U3EA2 The“Queen of the Tomboys” grew up during the Jim Crow era; seeing justice unsatisfied in the Scottsboro trial at the tender age of five. Her father is a lawyer who was given a case to defend two African Americans in court, but he was unsuccessful due to racial norms in their home of Monroeville, Alabama. Many years Years later she was known by her peers as an individualist at the University of Alabama. While staying there she started by studying law but; first studying law and then then switched ing majors to become the aspiring writer known as Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird (TKM). In Chapter 9 of said novel, Lee’s young character Scout confronts a classmate who had “announced in
The game played by the children Scout, Jem, and Dill in the book To Kill a Mockingbird emphasizes their ignorance and prejudice towards things they don’t understand. Such as when they talk about Boo Radley being dead, “Besides, I don’t think he’s still there. He died years ago and they stuffed him up the chimney.” This dismissal of the possibility that they might feel shame for their actions reflects the theme of ignorance to a tee. The apparent incapability to feel shame is apparent in them when they continue the game in front of all the neighbors, save Nathan Radley.
Hypocrisy runs deep in many citizens of Maycomb. Harper Lee has included many examples of hypocrisy in the novel. This is seen in characters throughout the story. Characters like Aunt Alexandra, Mrs. Gates, Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell and Mrs. Merriweather all exhibit hypocrisy. All these characters prove their hypocrisy throughout the story.
“Ignorance, Prejudice, and Innocence” “I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year” (Lee 83). Author Harper Lee continues with this idea, spoken by Scout Finch, in Chapter 17 of her book To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout Finch, age six, is stripped of her innocence in a mid-20th century Alabama courtroom. On trial is a black man accused of rapping a young white woman. Scout’s father, a lawyer, is unaware of her presence during the interrogations and cross-examinations.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many examples of misunderstood characters and the ways in which other characters respond to them. One of the most prominent examples is Boo Radley. An outcast in the town, Boo Radley is the subject of many urban legends and rumors in Maycomb. Many believe that he stabbed his mother with scissors when he was a child, and most believe him to be dangerous and unpredictable. Scout and Jem Finch are no exception to this.
Ignorance is defined as “lack of knowledge, education, or awareness” (Merriam-Webster). When present in a society, this idea can be very dangerous. Ignorant societies aren’t aware of the struggles of its marginalized citizens. In Maycomb, compassionate characters and actions are shut down by the town.
Harper Lee is the author of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird which has prevalent themes of tolerance and hypocrisy. The novel realistically portrays how innocence in children may shift due to being exposed and influenced by the ideas of the adults to whom they have given their trust. Not only does this factor into what they think as adults, but they are also guided by their own innocence in their attempts to not let it be corrupted. These children are doing their best to maintain their innocence while being taught the importance of empathy and tolerance, even in the many faces of hypocrisy. The reader is able to feel empathy for many scenarios in the book involving social expectations based on trivial and grievous judgments.
Lee Harper’s novel exhibits the results of the great depression and prejudice in the southern states. To Kill a Mockingbird, is a novel loosely based on Lee Harpers life and struggles and takes place in Maycomb county, Alabama in the 1930’s. Lee explores the concept of prejudice throughout the book with many different characters. The characters are judged by society even though no one knows all the facts, this portrays prejudice. Prejudice is the preconceived opinion on something or someone not based on reason or actual experience.
Kid’s make mistakes. Helping a child solve a problem instead of harsh punishment is making a child suffer for having a problem. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl named Scout is faced with punishment after beating an immature boy named Francis for making rude remarks about Scout’s father, Atticus Finch. Atticus is a lawyer; he is supposed to support and defend a helpless black man in a case. In the 1930’s this was unacceptable, so in their small town in Maycomb Alabama, the Finch family received many disputing and hostile comments for Atticus’s actions in court.
Cloey Burkman Mrs. Lawson English 10 11 January 2023 Ruined Potential A lack of education and knowledge of the real world, along with their consequences can be life-threatening for someone. Basic education is good for everyone. Going to school helps build a social status and relationships through human interaction. When one lacks social interactions it can create a bad relationship with the people around you and enables you to maneuver through life.
To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Analysis What is ignorance? Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education. Throughout this book, ignorance plays a key role in the major events which occur. Harper Lee’s
One glance at someone new forms all different opinions and judgments of their character. Justice is known to be equality for all and due to preconceptions, justice is not being served. Preconceptions stiffen the air as justice becomes tangled in with the prejudice in peoples’ minds. Whether a person assumes someone is smart or someone engages in poor behavior because of their race is the same. From the 1930s to the 21st century, preconceptions formed by personal events, the news, and the environments children grown up in, have created an unfair justice system in and out of court.
"Ignorance is the root and stem of all evil." - Plato. Throughout history, the true depths of prejudice and discrimination have been tested in all aspects of the world. The main goals of people in societies have been to climb the ladder of social hierarchy; however, many times people don’t realize that they are subconsciously contributing to this prejudice. This theme of ignorance on behalf of discrimination is represented in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The story explores themes of prejudice and outlines developments in the perception of one’s community’s discrimination.
Hypocrisy is easy to ignore. One does not want to come to terms that they’re indulging in such, as it can feel like one is lying to oneself—ignoring one’s so-called “personal morals.” It has been said that only the newest and freshest minds can recognize true hypocrisy, or feelings that adults don’t want to admit to. An example of hypocrisy in To Kill a Mockingbird is when the protagonist, Jean Louise “Scout”, points out how her teacher participates in the common act of hypocrisy.
All due to the fact that the people in Maycomb, the fictional town in which the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird live, are so used to discriminating against Black people that none of them think to question their beliefs, choosing to stay ignorant. A prime example of this is before Tom Robinson’s trial all of Maycomb was rooting against him, hoping that he would be ruled guilty, but no one even considered that he may be innocent. Everyone assumed that since he was Black he must have committed the crime, not taking a minute to learn the facts, or lack thereof, and decide without prejudice whether or not he deserves to be in jail. Even during the trial when all the information was released and every testimony was given, the jury still decided to rule Tom guilty simply because to them, even if it was clear as day that Tom Robinson was innocent, there was no way a Black man had done nothing wrong. Despite Atticus’s attempt to defend Tom in the best possible way he could by stating, “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women.
