Issues In To Kill A Mockingbird
Introduction
• As Atticus once said, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal” (Lee, 274).
• Prejudice should not be present in court to ensure everyone is given an equal chance.
• However, this failed to occur in the case of Leo Frank. The jury was unable to rise above social prejudice and see the case with an open mind.
• Harper Lee also explored this concept in To Kill a Mockingbird. She writes about the sleepy town of Maycomb where life is disrupted by the accusations of rape. Bob Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of raping his daughter.
• Mr. Ewell is considered an underhanded, white man who falls on the outer rings in Maycomb’s
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Atticus Finch fights for Tom Robinson despite the odds being strongly against him from the start.
• The Tom Robinson and Leo Frank trials, both addressed the bigger issues of inequality in
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• They both did the “difficult jobs” so society could put their best foot forward.
• Atticus and Rosser were both making “baby steps” towards a better world without prejudice. The change was not immediate, but a gradual change. These “baby steps” are generally unsure, cautious, hesitant, and the hardest steps. But, they had to start somewhere…
• However, despite both Atticus and Rosser’s efforts, Tom Robinson and Leo Frank were both found guilty.
• In jail, Leo Frank had his throat slashed by a fellow prisoner, but was able to survive. However, on August 15, 1915, “the best citizens” of Mary Phagan’s hometown stormed the jail, kidnapped him, and lynched him the next morning. The civilians stood and posed proudly after performing such a heinous crime.
• The lynch mob that killed Leo Frank is quite similar to the lynch mob that came after Tom Robinson. Fortunately, the Old Sarum Bunch left without causing any actual harm. However, their evil intentions were the same.
Framed
• The National Pencil Company refused to pay because the Pinkerton Detective Agency did not handle the case professionally and set out to prosecute Leo Frank regardless of the
Tom Robinson Fair Trial
182 Words | 1 PagesThis past week has been rough for the Robinson family. After a racist jury choose to make an innocent man guilty things went from bad to worse. Atticus Finch was chosen to defend Tom Robinson. This particular case was against Mayella Ewell, a white woman. As a black man Tom was already at a disadvantage.
How To Kill A Mockingbird Contradicts
606 Words | 3 PagesMany people say that seeing is believing, but that simply is not true, well at least not according to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The book constantly contradicts the idea that seeing is believing. Several different characters go against what is believed and observed about them, which in turn surprises other characters. To start off, one of the biggest characters that contradicts what is believed about them is Atticus. He is seen as this polite, simple man, but when a mad dog is spotted in his neighbourhood he is quick to take a rifle and shoot the dog.
Examples Of Police Privilege In To Kill A Mockingbird
900 Words | 4 PagesIn the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson against all odds, but the racial prejudices at the time caused him to be found guilty and executed. Atticus at one time states, “our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.” This claim can be disproven because some defendants are still treated as second-class citizens compared to those with greater privilege and influence. Atticus’ statement that everyone is equal to the judicial system is incorrect because those who are privileged have more advantages and can avoid blame for their crimes. Many privileged individuals such as police officers can kill and beat unarmed black men and women based on “reasonable doubt” and are later freed of
Atticus Finch Is A Hero Essay
1166 Words | 5 PagesDespite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.
Prejudice In The Courtroom
365 Words | 2 PagesPrejudice in the Courtroom Arguments can be worthless in the audience is Prejudiced. An argument can have the most powerful statement in the world, but mean nothing to someone with a prejudiced opinion. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus Finch is a defending lawyer for convicted rapist Tom Robinson. Tom was accused by the Ewells of raping Mayella Ewell.
To Kill A Mockingbird Hatred Quotes
962 Words | 4 PagesAtticus Finch, a lawyer in the story, is on the case about an African American, Tom Robinson, who was reported as attacking a white woman. At the courthouse, the two sides were going at it. The Ewell’s were saying that he had beat her, and choked her.
