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Examples Of Social Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill A Mockingbird Essay "I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding little white boys and girls" a quote by Martin Luther King. In a town called Maycomb, racism was very blatant and common problem that was going on between the white and black community. In the novel "To Kill A Mocking Bird", many of the distinctive characters witness and experience the racism that is going on in the racial segregated town. Though Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" intends to have a series of themes such as social injustice, forgiveness, and prejudice; however, racism served several purposes throughout various events especially when Atticus is being criticized for defending a black man, and the racism that was going on in the town overall. Throughout the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird", racism is a very unfortunate issue that was done blatantly in many events …show more content…

Francis criticism towards black people and Atticus is evident when he says, ‘“Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin.”’ (Lee 96-99). In this quote spoken by Scout's cousin Francis, he ends up giving an explanation that if Atticus keeps supporting the black community, he will turn out to be a “nigger-lover” which completely tarnish the reputation of the Finch Family. This quote proves that in this society of Maycomb, even if one of the family members supports a different race, they will be judged upon their “erroneous” acts from their own family. In this case, racism is significantly shown when Francis disrespectfully makes fun of Atticus to emphasize that it is not right to help another person from another

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The main character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch, a middle aged man living in Maycomb Alabama. Even though he is a southerner he isn’t racist and he believes that everyone should be treated equal, Atticus teaches his children empathy and not to discriminate against other people, he does his by telling them “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.” Even though Atticus treats everyone as equals he gets affected by the town and their prejudice way of thinking. Because Atticus accepts Tom Robinsons case he gets called a “nigger lover” and him and his children get treated differently by the town.

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Atticus’s relationship with his family is highly altered, after news spreads about Atticus defending Tom Robinson. The case comes in between the family at a Christmas dinner when Francis tells Scout that Atticus is a “nigger-lover” (83). Atticus is following

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916 Words | 4 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus believes Maycomb is unjust because the town is inconsiderate of other people’s view, which is shown when Atticus gets targeted for defending a black man, worries that his kids will become bitter and catch Maycomb’s disease, and Aunt Alexandra advising Atticus that he is raising his kids wrong. To begin with, Mrs Dubose addresses to Scout and her family about how Atticus is disgracing his race and his color by defending Tom Robinson on the alleged rape case. Mrs Dubose says, “Your father’s no better than the ni**ers and trash he works for” (135). Atticus views Maycomb as an injustice town because during this time period black people were seen as a lower class. Atticus is mark as an overall victim because in the trial the county is shocked that Atticus is

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841 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, racism grudges on Maycomb Ville’s society. Families collared by agony, struggle everyday to break free from the chains of poverty. Domestic violence eclipses the town as it conceals beneath the dark shadows. Maycomb ville’s conflicts all revolt into a drastic nightmare.

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573 Words | 3 Pages

African-americans are thought of lowly because of their color ,and in this commentary, made by Miss Dubose, Atticus is thought of at a lower level because he is defending Tom Robinson. Even Mrs. Merriweather insults Atticus in his own home at one of the missionary tea gatherings. “I tell you there are some

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684 Words | 3 Pages

Francis disrespects Atticus by expressing the opinion of his superior. Scout, Atticus, Jem, and Jack go to Finch’s Landing. Scout and her cousin Francis go outside to play after Christmas dinner. Francis was telling Scout what his grandma says, when he said, “ Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he’s turned out a n***** lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin’ the family

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541 Words | 3 Pages

They were assaulted and emotionally manipulated by people who disagreed with their father. As evidenced by cousin Francis, “ ‘He’s [Atticus] nothin’ but a nigger lover!’ (Lee 110)”, children in the neighborhood believe her father’s case is a source of shame and bully Scout for it. Atticus is causing his children social strain; putting a physical and literal target on their heads.

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439 Words | 2 Pages

Francis says, “If Uncle Atticus lets you run around with stray dogs, that's his own business, like Grandma says, so it ain’t your fault. I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a -lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-” (Lee 110). This indicates how racism in Maycomb is installed into the town. Francis, a young kid was not born with racist thoughts, he picked them up from the community he is being raised in.

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Atticus Finch is also a victim of stereotyping. After agreeing to defend a negro man, Tom Robinson, in a certain court case, people started to accuse him of being a “negro lover.” Many people in Maycomb believe that since Atticus agreed to help Tom, that he must love all blacks. Not only a stereotype is being held against him, but also a lot of hate is also piling up on him because of his decision to defend Tom. Almost all whites despise blacks in Maycomb, and since Atticus is white, he is also expected to despise blacks.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

So·cial jus·tice, noun, 1. justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. 2."individuality gives way to the struggle for social justice.” (Google Search). Social Justice is a term used to justify the equality in the world; equality of race, equality of gender, equality of religion, of age, of background; equality of all people not dependent on any outside factor, but of the people themselves.

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713 Words | 3 Pages

I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a ******-lover, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family—” (94). From this, we can infer that Francis tends to get racist remarks from the adults around him, especially from Aunt Alexandra, as this is evidence that Aunt Alexandra is a racist. Francis’s racist remarks directly come from what he heard from Aunt Alexandra’s commentary about Atticus’s case. Furthermore, Aunt Alexandra can be seen as a racist when she moves into the Finch’s household and talks to Atticus about Calpurnia during one scene: “And don’t try to get around it. You’ve got to face it sooner or later, and it might as well be tonight.

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456 Words | 2 Pages

Harper Lee's beloved novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a powerful exploration of the theme of racial prejudice. Set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s, the story follows the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee effectively illustrates the destructive impact of prejudice and racism on society through the experiences of the Finch family and the trial of Tom Robinson, emphasizing the importance of empathy and understanding to challenge ingrained societal injustices. The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee delves into the deep-rooted issue of racial prejudice, shedding light on the destructive impact it has on individuals and society as a whole. Before this, Dolphus Raymond is predicting that Dill won’t cry about these things when he gets older, once they realize what the world is they won't be fazed when things like this happen.

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1591 Words | 7 Pages

But, nevertheless this is how the times are and a black person never really has a chance in the court system, because they weren’t treated the same as white people. Another time that it is very clear that people don’t treat Tom the same as white people is when people refer to him as a “nigger.” The first example of this is at the Finch landing on Christmas when Scout and Cousin Francis get into a fight after Francis says something to Scout about Atticus, “He’s nothin’ but a nigger-lover” (Lee 83). This quote very clearly shows that people treat Tom differently when Cousin Francis says

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1057 Words | 5 Pages

Atticus refers to how racial prejudice allows for not even a fighting chance for black people. Atticus uses the means of being fated to defend Tom as a grounds to make even the slightest progress on the views of many of the prejudiced citizens of Maycomb that attend the trial. There were also negative effects on the white people that mingled with black people. Shunning their family members or friends is how many people handled the people that supported negroes. Francis mocks Scout for Atticus’s defending Tom Robinson.

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858 Words | 4 Pages

Though most of the town Maycomb feels negatively and discriminates the African-Americans, characters like Atticus show us how one person can impact his surroundings if he has high morals. Although he couldn’t change the mindset of the other town residents , he made sure that his own children didn’t discriminate people, purely on the basis of their skin colour. Racism can be seen even in the first few chapters of the book. These racist comments by nonracist children typify the culture in which they were growing up.

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