Death of the Mockingbirds by the Trial of Prejudice.
Prejudice can be described as an opinion or judgement of a person based usually on race or beliefs before all the facts are known. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the effects prejudice has on certain characters as it distorts the town's view of who they really are. This claim can be supported by examining the characters: Arthur Radley, Dolphus Raymond and Tom Robinson. Arthur Radley is outcasted as a monster by the town, Dolphus Raymond must pretend to be a drunk to avoid further discrimination and Tom Robinson is found guilty in court despite his innocence. No matter what a character does, thinks or feels: prejudice will always be present to sabotage their credibility
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According to the town, he is a drunk who has made terrible decisions in his life as he lives with his black wife and spends most of his time with black people. In reality, Dolphus Raymond consciously prefers to spend time with Negroes and masks all of his life choices behind the facade of alcoholism. This can all be shown as Dolphus Raymond explains his situation with Scout, Jem and Dill.
I try to give 'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason… folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey - that's why he won't change his ways… that's why he lives the way he does. (Lee, 200)
As explained to the children, Dolphus Raymond pretends to be a drunk to avoid any further prejudice and discrimination from the townspeople thus creating an endless stream of prejudice as everybody in the town assumes he is a drunk, and never give him any chance to prove himself.
Near the beginning of the book, Tom Robinson, a black man, has been accused of rape. Atticus presents facts that reveal Tom Robinson’s innocence beyond all reasonable doubt. Ultimately, the jury believes that the black man did it without considering the facts put in front of them. This prejudice and racism lead to Tom Robinson’s death and it can be shown through the quotation of Atticus finch when he talks about the unjust values in the
Atticus Finch once said, “You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Harper 39) Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, is a story that has a lot to do with the acceptance of all types of people. One way the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows acceptance is Dolphus Raymond marrying a black woman. The second way the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows acceptance is Calpurnia being a mother figure to Atticus’s kids. Another way the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows acceptance is Atticus defending Tom Robinson.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a fictional book that covers the roots and consequences of racism and prejudice. The book introduces a character, Atticus Finch, as an intelligent and diligent lawyer who works in a trial to defend a black man, who is introduced as Tom Robinson. Once Atticus was selected for the trial, he experienced numerous setbacks during the process. Atticus has the difficult duty of defending Tom in a legal system tainted by prejudice and hostility. Despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him, Atticus stubbornly upholds his beliefs and refuses to be persuaded by the rampant unfairness all around him.
In Harper Lee's, To Kill A Mockingbird, is the story of a small southern town in Alabama during the Great Depression. Harper Lee expresses her disapproval of the mistreatment of human beings and her philosophy through the eyes of the main character Scout. Over the course of several summers she, along with her brother Jem and playmate Dill, are introduced to a world of hatred and unfairness through the injustice of the Tom Robinson trial. Lee shows the unfair trial of an innocent man to demonstrate the prejudiced ways of Maycomb, Alabama during this time, highlighting the racism and violent treatment towards black people all around. Prejudice, described as the “simple hell people give other people without even thinking”(170).
Imagine everyone hating you for doing something bad when you think it’s good. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she tells the story about how Atticus Finch a lawyer defends Tom Robinson a black man in court,in the town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. This trial is about how Tom Robinson is being accused of raping a white woman. Everyone is blinded by the color of his skin, so no matter what they uncover they only believe that he is guilty. Atticus is defending him because he believes people shouldn’t be judged on the color of there skin.
Raymond had given Maycomb County a reason to latch onto in order to accept the way he is, even if that reason isn’t true. On page 229 of To Kill A Mockingbird, it says, “When I come into 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. He can’t help himself, that’s why he lives the way he does.” Every day, he acts like a drunk in public, and even though he doesn’t exactly enjoy it, he does it to appease the world, not himself. In a nutshell, he’s fighting society’s ways in the best way he can, and maybe even the smartest way.
