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Theme Of Social Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

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“Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom” (Mary Browne)... In To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, Lee exemplifies the issue of social inequality through the characterization of Atticus, a lawyer defending a black man accused of rape in the 1930s in the rural South. Atticus knows that this man—Tom Robinson—is clearly innocent, and that if judged fairly, he would be found innocent too. Through the actions of the town that Atticus lives in, Maycomb, Lee shows how social inequality and preconceived notions lead to injustice and ignorance, and ultimately lead to harm. Social inequality is made of an intertwined combination of preconceived notions and opinions, integrated structure, and resistance to change. Integrated …show more content…

But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal… That institution, gentlemen, is a court. …Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the greatest levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal, ” (Lee 233). He is exemplifying the structure built into the world—the structure of inequality. There is an undeniable nature of inequality amongst humanity, but Atticus argues that there is no place for inequality in a …show more content…

There is a dump in the middle of the town, creating a distinct barrier between two different social groups. Change begins to get made when people from one side start understanding the other, and learn that they all live in the same town—that is, that they are equal. Atticus, who crosses the border of empathy from one side of the dump to the other, says “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them,” (Lee 321). Realistically, the town isn’t entirely changed when Atticus proves Tom Robinson’s innocence, and shows that the town’s assumptions are wrong—but one jury member’s opinion is changed. By crossing the border, Atticus began the slow transition into a more fair world. Ignorance doesn’t go away easily, and the wall blocking universal empathy is made of

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In society today there are those that are pushed out of the crowd because of what they look like, how they act, and what others say to be true about them. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that unselfish, kind hearted people can experience prejudice from others. Always wanting to be the better person, Atticus Finch is like the mockingbird when taking the responsibility of defending Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Once Atticus gets the news that he will be defending Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape, he is very stressed until the end of the trial. Harper Lee shows this when she says, “It’s this Tom Robinson case that’s worrying him to death...”

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In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys that prejudice divides communities and that persecution of innocent people is evil; furthermore; these two minor themes reinforce the major thematic idea that a simple assumption can divide people. When Tom Robinson is put on trial for supposedly raped Mayella Ewell, the racism in Maycomb surfaces and creates conflict. In the novel, a stranger says, “You know what we want,” ‘another man said.’ “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.”(172). Some drunken men want to harm Tom Robinson for the wrong that he did.

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This takes place as Atticus awaits to hear the verdict of the case. Atticus spent rigorous hours to prepare for defending Tom Robinson and his stress shows through at this moment, waiting to be informed if his plentiful work payed off. Atticus’s braveness of going against the common opinion and defending a black man was a step to equality between all people. He resisted society and risked relationships for what he believed.

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From the late 1870s through the mid-1960s, Jim Crow laws affected many African Americans. With these laws, blacks were given very limited rights and were often victims of unfair judgment. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, a highly educated lawyer, gets a case where he needs to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Atticus faces many challenges, including judgment from the white community in his town and questions from his kids about the trial. Atticus demonstrates moral integrity, bravery, and empathy in response to conflict, which connects to the idea that one should achieve social justice by following morals, taking a stand when no one else will, and understanding other people’s perspectives.

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Tom Robinson is in court because he is accused of raping Bob Ewell 's daughter. Tom is a black man and during that time they were still being discriminated and being treated unfairly. Bob is a white man and when a white man accuses a black man of anything the white man is the outcome is usually in the white man 's favor. In the courthouse Atticus was trying to defend Tom Robinson, he uses an allusion and says, " But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal--there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein..." (210).

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The​ ​problem​ ​of​ ​human​ ​inequality​ ​and​ ​the​ ​divisions​ ​within​ ​human​ ​society​ ​is a​ ​big​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​novel​ ​“To​ ​Kill​ ​a​ ​Mockingbird”​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​still​ ​part​ ​of​ ​our​ ​society today.​ ​An​ ​example​ ​of​ ​this​ ​problem​ ​is​ ​the​ ​trial​ ​of​ ​Tom​ ​Robinson,​ ​Walter Cunningham​ ​Jr.​ being treated differently because of who he is,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​discrimination​ ​against​ ​black people.​ ​Our​ ​society​ ​is​ ​still​ ​dealing​ ​with​ ​this​ ​situation​ ​because​ ​people​ ​are​ ​harassing other​ ​races​ ​and​ ​black​ ​people​ ​are​ ​getting​ ​killed​ ​by​ ​police​ ​officers. In​ ​the​ ​novel,​ ​the​ ​trial​ ​of​ ​Tom​ ​Robinson​ ​plays​ ​a​ ​big​ ​part​ ​in​ ​this​ ​problem​ ​of human​ ​inequality​

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Robert Heinlein once said, “You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic”. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the young narrator’s naivety and innocence shows that prejudice and racism overweigh logic and reason. Throughout the book, Scout encounters the once thought sweet and nice townsfolk to have their darker side with racism. Harper Lee uses the experiences of the young and impressionable Scout throughout the racially-charged trial of Tom Robinson to amplify the cruelty of prejudice and its deterioration of innocence on children

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To Kill A Mockingbird Themes “‘You never really understand a person until you consider his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it’” (Lee 39). This quote from the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee includes many characters who suffer from the Great Depression and other conflicts that break out in the town of Maycomb. Racism, poverty, and domestic violence attend in the book and continue their way through to create rising conflict between the people of Maycomb county. Atticus Finch is a lawyer of Maycomb and a father of two children, Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout, and Jem Finch.

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Essay In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, there are many important messages shown throughout the book. However the primary focus was set on racial prejudice that existed in the 1930s-1940’s in the fictional town of Maycomb County. The racism in the novel was very much a reality in 1930s-1940s America. A very good example of the racial prejudice that existed was in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, an innocent Negro man held against his will for a crime he did not commit.

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754 Words | 4 Pages

Race has always been a part of history, from slavery to MLK, to Barack Obama. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee defines race in the south during the 1930’s. Jean “Scout” Finch, is the narrator of the story. Her brother Jeremy “Jem” and her dad, Atticus, are both main characters. Calpurnia is their house cook and helper, she is also black.

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society. Lee displays that those who are ignorant will never understand equality between races. For example, when Jem is asking Atticus why did they say Tom Robinson was guilty when he obviously wasn't guilty Atticus replies with. "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.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates that social inequality breaks down a society through the use of conflict, symbolism and irony. Social inequality plays a pivotal role in the novel because the whole conflict between Bob and Tom is wrapped in it. From the first accusation to the final conviction inequality is intertwined in every paragraph, every word. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that stands the test of time because while our society has made improvements, inequality will never truly go away. This novel displays characters you relate to, ones you despise, and all that you fall in love with.

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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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The word of war is heard everyday. However, it is not known what is the meaning of it. War is a state of competition or hostility between different people or groups.This competition can not be occurred just guns. It can be taken place politically, economically and ideologically. It is called that cold war.

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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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