This summer I read your book To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the main themes I discovered while reading the book was social and racial inequality. Differences in social status that constantly baffle the children are explored through the social hierarchy of Maycomb County, Alabama. The financially well-off Finches are at the top of Maycomb’s social hierarchy with most of the townspeople beneath them. Country farmers like the Cunninghams lie below the regular townspeople, and the Ewells are below the people like Cunninghams. The black community in Maycomb is an exception, despite its bounty of good qualities, they’re below even the lowest of the white community, the Ewells. This empowers Bob Ewell to make up for his own lack of importance by persecuting Tom Robinson. These social divides that make up much of the adult world are revealed in the book to be very irrational and destructive, through the eyes of the children. For example, Scout cannot understand why Aunt Alexandra refuses to let her befriend young Walter Cunningham. In the book you use the children’s confusion to point out the injustices and prejudice in Maycomb’s society based on race and financial status. …show more content…
For example, in chapter 23 Atticus says “There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads- they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s word, the white always wins. They’re ugly, but these are the facts of life” (Lee 295) This quote is after the trial and Jem asks Atticus how they could be so biased against Tom Robinson even though it's a jury in a court of law. Atticus explains that it's been like this since the beginning of time. The only people that seem to find a problem with this kind of racism are children. For example, Jem, unlike the adults feels that Tom did not get a fair
Social inequality is an uncivilized ranking scale which was created by simple minded people who held the fear being surpassed. The argument made by Harper Lee in her work To Kill a Mockingbird is that social inequality is a hierarchy that is complex and affects everyone. More specifically, the author argues that the racial boundaries put between the black and white during the 1930’s caused great stress. This is proven in the novel multiple times. The people of Maycomb judge one another based on the background and wealth of their families. Not only do they judge each other within the community, they discriminate against anyone different than them. Social inequality does not only exist in the form of racism, there are many forms; some of the major ones appear in this book. Social inequality based purely on family background, social inequality based on the wealth of the individual and family, and racism. These are three of the major forms of social inequality that appear numerous times in the book.
If you’re in high school, how many times do you hear the expression “Yo, what up nigga.” This is the word that travels through the hallways of many schools and on the streets in many cities. However, do people know what the word means? That’s the problem. They don’t know what it means yet they still say the word. What does it help them achieve? Does it help them be cool? Does it help them fit into a group of people? Now we all say this word to whites, Asians, Hispanics, and even blacks, but do we think how it makes them feel? Imagine if you were African American and had ancestors get whipped, have to use a separate bathroom, and much more, and still be called a nigger. This is a problem we had back then and that we still have today. We used one word to describe
In the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, racism and social inequality are two central themes. Many different forms of social inequality coexist in the society depicted in the book, as the people of Maycomb are very rigid in their ways. This is because the book takes place in a time at which there was much racism and social inequality. In Maycomb, firstly there is discrimination between rich and poor white people, who do not often interact with each other. There is also racism against blacks by all white people in society, both rich and poor. Black people are denied basic rights and discriminated against in this town. Lastly, there is racism between the lowest classes of the community: poor white people and
In To Kill a Mockingbird, and in the world today there is racial and social inequality going on all around us. I am sure that there will never be true racial and social equality, but I think that it will get dramatically better. Just like it has gotten better since the 1930’s, which is the time that To Kill a Mockingbird is set in.
Social inequality based entirely on race affects people who don’t deserve it. To Kill a Mockingbird original publication was in 1960, it is a classic novel written by Harper Lee, the book is set in 1933 to 1935. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a small town called Maycomb, Alabama and follows two years in the life of 7-year old Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man accused of rape. The book also talks about Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbour who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed. The definition of social and legal codes are social codes made up of rules and standards, and a legal system is a code of laws made by a state or nation. Throughout the book, social and legal codes are exploited by people to help maintain their social status. In Maycomb County, social and legal laws harm black people to protect white people, such as Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell, and Tom Robinson.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is about two children, Jem and Scout, and their relationships with their father, Atticus. The children raise themselves growing up, many people would say they were irresponsible, but they are both appear to be intelligent individuals. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird the novel demonstrates a rigid class structure and social stratification in the County of Maycomb. People should not be judged by their social class, they should be judged on their personality.
Knock! Knock! Judge Taylor begins hitting his gavel as the court adjourned. Tom Robinson and Atticus knowing they are going to lose as they take their seats. To Kill A Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee in the 1960’s set in Alabama. This book talks about a lot of social inequality in multiple different forms. When we think of social inequality we think about gender and race, both of these are major struggles in To Kill A Mockingbird and today's society.
What is social inequality? What I do know is that it is not acceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated. For example, the Robinsons and the Radley’s, are both treated extremely poorly, because of the time period and the racist town of Maycomb. Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the motif of social inequality through the families of the Robinsons, the Ewells, and the Radleys as they are all treated with social inequality.
Moral cowardice is when someone is a bystander, and witnesses something unfair. They don’t do anything to stop it and stick up for what is right, even if they have intentions too. A Social Injustice is something unfair that happens because someone or something is different. Whether it be race, gender, opinions, personal beliefs, or someone simply don’t fit in. These two ideas go hand in hand, and how people choose to respond to a situation can show their true purpose. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Calpurnia is an example of someone who is both a moral coward and someone who stands up against social injustice. This book takes place during the depression in Maycomb, Alabama. In this small town people have strong opinions about almost everything around them; most of which are racist and just plain cruel. Calpurnia is a black woman who works for the finch family as a maid and acts as a mom towards the two kids; Jem and Scout.
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird,” racial injustice in the justice system is shown through Scout’s childhood stories. Scout goes through her time as a young child seeing people being falsely accused of rape and not being treated fairly because of their race. Through symbolism and The Trial of Tom Robinson, racial injustice in the justice system is shown.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the audience is introduced to the Maycomb where the characters face differing treatment as a result of the widespread inequality. The inequality of the characters is explored through the social hierarchy of the Maycomb community and the gender inequity that prevails due to longstanding stereotypes. Racism is also a major factor that concerns the inequality of the characters, where black people are disrespected and heavily discriminated against. The injustice of the characters is apparent throughout the entirety of the novel.
Social Inequalities In the novel to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows a theme of social inequalities throughout the book. Social Inequalities is one of many things that is still present till this day in age. Proves to you that your inequality and relevance can be determined by anything from the people around you daily. To Kill a Mockingbird, the town of Maycomb is an excellent example of the discriminatory practices in place during the 1930s.
Today’s society always has some form of social inequality, whether it be between gender difference or by one’s importance in society. There are so many forms of these inequality that the world always feels unbalanced to some people. Racism is considered to be a large social inequality. That is why in Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, has a lot of examples of social inequalities and how it affects each character. It shows great examples of social inequalities of the novel’s town of Maycomb, Alabama.
During the Great Depression, White Americans often had a mindset of superiority over segregated African Americans. They believed they were the “original” americans and better than other different ethnicities. Due to the overwhelming amount of racism and prejudice from the White population, many African Americans were unjustly treated as seen throughout the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The characters Scout, Dolphus Raymond, and Tom Robinson mature through experiences amongst the ideas of racism and inequality. Growing up without a mother, and instead an African American housekeeper, Scout, even as a young girl, understands the somewhat superiority she is expected to feel towards African Americans.
The social class is hard to break. The social class is the big problem in the world. This passage is going to show the social class during the great depression. The text To kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. Burris and walter there both are country kids.