Injustice is found in the town of Maycomb during Tom’s court case. He is brought before court accused of committing an appalling crime, even though clear evidence and facts have been
Integrity is the quality of being sincere and having powerful high-minded principles. Integrity is shown in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a book that took place in Maycomb County, Alabama where racism was profoundly entrenched. Atticus Finch, a character in the book, is a lawyer who is assigned the case of Tom Robinson, an African-American, who was unjustifiably accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Arthur “Boo” Radley, his neighbor, is a mysterious person in the beginning of the book but ends up revealing his kindness. His children, Scout and Jem Finch, are following their father’s word of wisdom and learning about integrity throughout their experiences on the way.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the author believes that harming the innocent is not ok if they didn’t do anything to deserve it. One example from To Kill A Mockingbird that proves this is when Atticus doesn’t allow his kids to torment Boo Radley. The author states, “i’m going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man” (Lee, p. 54) This supports the theme because Atticus doesn’t want the kids messing and bothering Mr. Arthur when he hasn’t bothered anyone and doesn’t deserve the tormenting. Another example from To Kill A Mockingbird that proves this is Tom Robinson's trial.
Iireh Lee Mrs. Han English AG 22 July 2023 Doing right can lead to consequences The scorching hot sun blazed on the two children who were having a standoff. “Nixxer-Lover” Francis, Scout’s cousin, whispered. Scout’s fist smashed into his mouth, but it was only a matter of time before she got into trouble with her Uncle because of it. Why was Scout the only one punished?
Birds singing the lovely tune of a mockingbird will wake in the morn as children play. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird plays out events in a small county residing in Alabama called Maycomb. It is described as a “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square.” (Lee, 6).
The quote I chose for this essay is "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (Lee 103). The context of the quote is that during Christmas, Scout’s uncle gave her and Jem shotguns, and they decide to go shooting with them, and Atticus tells them that. The quote means that since mockingbirds do no harm and just provide nature with singing, it is not right to kill them.
Despite race discrimination around the world, there are still people who overcome and persevere through these challenges - often at great risk to themselves. During the 1930s, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a small town called Maycomb held a trial against an innocent African American man accused of raping a Caucasian woman. The reader experiences life in Maycomb through the eyes of ten year old girl name Jean-Louise Finch, Scout. In this case, Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, was assigned to be the lawyer for the accused, Tom Robinson. However, Atticus has integrity and tries his best for Tom even if his own life is at risk.
Atticus’ courage is shown in multiple ways through his court actions and his stand against racial discrimination. For instance, as a lawyer, Atticus defends the innocent, despite controversial thoughts of others, this is proven true in the Tom Robinson court case. During this discriminative period, most African Americans brought to court for an accused crime were deemed guilty, despite the clear evidence that proved their innocence. When Jem thought Atticus’ defense of Tom will bring Tom to justice, Reverend Sykes said: “I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man”(Lee 279). This proves Atticus’ courage because he chose to fight for a colored man to prove that he is not guilty of an alleged crime, despite knowing the usual outcome of the case and the disapproval he will receive from others.
Perceptions are often incorrect when one is unwilling to believe or does not have all of the facts. These inaccurate perceptions can lead to false accusations, which in turn can cause an immense amount of suffering. In the case of Tom Robinson, other’s perception of him and people of his race led to a false accusation against him. More specifically, the people of the Southern town of Maycomb perceived African Americans to be uneducated and untrustworthy, thereby declaring the Negroes as inferior to themselves. When Tom Robinson ran from the Ewell home upon the arrival of Bob Ewell, the unkempt and unreliable father of the alleged rape victim, it was assumed that Robinson had done something of suspicion.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County in the late 1930s, where characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will experience prejudice Maycomb brings during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin, and class. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and they all contribute to how events play out in the small town. Many of those in Maycomb face and express sexism, racial discrimination, and classism their whole lives. This disables the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace.
This is a quote from the trial of Tom Robinson. It is said to Jem by Reverend Sykes: “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…” (Lee 179). This quote shows disparities within the court system based on race. Reverend Sykes knew that Tom would lose simply because of his being a black man being accused by a white man.
As can be seen, Lee’s usage of Tom Robinson’s trial and the racial discrimination and prejudice seen throughout it helps reinforce the theme of social injustice throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. Another encounter that the
Essay In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, there are many important messages shown throughout the book. However the primary focus was set on racial prejudice that existed in the 1930s-1940’s in the fictional town of Maycomb County. The racism in the novel was very much a reality in 1930s-1940s America. A very good example of the racial prejudice that existed was in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, an innocent Negro man held against his will for a crime he did not commit.
The justice system has always been the heart of America. But like this country, it has many faults. Prejudice has played a major role in the shaping of this system. In the 1930’s the way a courtroom was set up was completely different from how it looks to day. In the book To Kill A MockingBird, Harper Lee shows just how different it is.
Miranda Fricker dissects and examines the problems of testimonial justice and injustice, in her book, Epistemic Injustice, Power and the Ethics of Knowing. By using the characters of Marge Sherwood in The Talented Mr. Ripley and Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird, Fricker draws in her audience and succinctly identifies two critical components to testimonial injustices. After examining her work, I feel her view of testimonial justice is able to be defended because people are not born to be discriminatory. Rather a person’s community and social interactions shape their development of testimonial justice, but there are ways to lessen a person’s testimonial injustice. Fricker’s argues that familiarity with people of different social identities