s main character Scout, feels frustrated by the restrictions placed on her because of her age and her gender and finds ways to express herself in spite of these restrictions. In contrast, Arthur Radley (Boo) allows his past to imprison him inside his house both physically and mentally. Finally, Mayella Ewell is restricted by her society’s expectations that white women are not allowed to be attracted to black
Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, focuses on the maturation of a brother and sister in the "tired old town(Lee 3)" of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930ís. Maycomb, a classic southern town full of gossip, tradition and burdened with a legacy of racism, seems a strange place to stage a drama which encourages equal treatment and non prejudice. However, the narratorís fresh outlook on the sleepy town furnishes the reader with a multitude of viewpoints on civil rights. The traditional Southern racism of Maycomb is looked at through the eyes of our young narrator, Scout Finch. Scoutís innocent perspective compels her to ask questions about why whites treat blacks the way they do. These questions are crucial in Scoutís search for her own identity. Scout must come to terms with the racism of her town and how it affects the people in her life. She must find her own position and what role she will play in the whole racial game. A number of people greatly influence Scout. The two major role models in her life, her Aunt Alexandria and her father Atticus, pull Scout in two opposing directions. Through their dealings with Calpurnia, the Finch's black housekeeper, both the reader and Scout are able to distinguish what path each individual wants Scout to follow.
In the opening chapters of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Harper Lee introduces several subtle instances of racism. However, when Jem and Scout are welcomed into Cal’s Church in chapter 12, the reader really gets to travel behind the false disguise of Maycomb County’s white society to see the harsh realities of the injustices suffered by the blacks. The black community is completely separate from the whites -- in fact, Cal lives in a totally different part of town!
To Kill a Mockingbird is about two children, Scout and Jem, growing up in a town called Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930's. Neighbors and a man next door with the name of Boo Radley make up most of the drama and suspense throughout the story. Scout and Jem put up with a bunch of trash talk when their father, Atticus, defends a black person. As the novel goes on, the children loose their innocence. They learn the injustice of the world when Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape, was convicted guilty. Harper Lee uses the symbol of the mockingbird to show that justice back in the old days isn't always the way it should be, but the exact opposite by using her characters as "mockingbirds." She wants to tell us that prejudice is more powerful than an equal legal system.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee. It is a story from the perspective of a young girl in Alabama, Scout, during the Great Depression. Her father, Atticus, is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman. Atticus’s defense of Tom is significant in representing Atticus’s character, he is a good father, and he convinces people to consider Tom’s innocence. To begin, Atticus’s defense of Tom Robinson is important because it shows Atticus’s character and morals.
To Kill a Mocking Bird expresses the racist attitudes of Maycomb most dominantly in the court case involving Tom Robinson (who's lawyer is Atticus Finch) and Mayella Eule. The trial makes blatantly obvious to the reader that Tom Robinson, the black man accused of rape is innocent and yet the jury finds him guilty. It also establishes that Mayella was actually beaten by her father and although the evidence that points to this occurrence is circumstantial, it is made perfectly clear. The court case also clarifies to the reader the frightful nature and obvious abundance of racism within the small town of Maycomb.
The Room is considered one of the worst movies ever produced, and this is true in many aspects. Tommy Wiseau, who is the rhetor of this movie, was criticized for numerous crucial errors in the plot. One error in this movie is the way Wiseau establishes the friendship among the male characters. Wiseau settles to use football in order for the audience to understand their friendship. Moreover, the purpose of football is to portray the closeness between Johnny and Mark as it is important in leading to the plot’s key conflict. Nevertheless, Wiseau’s implementations of football into the plot is responsible for the movie’s “badness.” For instance, the male characters arrive at Johnny’s house wearing formal suits in preparation for Johnny’s wedding.