TKAM Mini-Research Paper
Everyday, people are judged by the way they look or act. They are judged because people are either ignorant or too lazy to find out who a person really is on the inside. Some have tried to help this issue by saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover”, however the act of stereotyping this theme is evident in today’s society. It was also evident during the Great Depression and in the plot of the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In both real life and in the novel, and it is not until someone walks in another's shoes that they know what their life is actually like. There are multiple examples in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and current life that support this theme. One example of judging someone in “To Kill A Mockingbird’ is Walter Cunningham. Walter did not have a clean appearance, and because of this, Scout judged him as not having as high of a standard of living as herself.
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One pair of examples that relate to each other are Scout and Walter Cunningham, and “The Voice”. Both show that appearance should not be a factor in determining who a person really is. Another pair of examples that relate to each other are Jem and Mrs. Dubose and the book designer Chip Kidd. Jem learns not to judge Mrs. Dubose because she can’t help the way she acts and Chip Kidd always looks into what he is about to read. Both show that things shouldn't be judged until you have information about them, if judged at all.
People will continue to be judged and stereotyped as long as the world lasts even though it's not right. The statement “don’t judge a book by its cover” will continue to be a guideline for people, however not all are willing to actually do it. The theme was around during the time of the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” and is still around today. People need be educated to help understand that people are different and should be accepted for who they
In society, people would usually associate with others who are the most similar to them since they tend to feel more comfortable around them. For instance, in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, is a story of Mayella Ewell who is a poor, white woman living in a racist environment during the 1930s. Some people will say that Mayella isn’t sincerely powerful and others might disagree. On the contrary, Mayella doesn’t have much capability when it comes down to her low financial status and her gender; however, her race is what makes her highly powerful. Mayella lives in a tremendously poor neighborhood since she “lived behind the town garbage dump”.
In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A MockingBird, she teaches us that you don’t want to judge people for what they look like or how they act. For instance, it talks about how how Tom Robinson was found guilty, when there wasn’t reliable evidence for him to be found guilty. They know he didn’t rape Mayella, but since he was black, they confirmed him as guilty. He wouldn’t have gotten a fair trial, so judge Taylor appointed Atticus to Tom. Tom Robinson was found guilty because he was black.
“The black man did it” she said. “Typical”, he said in response. Humans tend to judge others for many reasons. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, it shows a great theme of judging and that you don't really know a person until you have walked around in their shoes. This story takes place in the 1930s in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb County.
Scout’s brother Jem and her learn many things from their wise father -Atticus- and from their own experiences. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee portrays the idea that prejudice and empathy conflict with each other in humans overall morals; this becomes clear when Scout and Jem learn to be able to see the evil of others, but to also focus on the good. Prejudice can be very harmful, especially when it is used to put people in categories and defining them as a specific type of person. Miss Maudie talks to Scout about Arthur Radley: “‘The things that happen to people we never
Stereotypes help form the society in which we live. They affect the outcome of our courts, of how people are treated and what one can and cannot do. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch was likely trying to stop his children from judging people based off of stereotypes or what society expects, specifically the stereotypes of Arthur Radley whom they believed to be some sort of monster because he doesn't bend to society's opinions of socializing. Atticus’ attempts are displayed when he quotes “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Through the use of Scout’s childlike views and imagery, Harper Lee shows readers that it can be misleading to believe in stereotypes.
“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself” (Epictetus). Circumstances, though often beyond our control, don’t shape a person’s identity or personality. This concept is rather common, manifesting in both aspects of life and in literature. For, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird it becomes apparent that circumstances don’t define a character’s morals or ethics, as expressed through the development of Jem’s morals, the community’s reaction to Tom Robinson’s death, and Atticus’s teachings on forgiveness and compassion.
Final Essay Outline: Thesis Statement/opening paragraph: In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, discrimination and the act of being prejudice is common among the main characters, on both the receiving and serving end. Certain characters, like Scout and Jeremy Finch, Bob Ewell, and the town folk truly create the main problem and set the theme of the story. For example, when Bob Ewell accuses Atticus Finch of being an african-american lover, because he is defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, according to Bob. Boo Radley is accused of being dead by Scout, Jem and Dill.
We live in a society today where judging others is a regular, everyday activity. Many people may blame a significant amount of this issue on the excessive amount of technology we have access too, but this problem has been around for much longer. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, it shows the ugliness that can come from judging others, but it also teaches two young children, Scout and Jem, to listen to others, so that you can have the opportunity to learn from them. Throughout the story many characters were able to demonstrate this lesson for the kids, but three that were true examples of it were Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch and Boo Radley. With only aiming to stand up for what they believe in and not worrying what everyone
Rumors. Actions. Looks. All of these are reasons why we judge one being, to think that only three factors decide how others view you. You don’t just see this type of judging in reality but in To Kill a MockingBird.
When stereotyped characters are employed successfully in a novel, they can be very beneficial in achieving the author’s purpose. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the author’s main purpose is to convey the societal norms of racism, ignorance depending on class, how innocence can be destroyed due to prejudice, and even sexism in the 1930s. Rhetorical devices can be used to create more of a connection to the reader and improve the flow of paragraphs. Harper Lee uses metaphor, ethos, pathos, and the stereotyped characters of Tom Robinson, Scout Finch, Atticus Finch and the jury to help portray the societal normalities of the 1930s town of Maycomb, Alabama.
Role models are the epitome of what one strives to be, learn from, or simply to be. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee distinguishes Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Atticus as role models for Scout to help guide and portray her coming of age in order to further prove the overall themes of the novel such as coming of age and prejudice. Scout Finch’s knowledge of Maycomb County and the things surrounding her is minimal until she receives guidance from her family, friends, and neighbors. Also, along with these two main themes Scout’s character is changed because of her role models who assist her throughout the novel. The role models of Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Atticus teach her lessons on her education, racism, and respect.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book mainly about the coexistence of good and evil. The book stresses and emphasizes on the exploration of moral nature in humans. There are many themes in this novel including courage, innocence, racism, femininity, etc. However the most prevalent theme in the book is innocence. Not just innocence in itself but the danger and harm evil poses to the innocent.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee’s use of dialogue is effective because the dialogue shows the reader characters’ traits and their feelings as well as developing a distinct setting for the novel. Within dialogue throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, especially through discussion in chapter 26, traits of both Scout and Miss Gates are revealed and the setting and social norms are demonstrated. The dialogue demonstrates the hypocritical nature of the discrimination in their hometown. Lee identifies this through Scout’s thoughts on social integrity as discussed with Jem in chapter 26, “Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about about folks right at home.”
Life is overfilled with messages, like weeds in a sea in unmaintained grass. Whether it’s warning a person, or pointing out a flaw; these little lessons are there to further grow the positive parts of that person’s personality. A simple demonstration of this is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An old, children’s book serving no meaningingful purpose is what it may seem, nevertheless, it actually is a novel that offers a unique outtake on all aspects of human life. In the book, two children Jem and Scout, who learn about equality, racism, and social class through court cases, tea parties and more.
In which we had to think carefully and cohesively about the characters and their backgrounds. Although Harper Lee proves the point that social prejudice was a highly regarded prejudice. Harper Lees’ novel helps us to become more aware of prejudicial situations that occurred in the