In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Lee (1960) explains a story by using Scout’s perspective who is a 6 year-old girl. The story was set in the small rural town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the great depression period in the United States. When Atticus, who is Scout’s father and a virtuous and impartial lawyer, defended for a black man Tom who was accused of raping a white girl, the residents in the town debated that Atticus is insane because he helped a “nigger” and thought that this event brought shame on them. Scout asked Atticus the reason why he defended for a black person. Atticus said “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature.”(p100). Couldn’t he hold up his
After Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus delivers a powerful speech to everyone in the courtroom. He says about Mayella Ewell, “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old Uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards” (207). This quote communicates a valuable theme. The citizens of Maycomb would rather believe that a black woman raped a white woman than that a white woman kissed a black man. In Maycomb, any white person, even an uncivilized Ewell, is so much higher than a black person on the social scale that it’s “unspeakable” that they would dare to “[tempt] a Negro.” But Atticus’s speech does not influence the jury’s verdict- every single one of them ruled guilty. However, they took hours to decide, which shows that there is a little bit of progression, even if there is still a long way to go. Even today, racism hasn’t disappeared, and we still have a ways to go. One day in Scout’s class, her teacher is talking about how horrible it is that
Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is set in a small, southern town, Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The story is told through the eyes of a girl named Scout about her father, Atticus, an attorney who strives to prove the innocence of a black man named Tom Robinson, who was accused of rape and Boo Radley, an enigmatic neighbor who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed. Atticus does his job in proving there was no way that Tom Robinson was guilty during his trial, but despite Tom Robinson’s obvious innocence, he is convicted of rape as it is his word against a white woman’s. Believing a “black man’s word” seemed absurd as segregation was a very integrated part of life in the south. The social hierarchy must be maintained at all costs and if something in the system should testify the innocence of a black man against a white woman’s word and win then what might happen next? Along with the prejudice amongst blacks and whites, the story also showed how people could be misunderstood for who they truly are such as Boo Radley. Without ever seeing Boo, Jem and the townsfolk made wild assumptions on what Boo does or looks like. Even so, while “To Kill a Mockingbird” shows the ugliness that can come from judging others, its ultimate message is that great good can result when one defers judgement until considering things from another person’s view. Walter Cunningham, Mrs. Dubose, and Boo Radley are all examples of how looking at things
You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough (321). In Harper Lee’s fictional novel To Kill A Mockingbird, she illustrates the harsh reality that exists when ignorance interferes with justice. Set in a small Southern town during the 1930’s, Atticus Finch chooses to defend a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. The town’s representation of Tom Robinson is mirrored by Atticus’s children, Jem and Scout, and their treatment of the town recluse Boo Radley. Scout learns that everyone deserves to be treated with equality, no matter what color skin they have or what social class they belong to.
As the United States “progresses” in economic, educational and technological advancements we still are fighting for racial equality. With more than 50 years since the brown vs. board of education case there is still incidents like Ferguson, Baton Rouge, and Phiando Castile where many questions are still unanswered. However, Harper Lee dealt with these same problems in 1960 when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee created an emotionally confronting story. Lee writes through the eyes of “Scout” a lawyer’s daughter in a small sleepy town of Maycomb in Alabama during the great depression. Throughout the book “Scout” learns coming of age lessons from Atticus and her own experiences. But when Atticus takes on a case defending a black man (Tom Robinson) convicted for rapping a white woman (Mayella Ewell) and is found guilty. “Scout” her brother Jem begin to understand the effects of the prejudices in society. Therefore, Lee applies the literary concepts of diction and tone to revel the truth that prejudices in society negatively affect the way people treat each other in To Kill a Mocking Bird.
When a child so pure and innocent witnesses the most savage of events before her, she would have to spend the rest of her life facing the world’s harshest realities yearning for the innocence that she once felt during her childhood. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it follows the coming of age of the narrator of the story, Scout, and her older brother, Jem, witnessing a wave of controversies on how people react to racism and prejudice. Whether it’s among races or social classes, angry altercations occur between both parties, and while some, more than others, retort to hostile acts. Atticus on the other hand, wants to put a stop to the intense aversion that has been going on in Maycomb for years, in concern for his town’s future.
Although Atticus’s stand for Tom Robinson can be deemed both morally and ethically fit, some may argue that Atticus did not make a good decision to defend Tom because he endangered his family’s life, and in the time where African Americans were markedly prejudiced against, Atticus may have been taking radical steps towards racial justice that were not widely reciprocated, or met with retaliation that imperiled his, Jem’s, and Scout’s safety. Because of this, many may deem that Atticus’s stance to protect Tom was not worth making himself vulnerable to the threats of those that disagreed with his viewpoints, including Bob Ewell and mobs intent on persecuting the man Atticus upheld was innocent. It quickly becomes conspicuous that Atticus’s eminent role in Tom’s case is being met with opposition, disrespect, and most of all, threats from several of the intransigent citizens of Maycomb County.
