When the phrase Jim Crow is uttered, many people feel a rush of inept thoughts and bad memories due to the social taboo against talking of the lowest point in America’s history. Jim Crow was not just a set of laws aimed to oppress the lives of all black people, but a movement by the citizens, black or white, that caused a corrupt mindset in all men and women. Many people tried to stop the social force from continuing in individual spurts of courage, but they were not able to stop Jim Crow as individuals. An individual’s own personal courage cannot fight against Jim Crow, because a single person would not be able to stop an entire movement embedded into the minds of millions of people, not to mention how the social pressure against it was too strong to even fathom fighting against it. One main reason why it was unable for Jim Crow to be fought by a single person is because there was no feasible way in which one person, no matter how powerful, rich, or socially accepted, could have changed the entirety of
Mayella Ewell comes from a poor family who is viewed in the Maycomb society as “white trash.” The Finch family has to face harsh criticism in the heavily racist Maycomb because of Atticus decision to help Tom. The soundtrack of the movie is important so the songs I choose are “Strange Fruit”, “Tearin’ up My Heart”, and “Eye of the Sparrow” which are good choices for the soundtrack. The first song I choose is “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday. It is a dark profound song about the lynching of African Americans in the southern United States during the Jim Crow Era. It was a protest song that Billie Holiday very rarely performed due to threats.
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout continuously wonders why there is such an apparent double standard surrounding prejudice. Despite the citizens of Maycomb looking down on the Ewells, when the family accuses a black man of a crime against their daughter, all discrimination the Ewells faced is pushed onto the said man. After going to church with Calpurnia and learning that no
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus believes Maycomb is unjust because the town is inconsiderate of other people’s view, which is shown when Atticus gets targeted for defending a black man, worries that his kids will become bitter and catch Maycomb’s disease, and Aunt Alexandra advising Atticus that he is raising his kids wrong. To begin with, Mrs Dubose addresses to Scout and her family about how Atticus is disgracing his race and his color by defending Tom Robinson on the alleged rape case. Mrs Dubose says, “Your father’s no better than the ni**ers and trash he works for” (135). Atticus views Maycomb as an injustice town because during this time period black people were seen as a lower class. Atticus is mark as an overall victim because in the trial the county is shocked that Atticus is
From Delaware to California, and from North Dakota to Texas, many states (and cities, too) could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race. The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated. In Of Mice and Men, the theme of racism is expressed throughout by the character Crooks. The treatment of Crooks is both interesting and startling to a modern reader: he has some social contract with the rest of the ranch workers but is still persecuted by them for being black. In the routinely racist world of 1930s California, Crooks’ colour is his defining feature, as Candy explains, ‘Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger’.
Staples is fearful because he is a black male in the late seventies and early eighties where people looked at them differently as if they were bad people, even though staples is as any other american working towards his dream. In the essay he says he’s fearful when he had written a story and was rushing to the office to show his editor and as he entered the building they had security chase after him, mistakenly thinking he was a burglar. He says, “ I had no way of proving who I was. I could only move briskly toward the company of
Instantly, Atticus and his family go from being respected and beloved by their town, to being outcasted and despised. As a result, Scout is forced to go through many challenging situations that force her to grow up and see life and people as they truly are. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Maycomb county and its people have a huge influence on Jem and Scout. By acting as an example
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central, 1982. In Harper Lee’s fictional novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a young girl named Scout Finch is forced to grow up quickly in her hometown. Scout is faced with racism and hypocrisy in the town as her father defends an African American man who has been accused of raping a white girl.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an inspiring tale exploring an abundance of flaws in humanity and giving insight into the worst kind of people we can be. The novel covers many controversial topics, such as rampant racism, prejudice, and hypocrisy. The story follows Jem and Scout Finch, the children of Atticus Finch, a lawyer appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman in 1930’s Maycomb, Alabama. This forces Atticus to deal with the stress and judgment of defending Tom in a society where no one wants to side with him, while Jem and Scout face a similar judgment for being Atticus’ children. Lee uses this setting to paint an extremely vivid picture of prejudice, which shows just how profound their effects can be.
He doesn’t see his African American teammates as the people that they really are. When they looked at one another it was with revolt and fear. They treated each other with such ignorance and hatred. They couldn’t stand each another and hated the way the other one acted. If they did join with another race it was like a crime.