There are plenty of destructive forces in the world that may destroy our humanity, beatdown on our beliefs and criticize our morals: Ignorance, anger, and greed, but none of them are as bad as racism. Racism shows itself in many ways in the book "To Kill a Mockingbird". Some are obvious, but some are more hidden. One obvious detail is Tom Robinson's trial. Another is the bullying that Scout and Jem endured when Atticus was working on Mr. Robinson's trial. A little more disguised relation is the persecution of Mr. Dolphous Raymond, who chooses to live his life in the colored community. Tom Robinson's whole life was affected by the cruel effects of racism. In court, Bob Ewell was only sided with by the jury because he was white, even though …show more content…
Especially the Finch family because Atticus was appointed to defend Tom Robinson. Scout and Jem's peers were children, who are nearly always more direct than adults. Most of the people that were unhappy with Atticus would just try to keep away from him which was bad enough. Scout and Jem got verbally abused by the children at school and in their neighborhood. Scout responded to this with physical violence, even though it was discouraged by Atticus. What was even more sad is that they were also mistreated by their family, like Scout's cousin Francis. Dolphous Raymond is another character who suffered from the city's racism. Mr. Raymond was considered a drunk, everyone thinks that he drinks whisky from his paper bag and he is half crazy from it so he cant help but live among the black community. He actually drinks coke from the paper bag and the bag is to conceal what he is drinking. Mr. Raymond said "I try to give em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason. When I come to town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphous Raymond's in the clutch of whiskey-thats why he wont change his ways. He cant help himself, thats why he lives the way that he does." Pg.
Yesterday, Tom Robinson was fatally shot after he attempted to escape county jail. According to Atticus Finch, defense attorney, Tom Robinson suddenly charged at the prison fence and started to climb over. The guards first asked Robinson to stop and they then fired several warning shots before finally shooting him seventeen times. He was proclaimed dead at the scene.
It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason. When I come to town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey---that’s why he won’t change his ways. He can’t help himself, that’s why he lives the way he does.”
For example, at the court hearing, the 12-man jury was showed the evidence that would prove Tom Robinson was innocent. Unfortunatley, the jury had their minds made up based upon the fact that he was a colored man. They did not care whether he was innocent or not. Another reference to racism in the story is when Atticus arrived at the Robinson’s residence. There, Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’ face showing his direspct for Tom Robinson’s family and friends.
Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Racism is still an issue that can be seen in the twenty-first century. Although, tons of progress has been made over the last century, some still hold on to racist beliefs. The majority of classic American literature demonstrates the racism that was present in the early twentieth century. By looking at the theme of race in the American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that people are quick to judge others based on their own opinions and feelings.
Tom Robinson is one character who is judged extremely harshly by Maycomb society. Tom is a victim of racism and is falsely accused of the rape of Mayella Ewell. As a result the accusations are directly linked to the effects of racism. When on trial, the Ewell’s testimony about Tom stereotypes him as an aggressive sex offender. During her testimony (Chapter
We meet Tom Robinson after he has been accused of sexual assault by nineteen year old Mayella Ewell. He’s a strong, kind-hearted, god fearing black man with a wife and children. Despite Mayella and her family’s place in the tapestry of Maycomb, the white residents there immediately hate him upon hearing these accusations. Mayella is a white woman and Tom is a black man, therefore he has to be guilty in the eyes of his peers. But as the trial unfolds, the reader hears the real story of what happened between Tom and Mayella.
Racism has disrupted and changed the lives of the characters in `To kill a Mockingbird'. The main characters, the Finches, are persecuted because Atticus is defending a black man in court. My attitude to racism changes as this force is only disturbing Scout at the beginning of this narrative. Racism is, at first, bullying and discriminative on a basic level. My attitude develops as the force of racism is now affecting the many individuals in Maycomb. Furthermore, racism is life altering and causes some people to become outcasts, as in Mr Dolphus Raymond's case. Racism is back
Throughout most novels, characters encounter obstacles or events that once faced change their lives for the better or worse. In this book, that obstacle is racism. This is evident in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird when ... ____________________. Due to... ____________________. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Dolphus Raymond, Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell each encounter racism in different ways; however, they all suffer as a result.
At first, Scout couldn’t comprehend why he would lie about who he really was and act so different than his true self. “Cry about the simple hell people give other people-without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they are people too. ”(Pg205) Mr. Raymond explains to the kids how white people do rude things to people of color without realizing that they have feelings too.
How does racism affect a story? As a kid in the 1930s, Harper Lee grew up when there was hardly any equality for African Americans. Harper Lee’s only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is heavily based off of prejudice and racism from her childhood. In her book, she writes about racial discrimination through the eyes of a six year-old girl, named Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, during the Great Depression. Her and her family are deeply tied into racism and prejudice involved throughout this story. Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is ever apparent as the story is located in a small southern town in Alabama; it is reflected upon three of the main characters: Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, Jem Finch and their father, Atticus Finch.
The novel “To kill a mockingbird” demonstrates the theme of racism through the various situations that occur within the book. Atticus’s decision to defend Tom Robinson begins to have a deep effect on the Finch family. This is demonstrated by the Finch family receiving many racist comments from various people. The next example of racism is demonstrated when Calpurnia, Scout, and Jem go to a church where only “black” people attend, and the Finch family gets discriminated. Later, when Calpurnia, Scout and Jem got home, Scout asked Atticus if she could go to Calpurnia’s house, but Scout’s aunt said “no”. This is because Calpurnia’s neighborhood has too many “black people” which is a “bad influence” on Scout. Through these situations, it is clear
Racism has been a big part of the human race ever since people were born. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the townspeople of Maycomb, Alabama misjudge the African-Americans of their town. They treat them like trash, and some people even think they are just filthy beings. Clearly, then, racism has had many ubiquitous effects on many of Maycomb's citizens.
In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson is in trial for the supposed rape of Bob Ewell’s daughter, Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson was on his way home when Mayella Ewell asked him to help her with something. Being a kind man, he went into her yard and started to look for some of the plants he usually dug up for her when she asked him for help. He didn’t find any, so he asked her what it was she needed. She told him a box she needed was up in a place she couldn’t reach. He went in the house and grabbed the box, and after he did Mayella told him the door was broken. Tom Robinson proceeded to look at the door, not finding anything wrong with it. He told her and she jumped on him, hugging him and saying she never kissed a black
Racism is one issue that is portrayed a few times throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. The
The way that children are raised is a source of racism. From a young age, children look up to their parents as idols and teachers. Their opinions and beliefs are passed down to their children. Children do not know any better; they have not had any time to search for their own opinions. In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Scout and Jem are brought up in a non-racist household. Their father, Atticus, believes that everyone is equal and that people shouldn’t be prejudiced on because of their skin colour. When Atticus defended an African American man who ended up going to jail for doing something innocent, Jem and Scout do not understand why people would do that. The rest of the town knew that he was innocent too, but chose to put him in jail anyway because the whites were superior over the African Americans. Atticus brought up Jem and Scout through his opinions of African American people. Their opinions are the same as