Idhaant Bhosle Ms.Morgan EN 100 (H) 8 March 2023 The Role of Language, Power, and Societal Status in Confronting Racism and Inequality in To Kill a Mockingbird Race has always been a defining factor in American society, shaping the way people interact with each other and the world around them. Similarly, In Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores how race structures relationships in terms of power, language, and social status. To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, the novel is told from the eyes of Jean Louise Finch, Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in a world where society is divided by the prejudices of others. Scout is the daughter of Atticus Finch, a lawyer, defending an African
In Harper Lee's book "To Kill a Mockingbird," racism and segregation are themes that are influenced by the society in which Lee lived. Jim Crow laws were a common example of segregation; they forbade inter-racial marriage and required black and white customers to be separated in establishments and public areas. An instance of this would be “"The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated." (#2-Jim Crow laws)” This lack of communication between black and white individuals was enforced in places like Monroeville, Alabama, Lee's hometown, probably having an impact on how she views racial discrimination going forward.
Social divisions are what push the book forward and keep the story going, but in the real world social divisions only keep us still and motionless. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Maycomb, Alabama is split into divisions of people, some believe that each sex should act like they are apart of that gender. Most have similar beliefs about race and how one race is better than the other. Some people do not fit in anywhere because neither social division will accept them do to them being in the middle of two divisions.
Paul Hammer Mrs. Andrews English 2 May 1 2024 To Kill A Mockingbird’s debate To Kill A Mockingbird is a book, made by Harper Lee, which shows the learning experiences of the young, white main character, Scout, and her brother, Jem, during the segregation period. The book, however, is being heavily debated on whether this book should be taught to kids in the 9th grade at Belle Chasse High School. Many parents, and some teachers, say that the book’s setting of the segregation period is “offensive” and should not be taught to the students. I, however, feel that the students are missing out on this incredible book. The book teaches how life was during the segregation period, without being supportive of it and not ignoring it.
A Segregating Society Martin Luther King Jr. once stated “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” In the story, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the people of the town of Maycomb, Alabama judge individuals by the color of their skin, not the content of their character and face various incidences of Social Inequality. Harper Lee demonstrates how unequal and prejudice the 1930s southern culture is when Walter Cunningham comes over for dinner and Scout does not respect him, when Aunt Alexandra does not agree Atticus defending Tom Robinson, and when Tom is falsely charged with rape because of his skin color.
Change comes with hard times, making someone rethink how they view their peers or people in their own community. The people in To Kill A Mockingbird make a massive point to find Tom Robinson guilty and be seen as a monster to then boost the beliefs of the town. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, readers see racism and prejudice throughout the book through a child’s eyes. During Tom Robinson’s trial readers see almost the entire jury vote guilty even though they have almost no evidence. After the trial, Jem becomes really aware of the town he is living in because he now sees how racist the people of Maycomb are towards their own citizens.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the author uses characterization to see Scout maturing and understand segregation during this time period. In this part of the story, Scout is in the second grade and gets a uncalled for insult about her father by Cecil Jacobs. In school, Cecil confronts Scout about Atticus who is defending niggers but she denies it because she had no idea. Through the opinions made by Scouts classmates, the reader is able to understand more about the segregation and view of blacks during the time period. Scout is told by Atticus to turn her cheek if there was to be another comment made.
Clayton Prather Mrs. Milano H Element of literature 14 April 2 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Aristotle once said that “ The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” In the story “To Kill a Mockingbird” the Ewell family and Tom Robison are not treated the same as the rest of the families because they are at a disadvantage with their wealth or their skin color. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird '' inequality and the divisions within human society Are expressed through the characters' actions. There are multiple disadvantages of inequality and divisions in human society in the way Tom Robinson was accused of a crime.
Essentially, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays the 1930s era of prejudice along with segregation against the people of color from the white community. Throughout the 1930s, the Jim Crow laws influenced the segregation of the African Americans to the white population. The Jim Crow laws enforced a legal “[separation of the] people of color from whites in schools, housing, jobs, and public gathering places” in the south (“Jim Crow in America”). Furthermore, these laws expressed the blacks inferiority and indicated white supremacy.
Racial prejudice towards certain people creates ignorant people. Segregation was a time where people were uneducated on people's rights. When Helen was going to work she was being harassed by the Ewells because of her skin (Lee 285-286). The Ewells lived during segregation but this does not excuse Helen from bothering her on her way to work. Cecil hated that Atticus was going to defend a black man in court as Tom’s lawyer (Lee 95-96).
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she shows how racial discrimination and social segregation was used in the 1930s, and how it compares to today. First off, Harper Lee used the separated colored balcony to show social segregation in the 1930s. On page 219, we see Scout talking to Reverend Sykes when she is trying to find a seat at the courthouse. Reverend exclaims, “Do you all reckon it’ll be all right if you all came to the balcony with me?” (Lee 219).
Morrow3McKay MorrowMrs. PollockEnglish-111314 November 2017Gun Walking & Gun ControlGun walking and Gun control to a lot of people are considered the same thing, and in a way they are; in reality they are also very different. Gun control is used for regular every day citizens who want to use or own a firearm of their very own legally, and basically gun control allows them to do that once they take a few gun safety classes and pass a few tests. Also, gun walking is where the United States Government uses soldiers for covert operations, and they watch gun smugglers and see who is buying American weapons illegally, and what that person or group is going to use them for and try to shut it down immediately. Both of these things can cause problems sometimes because gun control can get out of hand when someone who is unstable or owns a criminal record gets a hold of a gun and can harm people, and as for gun walking having problems a lot of good men die in the line of duty trying to complete these operations.
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.
Racism in America Racism can be defined as a major problem in United States history, and can be dated back to the 1400’s. Racism can be viewed and defined in many ways, but most accurately is seen as the state of characterizing an individual based on his race, and or believing that one race is superior to another (Shah) . Racism is as big of a problem in the USA as anyone can think, starting way back to when the country had just began to form, when Europeans started settling into the 13 original colonies (Shah). Ever since then, it seems that the problem has only been on the rise, rather than the opposite. Racism has always been a major issue, although hundreds of years have passed since the birth of racism, the problem just seems to never go away.
Strengths and flaws can only be seen if a person opens up to the possibility of them being there. The Civil Rights Movement opened people 's eyes to the possibility that colored people are just like everyone else, trying to pay the bills, feed their families, and live their lives in peace. There was this stereotype that the colored people of America were bad people with bad qualities, and that was all they were told. But for the few whites who did open up, they were surprised to see these normal day people. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the residents of Maycomb all know each other, their habits, flaws, and they believed the stereotype of the colored people, except for a select few.
