ipl-logo

Examples Of Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird

764 Words4 Pages

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” In Martin Luther King Jr. quote he explains that ignorance and stupidity and dangerous. Another identical event expressed in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird which is set in Maycomb County,Alabama during the Great Depression. The story is narrated by Scout Finch who learns about the ignorance at her hometown when a black man is accused of rape. In the novel Harper Lee uses external conflict to demonstrate that racism is a result of ignorance. Through the use of external conflict less shows that racism is the result of ignorance. For example, when Dolphus Raymond is talking to Dill and Scout about how he pretends to be an alcoholic he says. …show more content…

society. Lee displays that those who are ignorant will never understand equality between races. For example, when Jem is asking Atticus why did they say Tom Robinson was guilty when he obviously wasn't guilty Atticus replies with. "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life”(Lee 220). This quote is important because this shows that black people no matter the situation against a white person they will lose and if they try to be fair they still can't because they are to ignorant to realize they are still human beings. The literary device used is man vs. society even though black and white people are the same species they treat them lower than them. Even though all human beings are the same on the inside many of them are treated differently for their skin color instead of their personality. Another representation, is when Atticus is talking to Scout about what the word nigger-lover means Atticus says. “Scout," said Atticus, "nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody"(Lee 108). This quote

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird

    213 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a man named Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Until Tom was placed in front of a judge, he had been forced to be held in the Maycomb jail. While he remained there, an angry and ignorant mob went to jail to kill Tom. Ignorance is the absence of knowledge on a subject, which is like how the mob lacked knowledge on how being black does not cause Tom to be guilty. The mob is not the only instance in which ignorance is used; it occurs regularly in Maycomb.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird

    280 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the angry mob in chapter 15 is fueled by an absurd amount of ignorance and righteousness. Ignorance is the lack of knowledge or information and righteousness is the right of being morally right or justifiable. The angry mob’s ignorance is driven by racism and prejudice. The men believe that they are right and that they are protecting their community, but nobody sits and questions who is really right in the situation. People believe Tom Robinson committed a serious crime because he is black.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Rhetorical Analysis

    764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Has one ever wondered if racism will ever end because it seems no matter how many years go by, it will live on forever? Luckily there are people in this world who are willing to fight for what is right just like Atticus Finch. In the To Kill a Mockingbird passage, in which Atticus ends the court case with a powerful statement where he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man in the southern state of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, Author Harper Lee uses irony and imagery to help develop the theme that the color of people’s skin does not define them as a person and does not automatically make them an awful and guilty person. To commence, Lee uses irony to establish the theme that one can not automatically be guilty because of the color of their

    Read More

  • Examples Of Misunderstood Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird

    954 Words  | 4 Pages

    Another smaller, yet still significant example of misunderstanding in the book occurs during Scout’s interaction with Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond, not well regarded by the citizens of Maycomb, is white, but he spends most of his time in the company of African Africans, has mixed children, and drinks in public. Along with the rest of Maycomb, Scout does not understand his lifestyle and finds him immoral, although she has never interacted with the man directly. When she finally does talk to him, he tells her, “When I come to town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey- that’s why he won’t change his ways...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    535 Words  | 3 Pages

    Atticus tells Jem a life lesson, “‘in our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man;s the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life’”(Lee 220). Jem is older than Scout, so he has seen more inequality within the society. Jem understands better than scout, as she is still learning.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Equality In To Kill A Mockingbird

    205 Words  | 1 Pages

    This book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is all about racism. There is one character that fights for equality, Atticus Finch. Atticus represents the desire for fairness. He proves some of it in his speech he gives at the courtroom. An example/quote, of his desire for equality is this quote, “…Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Education In To Kill A Mockingbird?

    1163 Words  | 5 Pages

    “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”(Lee 30). These are the words of Atticus Finch, the wisest character in the famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. He is a fictional man that embodies human traits that all people should strive to emulate. In the novel; narrated by Atticus’ daughter Jean Louise Finch, more often referred to as Scout; Atticus defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. The main message of the text is the prominence of racial injustice, specifically in the 1930’s, the era the novel takes place in.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Misunderstandings In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1028 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even 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.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird

    944 Words  | 4 Pages

    “People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for” (Lee ) The people of Maycomb are constantly caught up in the racist mindset of their upbringing. The Tom Robinson case is a huge example of some of the injustice or prejudice that took place. Tom was put on trial for a crime he didn’t commit, and was unfairly convicted due to the all white jury. When an entire system seems to be turned against you, it can be hard to hold on to hope for a positive outcome.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

    860 Words  | 4 Pages

    The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was written in 1960 by Harper Lee in the point of view of a young innocent girl named Scout. One of the main messages that Lee has (need a new word than – indicated or set out) is racism, it plays an important role which strongly impacts many character’s lives unfairly and changes the relationship between two. Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows that it is wrong to hurt someone who does no harm to you, for example, black people are innocent but no way did they have as many rights as white people did. Black people lived hard lives because society was judgemental, irrational and most importantly, racist. As Scout and Jem grow older they learn to cope, take responsibility and are introduced to new aspects of life, one of which is racism.

    Read More

  • Social Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

    1108 Words  | 5 Pages

    Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird famously said in his closing arguments: "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. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and no particular race of men." (pg 232) What Atticus is trying to convey is a foreign concept to most people in Maycomb county. Atticus is trying to convey a point of equality and no prejudice in a world of social inequality which, as one can imagine, didn 't go over so well.

    Read More

  • Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    1146 Words  | 5 Pages

    Another way to combat prejudice is by teaching against it to the upcoming generation. Atticus teaches Scout and Jem that demoralizing vocabulary should not be used, especially against black people. He says to them, “nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don 't mean anything—like snot-nose. It 's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody 's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It 's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody.”

    Read More

  • What Are The Effects Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

    851 Words  | 4 Pages

    Effects of Racism “Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics. ”-Alex Haley To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that is greatly affected by the way others see the world. Scout, a young girl, growing up in Maycomb a place where racism is accepted.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Point Of View Essay

    614 Words  | 3 Pages

    In society, there are very few people who have the unwavering dedication to stand up for what they believe. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man was convicted and accused of a crime he didn 't commit, raping a white women, which is not in anyway tolerable in society. In Harper Lee 's To Kill A Mockingbird, the author used point of view and symbolism to acknowledge how the the several social divisions which make up much of the adult world are shown to be both irrational and extremely destructive. To begin with, the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, used point of view to show how the many social divisions in the world are irrational and destructive. Scout; a first grade student at the time, was telling the story from her point of view and what had occurred from her childhood perspective.

    Read More

  • Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

    1793 Words  | 8 Pages

    Essentially, the root of all problems stems from prejudiced situations, social inequality is created by religious, ethnic and many other forms of discrimination. Social inequality is defined as ‘the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society’. In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, specifically, it is created by racism, classism and gender. Inequality factors into the course of the story in very evident ways ultimately causing extreme injustice. Harper Lee’s masterful novel exposes the dark underbelly of society, a society overflowing with hate, narrow mindedness and prejudice.

    Read More

More about Examples Of Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird

Open Document