To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Gender Equality

The literary classic To Kill a Mockingbird is the well known story of Jean Louise Finch as she grows up in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. The book follows the trial of Tom Robinson, an african american male accused of sexual assault by a woman named Mayella Ewell. Mayella Ewell is a young poverty-stricken woman who is mainly controlled by her father. In a town divided by gender, race, and class, Mayella does not have a large amount of power over her own life as well as other’s.

Gender Equality is a big issue throughout the world, but what exactly is it? Well to answer that, it is the view that everyone should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on gender. Today, most women are getting treated differently compared to men. Whether it is based on pay gap, power, or strength the problem comes up. Men think they are stronger and better than women and this upsets women because it makes them feel like they don’t have a place in this world. This is where feminism comes into place. I chose this topic because I can relate to it more than the racial option, although now it could be about the same.

In today’s society, people believe women have the same rights as men, especially after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, which outlawed “discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin” and was amended in 1975 to include the word “sex”.(“Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission”). The word “sex” was added at the last moment. America does not promise an equal outcome for everybody, but America was founded on the idea that everybody should have an equal opportunity to achieve their dreams. America is the home of freedom, the home of many opportunities, and the home of equality, but we are not where we should be? Many citizens of America are unaware of the unequal

When the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was written by Harper Lee, the Southern United States was still clinging tightly to traditional values. Southern societies pressured men to behave as gentlemen, and women were expected to be polite and wear dresses. These stringent gender roles were adhered to in small southern towns because they were isolated from the more progressive attitudes in other areas of the United States. Harper Lee documents the life of one young girl growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Jean Louise Finch, also known as "Scout," is a young girl searching for her identity. Scout, a young tomboy, is pressured by adults who insist she should conform to the

The song “Sit Still, Look Pretty” by Daya is a powerful number that Jean-Louise (Scout) Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird would love; it voices her tomboyish actions through a song that seems like something she would listen to and live by. Women have come a long way in history and have gained countless rights in the process. Although Scout is told to dress as a proper lady by every other woman in Maycomb, she stayed stubborn; her stubbornness was reciprocated by other suffragettes, and that is how they acquired multiple rights. Gender roles for women have developed dramatically over the years, from 1930 to the present women now are more respected and are not held to the same standard of “ladylikeness”.

As J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote in his book The Return Of The King, “All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more.” For thousands of years within stories and real life the job of the woman has been to stay within the house, do jobs like cooking, cleaning and taking care of and raising the children. The men on the other hand hunt for food, fight in the military, and complete the impossible and aspire to do more, such as changing the earth on a molecular level and create towering structures to reach the stars and above. It has only been in the past one hundred years that women have had

“Men are taught to apologize for the weaknesses, women for their strengths.” (Lois Wyse) Gender roles are apart of life whether we like it or not, but in the 30s they were extremely prominent. Women were meant to look pretty and proper while men strong and masculine. In To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee writes from the perspective of an eight year old girl, Scout, about her life in Maycomb Alabama. She lives with her brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus. Atticus is assigned a case to represent a black man, named Tom Robinson, against a rape charge which angers a lot of people. Many of the chapters consist of the trial and in the end Tom is killed. Alongside dealing with the trial, Lee writes about

Throughout all of history and still to this day, gender bias and discrimination remains a huge issue in our world. Harper Lee chooses to address gender bias in her powerful and provoking novel called To Kill a Mockingbird. Gender bias occurs far too often, and Lee clearly holds a true understanding of the powerful impact it makes on our society as a whole. All through the novel, any reader could easy see the negative impact that gender bias can do to a community, society and even nation. Gender bias most efficiently is portrayed by how Jem and Aunt Alexandra relates to Scout, by the fact that women could not usually work jobs and last of all, the way that Mayella is portrayed and understood in court.

In conclusion to the novel to kill a mocking bird it gives a big impact in my life that first, as a youth you should know how to respect other people despite of their different race that was administer as their unique individuality. Second, equality if you accept the difference of each race you know the word equality because you don’t care what their stand in our society was. And lastly, n terms of discrimination it is very important to accept the flaws of each other because no body’s perfect so you should not discriminate other people because you don’t know what they will feel if you continue to judge them.

but taught by a mother figure. For Evelyn, Aunt Good was her ‘mother’ and Calpurnia was Scout’s ‘mother’. Both Aunt Good and Calpurnia care deeply about how their ‘child’ acts.

The Roles and Expectations of Women in To Kill a Mockingbird Women are in the workforce, even in mainly male dominated jobs and have nearly doubled from 38 percent in 1960 to 60 percent by 2000. Events that come from the course of history have helped shaped society’s view of women’s roles in society. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, gender equality is explored through the roles and expectations of women in society. As displayed in instances where Scout is accused of being a girl and is excluded from Jem and Dill’s boyish play.

The 1930s was a generation of male superiority, gender inequality, and lack of women representation. In Harper Lee’s southern gothic coming of age fiction, To Kill a Mockingbird, the character of Aunt Alexandra embodies the typical Maycomb female, succumbing to the limited roles of women in the 1930s. On the other hand, the character Miss Maudie defies the code of such Southern lady- disobeying the stringent gender roles set for her- proving to readers that even though gender roles exist, they do not have to be followed. Gender inequality was present in the 1930s to such an extent that there was a lack of women representation. Women were expected to behave, dress, and act as if they were being watched under the clear lens of a camera. One wrong

Social justice is significant in today's society. It incorporates other important issues such as human rights, social policies, social welfare problems and others alike. In Australia, we obtain an extended understanding of what justice is. People sometimes say that justice is when “bad guys” get punished, the “good guys” get compensated and that everyone gets a fair go. However, what transpires when society itself is the 'bad guy'? Throughout history, social justice issues have existed.

“Don’t you contradict me! And you--what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!” said Mrs.Dubose “Don 't pay any attention to her, just hold your head high and be a gentleman” replied Jem. Does being a gentleman mean something special? Why are men to hold a higher honor than women? People expect women and men to be a certain way. This includes but is not limited to the way they dress, act and function in society. The pattern of a masculine or feminine behavior of an individual that is dependent on a particular culture that is largely influenced by the child 's upbringing. In other words where a certain sex belongs in society or known as gender roles.

“A gender equal society would be one where the word “gender” does not exist: where everyone can be themselves,” Gloria Steinem, an advocate for gender equality, formerly said. Gender equality has been a major issue in the United States for many years, also being prominent in “To Kill a Mockingbird”. This novel takes place in Maycomb, Alabama, a town with old fashioned views set in the 1930’s. In Alabama, as well as the rest of the United States during that time, the typical woman was a stay at home mother and was stereotyped as doing household chores and taking care of her children. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” illustrates gender prejudice and reveals that the issue not only impacts adults, but can also impact children and restrict their ambitions in life. This is shown through the setting’s impact on the protagonist, Scout and the conflict she faces with her older brother, Jem.