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Examples Of Social Commentary In To Kill A Mockingbird

711 Words3 Pages

Aaron Feagin
English 9GT
Ms.Brooks
May 30, 2023
Social Commentary in To Kill a Mockingbird
Imagine you live in a time period where racism was widespread, you live in a poor neighborhood and in the south. How would you think you would grow up as a vulnerable child in these conditions? To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in the 1930’s in a poor neighborhood in Maycomb Alabama. This time period happened in a time with many openly racist people and also happened during the great depression. In the story we are introduced to a kid named Scout along with the other Finche’s where they prove to be the main characters of the book. Harper Lee makes this book to address racism, classism and even subtle sexism. The book has received widespread …show more content…

One of which can be found in this quote saying "There was no sign of piano, organ, hymn-books, church programs—the familiar ecclesiastical impedimenta we saw every Sunday. It seemed gloomy in there, and cold, and I wondered if the place would ever burst into light again. Uncle Jack said probably not. He said the church was cold, there weren't many people out that night, and he guessed people's wills weren't made of stone yet." (Lee, Chapter 14). This quote has Atticus Finch explaining the impact of classism and poverty in the town they live in. He describes how the church was poor, cold and gloomy. Without money they can’t afford things most churches …show more content…

With every page you flip you could find something that shows racism, Atticus Finch explains racism in the book saying "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life." (Lee, Chapter 23). Now This quote is very important and basically explains the whole book. In To Kill a Mockingbird there was the trial of Tom Robinson, he was a black man falsey accused of raping a white woman. With all the overwhelming evidence towards his innocence, he was still convicted. He was convicted soley from his race. These events happen in real life, therefore it is a case of social commentary in the book. Also throughout the book it is a common occurrence for white people to say racial slurs as a form of hatred. This was common in that time period and can still be found to this day, so it is social

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In society today there are those that are pushed out of the crowd because of what they look like, how they act, and what others say to be true about them. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that unselfish, kind hearted people can experience prejudice from others. Always wanting to be the better person, Atticus Finch is like the mockingbird when taking the responsibility of defending Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Once Atticus gets the news that he will be defending Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape, he is very stressed until the end of the trial. Harper Lee shows this when she says, “It’s this Tom Robinson case that’s worrying him to death...”

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Atticus Finch expresses his logic on racism by saying, “There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads- they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.” (Lee, Chapter 27). Atticus Finch is stating his personal reflections from the Tom Robinson trial.

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Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression, a time of great economic hardship in America. While many problems were happening at the time, one of the most significant and pervasive issues was discrimination and prejudice. In Maycomb, racism and segregation were normalized, and gender bias and classism were also prevalent. Women were expected to act in a certain way, exemplified by Aunt Alexandria's constant nagging of Scout to be more ladylike.

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In 'To Kill A Mockingbird' the idea of living according to one's beliefs requires courage through the character of Atticus Finch. As a moral compass in the novel, Atticus embodies the importance of following one's conscience despite societal pressures. When defending Tom Robinson, a falsely accused black man, Atticus declares, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win" (Pg 76). This quote highlights Atticus's unwavering commitment to justice, even in inevitable defeat. His willingness to confront the deeply ingrained racism of Maycomb County exemplifies the courage needed to challenge prevailing opinions.

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I feel that this shows how big racism was back then that these slurs were used a lot more. To kill a mockingbird relates To how the development of racism still till this day is a big thing in our country. One of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird was named Tom Robinson, and he was accused of crimes of assaulting a white woman. Many judges, and people wanted to put him in jail mainly because they felt that he truly did do it, and did not want to take the consideration of it being someone else or not being true at all. A white lawyer named

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Atticus especially thinks that "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash" (Lee 117). This quote is important because it shows how Atticus and the Finch family view racial segregation and inequalities in Maycomb during this

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Some examples are the themes of prejudice and racial inequity. In this book, we can see many examples of prejudice and racism especially in Tom Robinson's court case and his horrifying death. This quote by Atticus highlights how it will truly never be possible for courts to not view and judge the color of someone's skin. "The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury

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One themes of To Kill A Mockingbird is that racism doesn’t die over time. Throughout the entire time of the book we’ve heard and been told about the racism during that time period. It shows how racist people were back when it was “common” to be like that. It has never truly stopped over the time, it has just been quietly done but now it is wrongful to be racist. In the book characters were racist and it showed how bad it was.

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