...book, To Kill A Mockingbird, numerous people are stereotyped in many different ways such as gender, race, and their outward appearance. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman Mayella Ewell. The hardships that Tom Robinson’s lawyer Atticus Finch and his family face are also documented in the book. Scout and Jem are taunted by their classmates about how their father is defending a black man while the Ewells are near the bottom of the social hierarchy just above black people. Due to their naivety, Atticus’ children Jem and Scout are oblivious to other people's feelings. However, overtime the children begin to mature and realize the differences in their community. Additionally, the children feel compelled to reach out to Boo Radley, their elusive neighbor who is the center of the town’s fascination. Over the years, many rumors of Boo’s whereabouts have been rumored and the cause of his private lifestyle is questioned by many. Throughout the novel, Boo Radley, Scout, and Tom Robinson each represent how people are stereotyped by...
Words: 986 - Pages: 4
...Would To Kill A Mockingbird be relevant or not. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird has succeeded the test of time. To Kill A Mockingbird is relevant because it defines different stereotypes, bad and good ones. Schools are still reading To Kill a Mockingbird. According to, Why Does 'To Kill A Mockingbird' Still Have Such An Impact, “Every year, students come when I teach this course, they want to work on ‘To Kill a Mockingbird. This proves that everybody is interested in To Kill A Mockingbird. As you can see To Kill A Mockingbird is still relevant to schools. Kids learn from the book To Kill a Mockingbird. “The narrator, Scout, is a delight”. “She has an ironic view of life but at the same time, is innocent”. She is also a strong female role model. It teaches kids about “discrimination, racism, cruelty” and growing up. To Kill A Mockingbird has topics that teenagers can connect with. Others might say that To Kill a Mockingbird is not relevant. “A source stated that Harper Lee doesn’t really measure up to the others in literary talent, but we like to pretend she does.” The characters are stereotypes especially Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was the brave stereotype, Bob Ewell was the bully and liar stereotype, and Atticus Finch was the brave, forgiving and kind stereotype. As you can see in To Kill A Mockingbird...
Words: 436 - Pages: 2
...Stereotypes are saying bad things about someone because they belong in a certain group or race Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird both are based on the theme of stereotypes. In the next 3 paragraphs I will talk about stereotypes in To Kill a Mockingbird, The Merchant of Venice, and finally compare the stereotypes in both. There are many stereotypes and these 2 stories contain many that are alike. One big theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is stereotypes. First of all there is a stereotype that scout should wear a dress and act more like a girl because she is a tomboy. Aunt Alexandra says this. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches”(81). This shows that Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to be more like a lady. Secondly there’s Tom Robinson who is black and wrongly accused. Tom was accused of raping Mayella Ewell and in the end the jury voted him guilty even though Atticus explains the evidence is in Tom’s favor “To begin with, this case should have never come to trial”(203). This quote shows that Atticus’s evidence is perfectly clear and Tom isn’t guilty but in the end because Tom is black the jury assumes he is bad and votes him guilty. Finally black people don’t have the same rights as white people. For example Calpurnia brings Scout and Jem to church and a lady gets mad and asked Calpurnia why she brought white kids to the black church day. “I wants to know why you...
Words: 861 - Pages: 4
...Stereotypes are saying bad things about someone because they belong in a certain group or race Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird both are based on the theme of stereotypes. In the next 3 paragraphs I will talk about stereotypes in To Kill a Mockingbird, The Merchant of Venice, and finally compare the stereotypes in both. There are many stereotypes and these 2 stories contain many that are alike. One big theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is stereotypes. First of all there is a stereotype that scout should wear a dress and act more like a girl because she is a tomboy. Aunt Alexandra says this. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches”(81). This shows that Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to be more like a lady. Secondly there’s Tom Robinson who is black and wrongly accused. Tom was accused of raping Mayella Ewell and in the end the jury voted him guilty even though Atticus explains the evidence is in Tom’s favor “To begin with, this case should have never come to trial”(203). This quote shows that Atticus’s evidence is perfectly clear and Tom isn’t guilty but in the end because Tom is black the jury assumes he is bad and votes him guilty. Finally black people don’t have the same rights as white people. For example Calpurnia brings Scout and Jem to church and a lady gets mad and asked Calpurnia why she brought white kids to the black church day. “I wants to know why you...
Words: 360 - Pages: 2
...Society has a collection of rules. One of those rules are the way a person should look, dress, act, etc. this is known as gender roles. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has heaps of them. From Aunt Alexandra’s view of how a lady should look/act, to Scout saying that boys don’t cook. Scout is a character that defies these gender roles. Aunt Alexandra and Scout do not see eye to eye. Aunt Alexandra has her own idea of how a lady should look and act, and so does Scout. Alexandra is known as a lady to the women of Maycomb, she dresses nicely, and she hosts neighborhood tea parties. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I [Scout] could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a...
Words: 520 - Pages: 3
...write stories which are a reflection of the attitudes and the norms of their time and contemporary Southern fiction reflects this. The southern part of the United States has always had a large percentage of people of African descent living there. At the beginning of the twentieth century, two states actually had an African-American majority; South Carolina and Mississippi. However, the White community was, and still is the socially and economically dominant group and this can be seen in much of Southern contemporary. Several aspects of race were explored by various authors and they include: Racist words against blacks Contemporary Southern fiction frequently contained a lot of racist words, lines and dialogue. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird,...
Words: 2565 - Pages: 11
...Stereotyping or “a stereotype” is either a negative or positive preconceived thought towards a certain gender, race, religion, or a particular age group, etc. Stereotyping can slip in without a second thought & people frequently never realize they’re stereotyping since they’re used to it. Individually, we all stereotype things whether we notice it or not. That is called unconscious bias. Where our brain makes automatic judgements. For example; from thinking certain animals are always extremely aggressive or the thinking that a person is up to no good because of their skin color or area they live in. Basically, people who are not the same skin color, are of a different religion, different gender, or age can be affected by stereotypes no matter...
