...In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, mockingbirds are animals that “... ‘ don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us…’” (Lee). A few people in the novel also fit the description of this harmless bird, mainly Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. But another character, the lonesome but loathsome Mayella Ewell, has some traits that could classify her as a mockingbird. Living up to the stereotype of the Ewells, she faces isolation from the rest of society and has a lack of love from anyone, her dad, her siblings, and the rest of the town, except for the politeness she received from Tom. But as the story continues,...
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...to people in today’s society in the written text. Explain why the idea is relevant to people in today’s society. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, an idea which is still relevant to people in today’s society is prejudice. The idea of prejudice was shown throughout the novel, most prominently by Tom Robinson’s trial, and the character Arthur “Boo” Radley. Tom’s trial highlighted the idea of racial prejudice and the character Boo Radley, who is a victim of speculation and rumours, helped us better understand social prejudice. Racial and social prejudice are still prevalent and are experienced in our society today despite our seemingly enlightened and tolerant mind-set. Prejudice and the negative mind-set that it induces is influenced by our surrounding family, friends and media. Even though all humans are born with a strong moral conscience, we are bombarded with pictures and people that influence our first impressions of people and make us judgemental, unconsciously or not. The dictionary defines prejudice as a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience, which is clearly the case in Alabama in the 1930’s. The 1930’s was the time of the Great Depression and was before the Black Civil Rights movement took place. People of colour or a different race suffered majorly due to discrimination and prejudice against them. People in small towns during this time period were often prejudiced against those who had a lower social status, and in...
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...“Prejudice is the child of ignorance” (William Hazlitt). Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird people judge others before they truly have a right to judge. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama many individuals make judgements about Boo Radley and Tom Robinson before they know the truth. Scout Finch is a rare breed in this time, with her father defending Tom Robinson and her brother Jem and her interested in finding more about Boo Radley she constantly gets a chance to make unprejudiced judgements on people. Harper Lee helps the reader better understand prejudice using symbolism , imagery, and metaphors throughout the story. Prejudice was common throughout the story To Kill a Mockingbird, this could be seen through symbolism. It is a sin to kill a mockingbird, this is explained when Miss Maudie says “they don’t do one thing...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird Out of the Radleys, Boo enhances the story To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee the most. He’s very easily judged by most people who see him, because he appears scary and so different to everyone. To Kill A Mockingbird is set in a town called Maycomb, Alabama, where prejudice is very common. Prejudice is shown by how people treat Boo Radley so horribly. The kids although, are extremely facinated with him. This lets readers know his story is important throughout the whole book. Rumors about the Radleys are always flying through town, mostly they’re all about Boo. He’s described as a monster, “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten, his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (Harper Lee 13). When Boo was younger, he killed his dad. Before this happened, Boo was an intelligent kid. His dad though was very cruel and caused Boo to be emotionally damaged. This makes Boo Radley one of the mockingbirds in the story, also making readers understand as to why...
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...Why was prejudice invented? Arguably the most ghastly side of human nature, the act of ostracizing and relentlessly condemning social or physical deviation is the cause of so much strife. And yet, it has endured since the beginning of written history. Wherever or whenever someone differs from the norm too much, people have a tendency to move in like a pack of hyenas. What is it that causes people to act this way? Is it insecurity? Is it fear? Whatever prejudice is at its core, it makes people lose control. They give up individual thought to be part of the group. Maybe they feel safer. But there is one thing that causes this mob mentality to fall apart: empathy. If someone puts themselves in another person’s shoes, looks through their eyes,...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird: Prejudice Essay Prejudices are all around. Race, gender, religion. There really is no way of making this stop, but there are ways of making them more obvious, so the people can see how bad they can be. One way is through literature. Harper Lee did this very well in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird which is told by Scout, a six-year-old girl, and her life through a few years when racism was at its peak. Scout's father is a lawyer who supports most everyone and causes much controversy when he accepts a case where he must defend a black man. Racism is the most emphasized prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird because of the time that this book was set in. That was the norm. Some examples are when Aunt Alexandra wouldn't let Scout visit her housekeeper's house only because she was black. Another example is when Tom Robinson, the black man Atticus is defending, is in the Maycomb City jail. There was an angry mob of white men outside of his cell wanting to kill him. Some may say that gender is the most emphasized prejudice in this novel. While it is brought up a lot,...
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...In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, racism is an issue and black people are discriminated just because of their skin color. Prejudice is used to show how society is in To Kill A Mockingbird. Prejudice is used from a child’s point of view so people can see what it’s like for innocent children to get brainwashed by the judgmental people around them. In the 1800’s, most people in Alabama didn’t have much money. “Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard game me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt, Jem came by and told me to stop.” Scout picks on Walter because the Cunninghams don’t have much and since Walter is a Cunningham, Scout thinks that Walter and his family are lower than Scout and that she can do whatever she wants to Walter, like treating him badly. Prejudice is easily shown from Scout’s point of view because Scout doesn’t know much, Scout is barely in first grade and Scout doesn’t understand why Walter’s family doesn’t have much. Most people have that one cranky and old lady in their neighborhood. In the story,” Mrs. Dubose lived two doors up the the street from us; neighborhood opinion was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived.” Most of the...
