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Ethical dilemmas of killing a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird individual vs society
Ethical dilemmas of killing a mockingbird
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To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic book by Harper Lee. Justice, being righteous and morally right, is a recurring theme in this book. Set during the Great Depression, the story takes place in a small town full of judgemental Southerners in Alabama. At the end of the tale, Boo Radley, who never left his house, saves two children from an attacker by fatally stabbing him. Boo was the gossip topic of children and adults. The townspeople thought he was mysterious and creepy. Because he was trying to protect Boo from further discrimination, from further humiliation, and from becoming a public spectacle, the usually law-abiding sheriff declared that it was an accident; that the attacker actually fell on his knife. This declaration is wrong for three reasons. First, the murderer should be punished for his actions. Second, the sheriff lied about what actually happened. Third, the sheriff made an exception to the law. “reasons, decision, justice” sentence
By ruling the death of the attacker an accident, the murderer did not suffer consequences for his actions. Although Mr. Radley was defendi...
For example, after Miss Maudie’s house burnt down Jem told Scout, “You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when [Boo Radley] put the blanket around you” (Lee 72) proving his kindness. Also at the end Boo Radley saved Scout from being killed by a drunken Robert Ewell by taking a knife and stabbing him. When she learned of what happened and why Boo would not be punished for murder Scout exclaims, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird” (Lee 276) expressing the idea that though Boo Radley committed a crime, but he did it to save another and it would be wrong to punish him. Lee believed that those who model rectitude, like Boo Radley, should not be punished. This writing style showed how Harper Lee wrote her story with a wide camera lens, for she captured the main idea of a misunderstood character who was not punished for a crime he had committed.
Bob Ewell decided to get back at Atticus for the Tom Robinson case by attacking his kids. Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem by stabbing Bob but Heck Tate is insistent on saying that Bob fell on his knife. Atticus agrees and then explains the situation to Scout. Scout explained to him, “‘ Yes sir, I understand,’ I reassured him. ‘Mr.Tate was right.’ Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?’” (Lee 370) This excerpt depicts that Scout understands how turning in Boo for doing a good deed would be comparable to that of killing a mockingbird. Killing a mockingbird in these times was considered a sin due to the fact that they were completely harmless. This relates to the topic sentence because Scout compares Boo to a mockingbird, more specifically she compares the innocence of the two. She sees that a mockingbird does nothing except make music, similarly to Boo who does nothing except mind his own business and in the end save the Finch kids and the town from the burden of Mr.Ewell. Neither of the creatures cause any harm to anyone so they should not be punished for their simple ways. Another time Boo shows how he connects to Scout is when Scout walks Boo home after he saves her and Jem from Bob. She is standing on the Radley porch and reflects on the past years events through Boo’s eyes. Scout thinks, “ Autumn again, and Boo’s children needed him. Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” (Lee 374) This quote shows how Scout begins to see things from other people’s point of view. She looks back at the past few years but this time from Boo’s perspective.This connects to my topic sentence because Scout finally sees the innocence of Boo. She sees that he is exactly like a mockingbird, this whole time they
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
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee seems like a complete replica of the lives of people living in a small Southern U.S. town. The themes expressed in this novel are as relevant today as when this novel was written, and also the most significant literary devices used by Lee. The novel brings forward many important themes, such as the importance of education, recognition of inner courage, and the misfortunes of prejudice. This novel was written in the 1930s. This was the period of the “Great Depression” when it was very common to see people without jobs, homes and food. In those days, the rivalry between the whites and the blacks deepened even more due to the competition for the few available jobs. A very famous court case at that time was the Scottsboro trials. These trials were based on the accusation against nine black men for raping two white women. These trials began on March 25, 1931. The Scottsboro trials were very similar to Tom Robinson’s trial. The similarities include the time factor and also the fact that in both cases, white women accused black men.
...markings of an innocent childhood no longer. After Tom Robinson is shot, his murder is compared to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds”. Their hearts do nothing but sing out, making beautiful music for all to hear. This is why it is considered a sin to kill one. Jem Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley can all be seen as “mockingbirds”. They never attempt to hurt anyone, yet Tom Robinson was framed for rape, Boo Radley was unlawfully labeled as a vague recluse and the innocence of Jem Fitch was unfairly stolen due to the evil nature of society.
Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a small town Maycomb,Alabama. The novel took place in 1930’s during the great depression. In the town it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they don't harm anyone; they only sing. Although there might be many themes of To Kill a Mockingbird one of the biggest one that stands out is the meaning of Harper Lee title. It is explained almost secretly through the novel.The mockingbirds in the story are Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. They are two men who were both peaceful and would never cause any harm.
No other epidemic reaches the level of the Black Death which took place from 1348 to 1350. The epidemic, better regarded as a pandemic, shook Europe, Asia, and North Africa; therefore it deems as the one of the most devastating events in world history. In The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, John Aberth, compiles primary sources in order to examine the origins and outcomes of this deadly disease. The author, a history professor and associate academic dean at Vermont’s Castleton State College, specializes in medieval history and the Black Death. He wrote the book in order to provide multiple perspectives of the plague’s impact. Primarily, pathogens started the whole phenomenon; however, geological, economic, and social conditions
...to prevent the disease. Some people fled to the country side and quarantined themselves. In the churches they took measures that would have not ever been seen if the plague had not taken place. In one instance, one of the priest was giving out mass on the end of a pole. Pope Clement sat in-between to big fires in order to breath pure air.
