“Depression was a period of drastic decline in an economy, marked by rising levels of unemployment” (McCabe 4). Harper Lee used what was happening in the world to write her book To Kill a Mockingbird. Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and racism are all connected. The first example in the novel and the world is Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow was a way to keep black people less worthy than the white people. Some people thought the laws were needed to keep white domination, to not offend the whites, to keep their jobs, or to protect the white women. A few examples of the laws are that black people had segregated buildings and everyday places; they could not have white people jobs, and they could not display public affection. If these laws were not followed, …show more content…
Racism occurs in our society. People are racist because they have low self-esteem, they like certainty and structure, and they need dominance (Routledge). An example of racism is shown with the Scottsboro Trials. Nine black teens were accused of rape by two white women, and sentenced to death penalty or life in prison. The teens were riding the train when the women who were in trouble with the law accused them of rape to cover up their secrets (Anderson). Harper Lee uses these ideas in her book when Mayella accuses Tom of rape, so she could cover the secret of what her father had done to her. An example of racism in the trial was how one of the teenagers accused was blind, and another was too sickly to walk which clearly shows that they could not have raped the two women. This relates to Tom Robinson’s case because he was also injured and accused of something that would not have been possible. Tom had injured his left arm in a cotton gin and was clearly unable to use it to hurt someone with it. They relied on people believing what could not be possible only because he was black. Another example of racism in the trials was how there were no black people in the court, which lessened the chance of anyone understanding how it felt to be blamed for something only because of race. In the novel, there were no black people in the jury either (Lee
Harper Lee includes many Jim Crow laws in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Jim Crow laws were racial segregation laws that blacks were expected to follow and respect. A few examples of Jim Crow laws blacks and whites were not suppose to eat together, blacks were not allowed to display public affection toward one another. If a black person was riding in a car driven by a white man he would have to sit in the back of the vehicle (Pilgrim). Harper Lee incorporates many Jim crow laws inside of To Kill a Mockingbird.
1. When Atticus Finch states that one day people will settle the accounts for discrimination that happened back in the day and today, he means that white people will get revenge, or some sort of punishment for inciting horrific words, and acts upon black people. In the novel, an example of white people settling the account for discrimination against black people is Bob Ewell. This man falsely accuses an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, for raping his daughter Mayella. Days later, he was killed trying to murder two innocent children. The consequence for him causing harm to Tom Robinson was death.
Also, by creating a social class where African Americans are always on the bottom even when they are dealing with less respectable people, and contrasting characters, such as the Finches and Ewells, to demonstrate the amount of racial discrimination within the entire South throughout these difficult years for America. Fictional events, like the Tom Robinson case, have similar connections and features to events in history, such as the Scottsboro Trials and Emmett Till case. Harper Lee has used historical events as inspiration to give readers a vision of the lives of African Americans during this difficult time period. On page 282, Tom Robinson was found guilty at his trial, even though all facts and evidence that Atticus gave would have easily swayed the jury to be in favor of Robinson.
There were many ways the Southern states tried to deny equal rights to African Americans. For example, the Jim Crow Laws were created in the 1890s by such southern states as Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina,and Florida, segregating the races in such places such as railroads, restaurants, education, and libraries. An amendment that should have prevented the Jim Crow Laws was the 14th Amendment because it stated “equal protection of the laws” for every citizen. Another example how the South tried to restrict the African Americans was the creation of the Black Codes, which allowed white employers to give African Americans very low wages or to arrest jobless African American; these codes were justly viewed as another form of slavery. The 13th
There are many historical connections between To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1930s here are three to discuss. To Kill a Mockingbird reflects Historical events by demonstrating racism, Jim Crow laws, and crimes from the 1930s. To Kill a Mockingbird reflects racism from the time of the 1930s in many different ways. One of them is when Reverend says, “Mr. Jem I ain’t never seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man” (Lee 279).
Don’t Judge a book by its cover. Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird is an example of how people judge others off of what they hear. The image Americans give Muslims because of ISIS is another example of how humans judge. Jim crow laws were made to separate the white and black people. The laws judged the black people, they made them feel like trash compared to the white people.
Despite the dangers of having such ideas during a volatile time period, Harper Lee decided to add a character like Atticus Finch and even portrayed characters against this idea with statements such as “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers! Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”(Lee 135) Another tactic for talking about racism without preaching ideals was the trial of Tom Robinson, especially its results, “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson.” (Lee 282) Throughout the trial, the readers learn about Tom Robinson’s
An anonymous person once said, “Not all wounds are so obvious. Walk gently in the lives of others”. Every single person on this earth has a different story. Every person has something unique and special to bring to the table. No matter what color of skin you have, what religion you follow, or what country your from, everyone should be treated equally and not be discriminated from others.
Ever wondered how the Jim Crow Laws were resisted by the Black Louisianians? During Reconstruction, Black Louisianians had gained the ability to vote and some of them were able to actually hold political office. At the end of Reconstruction, Black Louisianians had gained limited rights and opportunities. During the Jim Crow Laws, Black Louisianians had gained the ability to have separate facilities as long as they were equal. So, Black Louisianians had resisted the Jim Crow Laws by having major movements that caused major controversy but had a major reward.
High school gossip can be tough to navigate around for many people, and in small, private schools such as Convent & Stuart Hall, rumors spread like wildfire. The rumors stem from an individual whose single story reverberates everywhere. Othello by William Shakespeare, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque show the dangers of a single story. The novels all follow very different plotlines but share the common literary aspect of a single story or rumor. Just as in real life, the stories or rumors take on a life of their own inside the heads of each character.
“Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past”- Troy Edwards. In To Kill A Mockingbird it gives textual evidence on how racism and justice were used. When African Americans got decremented against, the way we changed that in today’s society is by showing that everyone's equal, everyone has the same right and no race is higher than any other. To Kill A Mockingbird gives multiple examples of how racism was put into action. Tom Robinson was a black man who got accused of raping a white girl.
Racism played a part in the Scottsboro trials. According to Anderson, the Scottsboro trials were a set of trials that lasted over the course of 18 years where 9 black men were wrongly accused of raping two white women when getting off of a train. Racism can occur because of many psychological reasons. An example of a psychological motive that causes racism is dominance. In his article, Routledge states, “Racism helps preserve status differences because it oppresses minority groups”.
The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was written in 1960 by Harper Lee in the point of view of a young innocent girl named Scout. One of the main messages that Lee has (need a new word than – indicated or set out) is racism, it plays an important role which strongly impacts many character’s lives unfairly and changes the relationship between two. Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows that it is wrong to hurt someone who does no harm to you, for example, black people are innocent but no way did they have as many rights as white people did. Black people lived hard lives because society was judgemental, irrational and most importantly, racist. As Scout and Jem grow older they learn to cope, take responsibility and are introduced to new aspects of life, one of which is racism.
How is the racial problem of the southern states of USA in the 1930s portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird? INTRO In the 1930s the Southern states of America suffered from a strong discrimination and racial hatred towards colored people. They had no rights, no respect and were not allowed to go places white people went. In other words they were segregated from the rest of the society.
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.