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Racism, Morality And Injustice By Harper Lee

Decent Essays

To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that bases itself upon racism, morality and injustice. Written by Harper Lee, the novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and has become part of the standard literature curriculum in schools nationwide. The story takes place between 1933-1935 in Maycomb, a small, poor, old town in the grips of the Great Depression. The novel has exceeding amount of content that reflects the notions of conscience, courage and conviction. Conscience is believed to be a persons sense of right and wrong, while courage is the action of facing a fear and conviction is known to be a formal declaration by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law that someone is guilty of a criminal offence but can also be a firmly held belief or opinion. These themes are explored throughout the novel through different characters, shown through quotes and actions.

Conscience is said to be a person 's moral sense of right and wrong. This concept is evident throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, shown mainly through the character of Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is the father of Jem and Scout and is also a lawyer in Maycomb. The story is set in South Alabama during the 1930s. This was a time and place where racism was a common occurrence and within the story, a black man, Tom Robbinson, was convicted of rape of a white woman. Atticus was the court appointed lawyer to Tom Robbinson, and he chose to defend Tom to the best of his

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