When was the last time you realized that someone you knew, or someone you have heard of, was going through prejudice or oppression? Now more than ever, people are being oppressed for multiple reasons: including racism, standard of living, social ties, even job positions. 51% of people in America alone express explicit anti-black racism. Oppression and prejudice is just as alive today as it was 50 years ago, it's just more subdued today. Similar to the Mockingbirds in history, the Mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird were prejudiced because they had different ideas than everyone else. With that said, Mockingbirds, in literature and in history, have experienced prejudice that should never have to be experienced in their figurative and literal …show more content…
“One of the greatest of these was an Athenian named Socrates, whose... questioning of the generally accepted notions of justice and virtue...”(36 Atkinson) made him a renowned philosopher in Athens. Perhaps one of the greatest minds of his lifetime, Socrates preferred to tell people that he wasn't smart because he knew many things, but rather he was smart because he knew that he knew nothing. While this caused him some fame with the general populace, it also caused him to get in trouble with the law enforcement and he was charged with “corrupting the youth” and was put to death. When the government found out about Socrates and the information he was spreading to the general populace of Athens, he was sent to prison where “[He] chose to drink poison rather than renounce his views... [causing society] to doubt the virtues of the democratic political system of Athens.”(37) Socrates, a renowned philosopher, was also a law abiding citizen and he knew that while if he did change his views it would allow him to live, it would make him just as horrible as the politicians that ran Athens. Inspired by the death of his mentor, Plato wrote about how Socrates still obeyed the laws of Athens—even in his final moments—in his book Crito. When Socrates was imprisoned due to the accusation of corrupting the youth, “[He] refused the chance to escape execution, arguing that as a citizen of Athens he has a duty to obey its laws.”(186) Knowing that it would kill him, Socrates still chose to obey the laws of Athens rather than changing his views on the government of Athens. He wanted to make an example of the government, showing that if your views differed even slightly from the norm, you would be killed. Throughout time, there have been many historical figures that would be considered prime examples of mockingbirds; this one is the
There are a couple of "mockingbirds" in the story such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Both these men are guilt-free victims of the town. They are picked on simply due to there vulnerabilities A few courageous people try to do the right thing. Atticus seeks justice for Tom by trying to defend him in court (Tom is being tried for a rape he did not commit).
Consequently In my daily life, I encounter many “Mockingbirds” who receive criticism and ridicule from other individuals. It is up to individuals like Atticus Finch to stand up and liberate these “Mockingbirds”. In high school, there have been several instances when I encountered someone
Discrimination: unjust treatment of a different group of people or things. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, discrimination is visible. The one most identify with is racism, with a great deal of the story revolving Tom Robinson’s, a black man, jury case. Left in the shadows, though, is the prejudice of other characters, whom the community of Maycomb may find to be a bit on the outs. Whether it is their way of life or how they act, someone always pick up on it and calls them out. Atticus Finch is old compared to the rest of the parents of students at Scouts school, keeping him from activities like the Methodists vs Baptists football game. Boo Radley, making poor decisions as a teenager, is confined to his house twentyfour-seven and
Discrimination is an ever-occurring problem in To Kill A Mockingbird. The setting of this novel is in Maycomb, Alabama, a fictional town, in the 1930s (Lee, 1960). Discrimination is a compounding issue on top of the Great Depression. “The Great Depression (1929-39) was the deepest and long-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world” (History.com, 2009). The stock market crashed, which left everyone on edge and wondering how they would survive and continue their lives.
The mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird implement the use of symbolism to develop the theme of “the unfairness of prejudice and bias” effectively. Mockingbirds are expressed as being innocent creatures that are treated unfairly because of discrimination. Being an ideal and inspiring father,
Throughout the book, Maycomb came with deep and strong prejudice towards colored people, which was also an undeniable fact in the rest of southern states. The American southern states in 1930s were one of the areas where discrimination over African Americans was prevalent. Since the Civil War, the legal status of black people had been rising in economic and politic, but mostly in a transformation from slaves to “second-class” citizens. There were bans on interracial marriage between whites and blacks, and other legal restraints that imposed openly discrimination on colored people. There were numerous plots in the story that described verbal and physical assaults to blacks, by the white community and even by the colored people themselves. For example, when Jem, the older brother of Scout, the leading character, talked about a scary story that frightened Scout, she told Dill, Jem and Scout ‘s best friend, “Don’t believe a word of him, Dill”.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are all metaphorically portrayed as mockingbirds because every which one of these characters are judged based on what they hear and they turn out to be completely
“7 out of 10 American’s feel that African American people are discriminated against in society or in public.” says the Episcopal Church. Which pretty much fits into the book To Kill a Mockingbird, which is about a little girl, Scout, growing up with her big brother, Jem, and her dad, Atticus, in Alabama on a whole bunch of crazy adventures. While reading the book, many people will understand the discrimination from many different people. From Scout being bullied by the other ladies by not acting like a lady, to Mr. Robinson being blamed for a crime he did not commit just because he was black, and finally Arthur “Boo” Radley, who is basically looked down upon for being “weird” and a shut in. But why do people look down upon others who do not
Discrimination, this is a word that is heard today and was seen especially in the southern U.S. in the early 1900’s. In Harper Lee’s To kill a Mockingbird discrimination is seen with the life of Tom Robinson and what he experiences throughout the whole case. In another instance Calpurnia is discriminated upon throughout the whole book just because she is of a different color skin. In the same way Woman in general are constantly discriminated against whether through the way they dress, act, or just the fact that they can not be in a jury.
Discrimination can be exhibited in many forms. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, we see numerous examples of prejudice that have a large impact on society. We come to realize that no form stands alone. In the novel, there are three main forms of discrimination, racism, sexism, and classism.
To Kill A Mockingbird CUA Essay “We all bleed the same color.” This means that no matter how racist some will or can be, no matter how many injustices they have made, we all look the same on the inside. Discrimination based on race is mostly stated by this book because the African American people always get treated horribly. To Kill A Mockingbird is about the Finch family.
Discrimination: a noun that is defined as, “the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex”. There are many types of discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that is taken place during the Great Depression . Scout is the main character and her father Atticus is defending a man named Tom Robinson, who is a Negro. There are three main topics that are discriminated in To Kill a Mockingbird. The three main topics that are discriminated are socioeconomics, gender, and most importantly, racism.
What does discrimination look like? It can come in many different forms but all of them are wrong. A young girl, Scout, and her brother Jem have to grow up in a town full of problems and economic hardships. They are better off than some but when their father, Atticus, defends a black man in an unpopular rape case, they see some of the people in the town for who they really are. Jem discriminates against Scout in a sexist way for being “too much of a girl.”
Ancient Athens was the site of a growing culture. Philosophy was among the many improvements and discoveries being made. With these improvements and discoveries, great thinkers were able to stretch out their knowledge to new heights. The society they lived in, both welcomed and shunned their ideals. Socrates was one of these thinkers. It was because of Socrates open-mindedness that he was sentenced to death by two charges brought against him. One, Socrates corrupted the youth and two, Socrates believed in ‘false gods’. Yet, was Socrates guilty or not?
Socrates was thrown in jail for speaking out against the government which he believed was justified. He had broken a law he felt was unfair and spoke out against it. He thought it was necessary for individuals to speak out against the government so that the state doesn't have too much power over the people. He also believed that while