The Negative Effects Of Racism : Segregation And Violence

Today’s society is damaged with the results of people doing terrible things to each other. Peoples actions can make or break lives.The novel To Kill A Mockingbird, is about a little girl, her Brother, their Dad, and the negro they all fight to defend. The main character scout and her older brother Jem, get into all sorts of dilemmas in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. As they learn new valuable lessons about life, they also pick up that the small town they grow up in is not as clean and safe as it seems. The father, Atticus Finch is a kind hearted soul who was given the case of Tom Robinson, a negro accused of Raping a white woman. As soon as Atticus was given the case he aimed to defend Tom but a faulty jury made sure it did not happen.To

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.

People around the world are faced with being treated unfairly because of qualities society considers different. These can include something that the person is born in towith, or a decision they made later on in their life. Nelle Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows how prejudice views destroy the lives of many. In the town of Maycomb, blacks are mistreated for their color, while others are excluded fromfor not being “normal whites”. Although every character ofin the novel is not treated unequally, three main characters that are victims of prejudice are Tom Robinson for his race, Dolphus Raymond for intermarriage, and Boo Radley for mistakes he made in the past.

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

During the Civil Rights movement there were many obstacles to try and assure equal rights between the whites and blacks. With the unpersuadable community there was not much improvement. The laws didn’t promise a place where everything was equal because the attitude that the community had. It was acknowledged in schools, churches and other places in the community about the discrimination that was going on, but they did not know when things were going to become equal. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, it is continuously showing points of discrimination throughout. A black man in the story named Tom Robinson was blamed for raping a white woman. Tom wasn't alone in the trial a guy named Atticus Finch was there to defend him. Atticus, taught both

One of the inequalities in Lee’s story is racism. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white, nineteen year old girl. During his trial, his lawyer, Atticus Finch did his best showing the jury that he was an innocent man. The jury delibabrated for hours before they reached a verdict: “Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty” (Lee 282). Tom was an innocent man but because of the color of his skin, he walked into that courtroom already found guilty. Today, people of color are targeted in many different ways, especially in the legal system:“One out of every 13 African Americans have lost their right to vote due to felony disenfranchisement versus one in every 56 non-black voters” (Quigley). Another example is, federal prosecutors are almost twice as likely to file charges carrying mandatory minimum sentences for African Americans than whites accused of the same crimes, according to a study published by the University of Michigan Law School. Our Declaration of Independence

Discrimination is another key concern for the author as he is struggling to overcome poverty, racism and intolerance. Discrimination comes in many different forms and is defined by the textbook as being any behavior directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group. As a young man Williams experienced many acts of discrimination directed towards both himself and his family. For example, after fishing one evening Carl wanted a soda but couldn?t get one from the drive-in they were passing because ?blacks were barred from the drive-in like every down-town restaurant? (Williams, 225). Another example of discrimination appears in the text when Black students were unable to obtain teaching positions once they graduated from Ball State University because of the color of their skin.

There was an event in To Kill a Mockingbird that showed discrimination for a breed of man. As depicted in the book, Tom Robinson was being accused of raping a young lady by the name of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson was a middle aged black man. Mayella Ewell is a white girl. This was very distraught because of the fact that this was the time that whites were superior over any other minority. Tom was being held in a cell waiting for the trial to commence. Atticus Finch, the lawyer of Tom Robinson, decided to take a trip to the jail in which he was being held in. As he arrived, a squadron of cars pulled up. A group of white men stepped out of the vehicles and walked up to the jail in a sort of formation. These men had showed up on this afternoon to lynch Tom Robinson. Luckily, Scout Finch started talking to one of the men, Mr. Cunningham. She said,” Tell him [Walter] hey for me, won’t you?”. His son’s name was Walter Cunningham. He ended up feeling bad for what he was going to do, and called the men back. They did not end up lynching Tom. This connects to what happened in

Scout’s school did not stress the importance of equality, and it showed in the town’s ignorance. But, Scout did not let school taint her perception of others, and she believed “everybody’s gotta learn, nobody’s born knowin’. That Walter’s as smart as he can be he just gets held back [...]. Nothing’s wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee 304). Scout’s friend was going to get held back in school because he was poor and unable to attend as often. She stood up for him, because she thought everyone deserves an equal chance. However, a place that did not give everyone an equal chance was the courtroom where Atticus defended a black man accused of a crime he did not commit. After losing the case, Atticus consoles his children and tells Scout and Jem that “as you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it- whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, or how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash” (Lee 295). While others may see a situation such as this and say that the black man was at fault, Atticus sees through the color of a man’s skin. He wants to make sure his children do this, too. Growing up in the south, racism was expected to be seen. But, just because something is common does not make it right. Atticus made it a priority to teach his

