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The Theme Of Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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A major conflict established in this story was injustice and inequality. “Atticus was right, one time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (Lee 321) Scout realized that Atticus was right about what he said, you don’t know how things are for people unless you see it from their point of view. In the story Tom Robinson faced inequality when he was accused for raping Mayella Euwell in a trial, Mayella accused tom of choking her wither one and beating her with the other one but Tom Robinsons other hand was useless to him. “ He looked oddly off balance, but it was not from the way he was standing. His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled …show more content…

“You know something, Scout? I've got it all figured out, now. I've thought about it a lot lately and I figured it out. There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down in the dumb, and the negroes” (Lee 258). This quote explains how Jem explains to Scout realizing how people are labeled for the wrong things. “Atticus said one time the reason Auntie’s so hipped on the family is because we’ve got’s background and not a dime to our names'” (Lee 258). This quote signifies how the Finches are considered upper class and more respected compared to other families. “Every town the size of make home had families like the Ewells. No economic fluctuations changed their status– people like the Ewells lived as guests of the county and prosperity as well as in the depths of a depression…” (Lee 193) This quote represents how everyone considered the Ewells as repulsive and white trash. The Ewell family was treated unfairly no matter who they were and their class impacted everything including their friend groups, and their

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and I’ve got it figured out. There’s four kinds of people in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewell’s down in the dump, and the Negroes.” Basically, Jem is saying he is beginning to understand the class divisions in Maycomb. The evidence highlights how society teaches Jem the class differences in Maycomb.

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“He said that the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells” (Lee 40-41). This shows how they are divided from the rest of the people from the town. “There’s ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes” (Lee 302) This quote from Jem explains how Maycomb is broken up into different social classes. Social inequality caused the Ewells to be shunned in a way or looked down on which made Mr. Ewell

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Idhaant Bhosle Ms.Morgan EN 100 (H) 8 March 2023 The Role of Language, Power, and Societal Status in Confronting Racism and Inequality in To Kill a Mockingbird Race has always been a defining factor in American society, shaping the way people interact with each other and the world around them. Similarly, In Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores how race structures relationships in terms of power, language, and social status. To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, the novel is told from the eyes of Jean Louise Finch, Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in a world where society is divided by the prejudices of others. Scout is the daughter of Atticus Finch, a lawyer, defending an African

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613 Words | 3 Pages

The text shows a conversation between Scout and her brother. Jem states, "... If there's only one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something.

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989 Words | 4 Pages

Jem tries to explain to Scout that there are many different people in the world he explains: “There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods. The kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes,” (Lee 226). One learns just what Scout does. Everyone is different no matter who you are you will be looked at, for better or for worse, and judged for who you are and where you come from.

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There’s the ordinary like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.’” (pg. 303) “‘I mean in Maycomb county. The thing about it is our kinds of folks don’t like the Cunninghams,...’” (pg. 302-303) Jem explains to Scout that there are “four kinds of folks” in Maycomb County, not just one as Scout perceives.

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“‘... when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things… Atticus, he was real nice….’ … ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them. ’”(376). Sometimes people’s true personalities are masked by the judgement of the viewer.

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In the world right now, there is still inequality for all. People are criticized everyday because of how they look, speak, dress, act, etc. In America, although there is people that are changing, there with always be that small group of people that won’t change their views on what they believe is right and wrong in our society. You can also see this in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by author, Harper Lee. All throughout the novel, you can see how white people are superior to the African Americans that live in the same town.

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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.

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Tom Robinson is a black man who is wrongfully convicted of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. This novel goes through Scout's life from when she was 6, till she is 9. She lives in the town of Maycomb Alabama, and lives an innocent life until about halfway through the story, where she begins to ask questions. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout shows the readers that racial inequality creates an unjust society through the African American community, through the people surrounding colored folks, and through Tom Robinson’s Case. The first example of the consequences of racial inequality is the African American community in Maycomb.

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Jem said that “there’s four kinds of folks in the world. The ordinary kind like us and the neighbors… the Cunninghams… the Ewells… and the negroes.” This statement exemplifies the social stratification in the small town of Maycomb. Even very young children are able to distinguish and differentiate between classes. The book depicts “the negroes” as the very worst of the classes, and people like the Cunninghams, as among the highest class, the “whites.”

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789 Words | 4 Pages

In the March 01, 2004 article “The Campus Crisis”, Hara Estroff Marano discusses the many reasons as to why college kids may have it more difficult in today’s time verse the past. The paper goes on to state that mental health cases on college campuses have been on the rise since 1988. Her article brings up a total of 13 major points that all state reasons why collegians are psychologically distressed. Marano poses the argument that causes such as growing up in an unbuffered stressful environment and vulnerability freely flowing on college campuses create what is known as ‘The Campus Crisis’.

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500 Words | 2 Pages

In chapter 17, it states “Maycomb's Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin” (Lee 227). The Ewells are very poor and don't take very good care of their stuff. Another example of poverty

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1169 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the small, imaginary town, the Maycomb County, as a place where racism and social inequality happens in the background of 1930s America. Not only the segregation between whites and blacks, but also the poor lived in a harsh state of living. As Scout, the young narrator, tells the story, Lee introduces and highlights the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb County by using various characters such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Firstly, Harper Lee portrays Boo Radley as a victim of social inequality through adjectives and metaphor in the phrase, “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten;” ‘Long jagged scar that ran across his face’ tells us that Boo Radley has stereotype about his appearance, which forces to imagine Boo as a scary and threatening person. The phrase, ‘yellow and rotten’ make the readers think as if Boo Radley is poor and low in a social hierarchy, as he cannot afford to brush his teeth.

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740 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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