Judge Paul Heath Till’s explanation of Southern civility is reflected in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird in various ways. It is shown by the way the folks of Maycomb County Alabama dress and the way they speak. Southerners need to have respect for others and possess their social class. Their family name can have a good reputation when they address elders with respect and maintain a nice appearance. Southerners prefer to be well known for their positive traits and not their negative traits.
Till’s explanation of the way a Southerner should dress is that they need to look clean and sharp. If you have a dirty or messy appearance, bystanders will make a negative evaluation of you, which could lead to a bad reputation of your family name throughout the town. Miss Maudie Atkinson in To Kill a Mockingbird is a typical Southern woman that dresses and acts like many other Southern women of their time. In the novel, it states “Miss Maudie hated her house. Time spent indoors was time wasted. She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but after her five o’clock bath she would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty” (Lee 42). In other words, Miss Maudie appears to be a Southern woman to the public eye. Aunt Alexandra
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Southerners usually address people they are talking to with either “Sir” or “Ma’am.” In To Kill a Mockingbird, the people of Maycomb County address their elders with proper titles as a sign of respect. In the text, when Scout was in school talking with Miss Caroline Fisher, she addressed her as “Ma’am.” Burris Ewell addressed her as “Missus” and another boy in the class called her “Ma’am.” For example, the students don't call their teacher by name, Miss Fisher, because that isn't showing her enough respect. Southern civility has the same view on showing respect in how one
Judge Till’s reasoning of southern culture is as follows, “To a Southerner...manners...is the conduct and appearance of each individual interrelating with others in public and private. ”(Paragraph
As stated in Pace’s definition of the Southern code of honor, appearance was an important part of being honorable, so it comes as no surprise that the latest fashion was a requirement to be welcomed among other peers at these Southern colleges. Being among the elite of Southern society requires one to not only act, but also dress as
Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them while the trial is coming up. She is some what a racist person who does not believe that Calpurnia should be their cook anymore for as she is a person of color. “Atticus’s voice was even: ‘Alexandra, Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to…’”(182). This shows that not only does Atticus stick up for people but some people, like Aunt Alexandra, do not understand its a hard time in the great depression but even harder for the people of color who couldn’t find work before the great
When Jem and Scout witnessed their old man shoot Tim Johnson it shown their dad in a new light. After having saw their father do something so incredible and out-of-character, they saw him as someone who wasn’t an older man who would prefer reading over hunting and cant take being tackled, but far from it. Scout even goes so far as to say that she isn’t ashamed of her decrepit, good-for-nothing father anymore, only from this one event. A discussion between Miss Maudie and her shows her change in view in her father, “Miss Maudie grinned wickedly. ‘Well now, Miss Jean Louise,’ she said, ‘still think your father can’t do anything?
Argumentative Essay The book To Kill a Mockingbird is based out of the town of Maycomb, Alabama. The residents in Maycomb are extremely racist and see minor inequalities as major differences and reasons to segregate. The families of Maycomb have their own hereditary social classes and are pretty much stuck in their class based on occupation and race`. People in Maycomb are born into significance or are born into less fortunate situations. Many of the characters use these social classes to boost their self esteem.
Many children have adults in their lives who influence the way they turn out in the future. These people can affect the children in negative or positive ways. Scout learns the importance of respect from Calpurnia, the ways of the world, how to live life to the fullest, and walking in someone else’s shoes to understand them throughout the entirety of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee truly portrays Scout ’s coming of age by using the character’s Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Atticus as very important role models in Scout’s life.
Scout said, “"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life. I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year...." (108). This quote illustrates how Scout pushes against gender stereotypes, and this is the root of conflicts between her and Aunt Alexandra.
In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”, written by Harper Lee, things can change in the blink of an eye. It can go from a peaceful taciturn summer morning to all hell broken loose. And for Aunt Alexandra, change comes extremely faster then anyone would ever expect. She would be one of the most imprudent and disrespectful person anyone would know to a caring, respected person who wouldn't despise anyone by their skin or gender.
She understands that Atticus is a moral man and she wants Scout to be the same way. Because of Miss Maudie’s good nature she is a mentor to
The Beauty of the Southern Flowers “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between.” (Lee 278). When it comes to the topic of flowers, most of us will readily agree that they represent development, growth, beauty and happiness. For instance, Roses are known for signifying love and deep passion while Lotus flowers are known for purity of the heart. Nonetheless, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee utilizes flowers to symbolize the strength and character that women of Maycomb possess.
Aunt Alexandra thinks that Scout needs to “have some feminine influence” (170). Being a typical southerner woman, she's the ideal person for this role. Therefore, she decides to come live with the family for a while. Aunt Alexandra represents the old-fashioned southern person.
In 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.
Cultural norms are what make and shape a society. They are the guidelines, and or patterns, that are to be followed, in order to be considered a normal, typical, everyday citizen. As such, it does not matter if the norms are right or wrong. As long as the citizen is still a part of their society, right and wrong does not matter, as far as they are concerned. In the case of To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the cultural norm, of Maycomb County, embraces the wrong, in the form of extreme prejudice behavior.
In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the small, imaginary town, the Maycomb County, as a place where racism and social inequality happens in the background of 1930s America. Not only the segregation between whites and blacks, but also the poor lived in a harsh state of living. As Scout, the young narrator, tells the story, Lee introduces and highlights the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb County by using various characters such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Firstly, Harper Lee portrays Boo Radley as a victim of social inequality through adjectives and metaphor in the phrase, “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten;” ‘Long jagged scar that ran across his face’ tells us that Boo Radley has stereotype about his appearance, which forces to imagine Boo as a scary and threatening person. The phrase, ‘yellow and rotten’ make the readers think as if Boo Radley is poor and low in a social hierarchy, as he cannot afford to brush his teeth.
Grace Merriweather, and Bob Ewell. Aunt Alexandra is one character that is prejudice against African Americans by not liking Calpurnia taking care of Jem and Scout. Aunt Alexandra is also racist against people like the Cunninghams because they are in a lower-class than the Finch’s. Mrs. Merriweather is another character that also does not agree with what Atticus is doing for Tom which leads to her showing behaviors that are prejudice against Tom for being African American. Also, by showing disrespect to her servants, Mrs. Merriweather shows people that she is racist.