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To Kill A Mockingbird Injustice Essay

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Our minds are the single most powerful tool in the body. Thought enables us to function, to decide, and to reason. Equally so, an idea is a powerful thing. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee presents us with a story of a town who let its preconceived ideas get in the way of logic, sense, and proof. The prevailing idea that causes so much turmoil in Maycomb is that people who are different are wrong, and should be stopped. This notion permeates the actions of the town, causing them to disregard all rational thought, hold illogical personal opinions as fact, and act unfairly towards others. The theme of injustice appears numerous times in the book through the assumptions made against Boo, Scout’s experience at school, and the unfair conviction of Tom Robinson.

Racism in Maycomb is an example of an injustice that manifests itself in the example of Tom Robinson’s court case. Racism founds itself on the thought that black people are inferior to white people. It causes people to disregard every ounce of common sense and judge based on preconceived notions that the place a person is from dictates who they are. This is exactly what happens in the courts of Maycomb; the jury decides that Tom is guilty despite a large amount of evidence to the contrary. Tom says in court that he was scared that he would “hafta face up to what I didn't do” (198). …show more content…

Whether by the way they act, the things they know, or the way they look; Boo, Scout, and Tom are not the same as the others in Maycomb. All three are wrongly treated because of pre-formed ideas about who they are or how they should be. To Kill a Mockingbird shows us, in many examples, how the ideas someone holds must be examined for truth. It illustrates the point that we hold our opinions as fact, and let them cloud our judgment, so that we act on feelings and ignore reason and evidence. It is because of such unfounded beliefs that truth becomes scarce and injustice

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