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To Kill a Mockingbird: GCSE Coursework
The theme of prejudice is central to the novel. A number of characters
are discriminated against. Making close reference to the text discuss
what you think Harper Lee wants us to learn about society as
illustrated in her novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ set in 1930’s America.
In this essay I will give my opinions on why in ‘To Kill a
Mockingbird’, Harper Lee included a lot of prejudice and controversial
issues in the 1930’s. Also I will explore the ideas of why she would
want the readers of the book in future generations to learn about the
kinds of society in America in the 1930’s. I feel that the book ‘To
Kill a Mockingbird’ has many different ways of showing prejudice.
One of the main displays of prejudice in the book is the court case
and the apparent rape of Mayella Ewell which Tom Robinson is
automatically accused and convicted of just because he is black. In
this 1930’s society white people are believed more than black people
as black people are considered untrustworthy automatically because of
their race. Because the book is set in the 1930’s in America the
racism in the society is not as strong as it used to be but it is
still around and people cannot trust black people as much as white
people just because of principle, for example the jury in the court
case probably want to say that Tom Robinson is not guilty but because
of the society and the principle they cannot. I think that Harper Lee
wanted readers to learn about the seriousness of racism in the 1930’s
and the court case of Tom Robinson allows Harper Lee to show it, by
showing that the jury have to say that Tom Robinson is guilty because
of the society even when they probably know that there is no re...
... middle of paper ...
..., and resumed his activities” which
leads people to believe things about Boo.
In conclusion Harper Lee wrote a lot of morals into the book including
Prejudice, Racism and Peer pressure to teach people about common life
in the 1930’s and the life of black people in these times. She also
uses different methods of teaching in the book, with Atticus teaching
Scout about racism in the community, with acts of racism being
displayed against Tom Robinson and also Atticus being spat at for
defending a black man, these different ways of showing the ways in
which people can be discriminated against and showing how life was in
the 1930’s make the book a good way of learning about everyday life in
a community with racist people(Mr Ewell), people easily lead by peer
pressure (Mr Cunningham) and also people who don’t agree with racism
and who are against it (Atticus).
Scout's perception of prejudice is evolved through countless experiences in Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird. Written in the nineteen thirties, To Kill a Mockingbird promotes the understanding of self-discovery through Scout, an intelligent and outspoken child living with respectable family in Maycomb County, Alabama. Throughout various encounters in the novel, Harper Lee causes Scout's perspective to change and develop from innocence to awareness and eventually towards understanding.
Three students kicked out of a high school for threatening to bring a gun to school. Why would they? Because people were prejudice against them because other students thought they were “losers”. Moral: You shouldn’t not like a person because they aren’t like you. Prejudice was far much worse in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird. But, Prejudice is the reason for much social injustice. Three characters named Nathan Radley, Atticus Finch, and Aunt Alexandria show us this in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.
Unfortunately, racism still exists today, although it may be less aggressive and intense. These situations are extremely unjust and unacceptable. The three main points discussed all relate to racism, which is unfair and should not occur.
“Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born prejudice; you’re taught it” –Charles R Swindoll. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about a young girl named Scout who lives in a world filled with prejudice. There are many instances and types of prejudice in the novel. A man named Tom Robinson was convicted for doing a crime he never did because of the color of his skin. To this day, Tom would have never been tried because the evidence assuredly shows he is not guilty. One only becomes prejudice if you are taught it from other prejudice people. Harper Lee shows this idea throughout her novel through her characters, dialogue and theme.
“Agape means understanding, redeeming good will for all men… Therefore, agape makes no distinction between friends and enemy.” Martin Luther King Jr.’s “An Experiment in Love” emphasizes the importance of understanding and compassion, and the equality of all men on earth, for “all men are brothers.” To Kill a Mockingbird, set in the 1930’s, similarly examines these ideas during the time of the Great Depression, when many families were unable to find work and therefore became impoverished. It was also a time when racism was largely present. In many situations, racism was taught to one’s children, and then to the next generation. When ignorance is taught to children by their own parents, it is not uncommon that those children will continue
In the world people are always preconceived based on who they are or what they look like. Even though it isn’t as big of a problem in some areas as in others, we need to fight it. If we don’t then it will continue to get more serious and at times lead to death. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Alexandra tells her niece that she can’t play with a schoolmate simply because of his class. “‘You can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem…Because—he—is—trash.’” (224). This prejudiced state of mind is the foundation for the plot events of the novel. By way of experiences, a young girl, Scout Finch, must learn about the part prejudice plays in the everyday life of Maycomb County. Through settlement patterns, justice, and social stratification Harper Lee reveals the ways of prejudice.
Prejudice is arguably the most prominent theme of the novel. It is directed towards groups and individuals in the Maycomb community. Prejudice is linked with ideas of fear superstition and injustice.
The theme of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird broadens to a further extent than just the situation of racial discrepancy between the blacks and the whites. Although, the racial discrimination mainly towards the blacks is the most prominent occurrence of injustice at Harper Lee’s time- the early Twentieth century, the whole novel includes several, other forms of prejudice that portray the unfavourable effects that was endured by innocent people. These blameless individuals were referred to mockingbirds, since it was a sin to kill one as said by Atticus, “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” So, therefore mockingbirds are a representation of the main events that occurred during Harper Lee’s life such as having African Americans taking away their life due to the colour of their skin.
The novel How to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee contains one overbearing theme: extreme prejudice. Throughout the novel “Scout” and her brother “Jem”; their real names being Jean Louise Finch and Jeremy Atticus Finch respectively, are victims and perpetrators of prejudice. In the novel, the children’s father Atticus Finch is the defense attorney for Mr. Tom Robinson, a black man convicted of raping white women with only circumstantial evidence. This evidence only pointing to Mayella Ewell being assaulted not by him; but by her father, Mr. Bob Ewell. Tom Robinson is only a victim of prejudice, alongside a multitude of people, all because of gender, socioeconomic, and/or racial aspects of their lives.
Prejudice is a real life problem in the world. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes the prejudices found in a small American town in the 1930's. Race, social class, and gender are examples of prejudice.
Why do people these days tend to make fun of other people based on that person’s clothing and their skin color? Why don’t people realize that these assumptions can lead to violence? It could also end up killing innocent citizens who don’t have anything to do with this. In another way you can put it is that, prejudice ruins and sometimes even destroys humans. It also causes people to lose the way they look at their fellow human. . In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how prejudice causes people to believe in rumors, judge others by their skin color, and the beliefs of others.
However, racism problems have decreased over time, it still is present and viewed as a negative
Prejudice is a strong word. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, a black man, Tom Robinson, was accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, and was brought to trial. There were distinct views concerning Tom Robinson's innocence – views influenced by prejudice. The townspeople of Maycomb believed in Tom's guilt while Atticus and the children believed in Tom's innocence.
Racism and prejudice has been present in almost every civilization and society throughout history. Even though the world has progressed greatly in the last couple of decades, both socially and technologically, racism, hatred and prejudice still exists today, deeply embedded in old-fashioned, narrow-minded traditions and values.
Racism, still affects our society socially. It is like this every day, everywhere, and every time, people suffer discrimination. All because they have differences amongst each other. Different beliefs, different cultures, different skin color, all of these act like building blocks to help construct what we know as