Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Effect of racism on society
Effect of racism on society
Racism in the book to kill a mockingbird
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by harper Lee, despite of him having a public trial, Tom Robinson, an innocent man was proven guilty, also his trial that was completely and utterly unfair, one-sided, and even discriminatory. This novel takes place in Maycomb, Alabama, a made up town. Robinson was working for the Ewell’s and one day Tom was invited into the house to fix a door. Tom Robinson was accused of raping and abusing a white woman, Mayella Ewell, when her father is the one who abused her. The jury had a lack of evidence to prove that Tom was guilty, and also ignored the evidence that proves his innocence.
In this novel, there are some parts that show racism. Atticus is the best lawyer in Maycomb. In chapter 9, he started to defends Tom Robinson. All the people in Maycomb disagree about defending Tom, Negro men. However, he believes Tom Robinson and Atticus work hard to defend him.
Although, Tom was clearly innocent, he was put on trial and proven guilty. The decision of whether Atticus should have defended him is questionable.
After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.
The novel To Kill A Mockingbird exposes the reality behind the mask that people wear to protect themselves from ideas and thoughts that they have but don’t want to accept because they are scared to be vulnerable to society and possibly themselves. Throughout Harper Lee’s creation, though the mask is not directly shown or stated, it is implied in many situations. Maycomb county wears a mask that narrows their vision so they are unable to see other people’s side of things. The upper class white families in Maycomb are the most prone to this mask regarding to the fact everyone is below them, especially the black community.
The article states that black people often dealt with public services of a lower quality than that of whites, and this is evidently shown with Tom Robinson’s case. In these chapters, Atticus provides clear and evident reasons as to why Tom Robinson did not commit the crime, and forges a case much greater than that of the opposition. Although the jury takes a longer time to consider than usual, the outcome was still clear: Tom Robinson is found guilty, due to his darker skin compared to the Ewells, who were convicting him at the time. Tom Robinson is sent to prison, and is later killed upon an escape
The Contrast of Empathy and Racism Although Americans follow the same rules and government, there is a clear divide between the priorities of the citizens. As with Americans, in Maycomb, Alabama, there is a clear divide in people’s viewpoints. Some of them are empathetic of others and see everyone with an open mind while others generalize people and can immediately make an assumption about someone from the color of their skin. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she makes it clear that there are two kinds of people in Maycomb, the majority whom are racist and the select few who are empathic. Empathy is shown throughout the novel in many situations by the Finch family.
Tom Robinson is innocent. Still, the system will never see it that way because they can not see past Tom’s skin color, not only Tom but many people in the African American community. The Story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in the town of Maycomb Alabama in the 1930s, in this story, a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a young white woman Mayella Ewell, Mayella and her family are well-known for being “trashy” they still hold a higher status than Tom just because of their skin color, this shows how unfair the system is, and even though supporting Tom and defending a black man would make him look bad and ruin his reputation Atticus Finch was determined to help Tom and prove he is innocent. You shouldn’t be prejudiced, judging someone before you
“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color is doing the hating. It’s just plain wrong”. The author’s message in TKAM is that no matter what race we are we should all be treated the same, but that's not always what it comes down to. in today's world it’s not about love, it’s all about hate.
“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.
In To Kill A Mockingbird racism is heavily present. Unfortunately, today racism continues to be a problem in our society. Firstly, racism is shown against Tom Robinson during his trial. When Tom is being questioned by Mr. Gilmer, who is very aggressive towards Tom. Bob Ewell is also included in the prejudice belief that just because Tom is a black man, he is without a doubt guilty.
This behaviour is deemed as natural, and few people question the roles put in place, this is truly terrifying so we are lead to wonder if what we accept as normal is perhaps corrupt instead. Race is the dominant cause of inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, thus Maycomb’s views on race heavily influence every aspect of life. Although racial inequality is clearly illustrated in the in the injustice, prejudice, discrimination and antagonism surrounding the Tom Robinson trial, it is also shown more subtly throughout the novel. In Chapter 25 Atticus Finch is quoted disclosing that the corrupt justice system is a direct cause of a racist society. “In our courts, when it 's a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee, 295).
In my opinion that is truly unfair. It makes sense as to why Atticus decided to defend Tom Robinson. He continuously tries to find the good in everyone and believes that the black community contains good people. Atticus had mentioned to his brother, Jack, that Tom was innocent but “doomed”. It was impossible
Atticus fears that "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins” (Page 224) Atticus confirmed that Maycomb won’t have a just system due to white men’s words to black men. This would only make Maycomb welcoming to white people and unwelcoming for black people. Maycomb is unwelcoming and unjust for the prejudice view for black
Because the jury did not favor black men, Tom Robinson did not receive a fair trial, although Atticus made a great case. Segregation directly disobeys the fourteenth amendment, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Maycomb Alabama is where the story, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place. Tom Robinson’s trial out come was not based on factual evidence. Mayella was lying to the jury, while Tom was completely innocent.