ipl-logo

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Prejudice

865 Words4 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird Theme Essay E.B. White once said, “Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get to the facts.” Prejudice blinds good people from the truth making them look like cowards. Clutching to their teachings and refusing to let in new ideas out of fear. Prejudice highlights the human weakness of being incapable of acceptance and change. The fear of change veiling the facts that, in all reality, are completely credible, but completely new. And to believe that truth, would be equivalent to breaking the mold, stepping out of the crowd, it would be standing up for what is morally right but societally wrong. Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee demonstrates prejudice by having that …show more content…

Now, Maycomb is quite a small and gossipy town. Stories are bound to come up good and bad. However not once do we hear a rumor about Boo being a good person, he is always a psycho or murderer, chained up in the basement. Scout refuses to believe this because of of her innocent ignorance she does not see the point in hating someone you don’t know. Scout decides not to let the town's prejudice get to her, she relies on the facts what she knows about Boo. Scout knows Boo Radley wants to communicate with people, the presents in the knot hole prove that, along with the blanket being draped over her shoulders after Miss Maudie’s house fire. Scout proves that she sees Boo as a normal person and that she wants him to be seen as a good man when she say, “...if Miss Stephanie Crawford was watching from her upstairs window, she would see Arthur Radley escorting me down the sidewalk, as any gentleman would do.”(Lee 281). Scout just wanted Boo to be seen as A good person, not to gloat or show him off but just in case someone in the gossipy neighbor is listening. It is most certainly easier to listen to the prejudice that surrounds instead of having to think and analyze the facts. It is difficulty to stand up against the majority because intimidating, there are no people backing you up in the beginning. One must prove that it is worth standing up for. Tom Robinson is worth standing up for. Mayella Ewell is worth standing up for. Arthur “Boo” Radley is worth standing up for. The outcome of one person standing up and facing the crown could be enough to break the prejudice and get through to the brainwashed minds of good

Show More
Related

  • How Does Miss Gates Cause Hypocrisy In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1135 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many people would expect Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird to include little to no adult topics considering the narrator is a 6-year-old girl at the start of the novel. However, this is not the case, as many adult topics, such as racism and prejudice, are exposed to the young girl throughout the novel. Miss Gates, who appears only briefly in the novel, suggests that prejudice can lead to hypocrisy, and the way people act around a certain group of people does not always reflect their true nature. The sophisticated Miss Gates illustrates the idea that prejudice can lead to hypocrisy by looking down on prejudice yet continuing to have a prejudiced mindset.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird

    316 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prejudice is a burden that will always be a reoccurrence in life; it is the reality of existence. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has many major themes, the most salient theme is that of prejudice being a ceaseless appearance. This theme is represented in the novel by (1) sexism, (2) racism, and (3) classism. Sexism is represented in many ways in the novel, but mainly by the numerous characters who experience stereotyping or discrimination against their gender. The main character that faces sexism is Scout Finch.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    484 Words  | 2 Pages

    Just standing on the Radley porch was enough. ”(279). Scout uses her imagination to try and view all the past events that have occurred through Boo’s eyes. When she does this she realizes that Boo isn’t a bad person at all, he is actually kind of like a guardian angel. Boo Radley’s character proves a great point that we should never judge or assume things about another person that we know nothing

    Read More

  • Negroes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1038 Words  | 5 Pages

    Atticus teaches his children, Scout and Jem the important lesson of placing oneself in another’s position before going to judge him or her by asking them not to bother a character called Boo Radley. Boo Radley, a man never seen outside his house, ever, has superstition and rumors about him in the society of Maycomb since he never comes out. When Scout and Jem cannot get Boo to come out of his house, Scout remembered that earlier, Atticus had told her that “‘...if [she can] learn a simple trick, [she’ll] get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. [She’ll] never really understand a person until [she considers] things from his point of view...until [she climbs] into his skin and [walks] around in it’” (39). Atticus knows that there is a reason why Boo Radley does not come out of his house, why he told Scout and Jem not to bother him.

    Read More

  • Outline For To Kill A Mockingbird

    2861 Words  | 12 Pages

    Before making her remark, Scout sees that Boo Radley is extremely shy and prefers to be left in the shadows. She also comes to realize that Boo is not a monster, like she previously thought, and is truly more of a guardian angel who has silently been looking after Jem and her as they grow up. Putting her observations together, Scout understands that Boo is not going to like any public attention, either positive or negative, that a court case about his heroic role in the death of Bob Ewell might bring. As a result, when Atticus asks Scout if she understands why he is letting Sheriff Tate cover up the case, Scout extends his lesson about not harming the innocent to Boo; to display her understanding of Atticus's lesson, she implies that making innocent Boo uncomfortable and harming his quiet life in the shadows due to his rightful action of protecting the children is just as wrong as shooting an innocent mockingbird. By illustrating Scout's journey from first learning that it is wrong to harm the innocent to being able to apply the lesson herself, Harper Lee demonstrates that Scout has matured during the course of the book and has come to understand that it is wrong to disturb those who do not disturb others.