Words: 253 - Pages: 2
...Society’s Impact On Growth And Understanding In her novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates how society shapes our understandings of others, but that this can be mitigated by strong role models. Scout Finch is strongly impacted by the “old traditions of the south” during her growth into womanhood and when she pushes against the stereotypes placed on her as a southerner and a young lady to find her gender identity. The beliefs of Atticus Finch and his involvement in the courtroom have had a big impact on Scout’s growth. Atticus’ beliefs were different than the beliefs of most people of Maycomb and he “bestowed a benevolent order on the Finch household by his example” which slowly shifted Scout’s views on their society’s division....
Words: 1080 - Pages: 5
...Thesis: Lee’s philosophies of hypocrisy, the difference between right and wrong, and the symbolism of the mockingbird is shown by the use of dialogue, and characterization. In the novel, Lee expresses hypocrisy within the Society through the use of three characters. Lee shows hypocrisy with the use of Miss Gates, Scout’s third grade teacher. Miss Gates teaches the class about all the evil things Hitler does to the Jews in Germany. Showing her students why she disagrees with Hitler, Miss Gates tells the class that “over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced” (208-209). However, while at the Missionary Society meeting Scout overhears Miss Gates talking about how Tom Robinson's conviction...
Words: 1076 - Pages: 5
...experiences. This prejudice appears a great deal in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The charters within the novel will judge someone just based on age, race or sex. This leads conflict within the small community of maycomb county, within the days leading up to a major trial between an african american and white man. Society often will label people based on age, sex and race; leading to stereotyping and a false prejudice...
Words: 1181 - Pages: 5
..."Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird... Mockingbirds don't do one thing except make music for us to enjoy." To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is such an important and inspiring book with so many significant characters. Among the many characters is friend, brother, and father, Atticus Finch, one of the most influential characters in literature. Atticus Finch is such an exceptional role model for readers because he gives wise and loving advice, is determined and respectful to all blacks, and can look past stereotypes and be welcoming. Atticus Finch is an caring and intelligent man who knows right from wrong and helps people, especially his kids, out in difficult situations, by reminding them or being a role model himself. "You just hold your head high and be a gentleman whatever she says to you, it's your job not to let her make you mad." Atticus told his kids how to properly behave in front of Mrs. Dubose, so they don't get hurt or do the wrong thing. They learned from this because later Jem reminds Scout of this when she is getting worked up by Mrs. Dubose. Atticus looks out for his kids and reminds...
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...The highly praised novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a story about racism and stereotypes in the deep south told from the perspective of a little girl named Scout. Harper Lee, the author of the novel, uses symbolism to show a character's personality or to relate to an event in the story. Some symbols used in the story include a roly-poly, a rabid dog, and a mockingbird. These things, if looked into deeply, give the novel depth and meaning. Harper Lee uses a roly-poly as a symbol in her novel. The roly-poly is understood to symbolize letting your guard down ,as we see in the story: “ I lay on my stomach, reached down and poked him. He rolled up. Then, feeling safe ,I suppose, slowly unrolled” (Lee 272). Another piece of evidence that explains this symbol is near the same area of the story: “When you touch them, they roll themselves into a tight gray ball” (Lee 272), which means that ,at first, it is...
Words: 568 - Pages: 3
...Have you realIzed you are just bothered by something that someone is doing or acting but you don’t know why. During the time period in To Kill a Mockingbird everyone ( The Townsfolk) looks at everyone and if you do something wrong you're going down for it. During To Kill a Mockingbird throughout the book scout gets criticized by wearing what she wants and to other people's point of view she needs to act and look like a girl. Scout struggles with this because she wants to act and look her own way. In To Kill a Mockingbird no one will get in scouts way to be herself. Atticus has to deal with everyone thinking about him in a certain way because everyone is criticizing him for defending a black man. During this book there are a lot of stereotypes that the finches and Tom Robinson has to deal with. To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee shows that people criticize other people's lifestyles if it isn’t normal to them, which make them feel better about their life. In this book a lot of people seem to criticize people on how they live and how they do things in their own way. Some...
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...are not the norm, not the upper middle class that the older community is made up of. Because the cliental is changing and lots of African Americans are moving in and the community isn’t changing it created a friction in the school at times. The students of these parents which are totally different then what the community is used are constantly faced with prejudice and discrimination. The African American students are constantly judged and have to prove they are not something before they get a chance to show who they truly are. These African American boys are fighting against stereotypes and can be put through extreme circumstances. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are similar to these African American boys at my school. They are characters who are misjudged based on peoples built in stereotypes of them and persecuted because of people misconceptions. These two characters are the mockingbirds in the story. As a teacher I find myself having to do anything to help them students similar to both characters who are will do anything to change people perception of the helpless. Atticus begins to see a community turn against him...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3
...Have you ever wondered what a short story is? Well let me tell you. A short story is when you stereotype someone or something based on a story or stories. It is like hearing that broccoli tastes bad from the internet so you never eat broccoli, even though you have never tried it. You don’t truly understand something until you try it or understand someone unless you walk in their shoes. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the theme of a single story is shown through Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Dolphus Raymond. A single story is first shown with Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. He is a man that is feared by the whole town of Maycomb. People think of him as the monster of town. A short story is first shown when the kids, Jem, Scout, and Dill, are talking about what Boo Radley looks like. Dill says that he looks like a monster and that if you see him, it will give you nightmares. Dill spoke with fear, “Boo was about six and a half feet...
Words: 899 - Pages: 4
