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Bias In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Many people today do not like to admit the bias that underlies their reasoning. Many of these people fear Islamic Fundamentalists; however, most attacks on the United States were the effect of Political Extremists, Nationalists, and even Racial/Religious Supremacists. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, many of the characters in the town of “Maycomb” show the extremity of how biased they are towards white people. Throughout the novel, the reader catches a glimpse of many different types of discrimination including; racial, social status, age, gender etc.. Taking place in Alabama during the Depression, the reader observes as the young protagonists transition from innocence to maturity. The narrator of the story is portrayed by …show more content…

The reasoning behind this was because Atticus believed Scout needed a female figure to look up to, other than Calpurnia. When Scout discusses bringing Walter-a Cunningham-home for dinner, Aunt Alexandra immediately disregards the idea. Aunt Alexandra bluntly says the Cunningham’s are not people who the Finch’s wish to associate with. Although she is doing her best to help Scout understand social ranking she adds that Scout should always be nice and gracious to everyone, although “...you don’t have to invite him home” (9; ch 217). It is clear that Aunt Alexandra’s opinion of the Cunningham’s is dissatisfactory as opposed to her expectations of her family name. When Scout challenges her in a questioning manor, she simply states “‘Because—he—is—trash,” implying the Finch’s are out of the Cunningham’s league.

THIRD POINT:

White men having ownership over black men is history in the United States which many still continue to feel an obligation to uphold. According to Atticus, race makes white people act foolish. Throughout the book, Atticus’ voice acts as a beacon of hope, giving aspiration to his children; however, in this instance Atticus dryly says “...when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life”( Injustice shown because of Tom Robinson’s skin color and biased white men

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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.

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Sleepy Maycomb, like other Southern towns, suffers considerably during the Great Depression. Many things happen, and poverty, racism, and violence encompass nearly everyone in Maycomb. Poverty, racism, and violence reaches from the privileged families, like the Finches, to the Negroes and “white trash” Ewells, who live on the outskirts of town. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life in this humid Alabama town where nearly everything explodes into conflict. The theme of racism, poverty, and violence is present throughout nearly every chapter in To Kill a Mockingbird.

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Similarly, in the Tom Robinson trial racism is relevant, and Reverend Sykes, a prominent man in the Black community comments on the issue. He tells the children he “[has never] seen any jury decide in favor of a [Black] man over a white man …”, proving the fact that juries are racially biased (Lee 238). He explains to Jem how a jury can decide a man’s fate based on the color of his skin. Not whether he is truly innocent or not, but just because he isn’t like them. Juries being racially biased is an unfair way to decide a trial and has landed many Black men in

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To kill a mockingbird is a book that is filled with clearly visible prejudice. The effect of prejudice in Maycomb is one that creates classes in the community that people will stick to. The three forms of prejudice that are evident in The town of maycomb are racial prejudice, social prejudice and fear of the unknown. Racial prejudice is common in Maycomb and some examples are the black church, Tom Robinson case and Calpurnia.

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To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the story of a small town named Maycomb Located in Alabama, highlighting the adventures of the finch children and many other people in the small town. The people in this town are very judgemental and of each other and it often leads to people being labeled with stereotypes and people think they know everything about that person however that is not reality. It is not possible to know the reality of a person 's life by placing a stereotype without seeing it through their own eyes and experiencing the things they experience. This happens often throughout the story with many people in the town. People are labeled as many things such a “monster” a “nigger” and many other things that seem to put them in their

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Most are under the impression that all juries are chosen at random and are unbiased, however, this could not be more untrue. The results of court cases are still affected, if not determined, by bias. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, highlights the difficulties faced by a black man, Tom Robinson, when trying to defend himself to a white jury. Harper Lee also called attention to the inequalities in court with Mayella and her testimony as a white, impoverished, female and the struggles that Boo Radley, an individual with disabilities, faced. In the historical context of the story it was a regularity for the topics of race, class, gender, and disabilities to be subject to bias.

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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.

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“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 from Reverend Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird is a sort of summary of how and why Tom Robinson was wrongly convicted guilty. It also gives a lot of insight on race relations in this time period. Unfortunately, racism has yet to leave society.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird there are lots of racial, gender, and religious, discrimination. Which is shown a multiple amount of times throughout the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee which takes place in Maycomb Alabama, where there is a lot of racial discrimination. But there is also some gender, and religious, discrimination.

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How does Harper Lee vividly capture the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb county in ‘To kill a mockingbird’? In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird’, Harper Lee conveys the theme of racism and social inequality by setting up the story in Maycomb, a small community in Alabama, the U.S back in 1930s. Lee presents some of the social issues of 1930s such as segregation and poverty in the novel. These issues are observed and examined through the innocent eyes of a young girl, Scout, the narrator.

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In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Lee provides a scathing critique of the racial inequality, injustice, and prejudice prevalent in the society of Maycomb. Through the portrayal of the trial of Tom Robinson and the subsequent events that unfold, Lee exposes the deep-rooted racism and discrimination that existed during the Jim Crow era in the South. She also critiques the societal norms, values, and expectations that uphold these injustices, such as the pressure to conform to racist attitudes and the fear of challenging the status quo. Lee's social critique adds depth and relevance to the novel, making it a powerful reflection of the social issues of its

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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.

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In the 1930s, if a black man was on trial there was a ample chance he would be convicted even if evidence proved he was innocent. Throughout history humans being prejudice and bias have affected the lives of thousands of people; some ending with favorable outcomes while others weren’t so fortunate. Within the book To Kill a Mockingbird the readers learn that prejudice and bias people outnumber the understanding and kind. One decision or in this case twelve decisions decide the fate for an unfortunate man. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee reveals that people often follow their biases and prejudices rather than the truth.

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