The literary novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, explains subjects going on in the 1930s from the perspective of a white little girl in Alabama. In the divided town of Maycomb County, Alabama, contains Jean Louise Finch, her older brother Jem, and their father Atticus. The town became even more divided as Atticus, a lawyer, defending a black man accused of rape. In the coming of age scene where Atticus explains to the jury how Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape, life is in their hands, which shows the children the differences between knowledge and ignorance.
For many years African Americans have dealt with injustice and and racism. From being falsely accused of a crime, from being harmed for no reason at all, and even being killed just for walking. This day in time is horrible, not as bad as the 1900’s but it is bad enough to the point where it needs to stop. Some people are scared for their life to walk outside or even go to the store without being terrified of being hurt. These laws have changed, yet there is still injustice around the world. Throughout Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird the readers are exposed to the cruel treatment of African Americans in Maycomb, known as Jim Crow laws. The youngest character, Scout, does not fully comprehend what this is but she knows it is not right.
In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is about a girl named Scout telling the story of how her older brother Jem broke his arm. Scout went from innocent to experiencing hate, racism, and threat by other people. As she explains how it all happened, she tends to be in difficult situations with her brother Jem and experienced a few threats by her classmates and adults. Her father; Atticus, was a lawyer who was criticized by the entire white race because he defended a black man in court. Scout was a bright child who knew how to read at a young age and tend to understand all things she's been taught, but there were some things she did not fully understand until she had to experience them.
In the film there are many interesting characters, but I chose Jean Louise or “Scout”. The entire story is told by Scout’s interpretation of what was going on at the time. In the film not only is Scout’s personality different from everyone else’s, but her appearance is different from every little girl they show in the movie. Scout and her brother Jem are raised by their single dad Atticus, their mother died when Scout was only a toddler. Being that she’s only around males she takes after her brother Jem, wearing similar clothes that he wear, and partaking in the things he do. Even though she’s a lot to handle everyone that knows her loves her dearly.
Scout is a young girl who’s growing and trying to understand the world around her. Growing up can be difficult when the community around her are discriminating and providing a hostile environment for a child. The influential decisions made the people are taken into consideration of how the child is influenced. Scout is an exception to this belief because she has a guardian that's highly respected and influential to scout. This is shown as a positive influence that contrast the highly racial discrimination in Maycomb.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout grows up in a small town of Maycomb County. Maycomb is a small town in Alabama during the Great Depression. Scout was being raised during a time when everyone did the same thing or acted the same way. Most were racist. Her father, Atticus, has tried to instill into her and her older brother, Jem, that you should accept everyone. In part one of the story, it is explains how Jem and Scout grew up looking at the world. Each chapter is about the kids aging along with seeing the world in new ways. The ideas that their father put in them stayed fresh in their minds as they learned how to respect and see people differently. Part two was much different, the Tom Robinson trial started. Tom Robinson was an African American wrongfully accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. The judge knew that he had to choose wisely when appointing a lawyer for the defendant. This is where the things Atticus taught Jem and Scout become important. Atticus was the only lawyer that would rightfully defend a man of a different color. No
Equality is a struggle for mankind, we have been this term for hundreds of years whether it’s racism, sexism, or ageism. These problems are diversely affecting many communities. Atticus Finch taking on the Tom Robinson case and getting bashed for it, Jem and Scout learn that killing mockingbirds is a sin; Atticus losing the case, yet still making an impact on Maycomb’s way of life. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout are raised in a small town called Maycomb in the 1930’s. Throughout this novel, Jem and Scout encounter many obstacles revolving around equality. Throughout this book, it is made clear that African Americans are NOT considered people, the whites contain higher authority over them.
All around the globe, billions of people ignore their own self-worth for the purpose of pleasing society’s biased outlooks. To survive in this corrupted, prejudiced world, individuals frequently succumb to the judgment of others. They would rather disregard their own priceless and valuable opinions for mere approvals from the greater population. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, wrote a timeless piece that shines light on the discriminatory behaviors of mankind during the Depression Era in 1933, when racism was widely accepted and executed. The story was set in Maycomb County, a district residing in southern Alabama. One of the main characters, Atticus, willingly decides to rebel against society’s system by utilizing
In Harper Lee’s book To kill a Mockingbird Scout is the main character in a town called Maycomb,Alabama. This book is during the racial times of colored people and white people.In the town based on what you are or what you do that decides your role in certain places and the activities you are able to do.This book’s idea is how Scout at a young age deals with and overcomes these racial comments and coming from a perspective of a young white girl.