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Who Is Jem Finch's Influence In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In the Book, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee Says That Parents’ Point of View Influences Prejudice. Jem Finch learns best by his father words and actions more than anyone else because he looks up to him as a role model. When Atticus Finch told Mrs. Dubose that “I do my best to love everybody… it’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name,” (Lee 144) Jem realized he had the same opinion as his father. Atticus sees no difference between the African American race or Caucasians because he thinks labels do not describe an individual. As he is expressing his feelings and thoughts to Mrs. Dubose, he makes her realize that there are other ways to look at it even though she has a strong opinion towards black. As the decision was made for Tom Robinson, Jem Finch was devastated, “as his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them.” (282). It hurt him emotionally because he saw his father work hard towards this case to set Tom free and it did not happen. To see Tom charged with something that he clearly did not do affected him but yet the white supremacy takes over which also bothered him. The white superiority is what made innocent African Americans be responsible towards …show more content…

After hearing things about Tom’s case, Scout Finch asked Atticus one night, “ ‘What’s rape?’ … He sighed, and said rape was carnal knowledge of a female force and without consent.” (180). Even though her question was not appropriate for a girl her age it did not matter to Atticus because he knew she would have to know this information sooner than later. Scout was a curious girl who was fascinated with everything yet her viewpoint towards Tom didn’t change and the color of his race did not affect her decision on if he was guilty or not. As the environment in the courtroom became more tense, Reverend Sykes told

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To Kill A Mockingbird Society Quotes

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“The world is full of people who think different is synonymous with wrong” - David Levithan. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she writes about a county named Maycomb that is fearful of anyone that is different from them. Jean Louise Finch, often called scout in the book, grows up in a xenophobic society. Scout grows up alongside her older brother Jem, her father, Atticus and their family’s mother-figure caretaker named Calpurnia. When Scout’s father is asked by Judge Taylor to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, he faces harmful backlash from the community.

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The main character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch, a middle aged man living in Maycomb Alabama. Even though he is a southerner he isn’t racist and he believes that everyone should be treated equal, Atticus teaches his children empathy and not to discriminate against other people, he does his by telling them “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.” Even though Atticus treats everyone as equals he gets affected by the town and their prejudice way of thinking. Because Atticus accepts Tom Robinsons case he gets called a “nigger lover” and him and his children get treated differently by the town.

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762 Words | 4 Pages

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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How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

811 Words | 4 Pages

After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.

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To Kill A Mockingbird How Has Jem Changed

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The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about two kids, Jem and Scout, and their childhood in their small town Maycomb, Alabama. In the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout were two innocent kids playing in the summer sun, until school came along. Jem was about twelve throughout the novel and Scout was eight, and considering that Jem was twelve in the novel, he was changing. During the middle of the novel a rape trial occurred, which included a black man being accused by a white woman of first-degree rape. Atticus, the kid’s father was defending the african american man; Tom Robinson.

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Jem Finch Symbolism To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee about the trial of a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of rape as seen through the eye of a young girl, Scout Finch. The story follows her, her older brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus, the lawyer appointed to Tom’s case. The novel contains many instances of symbolism. One of the most important symbols as the title suggests, is the mockingbird. The mockingbird symbolizes innocence, so to kill a mockingbird would be synonymous with destroying innocence.

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What Does Jem Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill A Mockingbird is about racism and diversity, Atticus doesn't care about the color of a mans skin and took on a colored mans case and defended him against rape charges. Harper Lee offers several examples of symbolism to explain the themes diversity, racism, and courage. Smykowski explains “ First of all, the creation of the snowman by Jem can be seen as being symbolic of Jem trying to cover up the black man and Showing that he is the same as a white man, that all of mankind is virtually the same.” Jem believes everybody is the same no matter the skin color. If you’re in the right and you’re telling the truth then you're free and innocent.

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1232 Words | 5 Pages

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem Finch discover that personal prejudice can influence justice, or the lack thereof. Growing up with Atticus in Maycomb is a contradiction in itself. Atticus encourages equality and raises his kids to be moral beings. However, the rest of Maycomb is very biased and racist. On page 296 Atticus tells Scout and Jem, “‘With people like us- that’s our share of the bill.

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Moreover, the author introduces mature ideas into the story, such as Boo Radley and his ill treatment. The author also emphasizes the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Through these ideas, the author’s message is to inform the reader of the ill treatment and discrimination against others, which still continue to this day. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird emphasizes Scout losing her innocence due to the series of events occurring in her life, primarily those that have great significance.

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1338 Words | 6 Pages

He is naive to believe this:“It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd; “It ain’t right,” he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting.” ( 215 ). After Jem finds out about the verdict of the trial, he is crushed. He was positive that Tom would be proven innocent, but instead, he was found guilty.

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508 Words | 3 Pages

Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, believes that he is innocent and he is only being accused because of his color. Stereotypes of blacks such as the assumption that they lie and are bad people cause others to not give someone a chance to be proven innocent, not unlike Tom. In the book, the characters refer to a black person as a “nigger” which is a very offencive and negative term which shows how people in the early 1930’s viewed people of dark

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1604 Words | 7 Pages

In chapters 17-24 in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout observe their father in court defending Tom Robinson (a black man) from the accusations of the Bob Ewell (a "low grade ' ' white man). Bob Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting his daughter; Mayella Ewell. Before the fate of Tom Robinson is given in the possession of the jury, both lawyers have a final attempt at convincing the jury that Tom Robinson should/shouldn 't be prosecuted. Atticus starts off his closing remarks with the fact that he believes that the case should have never come to trial and that the case "”is as simple as black and white."

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830 Words | 4 Pages

Tom Robinson is a young African-American who's been accused of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, a young and closeted white woman. Racial discrimination is hinted throughout Tom’s trial as Atticus Finch explains to Jem that a white man’s word will always win over that of a black man’s - "... In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (220). Atticus explains to Jem that in the courts of Maycomb, a black man’s state of innocence or guilt is truly determined by a white man’s testimony.

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Tom Robinson was accused of raping a young white girl (Mayella Ewell) There are tossed up feelings throughout Maycomb county about Atticus's defense of this young Negro. Few folks believe in Atticus's cause and most all y’all are horrified at this outrageous event! Miss. Maudie Atkinson a justice loving widow says while talking to Jem and Scout Finch (Atticus Finch’s kin) that she predicted the outcome of the trial, but she knew why Atticus Finch was chosen to defend Tom Robinson.

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