The kids never knew this they always viewed him as a drunk but as the met him and heard his secrets and viewed the way he lived his life they understood that he wasn’t an evil, drunk, or alcoholic he just tried to give folks a reason to understand. This relates right back to Atticus’s statement because the kids never truly understood the life of Dolphus Raymond until they actually got to meet him and hear how his life was. As the story went on the children began to understand Atticus’s statement, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Through the interactions with Dolphus and Boo it really changed how they viewed life in Maycomb, and showed how the children aged throughout the story.
In defending Tom Robinson, Atticus’ actions set a standard on how the people of the segregated town should treat others – to view all as equals. After the trial, even though not all of the residents of Maycomb completely accepted African Americans into the community, the beliefs of the well-respected Atticus contributed to the growth of the community, leading them to a better
Considering his social status and the people he socializes with, African Americans, the people of Maycomb can only assume the reason why is because he is under the influence of alcohol. While Dolphus was in town, he observed Scout and Dill walking out of the courthouse with Dill appearing sick; and that was when Dolphus reveals his true self, “ 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. He can’t help himself, that’s why he lives the way he does,” and that is what the people have always assumed (Lee 268). Dolphus is considered a town drunk just by the way he acts around others. Mr. Raymond portrays a lie because no one will understand being friendly and equal to African Americans.
Have you ever been judged just because of your actions? Well if you have then you can relate to Dolphus Raymond. In this passage of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the literary elements of irony, symbol and the character of Dolphus Raymond help convey the theme that people have the right to live life the way they choose to live it, and if people wish to criticize you, let them because at the end of the day it is your happiness that really matters. The character of Dolphus Raymond is constantly criticized for having a different lifestyle than everyone else and in chapter 20 Dolphus is sipping on a bottle of Coca- Cola and is explaining to the children about how he deals with people and their opinions.
To Kill a Prejudice In To Kill a Mockingbird, the classic novel by Harper Lee, many of the characters adhere to the rigid social structures of America in the early 1900s. Townsfolk hide their true character behind polite guises and do not dare tarnish their reputation. These people view children and other races as their inferiors, subject to blunt opinions and open ridicule. However, one character in particular, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, distances himself from these cultural "norms" and sacrifices a good name for his beliefs.
This shows that Mr. Raymond is willing to live with this lie in order to satisfy his neighbors' need to understand his lack of racism. Just like the mockingbird he means no harms to anyone and wishes only to live in peace with his family. Furthermore, Mr Raymond symbolizes a mockingbird because he doesn't like to fight. For instance, when scout asked him why does he pretend he’s drunk, he says When I come to town, 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. He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does" it indicates that Mr. Raymond's leads a double life instead of fighting for what he believes in.
Social prejudice is shown throughout Harper Lee’s award winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee powerfully analyses the theme social prejudice, and its effect on people. Such as how the Social prejudice is discrimination based on your status in society. An example of social prejudice would be the Radley family, which consists of Boo Radley, Nathan Radley and Arthur Radley. As they haven’t been out of their house in years people are lead to believe the rumours.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an inspiring read that displays how others point of view can change the perspective of others. Throughout the book, many of the characters perception of other characters can change the aspect of a persona. For example, Arthur Radley, also known as Boo, is perceived as a very mean person. Also, Tom Robinson is accused of being a rapist. Finally, the town’s people perceive many characters such as Dolphus Raymond, for being an alcoholic.
To Kill a Mockingbird: The Physical Effects Of Prejudice The consequences of prejudice can be to the biggest or to the smallest extent as seen in the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Although prejudice effects all people differently, the characters throughout the novel experience the uniting commonality of being considered outcasts in their society. This is depicted through Harper’s writing when Dolphus Raymond is victimized due to his actions, Boo Radley’s reputation becomes forever tarnished and Atticus is besmirched by the citizens of Maycomb.
Steve Jobs, one of the most successful businessmen to ever live, once said, “Your time is limited, so don 't waste it living someone else 's life. Don 't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people 's thinking. Don 't let the noise of others ' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition” (qtd. in Dubey n.pag.)