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Examples Of Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird

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“People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for” (Lee ) The people of Maycomb are constantly caught up in the racist mindset of their upbringing. The Tom Robinson case is a huge example of some of the injustice or prejudice that took place. Tom was put on trial for a crime he didn’t commit, and was unfairly convicted due to the all white jury. When an entire system seems to be turned against you, it can be hard to hold on to hope for a positive outcome.
Ignorance versus knowledge is a recurring theme throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. People in this time tend to jump to conclusions based on race, rather than seeking out the truth. In this particular situation in the book, the jury is provided with all the information necessary in order to clearly see the correct verdict. However, despite the knowledge provided they chose to act purely on ignorance. "The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took …show more content…

In relation to the theme individual vs society this is exactly the type of isolation Tom felt. He is separated from his family and made a spectacle for all the white folks. “I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.” (Lee 215) Even people who are generally racist see that the court justice system is flawed. Due to the trial Tom’s life is constantly being threatened. “Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. 'Let's clear out,' he called. 'Let's get going, boys” (Lee 154) Mr. Cunningham and the gang intended to kill Tom. This is another example of the society being against Tom. There is soon a point when you can’t stand the injustice in the world and feel outnumbered. “Tom’s dead” (Lee 234) Tom lost faith in his fight against the prejudice society. Consequently, Tom showed the society the impact they can have on a single

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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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The United States prides itself on the principle of equality. In the Declaration of Independence, the very basis of the nation, it states "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Despite this promise, Maycomb county lacks the humanity and fairness that America promises. Not only do the whites of the county show obvious contempt for the blacks, but they are willing to go as far as to murder one, Tom Robinson, in cold blood, depriving him of the basic right promised by our great country. Tom deserves the appeal due to the biased jury, the insubstantial physical evidence given by Mayella, Mr. Ewell, and Heck Tate, and the

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Why Is Tom Robinson Unfair

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In To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many different types of reactions, and point of views to the verdict of Tom Robinson. Robinson, being a man accused of rape, is an African American. Maycomb townspeople are racist, therefore there will be an unfair ending to the verdict. The townspeople, the children, and Atticus all have different views of this. The townspeople feel as if the right thing was done, charging Tom as guilty.

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Examples Of Misconceptions In To Kill A Mockingbird

749 Words | 3 Pages

Gossip is sporadically acceptable, usually substandard, but completely a part of human nature. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the people in Maycomb who are the targets of ridicule and misconceptions are usually easy targets because of them being different from the rest of the town. The minorities in this book, racially or socially, are gossiped about by the small minded majority in the small town of Maycomb, Which cause unnecessary consequences like the death of Tom Robinson.

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An Analysis Of Tom Robinson In Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

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But in that day and age, how could a black man, feel sorry for a white woman. It was not socially acceptable. That was when Tom lost the case. Furthermore Tom Robinson was just like the rest of us, and has never hurt anyone. After the trial, Tom was put into holding, but he could not handle the pain of staying in there and accused of something he did not do.

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Examples Of Ignorance In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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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.

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When one grows up, it is inevitable they will lose their innocence. Seeing the world through rose colored glasses can only take one so far, and eventually they will have to open their eyes to real issues in their lives. While this happens at different ages for everyone, Atticus in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee believes that his kids should not be sheltered from the real world. As Scout and Jem, Atticus’ children, grow up, especially in a time where Maycomb is so segregated, Atticus teaches his kids real life lessons and to not become like the rest of their town; racist and judgemental. This comes with a cost, however, as the kids “grow up” at an expedited rate.

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It was up to the jury to decide if Tom was innocent, but to Maycomb’s turmoil, Tom was “‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…’” (Lee 112). This demonstrates that even though it was evident Tom was innocent, it had been his skin color which cost him to lose in court. In all of Maycomb history, a black man has always been convicted guilty. Tom was certainly not the first black man to be unfairly convicted and he will not be the last either.

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Examples Of Misunderstandings In 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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Who Is Jem's Childhood In To Kill A Mockingbird

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There was racism being shown by the white people to the black people in Maycomb. One big way of racism was when Tom Robinson was convicted with raping a white woman. The white woman was Mayella Ewell and the evidence of this case was very low. It didn’t seem that from such low evidence he can be found guilty that easy. I would say that he was such a good person that he would not do rape her.

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The game that Scout, Jem, and Dill play during Chapter 4 of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird suggests that although ignorance abounds in children due to their inexperience in life, adults perpetuate this ignorance through their discourse and actions. When Atticus catches the children playing the game and asks them about it, Scout explains that “Jem’s evasion” of the question told her the game “was a secret” (Lee 40). Jem’s avoidance of a straight answer and his desire to keep it a secret from the most unprejudiced person in the novel suggests he knows he is at fault for playing the game and that, if Atticus knew the true nature of it, he would be displeased with the children; not only is the game wrong because of inaccuracy, but it is also

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Examples Of To Kill A Mockingbird Relevance To Today's Society

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The town is very discriminating against Tom not only because of his crime but because of his skin color. In today's world, we can still see these things happening through the idea of white supremacy. People of color are

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This group of men want Tom dead and want him to have no participation at all

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Because of society's standards, it is hard for many people to see flaws in their opinions. When people begin to understand and experience new opinions, they begin to see the flaws in society's ideals. This is shown when Link Deas interrupts the court case to give his opinion of the matter and stand up for Tom even when nobody else would. Another reason for Maycomb's racism is that, racism in society has been built through generations. ”There was indeed a caste system in Maycomb, but to my mind it worked this way: the older citizens, the present generation of people who had lived side by side for years and years, were utterly predictable to one another: they took for granted attitudes, character shadings, even gestures, as having been repeated in each generation and refined by time.

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To What Extent Did Tom Robinson Have A Fair Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

866 Words | 4 Pages

Based on all the information provided at the trial of Tom Robinson the jury should have found him not guilty. But in the south, white people were racist towards people of color. As a result of this Tom Robinson was found guilty with no evidence to prove that he was. In this trial, the jury was racist and prejudice towards Tom Robinson and that lead to him being found guilty of a crime that had no medical evidence at

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