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Social Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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The Color Line In the words of famous philosopher, Aristotle, “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays the significance of social inequality. The distinguished narrator, Scout, is introduced to racial inequality. These characters are affected by the central message of how terrible racism is, yet still exists. Throughout the story, Harper Lee is able to convey a prejudicial situation to express to readers the harms of racism. Harper Lee uses the trial of Tom Robinson to symbolize the ignorance and denial towards the subject of racism in the town of Maycomb. Atticus is able to portray how ignorant people were to ignore that Tom Robinson was an innocent man. As he states, “She was white, and tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man” (Lee 72). Atticus is able to acknowledge the fears of interracial relationships within his community. Although, the victim has secret affection towards Tom Robinson, he is still found guilty. …show more content…

When Atticus is explaining the truth in racial inequality he says, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life … when a white man does that to a black man … he is trash” (Lee192). This quote expresses Atticus’ feelings and thoughts towards racism. The quote is able to characterize him as a righteous man who is ultimately against racial inequality and able to look past the color of one’s skin. Harper Lee is able to use the charastic of Atticus to convey the central idea of racial inequality existing within the region of white

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In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, she talks about a white family in a town called Maycomb. It takes place during the 1930’s which was a hard time to grow up and live in and there was racism and struggles with money. Jem the son and his sister Scout spent much time with their friend Dill. Over summer they would like to spy on their mysterious neighbor Boo Radley. Their father Atticus is a lawyer and he is defending a black man named Tom Robinson, who is on trial for the rape of a white girl.

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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.

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Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.

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The story examines racial prejudice and the moral education of the young characters. In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses characterization of Atticus to illustrate that it is important to do the right thing because people will look up to them and they will teach the younger generation to do right and justified things. The first way Harper Lee uses

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Gilmore uses degrading language to dehumanize and diminish his credibility by calling Tom “boy”. This highlights the racism of the legal system in Maycomb and illustrates how deeply racism is embedded into the society that even in the face of clear innocence a black man's word is devalued In the courtroom scene of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is asked whether he was scared of arrest or facing up to what he did. His response that he'd have to face up to what he didn't do emphasizes his honesty and integrity at this moment and shows Tom's unfortunate place in society ruined by racial prejudice Tom’s statement reflects his clear and painful reality that he is being punished for a crime he did not commit, this portrayal not only evokes sympathy but also highlights the extensive injustice faced by black individuals in the American South during this period. Tom's quiet dignity in the face of false accusations contrasts with the prejudice-fueled certainty of his accusers, making his character a powerful symbol of innocence wronged by societal corruption. In conclusion, the courtroom

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Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ is a fictional novel written/published in the midst of the sixties that gave light to the provocative themes of prejudice and racial discrimination in the deep south of Alabama during the 1930s. The memorable quote said by Atticus Finch, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin", (Lee, 2004, p. 94), is the basic message the author is trying to get across, to get to know a person rather than to judge and discriminate someone based on their race. Harper Lee explores these themes through the construcion of events and characters that challenge and reinforce the societal ideologies at the time. An example of this is the character Atticus Finch and his values, attitudes and beliefs toward the trial of a black man charged with the rape of a white girl.

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The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was written in 1960 by Harper Lee in the point of view of a young innocent girl named Scout. One of the main messages that Lee has (need a new word than – indicated or set out) is racism, it plays an important role which strongly impacts many character’s lives unfairly and changes the relationship between two. Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows that it is wrong to hurt someone who does no harm to you, for example, black people are innocent but no way did they have as many rights as white people did. Black people lived hard lives because society was judgemental, irrational and most importantly, racist. As Scout and Jem grow older they learn to cope, take responsibility and are introduced to new aspects of life, one of which is racism.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Argumentative Essay Racial equality and discrimination is a founding issue that has been spread throughout every part of the world, To Kill A Mockingbird was written and published by Harper Lee in 1960, this time was dominated by civil rights protests and some of the first hippie movements following the crushing reality of the Vietnam War, the 60s also saw the struggle against segregation and racial equality. It is no surprise that the extreme political conflict affecting her life and world would greatly impact her writing and influence how she perceived the world during the writing of To Kill a Mockingbird. the influence of the fight for racial inequality is shown greatly in her book as she depicts the everyday life

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the Tom Robinson case to portray the theme that racism causes injustice. Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson to portray that racism causes injustice. The Tom Robinson case involves a girl named Mayella accusing Tom of raping her. There was

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“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”(Lee 30). These are the words of Atticus Finch, the wisest character in the famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. He is a fictional man that embodies human traits that all people should strive to emulate. In the novel; narrated by Atticus’ daughter Jean Louise Finch, more often referred to as Scout; Atticus defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. The main message of the text is the prominence of racial injustice, specifically in the 1930’s, the era the novel takes place in.

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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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One of the main themes of the novel is Racism. During the time of depression, racism and poverty were a common issue. People with a dark skin tone, i.e the African- Americans were seen as derogatory and treated like dirt. Harper Lee depicts it in a very realistic way.

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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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