Prejudice is when, “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for” – Judge Taylor (page 92), To Kill a Mockingbird. In today’s society, it is a common occurrence, everyone experiences prejudice as no two are alike. Prejudice is a term meaning a pre-judgement of someone, affected by a combination of both truth and rumour, based on gender, race and social status. In, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the impact of prejudice on Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose and Tom Robinson through the perspective of Scout. The characters in the story have not in any way harmed anyone, nor did they go against the law. Yet, they were treated unreasonably because in Maycomb people only see the qualities that clash with their mediocre …show more content…
The children described her as the ‘meanest women ever lived’. Due to her daily ‘routine’, which refers to her harsh tone when she spoke to everyone, most of the people in Maycomb were left with a poor impression of her, and the children were despised of her. Especially when Mrs Dubose said that Atticus was, 'no better than the niggers and trash he works for' (page 55), Jem became intolerant of her offensive words and went to her house, and destroyed all her camellias with Scout’s baton. However, it was until Mrs. Dubose died, Jem realized what she had been dealing with was morphine addiction. By reading to her as a punishment, Jem and Scout were helping her to fulfil her wish which is to die ‘beholden to nothing and nobody’ (page 61). The ‘perfect camellia’ in which Mrs. Dubose left for Jem symbolizes purity and innocence. She did what she thought was right even when she knew she would lose. She was not the ‘meanest women’, in fact, she was the most courageous person in the …show more content…
Tom Robinson is a negro who was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Tom was subjected to be guilty of rape even before the actual trial runs. On the night Tom was moved to the Maycomb jail, a group of men surrounded the jail, aiming to take Tom out. One of the men in the group said, ‘you know what we want’. It was said to Atticus who was outside the jail and was the defense lawyer for Tom. The threatening tone in his speech implies that they were going to do something bad. It was a clear illustration of a lynch mob whereby a crowd of people intends to attack a person, whom they believed committed a serious crime without any legal proceedings. The idea of Tom being guilty before any prove of his innocence contrasts with the idea today. It portrays a fictional example of racial prejudice, and reinforcing the importance of social status in
The lack of knowledge in Maycomb about the outside world and their opinions about black people ingrains ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’ into their minds as they have no other opinions about black people. This is shown by the crowd’s outrage as they gather to lynch Tom, not knowing that he was innocent, but blinded by their pre-conceived ideas about black people, thinking that Tom obviously did it as he was black. Their prejudice and ignorance blinded them to the fact that the Ewell’s had manipulated him for their own benefit. Also, this prejudice causes the people who are prejudiced to be as prejudiced towards people who are not. This is shown by Mrs Dubose’s statement to Jem, “Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for.”
“Atticus said that he was defending a Negro by the name of Tom Robinson.” This quote shows that Atticus is defending an African American. In that time period this was looked down a upon because racism toward African American was beyond common. Why Atticus being shunned for defending a black man shows the theme of racism in “To Kill a Mockingbird” is the way people treated Atticus and his family for doing this. “I was ready to punch Cecil Jacobs in the face.
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.
Another form of prejudice that is found in To Kill a Mockingbird is religious prejudice. This form is first shown when the children are with Miss Maudie while she is tending to her garden. Jem, Scout and Dill kept asking questions about Mr. Radley. Miss Maudie tells them about Mr. Radley’s religious beliefs, calling him one of the “foot washing Baptists”, believers. that believe that anything that gives you pleasure is a sin (Les 49).
In the courtroom that night it is revealed that the alleged crimes of Tom Robinson, a decent Negro man, most likely did not happen. As Atticus says in his closing argument, "The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is” (Lee 271). Showing the clear innocence of Tom Robinson due to lack of evidence, Scout thinks that the white jury will do the right thing only to find out that they still, unfairly, accuse him of being guilty. Scout and her brother, Jem, get very upset when they hear the verdict, however, it allows them both to learn the lesson that the county is unfair towards anyone who is not white. The county demonstrates this evil racism due to the social divisions in Maycomb between the whites and the blacks and because the whites see the blacks as unworthy of rights and freedoms. It was not just the trial itself that displayed evil in the world, but the comments and arguments surrounding the case did
Prejudice meaning pre-judging someone and having an unwarranted bias occurs often in today’s society and has been around since the beginning of time. Prejudice can effect people’s decisions and have an unfair impact on society. The text ‘To kill a mocking-bird’ written by Harper Lee and the movie ‘Philadelphia’ directed by Jonathon Demme explore this idea thoroughly.
Maycomb is a petite, sleepy town, however, the political side is vicious. Atticus selflessly decides to defend Tom, an African American, in court who was being wrongly prosecuted for rape. Despite Maycomb’s arsenal of verbal chastisement on himself and his children, continued to defend Tom. Because Tom was African-American, his rights were subconsciously removed due to racial bias. "It was just him I couldn't stand," Dill said…"That old Mr. Gilmer doin' him thataway, talking so hateful to him… It was the way he said it made me sick, plain sick… The way that man called him 'boy' all the time an' sneered at him, an' looked around at the jury every time he answered… It ain't right, somehow it ain't right to do 'em that way. Hasn't anybody got any business talkin' like that—it just makes me sick." (Lee 155-165). Although the treatment was harsh, Atticus continued to defend Tom because Atticus’s virtues abide by protecting the innocent. The overwhelming negativity crowding the court case that Atticus disrupts for Tom Robinson supports Atticus’s altruism in defending the
“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
Racial prejudice consumed the mob (pg 166), which wished to prevent Tom even gaining a court hearing, the most basic form of justice. This is probably the fiercest form of prejudice in the novel.
Throughout History, men have looked down on blacks and women. But this does not justify the view that blacks and women are below white men. When people look down on blacks and women, they preform injustice. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is full of injustice. During this time period, everyone looked down on blacks and women, which makes Maycomb one in the same with the discriminators. In particular, the people in Maycomb looked down on Tom Robinson, and many others looked down on Scout. Around the Finch household, Aunt Alexandria always tries to do away with Calpurnia, the black housekeeper and cook as Alexandria says, “We don’t need her (Calpurnia) now.” (182). Injustices in Maycomb include the case of Tom Robinson, the way Aunt Alexandra treats Calpurnia, and the way people treat Scout.
Prejudice, the act of judging someone based on outward appearance or social standing. In the 1960’s Harper Lee wrote a book called To Kill a Mockingbird, about prejudice and how hard the times were. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many examples of prejudice showing how morally wrong it was. There are several examples of prejudice in the book: Tom Robinson because he is African American, Boo Radley because of his standing in their society, and the Cunningham Family because of how poor they were. The following paragraphs will discuss these examples.
... situation from their perspective, and in this case, Atticus reveals Mrs Dubose being a morphine addict. She wanted to die without having to rely on the drug and her escapades were what it easier. Jem and Scout understood the situation and learnt the importance of tolerance.
Mrs. Dubose is overtly racist, representing the ‘bad’ part of the town. In chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs. Dubose repeatedly insults Jem and Scout because their father, Atticus Finch, is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of rape. The theme is revealed in chapter 11.
Throughout time society has been tested many a time. The tests of society are those which show the development of a society’s culture, morals and value system. The recent events of Maycomb have shown it has not developed or flourished but that with the death of my dear husband, Tom, it has failed miserably. Justice, although bittersweet, is the pie that society has been given the duty to serve. The once-solid pillars of fairness and humanity upon which our society was built are crumbling. The trials and tribulations of Tom Robinson have not only led me to lose faith in justice, fairness and humanity but removed my veil of ignorance and shown me the ignorant “whites” have the power to kill even the sweetest of mockingbirds.