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Social differences in to kill a mockingbird
Social differences in to kill a mockingbird
Social differences in to kill a mockingbird
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The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, takes place in the 1930s in Maycomb Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel has several demonstrations of empathy. It develops this concept of empathy throughout the novel, leading us to understand empathy more. Commencing the novel, Scout introduces her family, friends, peers and everyone around her. In Maycomb, she speaks of Boo Radley, who is a very important character in this novel. From when Scout first starts school and having conflicts with her teacher to when she is playing a game revolving around Boo Radley with Dill and Jem, you come to the realization that the different points of view people have on other people can cause dilemmas. Empathy is the basis to love in a way. …show more content…
Atticus Finch, who is the father of Jem and Scout, emphasizes to them that they can not disrespect someone because of their skin color, or because they have less money than them, etc. Atticus believes that treating other people the same and not inhumane is the right thing to do. He demonstrates this in Chapter 9, page 75 when he is explaining to Scout why he is defending a Negro and why many people in the town are speaking badly of him because he isn't supposed to be defending the Negro man, Tom Robinson. He states “For a number of reasons...If I didn't I couldn't hold up my head… couldn't represent this country… couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something…” In this specific quote, you can tell that Atticus believes in having empathy with others. He knows that since Robinson is a Negro, he won't have a fair trial, so he decides to hold his head high and defend Tom, even though everyone else will turn their backs on him because he is defending Tom. This shows us his character. It shows how he wants to do what he believes is right and moral. He knows that the right thing to do is protect Tom from a false and racist accusation. When he states that he couldn't represent his country, he is proving the fact that Maycomb is racist and he wants to share his morals with Maycomb. So, with Tom's case, he believes he can accomplish this. And for his last statement, he said would not be able to tell the children to …show more content…
Empathy falls into the love category and together they overpower hate. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are quite a few instances in where love overpowers hate even though Maycomb is a very hateful place filled with prejudice. But, when Bob Ewell spits in his face and is threatening Atticus telling him that he is going to get even with him, Atticus is empathetic instead of trying to fight him back. When Jem tells him that he scared for Atticus, Atticus says “... see if you stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes…” (Lee, 218)Which again is Atticus trying to get Jem to understand his morals and apply them into his life as well. He also states that “...spitting...threatening… saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating… I’ll gladly take.” (Lee, 218) This proves that Atticus will take all the anger Ewell has if it means saving the Ewell's children a beating, “...He had to take it out on somebody and I'd rather it be me than that houseful of children”. (Lee,218) In addition, the morning after the trial of Tom Robinson, the Finch's were “loaded with enough food to bury the family”(Lee, 213) and it was all thanks to the gratitude Robinson's family had towards Atticus. They overdid themselves and this wasn't an easy time period were food was cheap or abundant. Instead of being mad at Atticus and hating him for not getting Tom out of his dilemma, they appreciated that Atticus tried at least. And Atticus was grateful for this because his eyes “filled
In real life there are many different types of people, some of them are similar
There are some people in this world that can truly understand, or try to understand people and their feelings. They can relate to them on some sort of level. Then there's is plenty of people in this world who have no empathy at all. They don’t feel for people or even try to understand. That's exactly why everyone should read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The book is about a little girl named Scout and her older brother Jem, who is going through some changes as they grow older in the racist south where their father, a lawyer has a case about a black man raping a white woman. Over the course of the book, both characters grow in great measures. Their father is always teaching them in little ways what’s right/wrong, and what’s good/bad.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings with others. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many characters who showed the quality of empathy. A few examples who undoubtedly showed empathy were the main characters Jem, Atticus, and the narrator Scout Finch. These characters learned and demonstrated compassion throughout the book.
I am reading, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In the first three chapters Jem and his younger sister Scout meet Dill, who stays over at his Aunt’s house in the summer. Dill becomes fascinated with the Finches neighbor; also know as the town creep Boo Radley. He is so interested in Boo because he allegedly killed his father and ever since never comes outside. In this journal, I will be predicting that the kids will not meet Boo.
Have American’s lost the ability to show empathy? Although a novice reader may struggle to see how a book written over 50 years ago bears any connection to our modern world, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird could not be any more relevant. The citizens of fictional Maycomb County acknowledge their flawed legal system and unfair social castes as unfortunate truths of life, of which all you can do is accept it as fact. The sole exception is lawyer Atticus Finch, who is in charge of defending the accused in court. After seeing all too many men receive a sentence simply because of the color of their skin, Atticus embarks on a quest to teach Jem and Scout, his children, that prejudice can be fought. By understanding and exposing ourselves to different people, we can free ourselves from prejudice.
Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
Atticus should not give up his character, parental authority, and position in town to please the racist beliefs of others in Maycomb. Atticus cannot stand racism and says, "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. " Atticus should take a stand and defend Tom Robinson, to treat his children with valuable lessons and to keep his conscience clean. For these reasons, it does make sense for Atticus Finch to defend Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus decides to represent a colored man by the man of Tom Robinson, who is being accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell’s daughter. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent, but he does not think that Tom will be found not guilty because of they way the townsfolk treat colored people. They treat them like dirt; like they are worth nothing. Atticus went ahead and represented Tom despite the fact that he knew the townsfolk would call himself and his children names and treat them disrespectfully. Even Scout’s relative Francis said rude things about them. “‘I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-...’ ‘Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'.’” Atticus set a good example for Scout and Jem. He had a difficult decision to make, but he chose what he thought was
Examine the Themes of Innocence and Experience in To Kill a Mockingbird. Innocence is a time when a person has never done something; it is the first step in the journey from innocence to experience. The second step in this movement is experience and this is what is achieved after. a person has done something they have never done before or learns something they have never known before. This theme of growth from innocence to experience occurs many times in To Kill a Mockingbird and is one of the central themes in the first part of the novel, because it shows how Jem and Scout change and mature over a small period of time.
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves of classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for its execution of style and the importance of its content.
First, the trial of Tom Robinson is an eye-opening experience for Jem and Scout; there they discover hatred, child abuse, and lying. Seeing pure hate is new and strange for Jem and Scout. They know that prejudice does exist, but listening to and watching Bob Ewell during the trial is astounding to them because Bob Ewell abhors all blacks, especially Tom Robinson. Bob’s daughter, Mayella, makes an advance on Tom, which is absolutely unspeakable and shameful at that time. In addition, Bob Ewell’s hate grows (especially for Atticus) because after the trial his reputation and respect is ruined, even though he does not have a high degree of integrity to begin with. Also, through the
Afghanistan was a war country where people got attacked by the talibans. In the kite runner a novel by Khaled Hosseini Afghanistan, was a dangerous country. It's the story about a relationship About 2 boys called Hassan and Amir that at this time in the book they were victims and innocents and don't deserve a punishment on the story. People gain empathy when others need the help, when they lose someone, when there's a bond between people and are demonstrating when others have help us we want to help them.
First, Atticus Finch is the definition of a good person with justice, morality, and ethics. He sets a good example for not only his children, but also for the town as a whole. Atticus also believes in equality and justice. He stands up for Tom Robinson and takes his case even though the townspeople are upset that he was defending him. People begin to talk and gossip about Atticus even around his own children. Kids even heard the gossip from their parents and begin to pick on Scout and Jem at school. The kids would come to Atticus and ask him why he was defending Tom if people thought it was so wrong. He tells them that it’s the right thing to do and that it was his duty. Atticus stated, "The main one is, if I didn 't I couldn 't hold up my head in town, I couldn 't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn
“I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them” (Lee 288). In this part of the book Miss Maudie is telling Jem and Scout that Atticus is taking a case that is unpleasant and that nobody else would will do. This quote is saying that Atticus is selfless. Also, Atticus does not care what Tom’s skin color is he is still going to try to defend him. “Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what i don’t like about it” (Lee 218). A man in the courthouse says this and Jem and Scout hear him, but Atticus does not care, he is still going to try to defend tom Robinson even if other people don’t like the idea about him defending a colored man. Another good quote is “Simple since we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 101). Atticus is being responsible and is trying to win the case. When Atticus took this case he took a lot of risk and he go some good stuff out of
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus has empathy for the African Americans in Maycomb. "Atticus's eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. 'Tell them I'm very grateful,' he said. 'Tell them-- tell them they must never do it again. Times are too hard..." (286). He could have just been grateful for the food but instead he felt guilty that they paid money for him. They are less fortunate than the Finch’s and Atticus saw that and felt terrible. Both of the book’s main characters acknowledged that they should be more gracious towards the less fortunate. The only difference is the empathy in A Walk to Remember isn’t as intense or needed as much as in To Kill A Mockingbird, but it is still appreciated. Nicholas Sparks had the main character gain empathy for someone over time whilst Harper Lee gave the main character empathy to begin with, it was just amplified. Another contrast is that Nicholas Sparks’ empathy is harder to find in the book while in To Kill A Mockingbird, it’s more effortless. One of the quotes Atticus said that is easily empathy is, "He meant it when he said it, Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something