The Black Plague was brought upon Europe through the fleas that were on the bodies of rats. As soon as an infected flea bites a single human, anywhere in the world, they are infected with the deadly virus that the fleas carry. The rats with fleas would climb up into the trade boats and get off at another place spreading the disease to many places in the Middle Ages. But the rats were also affected by the fleas’ virus, the rats could survive with a few bacteria in them but eventually, they will die after a few days of also being infected like the humans. The Black Plague was out of three plagues but it was mostly of the bubonic plague which are the least toxic out of the other plague but it is still highly lethal, killing 50% to 60% of its victims, the pneumonic plague which affects the lungs, and the septicaemic plague which affects the blood. The Black plague is one of the most known plagues in history not only for killing millions of people on earth but also because of it spreading rapidly throughout the
A devastating widespread disease that resulted in about 75 million deaths was known as the Black Death. The disease came from fleas that came off of rats that were commonly found in towns and cities. The fleas would bite the victims, injecting them with the disease. Fleas and rats could be found almost anywhere but they were mainly aboard ships of all kind. This is how the Black Death made its way through European ports. This disease could also be spread through the air from person to person. According to one doctor “instantaneous death occurs when the aerial spirit escaping from the eyes of the sick man strikes the healthy person standing near and looking at the sick” There was no medical knowledge to help the people neither cure nor stop the disease. This sent all of Europe in a panic and changed many of their lives forever.
As you may figure viral deadly diseases such as malaria, HIV, and Lung Cancer have killed millions within the years of Human existence, but the one in particular to cause a major impact in the world’s history of sicknesses is The Black Death, formally known as the Bubonic Plague. The Bubonic Plague wasn’t the longest epidemic. The timeline that the disease was present, single handedly slaughtered 25 million people of the vulnerable population in Europe. The childhood nursery rhyme song “Ring around the rosies, pocket full of posies”, discreetly demonstrates the red rash symptomatic of infection and holding flowers under one's nose to combat the smell of sickness and dead bodies.(Ainsworth 64) The symptoms of the disease were airborne and highly contagious and could spread viciously to whomever that came in touching distance of an infected individual. The Black Death put SARS and AIDS in a lower caparison inquiring that they all have caused a death domino effect.(Ainsworth 64) The year of 1333 is when the plague originally geared up into severe sweeps starting in China with the international trading route occurring between constantinople and the mediterranean near the black sea. The living conditions people lived under helped the spread of the disease greatly.
According to my research, the Black plague, also known as the “black death” was a huge disaster that spread from a town called Caffa into Europe in a small amount of time in the early 1300’s. The plague traveled on trade routes. The disease also passed to Italy, France, England, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and, Poland as well. According to the book; Plague and Fire: Battling Black Death and the 1900 Burning of Honolulu's Chinatown , it also “occurred in china and killed millions of people.”
The statement "It is better that 10 guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer" summarises and highlights the mistakes and injustices in the criminal justice system. In a just society, the innocent would never be charged, nor convicted, and the guilty would always be caught and punished. Unfortunately, it seems this would be impossible to achieve due to the society in which we live. Therefore, miscarriages of justice occur in the criminal justice system more frequently than is publicised or known to the public at large. They are routine and would have to be considered as a serious problem in our society. The law is what most people respect and abide by, if society cannot trust the law that governs them, then there will be serious consequences including the possible breakdown of that society. In order to have a fair and just society, miscarriages of justice must not only become exceptional but ideally cease to occur altogether.
In Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird the protagonist Scout face offenses by others because of her father's justice for defending an African American in court. Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, in the sleepy town of Maycomb during the Great Depression. As Atticus, the father of the protagonist faces the moral dilemma in chapter 29-30 of the incident with Bob Ewell. Atticus moral dilemma will reveal his character and his beliefs. Bob Ewell attempted to hurt Atticus children in order to get revenge on Atticus for defending the African American who was accused of raping his daughter in court. Atticus has a hard time of choosing whether to tell the town that Bob Ewell died of an accident, or his son or Boo Radley killed Bob Ewell. Atticus is a famous lawyer in Maycomb and he believes in legal justice.
This pandemic first appeared in the city-states of Italy and spread across Europe culminating in the deaths of 25,000,000 people. It is now known that the plague originated in China and inner Asia and that one of the reasons it was so devastating was because of the famine that Europe had just started to recover from.It is also now known that the Black Death was the result of the bacteria yerinia pestis, a bacteria that can cause swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, the groin, and the neck of people infected with the virus. No particular social class station faith or age group escaped the ravages and people became hungry for answers from the Church. This plague was so devastating Europe’s population did not reach its pre-1347 level until the 16th century.