How Does Ignorance Sparks Prejudice

As Atticus decides to defend Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Many citizens of Maycomb don't understand his choices for doing so. Atticus is questioned by Scout, she asks him “If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doing it?” Scout says that to Atticus because people from Scouts school have been telling her that defending a black man is a negative thing to do. By asking Atticus this, it shows that others see black people as lower class compared to others. As the majority of Maycomb see them that way, they don't understand why Atticus should and would defend them. Atticus sees the whole situation as him just “Simply defending a Negro,” because he sees everyone nas an equal which everyone else should too. As the citizens of Maycomb don't understand why Atticus is defending Tom, some finally start to see the trial just like Atticus. In chapter 15, a mob is called upon Atticus for defending Tom. It is led by Mr. Cunningham, who has a son named Walter, which Scout goes to school with. While the mob is after Atticus because of him defending Tom, Scout is able to stop the mob. She stops the mob by telling Mr. Cunningham about his son and how Atticus has helped their family, which then calms him down to see the mob isn't right. As Scout’s kindness towards Mr. Cunningham helps him decide to call off the mobs, it also helps him to see Atticus is a good person for defending and helping Tom Robinson because Atticus did the same towards him. Atticus’ choice to defend and help black people is hard to understand for many, butin the end it is important to realise why he choses to defend

In the small town of Maycomb, prejudice towards Negroes was a common sentiment of white people. Prejudice is strongly evident between these cultures in To Kill

In this scenario, the jury that determined Tom Robinson’s guiltiness represents the Maycomb community as a whole, as the members would be randomly selected from the county. This means that Maycomb’s view overall towards the black population is negative and full of prejudice. Jem, however, highly disagrees with the outcome of the trial, making him one of the few outliers in the community. To him, it is obvious that Robinson was convicted purely because of his race due to the evidence that was given in the trial. He believes that this is unacceptable and that everyone deserves a fair trial. This moral disagreement that Jem has with society is what sparks the heart of the book, and shows his maturity and understanding of other people.

Gates gives the children false information about the government in Maycomb. She tells the class, “...That’s the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship. Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody” (329). The definition of persecution is: hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs. However, Tom Robinson found guilty of rape because he is an African-American man in the 1930s in the time of Jim Crow even after he is proven innocent by Atticus Finch. Ms. Gates says that Maycomb does not believe in treating others poorly due to race or religion, even though Tom Robinson is killed because of a crime he did not commit. Ms. Gates tells the children that Jews are the best people in the world, “There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn’t think so is a mystery to me” (329). This shows Ms. Gates has a bias towards different religions, which she should not be introducing to

Wise’s examination of the inconspicuous character of racism 2.0 dovetails fittingly with our course’s recurring theme of institutionalized racism. In class lectures we have defined institutionalized racism as the discriminatory practices that have become regularized and routinized by state agencies, organizations, industries, or anywhere else in society. Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspoken biases that have become increasingly convoluted and entrenched within society over time. It also doesn’t help white people to recognize these discriminatory practices considering they have been unconsciously tailored to be consistent with white perspective and mentality. In her article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh examines not only how white folks often consider themselves to be a normative figure within society, but also how they are carefully taught not to recognize the advantages they gain from the disadvantages that impair people of color. In the article, McIntosh acknowledges the reality of her own white privilege and expresses, “In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth” (McIntosh 4). In fact, even if white folks do not believe themselves to

The next quote takes place during the trial and is from Tom Robinson. He is being questioned by the opposing attorney about Mayella: “Yes suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of em-“. The meaning of this quote is a simple thing. A man in Tom’s position, a black man in Montgomery and all that entails and on trial for his life for a crime he didn’t commit felt compassion for a white woman. Tom is a good and decent man in a world that is not very good or decent. I think this quote supports the topic sentence because Ton acted on compassion he put himself in Mayella’s shoes and tried to help. It is important to the book because it shows another instance of acting on principle. This quote is important in life because if you do not have principles grounded in compassion you are empty on the inside. In association with the last quote. This quote is spoken by Atticus in a summary of Robinson trial: “This case is as simple as black and white”. This quote means the color of your skin decides your fate. This quote relates to the topic sentence because it is the topic sentence in a simple form or put yourself in the black defendant’s place. The quote is important to the book because it is an example of the ridiculousness of racism. It is ridiculous because nothing Atticus could say would change the jury’s pre-decided verdict. In real life “The case is as simple as black and white” is in

