The Evolution of Racism: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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To Kill a Mockingbird is a true American classic of the time and one of those seminal works that shaped a generation. The world is an imperfect place; we all know that, this book is a superb example of this. It specifically states in the book “Ewells hate and despise the colored folks” (Lee 229). This being said why do they hate them? Is it a logical hatred or just a figment of the imagination? They hate them because they remind them of themselves; it is fear that drives them to hatred. If one sit downs and truly gets to the heart of our problems as humans everything stems from one central idea. Fear, fear starts wars, kills people, sparks racism, and dictatorships. Before this paper proceeds any farther I must note, I am not a racist, I have many African American friends and despise white trash just as much as black trash. Why as humans do we fear only things that are different from us and what we know? Is it so difficult to conceive that a difference could be a good thing and not a bad one? The whites fear the blacks athletic ability. The blacks fear what they perceive as white dominance of the workplace, these fears lead to conflict. The outcome of this conflict in modern America is an imbalance; a racism against the whites of America that spreads like wildfire on a hot July day. A perfect example is the recent story about Clippers owner David Stern who made some comments about being around black people. I am in no way defending him but I would just like to note that had a black man said that about a white person it would have been a mute point, no one would have cared. However the blacks fear that comment thus it becomes a story. Fear can drive us to rushed action, like shooting a dog that probably didn't need to be shot. Th... ... middle of paper ... ...l cure our world! Works Cited Binette, Peggy. "Study: Half of Black Males, 40 Percent of White Males Arrested by Age 23." Study: Half of Black Males, 40 Percent of White Males Arrested by Age 23. EurekaAlert, 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Janken, Kenneth R. "The Civil Rights Movement: 1919-1960s, Freedom's Story, TeacherServe®, National Humanities Center." The Civil Rights Movement: 1919-1960s, Freedom's Story, TeacherServe®, National Humanities Center. TeacherServe, 1 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. . Lee, Felicia R. "Young and in Fear of the Police; Parents Teach Children How to Deal With Officers' Bias." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Oct. 1997. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print. Warner Communications Company

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