In the past people were filled with prejudice and racism, but there was still good people. The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was written in 1960, but set during the 1930’s. During this time the United States was going through a hardship known as “The Great Depression”. Another terrible act during this time was the mistreatment and segregation of African Americans. These things brought about prejudice people who did not want kind people to be free. Among the hate and distrust in To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus, Mr. Raymond, and Calpurnia are the least prejudice. To begin with, Atticus is one of the least prejudice people in To Kill a Mockingbird. First of all, when Atticus explains the reason why he lost the case he speaks of one more chance. Atticus says, ‘“We’re not through yet. There’ll be an appeal, you can count on that’” (Lee 213). This means that not only has Atticus not given up, but he wants Tom Robinson, someone of a different race, to be proven not guilty. Second of all, after Alexandria tells Atticus that something must be done about Calpurnia, he responds angrily. Atticus says, ‘“Alexandria …show more content…
First of all, when Scout, an American little girl, asks if she may go to Calpurnia’s house, Calpurnia responds happily. Calpurnia says, ‘“Anytime you want to, we’d be glad to have you”’ (Lee 126). This proves that Calpurnia, an African American woman, has no problem allowing a person of the opposite race in her home, even responding as if she would love the company. Second of all, when Calpurnia is taking Jem and Scout to church, she refers to Jem and Scout as something special. Calpurnia says, ‘“I don’t want anybody [saying] I don’t look after my children”’ (Lee 118). In this situation Calpurnia refers to two white children as if they were her own, and that It does not matter what skin color they are. In the end, Calpurnia is not a prejudice person in To Kill a
Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the difficult times of the Great Depression in the early 1930’s. The novel surrounds the life of a young girl named Scout Finch, along with her brother Jem, and their friend, Dill. Who are forced at a young age to watch the people of their small town of Maycomb not only receive, but also give prejudice to numerous, harmless people. Whether it be Boo Radley, a shut in who falls victim to the town’s gossip, even though he is constantly showing acts of kindness towards the Finch children. Or it be Tom Robinson an innocent man that Atticus, Scout’s father must defend be accused rape, and be convicted of a crime he did not to just because of the color of his skin. Throughout the novel, the people of Maycomb deal with prejudice in the forms of sexism, intolerance of differences, and in racism.
Atticus on the other hand looks past the skin color and treats them like human beings. An example from the book is how Atticus allows Calpurnia to interact with his family by taking his children to her black church. She asks them "How'd you and Mister Jem like to come to church with me tomorrow" (Lee 156). Atticus doesn't treat Cal as his slave. He considers her a helper around the house. He also does not call her nasty names or beats her for certain things. She is considered family. Atticus is not prejudice against colored people. He is fair and respects everyone, including the
Prejudice is a very prominent motif throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee conveys the message that prejudice deprives us of understanding reality and the world around us. One of the most noticeable cases is the prejudice against Tom Robinson due to his skin color. In the trial, the jury had agreed Tom was guilty because of his race, even though there was no substantial evidence to prove so. Atticus knows the men on the jury are blinded by prejudice and racism, so he says to them, “The witnesses for the state...have presented themselves to you gentlemen...in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted...on the assumption that all Negroes lie” (273). Although the men of the jury understood that the Ewell’s testimonies
In the movie The Associate and the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Laurel Ayres and Scout Finch will learn that prejudice causes underestimation of worth and stigma towards an individual. Common theme: Prejudice causes underestimation of worth and The Call → The Threshold In The Associate, Laurel Ayres, is called on her Hero’s journey when she finds out that her partner, an unqualified white male, received a promotion over her because she is a woman. Laurel, disgusted by the prrejudice, is told “Every time you are in a really important business meeting, try showing some chest.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book centered around prejudice. The three main prejudices it shows is class, gender and race. Harper Lee is trying to teach everyone that these prejudices are very bad and that we need to learn to not judge someone by their looks or by male or female. In the beginning of the novel, the story begins by the kids trying to get Boo Radley to come out of his house. They think that Boo was being punished by staying in his house. Later in the novel it switches gears to the Tom Robinson trial. Tom was a black man accused of rape which he didn’t commit. Because of the color of his skin the jury ruled him guilty. Finally, at the end of the story Bob Ewell tries to murder or kidnap Jem and Scout to get revenge at Atticus for going against him. Later that night, they meet Boo for the first time and learned that he saved them and killed Bob Ewell.
