Both authors explore Critical Race Theory in detail. As I previously mentioned, CRT is one of the most important developments mainly in the legal studies department. Why? Because in a time where there were no critical legal studies pertaining to minorities. A small group of intellectual figures gathered to create CRT.
Throughout his closing arguments, Atticus is constantly trying to show both the jury and the people of Maycomb why this case should never have gone to trial and he does so with a lot of emotional appeal. An example of this is seen when he states “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white” (271). This quote uses powerful language such as the phrase “as simple as black and white” which shows how a case with seemingly blatant evidence proving Tom Robinson’s innocence, is undermined by the prejudice which exists in society at the time. Atticus argues that the whole reason this case had ever gotten to this point is because of the racial inequality in Maycomb and throughout the country at the time.
Henry Lafayette Dubose shows both how the racism in Maycomb was very present and how it was normalized too. She normalizes racism when she called Atticus a “nigger lover”. Her using this phrase shows that she saw it as shameful to treat coloured folks equally, and she is very comfortable with saying it. Her racism is also clear when she says “Your father's no better than the niggers and trash that he works for!” [Lee 110]. She is showing how present racism is in Maycomb because she thinks that coloured people ranks as “trash” and that she is better than them.
To commence, characters such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley were key elements in helping to exhibit the theme of the novel. The novel focuses around a rape trial, Tom Robinson being accused of raping a 19 year-old woman named Mayella Ewell. Tom being innocent isn’t even taken into consideration due to the fact that he’s a black man. Atticus Finch, a respected local lawyer takes on the case trying to make the jury look past the fact that Tom is black. To bespeak, Atticus states the following, directing it to the jury, “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women- black or white.
Although these children were raised in a community full of racial bias, the important people in their lives, Atticus and Calpurnia, combined with their experience at the trial, transfigured their opinions. Two White children in a Southern town, crying
Everyone wants the perfect parental environment when growing up. Unfortunately, this doesn’t hold true for many. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, the children are lacking a mother and their father is so busy with his job, he doesn’t always get to spend quality time with them. An African-American woman, Calpurnia, however, tries to serve a much needed role in this story. “Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em if you can 't act fit to eat at the table you can just sit here and eat in the kitchen!” This is one of many examples Calpurnia sets for Jem and Scout.
No matter the colour of the defendant’s skin, a white woman should not hold him accountable for an undeserved charge as a result of guilt and shame. Atticus appeals for racial equality, by accentuating that Mayella Ewell is guilty of a compassionate moment with a black man, and that it is not an excuse for a rape charge. This closing argument has been recognised as one of the 20th centuries most impressive messages in emphasising racial justice and a move for an integrated
One of the events where the discriminant black people unfairly is when Atticus takes a case where tom robinson is accused of rapeing a girl. Even though atticus made some very good points and even exposed the ewells, Tom robinson still got put in jail even though it wasn't him. But if tom was white he probably would have been proven not guilty. They also say in the book that black people are the lowest in social structure, the second would be the ewells and so on. White people treat them really poorly.
Aunt Alexandra can be identified as a narrow-minded and obstinate person who is blinded by her own beliefs to see the wrong and bias in her mentality, along with many others today. Unlike Atticus, Aunt Alexandra fails to acknowledge Calpurnia’s contributions to the family simply because she doesn’t honor the value of people with darker skin. It proves that if people within a family are unable to look at racism and its damage from the same perspective, it is not possible for everyone in this world to become a righteous human being. Similarly, Francis believes that his “...Uncle
Through Scout’s eyes and Harper Lee’s voice, multiple cases of social injustice, primarily racism, are exhibited via excellent use of irony, symbolism, and humor. Irony - the use of phrases that contradict one another - is evident throughout most of the book. In chapter thirteen, Aunt Alexandra (the elitist and stubborn sister of Atticus) unexpectedly comes to live at the Finch residence, as she claims “it would be best” for Jean Louise “Scout” Finch (the curious, tom-boyish narrator) “to have some feminine influence” in her life (Lee 170). Upon learning that Scout would like to visit Calpurnia’s (the strict yet nurturing maid of the Finch residence) house in chapter fourteen, Aunt Alexandra’s discrete racism is introduced as she is extremely opposed to the idea. Later in the chapter, Scout overhears Aunt Alexandra discussing with Atticus (Scout’s detached father) how he’s “got to do something about her,” her being Calpurnia.