Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

In this book “to kill a mockingbird” the book is place in 1900’s the kind of racism that takes place in the book doesn't happen today But was very common in those Times.Now African American are accepted like any other person.

In Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird” Jem , Scout , and Dill live in Maycomb , Alabama around the time of the 1930’s they all were struggling through racism and poor family’s trying to get by. Harper Lee’s first and only novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was published during the civil right movements. In this book Jem, Scout, and Dill tend to have courage and loyalty through life and in their relationship toward one another . Jem and Scout are brother and sister, Dill is a friend of the family but they accept him as a brother. Although, Jem and Dill have the most exceptional relationship out of them all. “ To Kill A Mockingbird” the impact racism had on society shows through the setting , characters , and town of Maycomb , Alabama .

Racism is something that most people would claim they do not believe in or support; however, as clearly shown in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is a disease that spreads through a region and worsens as time goes on. Racism is an issue that is still prevalent in the American society today, and Harper Lee’s timeless novel continues to teach the lesson that one needs to look beyond the color of another man’s skin and see them for who they truly are. Mr. Raymond’s conversation with Dill after Tom Robinson’s testimony initially shows that racism is better comprehended with age. He says, “Let him get a little older and he won’t get sick and cry… Cry about the hell white people give to colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too” (Lee, 1960, p. 269). Here, it becomes clear that children can be naive to racism and the evil in the world, but as they continue to grow up in an area that feels so strongly about white supremacy, they become immune to the injustice and prejudice. Further, Mr. Raymond’s words allow the reader to better understand the severity of the racism in Maycomb and the entirety of the country. It also unveils a crucial theme in the novel, namely that one must consider a person of color to be no different from oneself, as all humans are equal. Additionally, racism is repeatedly referred to as a disease in the novel, which is explained when Atticus is talking to Uncle Jack about the trial and he says “‘... I hope and pray I can get

Racism is both an ideology and a system of domination. To be racist is not just a misuse of derogatory slurs and whatnot. Only certain communities have the power and the privilege to be racist. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird racism was one of the most recurring themes. Communities as well as specific characters were impacted by racism. Tom Robinson, Calpurnia, Bob Ewell and Dolphus Raymond were characters that suffered from Racism.

According to a report from dosomething.org, in 2009, "2/3 of the criminals receiving life sentences were non-whites." This shows that racism is still going on today and in Harper Lee's book, To Kill A Mockingbird. Her book takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the depression. The story is told by Jean Louise Finch, who goes by Scout. She lives with her brother named Jeremy Finch, or Jem, and their father named Atticus. He is an attorney and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even if he gets looked down upon. Atticus takes the case of Tom Robinson, who is a black person. He is accused of having raped a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Although the evidence makes the reader believe that Robinson is innocent, the jury finds

The characters in, To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, often use prejudice against people of controversial issues. Many of the townspeople of Maycomb use prejudice on the families who are on the less wealthy end of the spectrum. Issues are still displayed because of the racial prejudice used against African Americans and those of other races. Lastly, gender is a clear issue in Maycomb because of women’s and girl’s rights and lack of respect towards them because they are female. All of the types of prejudice show that Maycomb has many problems all throughout the town between other families and townspeople.

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible”(Maya Angelou). To Kill a Mockingbird is about a young girl called Scout and the important lessons she learns through the events of a racist trial, the mysterious neighbour, and growing up. She learns many lessons about perspective and understanding people. One of the most important lessons she learns about prejudice. Lee demonstrates the message that prejudice does not only harm an individual but damages a society in the events of “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Prejudice becomes affects society most when the views become what people expect. We can see this in the three main types of prejudice, racial, gender, and class or wealth.

Many people have experienced racism or prejudice at least once in their lives, but they are not aware of the different ways it could take place. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates how racism and prejudice presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. This is shown in the characters Tom Robinson, Walter Cunningham Jr, and Scout, who are all victims of prejudice or racism. These characters are subjected to all kinds of prejudice and from all kinds of people, sometimes so much it would change their lives.

In the Novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, The Narrator Scout Finch relays her experiences of Racism and Prejudice. Children are new to the world, they haven’t experienced the real world yet. They have unbiased opinions, they don’t know the stereotypes until they figure it out themselves. Scout Finch is just a little girl during the great depression. In Maycomb county where she lives, Black people were frowned upon by most families. People even shunned others if they were married to a black man or women if they were white. If a Black person was convicted of a crime they would most likely be found guilty.

Prejudice has decreased over the course of the years, nowadays prejudice is socially unacceptable throughout society. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, shows how prejudice effects Maycomb negatively through the characters of Maycomb and its events. Throughout the course of the story, the three types of prejudice are discovered; racial prejudice, social prejudice, and fear of the unknown. Racial prejudice is one of the types of prejudice seen in Maycomb. It is a prejudgement of individuals or groups.

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea of prejudice is evident in Maycomb County, Alabama. Three main characters from the novel fall victim to prejudice throughout the story. Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson all face challenges that disable them from living a normal life. These character’s stories of social injustice are narrated by Scout Finch, a young girl who discovers many ugly truths while growing up in a town full of inequality.

The majority of Maycomb county view Walter Cunningham and his family differently, unaware that there is nothing wrong with them other than being dirt poor. While young Walter is eating “dinner” at the Finch’s home, Calpurnia scolds Scout furiously about not giving respect to her guest. Scout unwittingly replies to her: “He ain’t company Cal, he’s just a Cunningham-” (33). Scout is part of the majority of Maycomb; they all view the Cunninghams differently from the ways they view each other. Giving no respect to Walter, Scout thinks that she is better than him, believing whatever he does is unsuitable. However, once Scout finds out that a relative of the Cunninghams had wanted to acquit Tom Robinson during the trial, her view over the Cunninghams changes dramatically. She then wants to invite Walter over, but Aunt Alexandra opposes this, telling Scout that “he-is-trash . . . I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning lord-knows-what” (301). Scout finally understands that in reality, the Cunninghams are just like them; they both have no prejudice over black people. However, some people

names’s Tom Robinson”. Discuss the effects of racism on Maycomb citizens such as Tom and Helen Robinson,

In To KIll A MockingBird, you will find that the two main characters, Jem and Scout, learn many things from their father being a lawyer. They watch him work cases in a small town ,called Maycomb ,with racism and domestic violence among poor people. Racism is a huge deal in this book especially when the Tom Robinson case comes into play and is blamed for rapping a young nineteen year old women.The entire town is against Tom because he is black and in this town if you are black then you are pretty much trash.

Al Sharpton an American Civil Rights Activist, once said, “As I often say, we have come a long way from the days of slavery, but in 2014, discrimination and inequality still saturate our society in modern ways. Though racism may be less blatant now in many cases, its existence is undeniable.” Undoubtedly, racism is still an issue today; it is heard about in the news almost daily. There are even statistics to prove it. Racism continues to be one of the world’s major issues. Harper Lees, To Kill a Mockingbird gives us insight about the racism that happened before the Civil Rights Movement. No one is trying to change it today, which is why it still happens. One of the main subjects of To Kill a Mockingbird, racism, is still as present as it was in the 1930s as heard about today most frequently in the news.