Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

A powerful quote said by Atticus to Jem was the following: “[s]o far nothing in your life has interfered with your reasoning process.” (295). I think this shows that anyone was once innocent as a child, but as one becomes older and aware of the evil, they get influenced to do evil as well. However, they are still good people.

Racism is one of the most influential concepts that drive people to make the worst of decisions. Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” (TKM), uses rhetorical appeals in an attempt to save a black man from being falsely convicted. I believe that the movie version of Atticus’s closing statement was more convincing than the book version. This essay will discuss the rhetorical appeals used both in the book and movie; and why the movie’s version was more effective.

Jem gets in trouble by Mrs. Dubose and is forced to read to her as a consequence; Scout understands her brother’s begrudging behaviour and tries to help by withstanding the punishment with him even though she’s afraid of the old lady, “You don’t have to go with Jem, you know” (Lee 143). Scout understands why Jem was angered by Mrs. Dubose after she insulted their father since she was upset as well and decided to join her brother through his retribution. During the trial, Scout comes to realize how lonely and sad Mayella must be since she has no friends and has not future because of her father’s ways, “...it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world.” (256).

They were all accused of a crime they did not commit. Victoria Price and Ruby Bates were the accusers when they “pointed [out] six of the nine boys and said they were the ones who raped [them]” (Linder, The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys). Bob Ewell was quick to accuse Tom Robinson of the rape crime while Mayella went along. On the trial stands Mr. Ewell states the he had “seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella” (Lee 231).

One of the biggest controversies in society today is concerning whether or not the criminal justice system is racially bias. It is clear that blacks are overrepresented in America’s prison system. For example, they are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of white people and “constitute for nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population” (Criminal Justice). Although this is true, the disproportionate number of black men serving time in the criminal justice system is due to circumstance, not necessarily race. While there are some judges, police officers, or other officials who may have a racial bias towards black people, in the majority of cases blacks are not arrested because their race, they are arrested because they

Over the years the death penalty has been used way more than it should, especially with African Americans. Not only were they treated unfairly in court but they were often killed by mobs of white men for ridiculous crimes. In the past juries were not unbiased.

Bob Ewell was let off the hook even though the whole court knew he actually was the one who beat his daughter Mayella. Seems like there 's a pattern with black oppression in both of these stories. The officers knew Garner well, but they still thought he was trouble. The exact same spot where Garner was arrested is where the police had responded many times to crimes. Possibly, the police could have been aware that it was a bad area, and they were on their guard more than ever.

A very similar thing happens in To Kill a Mockingbird, when Bob Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella, but Atticus proves that it was most likely Bob who did it. Bob Ewell, Mayella’s dad, the person who should be protecting her at all costs. The most common injustice in the novel appears when the kids find the case between Tom Robinson and the Ewell family to be unfair, highly illogical, and racist. When the verdict of guilty is revealed to the town, Jem becomes upset and says, “You just can’t convict a man on evidence like that- you can’t”

Everyone has been a mockingbird at least once in their life. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the characters Arthur “Boo” Radley, Jeremy “Jem” Finch and Tom Robinson all represent mockingbirds in different ways. Boo represents one because he will be judged if he leaves his house. Jem is an example of one also, because he realizes as he grows up that the town he lives in is racist and judgemental. Tom is another example because the Ewells take advantage of his life to get away with their own.

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, racial inequality is touched several times. It relates to our real life situations happening today. It takes us back to when slavery was present. Today slavery is not so much a problem anymore but it still relates to us. Even in social classes there is social inequality but it is sometimes based on race too.

During the early to mid 1900s there was a lot of racism, especially in the southern United States. This is expressed more inside the court cases of the time. While lots of these ended poorly for defendant, it was often because of the color of their skin, not because they were guilty. In fact many times the defendant was actually innocent.

Blacks are more likely to face tougher sentences than whites when they commit any crime. In courts, blacks are judged before they are heard. When a white man and a black man commits an offence of the same degree, the society will make excuses on behalf of the Whites while the Black will be automatically tagged a criminal. In most murder cases involving Whites, people are quick to say that such people are either mentally ill or has a particular medical condition which makes them behave in a specific way. As a result, the white man will be confined to a mental home for the rest of his life.

Since 1930, 90 percent of individuals executed for rape have been African Americans. This issue has faced multiple controversies due to the belief of “complete confidence” of the criminal justice system (Harmon, 2004). Wrongful convictions have historically occurred due to the races of the defendant versus the race of the victim. This is an in issue because these cases impair the integrity and reliability of the court system (Harmon, 2004). Wrong convictions are not as uncommon as believed by the public.

Black people had an even harder time getting a job because their black, if a white man and a black man were to both apply for the same job, the white man would get it even if he had a criminal record and the black man didn’t. It is insane

While all races are equal under law today, it does not always seem such. For example, race riots still occur in our modern-day society, affecting both blacks and whites alike. As well, the War on Drugs affects many blacks, creating unhealthy relations between them and cops. Further, there is