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Examples Of Racial Slurs In To Kill A Mockingbird

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According to an unknown author, “the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution are inherent for all” (“About Black Lives Matter Movement ''). Meaning, all should be equal no matter their race or color, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee fails to provide diverse representation to all people by popularizing the white characters much more than the black ones. To Kill a Mockingbird bases the story in southwest Alabama, 1933-1935 in a town named Maycomb. The main family called the Finches has a son named Jem, a daughter named Scout, and a father named Atticus. The Finch family is set in the white part of Maycomb alongside many racist white families. Then, across a railroad separating the white and black part of town lives …show more content…

For example, the use of racial slurs makes communities split and could create the idea that the use of slurs is ok. Tom Robinson, a black man, and Bob Ewell, the father of the girl who was “raped” were both taken to court under a false rape claim. Bob Ewell shows he's a terrible role model when in court “[Bob] stood up and pointed [Bob's] finger at Tom Robinson. ´—[Bob] seen that black [N-word] yonder ruttin’ on [Bobs] Mayella´”(Harper Lee 231)! As others criticize the racial slurs used throughout the novel, a critic points out that ¨The word '[N-word]' is used 48 times [in] the novel … There are many available books which reflect the past history of African-Canadians or Americans without subjecting African-Canadian learners to this type of degradation¨(Racism in To Kill A …show more content…

With the influence of Aunt Alexandra, the novel disregarded black people as humans a lot more. She thought of them as servants to her or people to fit her needs as seen when she yelled to Calpurnia to take her bags. This behavior projects the image that colored people are too weak to say anything back or that they should just listen. Which is more proof of the lack of diverse representation this novel presents. Also, the quote made by a critic used in the evidence perfectly explains the novel's image of black people. The critic stated the novel's projection of Blacks being somnolent and just waiting for someone else to save them. Which discredits the black community and falsely characterizes them as background or unimportant

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The book can be hurtful towards people of color and can make them feel as if they're outta place and not wanted.

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However their findings stated others were "written from a narrow and distorted perspective." Their review of three hundred available books highlighted five specific unacceptable patterns in the portrayal of blacks. • ‘Romanticism’ where the narratives camouflage actuality for example

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Many African American authors and critics very strongly disagreed with how the white plantation owners and the slaves were portrayed in the book. For example Nat Turner’s first slave owner, Samuel Turner, was presented in very high light. This was probably not the case, and that is the reason it enraged so many readers. The book was also banned in some places because of the sexual violence that was portrayed in the novel. Before I get into the book itself it is important to know about the actual person who was Nat Turner and the rebellion that he led in 1831.

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Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is based in a small town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the early 1930’s. The story is narrated by Atticus Finch's daughter Scout. The main character, Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem, growing up they were taught to accept people by who they are, not the color of their skin, they lived in a town where racism was very popular. Atticus Finch was a liberal lawyer who took on the case of Tom Robinson, an african american man who was accused of beating and raping a white woman named Mayella, many in the town of Maycomb didn't approve of a white man helping an african american who everyone believed beat and raped Mayella.

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During the time of when the book was written about, black people had a much harder life than white people had. In the book black people had nowhere near as much as white people had. For example in the book it stated that in the text it said “ Most colored schools are lucky to see 10 cents of every school

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To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, was released during the Civil Rights movement. Lee grew up in the racist South during the Great Depression which greatly influenced her novel. The story takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the 1930s and is told through the eyes of a young tomboyish girl named Scout. Atticus Finch, her father, is the defense lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white women. In Maycomb, opinions rumors spread like fire and the town is quick to construct opinions about those who are different.

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Throughout the novel, we can see the discrimination towards the black race by the

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Although the characters play a big part in showing the racism of this book, their dialogue and actions also play a big part. ““They don’t belong anywhere, Colored folks won’ have ‘em because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ‘em ‘cause they’re colored, so they’re just in-betweens, don’t belong anywhere”” (Pg.183) ““That’s what I thought,” said Jem, “but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black”” (pg,184) Jem demonstrates his belif that having even the littlest amount of african american blood will display you as an inferior indivual in society. Another action of racism that makes African Americans seem inferior was when Bob ewell wrongly accused Tom Robinson knowing the court would most likely choose his side as he is white.

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Have you or anyone you care for been Judged for yours or their appearance or race? In this book to kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee, some of the characters were treated badly, and called slurs for their race and appearance. They are treated negatively without knowing them personally, or their personalities. You would think that someone being judged off of their first appearances would be obvious not to judge. In this book, the N word slur was often used to describe those of color, mainly by the whites.

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To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama where the residents hold strong views on any event that is happening in the town. Most of the population thinks the same way, that all blacks are inferior, girls should be girly, and men should be manly, the white population so to speak. Although there is a part of Maycomb County that is for the black population, it is not much more than a slum, but it is something. There is one white family that does not fit in with the rest of the people, they treat everyone equally and live by the statement of, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 31), the Finch family.

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Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that show the life of a southern state od Alabama during the “black racism” time period, where majority of the people had the mentality that (quote) with the exception of a few. To chosen to portray it from the eyes of Scout Finch, from a child’s point of view. Living in Maycomb, in the midst of a conservative society of the 1930’s and 20’s Southern America Scout Finch is an extra ordinary child.

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People of the town including children refer to black people as “Niggers”, and raised to think of black people as lower class individuals. “To Kill A Mockingbird” has a strong message towards racism, this is learned from Scout & Jem as they mature throughout the novel and are constantly being exposed to demeaning segregation in Maycomb County. In giving Scout a lesson about racism, Atticus also does the same for the readers of the novel. This happens when Scout asks Atticus what the term ‘Nigger-lover” meant, after being insulted several of times and not knowing if it is an offensive word or not, but had a slight feeling it was when Atticus was being called at. A quote from the novel: "nigger-lover is

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Censorship is an extremely debated topic in America, with people saying it contradicts with what the Bill of Rights has allowed the American people and how it may deny people use the Freedom of Speech. Yet, the censorship of books in American public schools is one of the most controversial topics today because of the use of racial slurs in classic literature, this is the case with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Opinions on this topic vary, with some of them being: schools should have the right to censor books because they have racial slurs in them, schools should have teachers open up a conversation about race and the use of racial slurs with these books, or schools should not have the right to censor any book. I firmly believe that schools

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The problem is more than race, it is about how humans treat other humans and how little respect we give to those we deem lower than us. The author used the characters to show that the desire to be superior among others goes further than race. She also used a real tragedy, the murder of the NAACP Field Secretary, which allows readers to connect the novel to real life and making the novel more compelling. These key issues make the readers think deeper, allows the novel to surpass others like it, and connect to many human interactions even in today’s

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All of us learn to forgive. Some may learn as children from parents or teachers, and some may even learn as adults. Literature for young and old often have an underlying theme of forgiveness, no matter what the storyline is. Modern books such as “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” conquer the topic, and historical books like the Bible send the strong message of forgiveness. This theme in “The Five People” and the Bible story of The Prodigal Son show us that forgiveness, even after death, can repair relationships.

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