Just fifty years ago, America was a society of segregation and racism. The dictionary defines racism as “the belief that a particular race is superior to another.” Although it is clear times have changed, racism is still seen in modern american society. It’s also clear that relationships between African Americans and whites are generally better than they were in the forties and fifties. Today, it is rare to witness a black man walk down the street and step off the sidewalk to let a white man walk by, or to see a black man sitting on a different section of the bus or train because a white man told him he has too. But superiority of races is still happening. A lot of this has the do with the ignorance of others. Passed down generation to

Segregation and discrimination both happen to African Americans in Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. They are viewed as less, like they show be treated differently. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the town of Maycomb took Bob Ewell's word over Tom Robinson's because he was of a different race. Bryan Stevenson mentions that many young African Americans go to prison because they did something bad, but this then affects these children for the rest of their lives. Many African Americans are still affected today by the justice system and how they are treated by other people. Racial injustice has been a huge part of history and both, Just Mercy and To Kill a Mockingbird talk about racial injustice, that is still happening today.

Racism is a big contributor to the disorder and dysfunction that occurs in the small town Maycomb. For example, when Calpurnia, the Finch's cook, brings Jem and Scout to her church that mainly consists of African Americans, someone at the door says, “I wants to know why you bringin white chillun to nigger church” (Lee 135). People were expected to go to church with someone of the same race during this time; if this did not happen, then they were treated differently. Boo Radley, a neighbor to the Finch’s, stabbed his father, Mr. Radley, in the leg with scissors in the beginning of the story, and “The Sheriff hadn’t the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement”(Lee 12). Whites and Blacks did not even want to be in the same vicinity as the other color. When Tom Robinson was brought to trial, Dill became really upset when Mr. GIlmer “called him ‘boy’ all the time and sneered at him, an’ looked around at the jury every time he answered” (Lee 226). Mr. Gilmer did not show Tom Robinson any respect when he should have because people in their society had no respect for blacks. Since racism causes a big trial towards the end of the story, it causes the loss of life of an innocent man.

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

Blacks all around the world have received prejudice against them all the time, being judged, not by their actions but by their skin color. Their lives have been segregated since the start of civilizations, and only recently have they been granted the same equality as everyone. But still, this does not hinder people from continuing to show racism and prejudice against blacks, putting labels on them, and treating them as inferiors. Lee depicts the racism and prejudice against blacks in the Jim Crow era, describing how they were viewed in the eyes of the white population. Atticus, Scout’s lawyer father, is sent to court to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. At the end of his case, he pleads the jury to not let the evil racism of the society affect their decision, but have justice and proof be the real judge, “...the evil assumption---that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber,”(232). Atticus makes his firm statement trying to go against the ideals and morals of that time period. He is asking a jury of white men to vote against the word of 2 other white and judge on. man as innocent. These type of people are those who can firmly see through the blinds of racism and foggy mist of prejudice. They are those who strive for a bigger difference and the bigger picture in the future. They see what can become of the world if prejudice continues to undermine our society and form new values. They aim to identify people based on their true actions and intentions rather than rumors and judgment. But the amount of these special people is dwarfed by blind men believing in rumors and never questioning the innuendos. The jury still after hearing the final words of Atticus, are still going to declare the black man guilty, because of the judgment that all blacks are immoral, and will harm others. These assumptions determine the fate of this black man and will determine the fate of other black men in the future as stated in Tim Wise’s article, “Year after year, and case after cases it continues, with black lives viewed as expendable in the service of white

The moment where Tom Robinson is found guilty, is not only heartbreaking for Scout and Atticus who believed in his innocence, but it is also heartbreaking for the audience who wants the best for our protagonist. The filmmakers beautifully manipulate the audience’s emotions, we feel anger at the white jury who cannot see pass their prejudices and Bob Ewell the one who should be convicted, but we also feel sympathy and pity for Tom Robinson and for Scout who experiences the real world for what it was at the time. These emotions are crucial to the representation of the theme of racism. Due to the historical feelings of America in the 1960s, the film needed to show the cruelty and use strong emotions, but also logic in order to reach the hearts of those who encouraged segregation.