This is quite peculiar because in Maycomb County, blacks and whites are separated and whites usually despise colored folks. Atticus suffers many vigorous consequences by some of the townspeople. "Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he'd get him if it took the rest of his life." (Lee 217) Mr. Ewell spat in Atticus' face, a disgusting and offensive thing to do.
In To Kill a Mockingbird prejudice in Maycomb is terrible. There are two major people in To Kill A Mockingbird that are prejudged severely. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the two main people who are prejudged. There is also one other man who prejudged, Atticus Finch. All three of these men are mockingbirds.
It reminds me of when Rosa Parks went to jail for refusing to move out of her seat. To Kill a Mockingbird uses lots of stereotypes, which we use a lot in society. Kids pick up things pretty fast from their parents or just a random person which may leads kids to stereotype. I would say that everyone even kids and adults judge people for their religion or what race they are. No one is innocent everyone at some point in their lives have stereotype someone or a group of people.
The first person to lose their innocence is Boo (Arthur) Radley. He loses his innocence because of the judgemental people in Maycomb. The people in Maycomb are mostly zealots and describe him as a terrible person who has done terrible things but the people saying this story truly don’t know what happened. They just know the myths
.” “Black Americans remain the most despised among the community of human races, reinforced via media images. In response is Black self-hate acted out by the political conservatism of Black American Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as icon. Black Conservatives insist that Blacks who fail, if they want, can succeed much as any other. Conversely, research substantiates that the self-hate pathology Black Americans who fail suffer precipitates a decrease in leukocyte telomere length (LTL).
“Prejudice: To Kill a Mockingbird” Why do we judge strangers so harshly? Why is it that, when we walk down the street, we look and treat ‘odd’ people differently? Instead of giving the homeless person a wide berth when he flashes you a hopeful smile, why not return the smile, just as you would for anyone else? In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the townsfolk of Maycomb treat ‘odd’ people and African Americans with no respect or kindness.
Dubose stereotypes the Negroes. She says they are low and dirty creatures. Her and the rest of the town put Atticus in that category. He is stereotyped with the Negroes because he is defending one of them in court. In the towns eyes he is just as bad as the Negroes.
Gates then goes on to share how “there are no better people in the world than Jews” (Lee 329), and it is beyond her comprehension to know why Hitler could commit acts against them. The irony lies in her blindness to the similar oppression happening in her home town. The children are taught that Hitler is a monster for his anti semitic actions in Germany; meanwhile, African Americans are forced to face daily suppression in Maycomb County. Both groups have stereotypes that cause others to perceive them as
Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird was put on the stand because she accused Tom Robinson of raping her. While in court Tom feels sorry for Mayella and no one liked what he had said because since it was a black man and a white woman, they were on the same social scale. Mr. Gilmer, a man against Tom states, “‘You felt sorry For her?’ Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling. The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair.
“That all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women... Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson 's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men cannot be trusted.. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. "-Atticus
Discrimination was everywhere during the 1900’s when this book was set. Prejudice in this book is displayed by hate for any colored or mixed racial people. During this time in the southern states, blacks had their own bathrooms, drinking fountains, churches, and even go to separate schools just because the whites looked down upon them and wouldn 't want to be contaminated by the “black germs.” The novel has many accounts of racism and prejudice.
Justice, or known to some men as revenge, is one of the most ancient values known to man. From historic Hammurabi's code to the U.S Justice System, they are all based on the principle that is a wrong has been committed, it must be made right. Over the centuries, prejudice has violated the principle. These fundamentals have been stepped over and crushed through years of cruel, man-made hatred. The trial of Tom Robinson symbolizes the human nature for justice, while turning a blind eye to the truth because of prejudice, through a historical perspective in Harper Lee’s
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 a connection to the reader and improve the flow of paragraphs. Harper Lee uses metaphor, ethos, logos, 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.
The oppressive feeling of racism has touched all in maycomb. None can ignore it. The effect of it is very obvious, corruption. Atticus’s goal is to stop his children from “catching Maycomb’s disease” (117 need citation) in hopes that Jem and Scout will grow into people with morals that all are equal, you don’t have to follow society's predetermined standards. Atticus sacrifices his reputation, safety and when undertaking the responsibility of defending a black man.