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...A beautiful melody fills the air on a clear summer’s day. As the gunshot rings through the sky, the space is suddenly left with an deafening silence. Never had the mockingbird, whose song was enjoyed by all, done anything to deserve that bullet. Yet still, the bird perishes. To Kill a Mockingbird is a magnificent tale regarding the ideas of racial prejudice. Harper Lee, the book’s author, uses a mockingbird to symbolize how the innocent are discriminated. Atticus Finch first establishes the idea of the mockingbird when giving Scout and Jem rifles; he explains that mockingbirds do nothing but make music which is why they are not to be shot. Shortly after, Atticus explains about the mockingbirds; Tom Robinson, one of the main mockingbirds, stands...
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...Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird “Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born prejudiced; you’re taught it.” -Charles R Swindoll. The town of Maycomb is a close locale full of kindness and courtesy, but also one of hatred and prejudice. Scout and Jem are growing up and learning from the adults in their community, meaning that they are not only learning kindness- they are also learning judgement. Chapter one of To Kill a Mockingbird sets the scene of the town specter, Arthur “Boo” Radley. Scout, Jem, and Dill sit in awe of the Radley household, reflecting over Boo’s story- and the conspiracies surrounding him. The passage that begins the subplot surrounding Boo Radley shows that prejudice can happen within close communities. Jem, Scout, and Dill’s childish fears toward Boo Radley symbolize the town’s feelings toward the Radley family. The passage that symbolizes this is as follows: “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night and when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them, Any stealthy small crimes committed in...
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...So done With This SHit During the 1930s, also know as the Great Depression, poverty and racial segregation are issues. Many cities in the South, in the 1930s, are reluctant to give up old beliefs of prejudice. Harper Lee shows prejudice in her book To Kill a Mockingbird set during the Great Depression. To Kill a Mockingbird follows the narrator, Scout, who is a girl learning about how the South works. Scout learns that prejudice is very present in her everyday life. Lee uses the actions of others to illuminate the issues of prejudice against the Cunninghams, Atticus Finch, and Dolphus Raymond. Prejudice is evident in the book through how people treat the Cunninghams. During the novel the Cunninghams are told to be a poor family who are considered “trash” by the townspeople. Those who believe...
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...Have you ever experienced the disheartening effects of prejudice? In the novel To Kill A mockingbird by Harper Lee, it illustrates how society can expel a whole group of people because of stereotypes, attack their emotions and behavior and hinder the progression and equal opportunity of whole generations. Prejudice is a social construct demonstrated throughout the novel and the dark side of human nature is brought to the forefront. The stereotypes appear in, To Kill A Mockingbird cause racial bias as seen in the Tom Robinson court case. When Tom Robinson lost the trial, Atticus explained to Scout, "In our courts, when it’s a white man's word against a black mans, the white man always Wins" (LEE 295). In the trial, Tom Robinson...
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...It is said that, “Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” Prejudice is therefore created by a lack of understanding and knowledge. This lack of understanding through discrimination has resulted in mass shootings, slavery, the attempted extinction of an entire race, and many other atrocities. Being prejudice is having preconceived opinions, ideas, or beliefs about others not based on reason. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the 30s, a time of intense racism and prejudice in the United States. In the story Tom Robinson, a black man is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white woman. Tom’s lawyer, Atticus, proves to the court that he couldn’t have raped Mayella because he only had one functioning arm. Despite the fact that...
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...The ignorance of humans has created prejudice and brooding hate in societies. This reoccurring theme has been examined by Harper Lee in the classic To Kill A Mockingbird. Set in the late 1920, the society of Maycomb evidently showcases racial, gender-biased and social class prejudice, due to their narrow-mindedness. The racism exhibited in Maycomb, defines the large egos of the citizens. Scout's third grade teacher, Miss Gates represents the hypocrisy of the county. Miss Gates enunciates carefully to her class " We are a democracy(328)[...]over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. Prejudice[...]There are no better people in the world than Jews, and why Hitler doesn't think so is a mystery to me."(329). Shortly after, Scout overhears Miss Gates at the courthouse,...
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...A Walk In Their Skin Although To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about the events of Maycomb, Alabama, through the eyes of nine year old Scout, Harper Lee demonstrates prejudice through social class, race, and gender bias. In the beginning of the book, Scout is naive to what prejudice looks like, but little by little, she learns the truths of Maycomb from Atticus and her own experiences. Many citizens of Maycomb are prejudice against families such as the Cunninghams, the Ewells, the Radleys, and the black families because they are socially inferior to “the ordinary kind” of Maycomb. Jem states, “There’s four kinds of folks in this world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods,...
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...literature often convey themes that anybody can understand and relate to. Prejudice, for example, is a famous theme found in stories that often reflect real historical events, such as the Scopes Trial of 1925 in Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s Inherit the Wind. Others, like Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, are not solely based on a specific trial, but do reflect similar events and trials that happened during the time period. The trials force the characters to confront the overwhelming prejudice of their respective towns. However, while both works experience and overcome prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird condemns victims through racism, taking place in a time where it was not uncommon, whereas Inherit the Wind...
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