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How Does Dill Show Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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“It was just him I couldn’t stand...that old Mr. Gilmer doin’ him thataway...it was the way he said it that made me sick, plain sick” (Harper Lee 265). In “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Dill’s character is innocent throughout the story. Dill can feel the racism in Mr.Gilmer’s voice as he prosecuted an innocent African American. Dill can sense the injustice taking place right in front of him. Everyone in the courtroom can tell that there is no justice in the justice system. All the Maycomb citizens know the ruling is unfair. Justice is the equal treatment or punishment of all people to reach a state of no prejudice or bias. To find what justice is, it must first be known what justice is not. In 1857, African Americans were not legally considered citizens. …show more content…

Since Illinois was a free territory at the time, Dred Scott thought he should be free for living there for so long. Dred Scott sued his master for his and his families freedom, and the case went directly to the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court had to decide three crucial points: (1) Did Dred Scott even have the right of “due process”? (2) Should Dred Scott be free? (3) Should free territories allow slaves to be brought into them?” (“Transcript of Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)” ) The Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott, and sent him back to slavery. The Supreme Court could have voted “yes” to all of these questions, but instead they went against the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration reads, “We hold these truths to be self evident: …show more content…

Many people today think that the justice system is broken or rigged, but in comparison to past justice systems, the justice system today in the United States is very fair. Some cases do not get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, such as the Dred Scot case did. There are many cases where the prosecutor will not try the case in return for some sort of deal. The Bureau of Justice Statistics states, “In some jurisdictions, defendants, often those without prior criminal records, may be eligible for diversion from prosecution subject to the completion of specific conditions such as drug treatment. Successful completion of the conditions may result in the dropping of charges or the expunging of the criminal record where the defendant is required to plead guilty prior to the diversion”. This statement shows that the justice system today is fair, and that punishment fits the

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While Tom Robinson's words are getting twisted as he is being interrogated by Mr. Gilmer, Dill's emotions get out of hand. Harper Lee states, “For some reason, Dill had started crying and couldn’t stop quietly at first, then his sobs were heard by several people on the balcony”(Lee 225). Dill witnessed Tom being questioned and Tom trying to hopelessly defend himself, which stirred up Dill's emotions. He started to cry unconditionally to the point where Scout was asked to take him outside. This reaction suggests that Dill is very sensitive, this is likely due to his complex family situation in which he feels abandoned and misunderstood.

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