Prejudice should not exist in this world. But unfortunately, it does and it always will somehow. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is an inspiring book and brings out hard truths about how the world used to be, about the great depression, and in some aspects how it still is today. It follows a girl named Scout and her family through three years of her childhood. Her father, Atticus Finch, took on a very big challenge to defend a negro for raping a girl. The book sort of revolves around this event. Prejudice is in many different forms of discrimination. Throughout the book it is demonstrated by race, class, and gender.
If I had to define prejudice, I would say a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. There are many examples of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill A Mockingbird (TKAM) is about Scout Jem and Dill who learn valuable life lessons. They watch a trial of a black man accused of raping white women unfold.Throughout TKAM you can see Harper Lee is saying that nobody is born prejudice but throughout their childhood, it is learned. Throughout TKAM we can see how the kids learn prejudice through race, class, and gender.
Harper Lee's attitude and philosophy concerning prejudice is revealed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Prejudice is described as a opinion or judgement of a person through racism and stereotyping. Harper Lee shows that prejudice does not only harm an individual but also damages an entire society. She also shows that men, women and children experience prejudice, either as victims or using prejudice towards others due to their differences.
Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird Prejudice has been around for as long as the United States have been, and also much longer. To show some of the types of prejudice in the 1930s, Harper Lee writes in the first person of a young girl named Jean Louise, better known as Scout. Scout is a very young and for the most part uncorrupted by prejudice going on in her town. Other characters are brought out through the mind of this young girl to show their wrongs. The diverse characters shown through the story gives various outlooks on how prejudice life was in the 1930.
First of all, one example that shows prejudice in the novel is social prejudice. Social prejudice is when an individual or group negatively show incorrect attitude to someone based on the individual’s membership of a social group. Harper Lee puts many examples of social prejudice throughout the story, starting from the beginning of the novel to the end. One of the examples that stands out is the character Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus is a wealthy white man who prefers the company of African American. He is married with his African American women and has fathered a number of mixed children. Just like his children he is also mocked by the town. The children are mocked by the town because of their mixed skin color and Raymond is also mocked
To Kill A Mockingbird Prejudice has caused the pain and suffering of others for many centuries. Some examples of this include the Holocaust and slavery in the United States. In to Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee racism was the cause of much agony to the blacks of a segregated South. Along with blacks, other groups of people are judged unfairly just because of their difference from others. The prejudice and bigotry of society causes the victimization of people with differences. Some who are discriminated against are those who are born differently than the majority. One person that is treated unfairly is Calpurnia, as you can see when Aunt Alexandra tried to get Atticus to fire Calpurnia, because in her eyes, Calpurnia wasn't a good enough
No matter how old or how young a person may be, there always exists a small opinion on someone before even meeting them. This is based on the other person’s different aspects. For example, their gender, looks, or race. This is called prejudice. In the novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee demonstrates the different uses of prejudice when a black man loses a court case mainly because of his skin colour. Although people are slowly stopping to prejudge others, Lee demonstrates how prejudice can lead to making people have less respect for another person through the use of racism, mental and/or physical illness, or social class.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a modern classic by Harper Lee that goes over the themes of prejudice, social inequality, family values, racism, conflict, and morality. The novel exposes people to the reality of racism and encourages them to confront and fight against discrimination for a just community. The story narrates the early years of Scout and Jem Finch while having their father defend a black man who had been accused of rape. Prejudice is a significant theme of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and is presented throughout the novel in many different forms. Prejudice is a destructive force in the town of Maycomb that ruins the lives of innocent people, solely due to the way they are perceived.
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.
Prejudice: noun. “Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience” (Dictionary). Prejudice is one of the most relevant things in the lives of two children, Jem and Scout, in a small town, Maycomb, Alabama. It’s the 1930s, the Great Depression has already hit, and racism has already impacted this small, innocent town. Jem and Scout learn what their town is hiding by finding out who their neighbors really are. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, prejudice is like a second language to the people of Maycomb. It is shown by gender, race, and social status.