Similarities Between Tom Robinson And Boo Radley
242 Words | 1 PagesTom Robinson was put on trial and backed up by Atticus. Tom was black, so he was hopeless because the Jim Crow laws were in play. At then end of the trial the jury found Tom guilty. Tom Robinson was then put into a county trial, and was found not guilty. Tom was sentenced to life in jail.
Thesis Statement For To Kill A Mockingbird Essay
1088 Words | 5 PagesFinal Essay Outline: Thesis Statement/opening paragraph: In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, discrimination and the act of being prejudice is common among the main characters, on both the receiving and serving end. Certain characters, like Scout and Jeremy Finch, Bob Ewell, and the town folk truly create the main problem and set the theme of the story. For example, when Bob Ewell accuses Atticus Finch of being an african-american lover, because he is defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, according to Bob. Boo Radley is accused of being dead by Scout, Jem and Dill.
Examples Of Misunderstandings In To Kill A Mockingbird
1028 Words | 5 PagesEven in a society that, overall, is diverse, people with similar ideas and experiences tend to congregate in small groups, where they are comfortable. It is much easier to remain in homogenous groups, among those who understand each other. When different groups combine, many different life experiences and points of view will be present and will potentially clash. Misunderstanding is bound to occur in some form when individuals of different backgrounds interact. When misunderstandings occur, people tend to respond with violence, fear, or stereotyping.
To Kill A Mockingbird Argumentative Essay
976 Words | 4 PagesDuring the 1930s the south was still raging with racism, and the thought of a black man raping a white woman lead to no further investigation whether it was true or false, he was simply sentenced to death. Atticus Finch, Toms adept lawyer, believed Soulfly in equality and justice for all and was more than happy to defend Tom Robinson with all his heart no matter his race. The Finch family felt very different than the majority of people in Maycomb Alabama. When Tom Robinson has accused the entirety of the town flocked to the courthouse to view the trial. Some with hopes for justice and liberty but most unapologetically hoping for an unfair sentence.
Examples Of Biases In To Kill A Mockingbird
748 Words | 3 PagesIn the 1930s, if a black man was on trial there was a ample chance he would be convicted even if evidence proved he was innocent. Throughout history humans being prejudice and bias have affected the lives of thousands of people; some ending with favorable outcomes while others weren’t so fortunate. Within the book To Kill a Mockingbird the readers learn that prejudice and bias people outnumber the understanding and kind. One decision or in this case twelve decisions decide the fate for an unfortunate man. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee reveals that people often follow their biases and prejudices rather than the truth.
Ethical Dilemmas In To Kill A Mockingbird
1399 Words | 6 PagesHumans live in a world where moral values are very clearly set determining what is good and what is bad. We know what scares us and how racism should be treated. Nevertheless, this was not the case back in Alabama during the 1950s. In the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee narrates the lives of the people of Maycomb, Alabama, focusing on the story of Scout and Jem Finch, and the case of a said to be rape. In this emotion filled narrative, readers learn how life was back then not only in general, but for the separate social statuses that there was.
Theme Of Isolation In To Kill A Mockingbird
1244 Words | 5 PagesIn To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County during the late 1930s, where the characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will witness the prejudice that Maycomb produces during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin colour, and class, their whole lives. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and each contribute to how events play out in the small town of Maycomb. Consequently, socially disabling the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley and his isolation from Maycomb County, the racial aspects of Tom Robinson, and the decision Atticus Finch makes as a lawyer, to defend a black man has all made them fall in the hands of Maycomb’s prejudice ways.
Examples Of Racial Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird
857 Words | 4 PagesEssay In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, there are many important messages shown throughout the book. However the primary focus was set on racial prejudice that existed in the 1930s-1940’s in the fictional town of Maycomb County. The racism in the novel was very much a reality in 1930s-1940s America. A very good example of the racial prejudice that existed was in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, an innocent Negro man held against his will for a crime he did not commit.
To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus Closing Argument Analysis
813 Words | 4 PagesThrough Atticus, the author presents an argument for equality and racial tolerance. All black people were categorised in this era; they were seen as aggressive, untrustworthy and inhuman. This is completely different
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