Lee develops the theme of prejudice throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Some forms of prejudice are not recognized by the young narrator, but the people of Maycomb are the source of racist and classist prejudice. The most obvious form of prejudice is racism. This close-minded view of certain ethnic groups is displayed when the jury declares Tom Robinson guilty when clear evidence had been presented proving his innocence. The stark outcome of injustice shows the readers that

It is not easy, and it is unpleasant, to adduce statistics evidencing the cultural superiority of White over Negro: but it is a fact that obtrudes, one that cannot be hidden by ever-so-busy egalitarians and anthropologists.”(4)

According to Peggy McIntosh, an American feminist and anti-racism activist, whites are convinced that they carry an “invisible knapsack”, which allow them several privileges that African American or other ethnicities don’t have. In her article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” McIntosh describe a long list of white privileges such as, ”When I go shopping, store detectives don’t follow me” and “…people of my race are positively presented on television or papers”. They believe that the fact of being whites automatically makes them less suspicious of wrongdoing (McIntosh, 152). The American philosopher John Berteaux, a specialist in social ethics and philosophy of race agree with McIntosh about the wrong believe that whites have about some privileges embedded in the race, “Most white people don’t question their race or it’s privileges; they simple take them for granted” (Rosenstand, 373). In other words, whites believe that the skin color is what makes a race better that the other, giving some people more rights that to the others.

"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it." Page 5

“And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had made the unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry’ for a white women has had to put his word against two white people’s. I need not to remind you of their appearance and conduct on the stand. You know the truth and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women – black or white. But there is one way in this country where all men are created equal… this honorable court that you serve.” (Lee 232-233)

Maycomb's unjust beliefs on race determined the outcome of Tom Robinson's trail. Atticus´s defence was more than enough to set Tom free, but Maycomb's ignorance and narrow-minded view on African Americans set an innocent man to jail. Atticus told Jem "If you had been on that jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man" (Lee 295). The jury members had been affected by the ignorance of society. They convicted Tom because when they grow up they learned racists beliefs and they do not know any other way. In Maycomb, racism is a normal part of everyday life. When kids at Scouts school call Atticus a n***** lover. Atticus explains to Scout what it means, "Scout," said Atticus, "n*****-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves.¨ (144). The racists views and attitudes determined the guilty verdict of Tom. In Atticus closing argument, he says "She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man¨(272). Society has a set of rules which are not written but known, these rules tend to be ignorant and impartial. When it comes to race and the misguided beliefs about race, there is a profusion of ignorance. The expectations on race set by society affect the actions and events of life.

Prejudice is an opinion in which is not based on any reasoning, and may cause harm. Prejudice can be seen just about anywhere, and it affects our daily lives. There are many different ways a person can show prejudice beliefs, but why do they believe things they have never experience? Some may say it’s something personal with one’s self that causes prejudice thoughts, or some may think it their surroundings contribute as a motive.

Racism causes people to lose all compassion and sympathy for their fellows. Being a southern town during the Great Depression, Maycomb is a society where racism against African-Americans is still goes on. Atticus proves this when he says, “Why people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand” (117). The citizens of Maycomb shocked by this behavior when Atticus is asked to defend Tom Robinson, an African-American who has been accused of raping a white girl. Unfortunately, there is only one possible solution for this trial, and Tom Robinson is convicted. Even though the prosecution has no credible evidence, Robinson’s race is enough for the jury to convict him, because he is an African American and they lie. Atticus even states that a colored man’s word is useless against the word of a white man (295). To make matters even worse, Tom attempts to escape from prison because he can’t keep this guilt inside of him of raping a white girl; unfortunately, the decision ends up taking his

This quote proved to be a crucial theme of the book which is in order to fully understand the world and the others living in it, we have to consider things from different perspectives. Because everyone has a different view on just about everything it often lead to chaos but it also led to many great discoveries. As human beings that constantly thrive to be better we can not limit ourselves by only viewing things in a certain way because in the end that would get us nowhere. For example in Maycomb many of its citizens never attempted to grasp how racism affected many “colored folks” due to that they had to live in a hateful world. Finally I concluded that Maycomb was in a sense divided as a result of the discrimination that existed within