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More handpicked essays just for you.
Various aspects of prejudice
Various aspects of prejudice
Various aspects of prejudice
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A moral that is common to both To Kill a Mockingbird and an article titled “ Outrage Over 6 Month Sentence for Brock Turner Rape Case”, is that favoring a certain race or social class causes society to degress rather than progress. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the Ewells had accused a man named Tom Robinson of rape and they already acted like they’ve won the case because “ ‘ when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. ’”(295), they knew that whatever they accused Tom of they could’ve gotten away with it as a result of the color of their skin. More importantly, there wasn’t really a case to begin with as “ Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (323), the result was already decided before the case got to court.
Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, is the appointed lawyer of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell. During the trial, Atticus expertly and deftly exposes the Ewells as lacking in morality and as liars. Atticus Finch uses the audience, occasion, tone and subject to create a meaningful purpose in his speech. The purpose is to address the white community (essentially the Ewells) to show the blatant racism within Maycomb.
The novel " How To Kill a Mockingbird" takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, a racially divided Alabama town, set in the early 1930s. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, that agrees to defend a young black man,Tom Johnson, who is accused of raping a white woman. Many of the townspeople try to get Atticus to pull out of the trail, but he decides to go with his conscience. Depending on how the trail turns out, this could effect any change in racial attitudes in Maycomb. Throughout the novel the author shows countless examples of hasty generalization.
In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is shown that when people view justice through the eyes of society, true justice no longer exists. Despite all of Atticus’ effort to prove Tom’s innocence, he is declared guilty and sent to prison. During his trial, it eventually becomes apparent that Tom is innocent, but the entire trial was never actually about who the real convict was because, to society, it all came down to White v. Black. Atticus recognized this, and sadly found that even hoping for the innocent Tom Robinson to go free was a lost cause. He had known, from the beginning, what side society had chosen: race over true justice.
This book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is all about racism. There is one character that fights for equality, Atticus Finch. Atticus represents the desire for fairness. He proves some of it in his speech he gives at the courtroom. An example/quote, of his desire for equality is this quote, “…Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury.
(100), here, Atticus knows even if everyone knows Tom is innocent and Tom’s opponent is white trash and ignorant, everyone understand that he will suffer racial discrimination and will be labelled guilty no matter the proof. Racial segregation will be the main factor as to why no one will choose a black man’s side over a white’s. No matter how much evidence there is, the mindset on blacks in Maycomb is nearly impossible to discard. “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (276), it is no surprise when Tom tries to escape the prison and dies doing so, because everyone knew there was no hope for him once a white accuses him.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, many innocent black lives are lost due to many different elements, the main being Maycomb's population. Maycomb’s population is mostly made up of many racist, white people, that feel like they have the right to discriminate against anyone that does not look like their kind. Bob and Mayella Ewell fall into this group and are most responsible for the outcome of the Tom Robinson case and the elements that most contribute are a social hierarchy, social inequalities, and an unfair judicial system. By reading about the Tom Robinson case, it is clear that a social hierarchy is present all throughout the story, and it is clear that most of Maycomb’s population abides by this social hierarchy.
As a child, have you ever wondered how it would feel to be able to fly like a bird? Many people do not know what a typical bird does during their day to day life. But a Mockingbird is not any typical type of bird. “Kill all the bluejays you want, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (117). The previous quote is a world widely known quote; stated by Atticus; a character from the book To Kill a Mockingbird; authored by Harper Lee.
Through the trial she shows how the caste system impacts the outcome of trial. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee argues that a caste system corrupts the justice system because a caste system generates a blurred image of the truth that creates inequality. This caste system can be seen during Tom Robinson’s trial. Tom Robinson trial is about Tom a black man allegedly rapeing a white girl named Mayella Ewell.
In To Kill a Mockingbird the case of Tom Robinson is an important example of racial inequality. After the statements had been provided from either side of the case (the Ewell’s and Tom Robinson), Jem was absolutely sure that Atticus and Tom were going to win the case. In response to his rash decision,
“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it.” Harper Lee had used the tragic situation of Tom Robinsons trial to explore many themes including, racism and differences in privilege. “To kill a mockingbird” written by Harper Lee explores many situations linked to the broad idea of racism throughout the systems of Maycomb and differences in privilege in many different ways. The quote that Atticus argues with explains that in Maycomb, all men and things are equal.
Racial hierarchy is the prominent theme of the book. An example of this in a more subtle showing is the line: “The sheriff hadn’t the heart to put him in jail with [black people], so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement”. Maycomb was so set in his ways that instead of sending a man accused of murder to jail, he was locked in a basement so he wouldn't share a cell with a colored person. During Tom Robinsons’s trial, when it seemed as though he would be proven innocent, and Jem had his hopes high, this is said: “‘Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”(208). This is a clear sign where even though Robinson was innocent, and hadn't done a thing wrong, just because he was black he would be seen as guilty.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus, the father, claims “our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal,” is proven to be wrong through the use of symbolism and racism. From shooting racism with an empty gun to having two wiser figures tell two children how bad the racism has gotten in their town, Harper Lee makes a point of social inequality. From the thirties
Atticus fears that "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” (Page 224) Atticus confirmed that Maycomb won’t have a just system due to white men’s words to black men. This would only make Maycomb welcoming to white people and unwelcoming for black people. Maycomb is unwelcoming and unjust for the prejudice view for black
To Kill a Mockingbird Essay ¨Inequality is the root of social evil¨ (Pope Francis). In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee shows that social inequality affects everyone. As the book goes on, Lee proves that racial inequality was one of the greater stresses in the 1930’s. Social inequality does not just exist only with race; it interferes with wealth, family backgrounds, age, and even your beliefs.