How is the racial problem of the southern states of USA in the 1930s portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird?
“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”- Martin Luther King Jr. Prejudice is, by definition, a pre-existing bias without any proof or evidence. A distorted way of thinking that rotten the mind, alienates, and dehumanises one group or an individual. It is the belief that is not born with but developed by the environment and lifestyle that one is brought up. It brings hardships and difficulties to the people that are affected by it. Prejudice and injustice are not just exhibited in human beings, but also in the fictional stories that
Would you defend a man for money, or for a greater cause? Others would say money, but in To Kill A Mockingbird, there was more to that for Mr. Finch. Atticus was wise to defend Tom Robinson because, he believes everyone deserves a fair trial, wants to demonstrate that you should stand up for what you believe in, and wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t defend him. Atticus wasn’t doing this because it was his job or for the money, he saw more than that in this case. He saw that maybe he could maybe show Maycomb a bit of light, that they don’t need to be discriminating men and women like Tom. By doing this, this would also demonstrate on what he believes in. And Atticus isn 't a man to be put down for his beliefs, but rather stands
In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, children Jem and Scout Finch live in Maycomb County, Alabama, surrounded by a complex cast of characters that are prone to bigotry, greatly shaping the ideals and morals of the two as they mature. Both of the children change a great deal throughout the novel, making it easy to observe their views as they change throughout the novel. Catalysts to this change include their open-minded father, Atticus, prone to spouting wisdom to his children, helping them to apply this compassion to their lives. Jem and Scout grow substantially, by learning lessons of gradual acceptance, their beliefs, attitudes, and views of the world
Every piece of literature is written with a purpose--whether it be to inform its audience or persuade them to change their stance on certain issues. Literature has shaped societies, exposed injustices and affected political spheres. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses diction and controversial plot points in order to influence her audience 's view on racism. These devices have proved to be controversial, with some schools complaining that the topics and language used to convey Lee’s opposition of racism cause some students to feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, To Kill a Mockingbird remains to be one of the most widely taught works of literature and is renowned for ingraining readers with positive views against racism.
One of the many, many themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is Race. Imagine a world where everyone with blue or green eyes could boss and push everyone with brown eyes around. Everyone with the blue eyes got the better education, better clothes, better housing. Rasism was one of the major topics in the novel, and the following paragraphs will further explain and go into detail.
Although the closing arguments in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “A Lesson before Dying” are extremely unique from one another, they both involve racism. Causing many similarities and differences to occur in the diction, tone, and persuasive techniques used, by each lawyer. For example, in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” the lawyer, Atticus Finch, presents a trial where white is against black. The defendant has barely any chance of being found not guilty, so the lawyer’s closing argument needs to be convincing, powerful, and straight to the point. As well as, in the book “A Lesson before Dying” the lawyer takes a case where the defendant is black and the plaintiff is white. He too has to approach the jury with an influential closing argument.
In the 1930s, if a black man was on trial there was a ample chance he would be convicted even if evidence proved he was innocent. Throughout history humans being prejudice and bias have affected the lives of thousands of people; some ending with favorable outcomes while others weren’t so fortunate. Within the book To Kill a Mockingbird the readers learn that prejudice and bias people outnumber the understanding and kind. One decision or in this case twelve decisions decide the fate for an unfortunate man. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee reveals that people often follow their biases and prejudices rather than the truth.
Harper Lee has depicted the separation between Caucasians and African-Americans in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by showcasing how White talk and African-American influences conduct between people of different races. For instance, when the children, Scout and Jem went to the church with Calpurnia, and they accessed the church. Subsequently, Harper Lee stated, ‘Calpurnia tilted her hat and scratched her head, then pressed her hat down carefully over her ears. Meanwhile, Calpurnia said, “Now what if I talked white folks ' talk at church, and with my neighbours? They 'd think I was puttin ' on airs to beat Moses” (139). Specifically, Harper Lee stated, she “scratched her head,” referring to Calpurnia, Calpurnia didn’t know how to clearly explain why she utilized two dialects. When Calpurnia said, “white folks’ talk at church, and with my neighbors she wanted to express that both the Caucasians and the African-American had their unique identities. In relation to this, when Calpurnia exclaimed “I puttin’ on airs to beat Moses,” the author described how if Calpurnia conversed with her congregation members in normal English, the church members would assume that Calpurnia is better than them, so she wanted to resemble the African-American community in the town of Maycomb. Thus, she would preserve adequate relations with members of her race. Transitioning back to chapter 2, Calpurnia exclaimed, "She would set me a writing task by scrawling the alphabet firmly across the top of a tablet,
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most influential books out there. Movies, poems, lectures, and speeches have all referred to it. Racism plays a big role in this book and in the town of Maycomb. I believe that racism affected the African Americans in the book, but it also affected the kids. Racism exists in Maycomb but no one choses to discuss it. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author emphasizes racism and the effect it has on Maycomb citizens; Tom Robinson’s arrest, the way Atticus was treated and lastly how Calpurnia was treated.
The Great Depresion is an important era in the United States’ history. In the 30’s, the complications that came along with the Great Depression affected the public severely. In 1929, a stock market crash changed the country remarkably. Poverty and unemployment were widespread in the United States. Factors that led up to the Great Depression include buying on credit, buying on margin, ____________ The Great Depression was catastrophic for everyone but as usual, the African-American population had it harder. During the Great Depression, most African-Americans were working on farms owned by white landowners. When the farmers they worked for lost their lands, they were left in a much more
To Kill a Mockingbird has many themes that can affect and relate to any readers. Although the novel is around sixty years old, its important messages still impact readers today. The novel is based on the childhood memories of Harper Lee, the author, during the times of the Civil Rights. In To Kill a Mockingbird the main characters Scout, Jem, and Atticus are greatly affected by the racism going on around them and it shapes them to go against society 's norm, while also informing and inspiring all readers in a variety of ways.
In the 1930’s racism was a big thing and it was a problem. It was very bad and it was not stopped and it spread all over the country. People that were not white did not necessarily live a good life. There needed to be help but nobody
In to kill a mockingbird I would most definitely say that racism & ignorance are just two words to describe a mad dog. They story is very exertive which makes it pop! It tells us about how someone who is inarticulate would want to have an irreproachable man killed for adultery and flaggellat an loathsome woman, with the need of satisfactory from her father.
I have always felt very strongly about discrimination of races and so I decided to examine racism in Southern America between the 1930s and 1960s. The theme of my book project is: An Examination of the effects of the Jim Crow Legislation and of racism on both black and white in the books To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which is my classic, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Colour Purple by Alice Walker.