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement For To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

    1088 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    757 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The air is the only place free from prejudice,” said Bessie Coleman, the first female pilot of African American descent. Meaning, that everyone has experienced prejudice in their lives, either as victims themselves, or guilty of using prejudice towards others due to differences between them. There are different types of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird illustrated by the situations of Boo Radley, Tom Robinson & Dolphus Raymond. The person who deals with the most prejudice is Boo Radley. "

    Read More

  • Boo In To Kill A Mockingbird

    642 Words  | 3 Pages

    Boo has helped Scout change her viewpoint from thinking that he’s a scary person who always stays inside to finding out that he actually cares about her and chooses to live inside because he prefers to stay where he can observe what’s going on in the town and protect people when needed, which helps teach Scout that you can’t assume things without knowing the facts. Scout starts out believing that Boo is a mean person who is out to her her and she quickly learns that Boo’s intentions aren’t to hurt her, but rather help her when she needs it most. For example, in the beginning of the book Scout was scared of Boo Radley and the Radley house as shown, “I ran by the Radley house as fast as I could, not stopping till I reached our porch”(Lee 44).

    Read More

  • How The Children And Atticus Respond To Bob Ewell Threats

    1976 Words  | 8 Pages

    These stories develop a fearful curiosity of Boo, a fake identity one that barely reflects the poor man. However, as Scout grew up she ceased being scared of Boo, in place of this feeling she felt sorry for him and near the end of chapter 14 Scout and Dill come to the conclusion that the only reason Boo had never run off is because he had nowhere to run off to (157). Then later when she is on her way she admits that the Radley place has “ceased to terrify me” (263) she also defends Boo by saying that “Boo doesn’t mean anybody harm” (277) A statement which she most likely could not prove, but one she believes. Then finally, near the end of the book, her feelings change dramatically when she goes onto his porch and stands in his shoes where she ‘sees’ herself grow

    Read More

  • Prejudice In Tom Robinson's To Kill A Mockingbird

    1157 Words  | 5 Pages

    How did prejudice happen in this world that God made? Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. In this world, there are a lot of prejudice. Prejudice doesn´t happen suddenly but it happens from a root. Everything happens from a root and that causes to be or do something.

    Read More

  • Boo's Relationship In To Kill A Mockingbird

    980 Words  | 4 Pages

    At the beginning, the children cannot even go near Boo’s place without palpitation, but at the end, Scout is comfortable enough to walk Boo up to his front porch. Throughout the novel, Scout has changed her view of Boo after a chain of Boo’s actions toward her. As Scout grows older, she becomes wiser to understand her father’s lesson, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it ” (39). Her father says this at the beginning, but till the end, thanks to the maturity combined with Boo’s actions that help Scout to understand it. She has matured enough to realize that people should not judge other people by rumor, but give them some chances to prove themselves.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Point Of View Essay

    614 Words  | 3 Pages

    In society, there are very few people who have the unwavering dedication to stand up for what they believe. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man was convicted and accused of a crime he didn 't commit, raping a white women, which is not in anyway tolerable in society. In Harper Lee 's To Kill A Mockingbird, the author used point of view and symbolism to acknowledge how the the several social divisions which make up much of the adult world are shown to be both irrational and extremely destructive. To begin with, the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, used point of view to show how the many social divisions in the world are irrational and destructive. Scout; a first grade student at the time, was telling the story from her point of view and what had occurred from her childhood perspective.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Isolation In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1244 Words  | 5 Pages

    In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County during the late 1930s, where the characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will witness the prejudice that Maycomb produces during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin colour, and class, their whole lives. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and each contribute to how events play out in the small town of Maycomb. Consequently, socially disabling the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley and his isolation from Maycomb County, the racial aspects of Tom Robinson, and the decision Atticus Finch makes as a lawyer, to defend a black man has all made them fall in the hands of Maycomb’s prejudice ways.

    Read More

  • Prejudice Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1253 Words  | 6 Pages

    Cultural norms are what make and shape a society. They are the guidelines, and or patterns, that are to be followed, in order to be considered a normal, typical, everyday citizen. As such, it does not matter if the norms are right or wrong. As long as the citizen is still a part of their society, right and wrong does not matter, as far as they are concerned. In the case of To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the cultural norm, of Maycomb County, embraces the wrong, in the form of extreme prejudice behavior.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Social Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    977 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Prejudice

Open Document