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Examples Of Deception In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Deception causes quick judgment from others who do not know the whole story. People often have different personalities than what is perceived at first glance. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, examples of deception are everywhere: Mrs. Dubose, a racist elderly lady, Dolphus Raymond, a known town drunk, and Boo Radley, a malevolent phantom. The small Alabama town, Maycomb, depicts these people to be different than who they really are. With little knowledge about their actual lives, the people of Maycomb make assumptions about their personalities before understanding them. Although the townsfolk perceive these characters to be nothing more than what is on the surface, there is always a deeper side to someone’s story.
Mrs. Dubose, a menacing …show more content…

Considering his social status and the people he socializes with, African Americans, the people of Maycomb can only assume the reason why is because he is under the influence of alcohol. While Dolphus was in town, he observed Scout and Dill walking out of the courthouse with Dill appearing sick; and that was when Dolphus reveals his true self, “ When I come to town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey--that’s why he won’t change his ways. He can’t help himself, that’s why he lives the way he does,” and that is what the people have always assumed (Lee 268). Dolphus is considered a town drunk just by the way he acts around others. Mr. Raymond portrays a lie because no one will understand being friendly and equal to African Americans. Unfortunately, for Mr. Raymond, he lives in an utterly racist society, so he has to portray a different character every time he goes near white people so they have a reason to understand why he would spend his time with African Americans. Dolphus Raymond is a deceptive character by the way he acts and is judged based on his appearance rather than what his personality is

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Brooke Hines Mrs. Kennedy English 8, Period 6 1 March 2016 Contrasts and Contradictions in To Kill A Mockingbird In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there were many different characters who changed throughout the book. The story was written in the perspective of a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, who was known as Scout in the book. The Finch family consisted of Jem, otherwise known as Jeremy Atticus Finch, and Atticus Finch, the widowed father of Jem and Scout. The Finch family lived in an old southern place called Maycomb County where almost everyone knew each other.

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To kill a mockingbird report “Appearances can be deceiving” This cliché term teaches us that your appearance doesn't determine your potential that lies underneath. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird harper lee uses characterization and symbolism to show the reader that appearances are not always what they seem , and if you reveal what's underneath you realize that the world is more complex than you think. Many characters in the novel have deceived appearances . one of them is Mrs. dubose ,

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The town of Maycomb disapproves of him because he portrays himself as a drunk who has nothing better to do than drink. When Dill and Scout run out of the courtroom, they meet him. It is only then when they realize who he is and what his true motives are. He is not evil, he is a man who wants to live freely without racism.

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Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows the prejudice creates distrust within community with how Bob Ewell treated the Finch family after Tom Robinson’s trial. This is shown throughout the book, like after the trials Bob Ewell came up to Atticus Finch and spit in his face because he did not agree with Atticus, “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” (290). Bob did this because Atticus stood up for Tom Robinson and Bob did not agree with Atticus for doing so. This proves that Atticus, who was a trustworthy lawyer, had become distrusted by members of the community because he stood up against prejudice.

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In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout learns about different kinds of people through Dolphus Raymond, the Ewells, and Walter Cunningham Sr. The groups that these three represent are the misunderstood, the poor, and the disgraces. These characters helped to develop Scout and teach her how to tolerate everyone. Dolphus Raymond is a very misunderstood character in the book.

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Superficially, the town is unblemished and pure. But, underneath the seemingly pure front, darkness looms. Despite the changes that have been made in society in order to eradicate slavery, Maycomb's inhabitants still show long-lasting devotion to their poisonous ideals. Their hostile attitude towards blacks, not only keeps the town's racial tensions full

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Throughout life people make decisions that will portray themselves as something or someone else in order to hide from the harsh realities of the world. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Dolphus Raymond is neither wholly good or evil when he portrays himself as an alcoholic to hide the fact that he enjoys living with negroes, and considering them as equals. To start, the people of Maycomb consider Dolphus Raymond to be an alcoholic. When Dill is offered a drink from Dolphus Raymond's brown bag outside the Courthouse, Dill is hesitant knowing that alcohol could be in the bag. However, Dill explains, “It’s nothing, but Coca-Cola” (Lee 267).

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A person cannot call themselves a noble person if they can’t understand others. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is told in first person by Jean Louise Finch or by her nickname, Scout a 6-year-old. Harper Lee, depicts Atticus Finch as a proficient father to his two children, Scout and Jim, 10-year-old. Atticus teaches his children life lessons, one being it 's a sin to kill a mockingbird.

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Even in a society that, overall, is diverse, people with similar ideas and experiences tend to congregate in small groups, where they are comfortable. It is much easier to remain in homogenous groups, among those who understand each other. When different groups combine, many different life experiences and points of view will be present and will potentially clash. Misunderstanding is bound to occur in some form when individuals of different backgrounds interact. When misunderstandings occur, people tend to respond with violence, fear, or stereotyping.

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Appearance VS. Reality In the novel To Kill a MockingBird written by Harper Lee there are many events that occur that show the theme of appearance vs Reality. Throughout the story Boo radley is looked at as a monster that hides in his house and scares children. Mrs.Dubose is an old lady who had a morphine addiction and Tom robinson is known for sexualy abuseing a young white woman.

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Deceiving looks are a common theme among the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird. For example, Boo Radley is seen as a mysterious ghostly figure during the early chapters. By the end of the book though, Scout realizes he’s a misunderstood fellow who has been looking for a friend in her and Jem. Another example is the old lady who lived next to the Finches. Old Mrs. Dubose, a frail woman who heckles Jem and Scout with insults like “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for n*ggers!”

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Good afternoon, today I’m going to explore with you the significance of truth and lies of the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. So firstly, I am going to introduce the topic ‘Lies’ first. “Lies”. In this novel, Harper Lee presented “lies” throughout different characters, for example, Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell, Mrs Merriweather, and Sheriff Heck Tate. Not all antagonists lied.

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The false aquisations of people’s livelihood has been looked down upon since the beginning of the Renaissance, and from there on, had multiple sayings and books about such topics. But no piece of literature shows mastery in this theme better than Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, which takes place in Maycomb, a sleepy little town in Alabama, during the 1930s, a time period where the common man did not second guess people’s appearances. However that does not mean that there is not another, more hidden story behind said appearance, as seen with a multitude of people. Harper Lee teaches her audience that more often than not, people’s appearances can be truly deceptive, Dolphus Raymond is a prime example of how Lee deceives the reader with appearances

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The majority of the white folks in Maycomb are very closed minded about this topic and refuse consider things from Mr. Raymond’s point of view. Therefore, they are not able to understand. Dolphus Raymond spends his days pretending to be drunk as an excuse for his choices and to escape society’s racial prejudice. A final example is Atticus’s decision to defend Tom Robinson from a crime that he did not commit. Atticus’s choice turned him into a target for various folks in Maycomb; who insulted and disrespected him (Scout’s cousin, Francis, Bob Ewell and Mrs.

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