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Cultural context for to kill a mockingbird
Cultural context for to kill a mockingbird
Socially constructed theory of race
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The Cunninghams, a poor farming family living on the outskirts of Maycomb, are not viewed as “‘...company, [they are] Cunningham’” otherwise known as the trash of Maycomb, according to Scout Finch (Lee 24). Scout makes rude remarks about Walter Cunningham Jr., a classmate of hers, after he drenched his supper in molasses. Calpurnia quickly scolds Scout, explaining to her that Walter had not known any better, not having had supper like that before. Social prejudice is clearly demonstrated here because Walter Cunningham Jr. is not welcome by Scout at the Finch home due to the fact that she does not perceive him to be of her same caliber and social class. No person should be alienated because of the way they dress, where they live, or who they affiliate with.
Throughout these five chapters surrounding Tom Robinson’s trial, it is apparent that the characters are victims of prejudice due to Maycomb’s race relations. Harper Lee introduces three characters that drives the main plot of To Kill a Mockingbird: Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, and Bob Ewell. Atticus Finch and Homer Gilmer pursued questions regarding the witnesses’ lives that are relevant to what occurred during the said incident. The questioning covered important points such as Bob Ewell being left-handed, Mayella’s inconclusive testimonies, and Tom Robinson’s reason for running away. It also included Mayella Ewell’s personal suffering that is caused by the known prejudice: “She was as sad, I thought as what Jem called a mixed child:
Peter Alexopoulos Tue Apr 9 G block. Mayella Ewell & Tom Robinson are not who people believe they are on the inside. Firstly, Atticus cross-examines Mayella Ewell, a young white woman who is accusing Tom Robinson, a black man, of raping her, Atticus then points out the self-contradiction of the situation. Mayella's White Privilege protects her but makes whatever she says more believable because this novel takes place post-slavery in Alabama. During Tom Robinson trial, Atticus points out "She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance but I cannot pity her because she is white.
In To Kill A Mockingbird there are many example of individuals being prejudice. People being prejudice has been around for centuries and has not exactly went away. In this essay i will being showing you examples of people being prejudiced in To Kill A Mockingbird. There are many examples but i’m only going to go over a few of them.
The Tom Robinson case displays the brutality of both social and racial prejudice. Despite the jurors long decision making process, they decided to vote along racial lines (which is not a surprise in Maycomb) without any regard for truth or justice. The people involved in the case are Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell. Tom is being accused of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter, Mayella, and this allows the author, Harper Lee, to dig deeper into issues of prejudice in the city of Maycomb. To begin with, the trial gives readers an opportunity to witness Atticus at work.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells a story of racial prejudice during the Depression and how it is combated. The main development in the novel is that a Atticus, the father of Scout and Jem, has been appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young white woman named Mayella. Many people in the town of Maycomb, particularly people involved with the case of Tom, have a negative attitude towards African Americans. Prejudice was a terrible issue in the South during the Depression, but Atticus Finch shows that racial injustice can be combated in two main ways, each having different levels of effectiveness.
Social prejudice is shown throughout Harper Lee’s award winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee powerfully analyses the theme social prejudice, and its effect on people. Such as how the Social prejudice is discrimination based on your status in society. An example of social prejudice would be the Radley family, which consists of Boo Radley, Nathan Radley and Arthur Radley. As they haven’t been out of their house in years people are lead to believe the rumours.
How did prejudice happen in this world that God made? Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. In this world, there are a lot of prejudice. Prejudice doesn´t happen suddenly but it happens from a root. Everything happens from a root and that causes to be or do something.
The novel To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, a small town in southern Alabama during the Great Depression. The social expectations are very different now than they were in the 1930s. Social expectations are certain behaviors deemed acceptable or normal by society. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee argues that a setting can affect social expectations. One event that shows that a setting can affect social expectations is when Scout tells about the Radley house and how different it is from the rest of the town.
Hypocrisy In To Kill a Mockingbird Hypocrisy is the "moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess." In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many instances of hypocrisy. Many people, at the time were very prejudiced against African-Americans and as a result there were many hypocrites in the Southern States. Some examples of hypocrisy and hypocrites in the book are Aunt Alexandra, Miss Gates, and Mrs. Merriweather.
“Don't trade your authenticity for approval” stated an unknown author. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Scout is a young girl who breaks the social norm of wearing proper clothes such as dresses. In the town called Maycomb, the social norms are for whites to separate from African Americans along with women dressing a certain way and men dressing another. Those social norms don’t just exist in Maycom they are also in the real world. Ellen DeGeneres is a woman in the real world who breaks those social norms.
Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird Prejudice in the 1950s was a problem and it still is in 2017. When it comes to the topic of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys it is important that before judging someone, get to know them better. One example of prejudice Harper Lee uses in To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson. In the small town of Maycomb almost everyone assumes Tom is guilty of raping Mayella Ewell even though there is no evidence or reasoning.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many chapters that involve racism, poverty, and or violence. This book takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The Finches, Jem, Scout, and Atticus which are the rich white people, the Cunninghams, the poor humble people, the Ewells, the dirt poor white trash people, and the colored folks all are involved in either racism, poverty, and or violence. Many examples of poverty are stated in To Kill A Mockingbird. An example of poverty is the Ewells because the Ewells have nearly nothing.
Marxist Within the Mockingbird Today the world is open to people of all races, economic classes and much more, but in the 1930’s the world was not as accepting. To Kill A Mockingbird, is a book by Harper Lee which takes place in the 1930’s. Throughout the story there are issues with feminism, racism, and injustice. It starts with a young girl and her family, and as the book progresses the reader gets to find out some of the things that go on in their life and around them. Such as a stressful case which includes, a black innocent man who is accused for something he did not do.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee presents a large social atmosphere that includes many different cultures and extremes. The story takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel illustrates how the southerners perceived different ideas about each other and social norms. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, Scout Finch, as she is growing up and becoming influenced by societal attitudes. Throughout the course of this book Scout learns many lessons including: how a society functions, why there is conflict between different cultures, and what makes cultures different from each other.
