...How Guilt is Portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird and Macbeth In 1623 William Shakespeare wrote his play Macbeth, 337 years later Harper Lee wrote her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Although the texts were written in entirely different eras and settings, both texts are similar in the theme of guilt. Guilt is a self-critical emotion that humans feel that compromises their sense of moral integrity. Guilt allows whoever is feeling this emotion to know that they have wronged another person or themselves and gone against their sense of responsibility or moral standards. In both Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the lead villains follow parallel paths with regard to their guilt, undertaking ill advised courses of actions which result not only in the undoing of the women in their lives, but also ultimately their own demise. Early on in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth the lead character Macbeth is at war with himself over what the correct course of action is, burdened by the Weird Sisters’ stating “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii.51), which leaves Shakespeare with the choice of taking Macbeth down the path of letting life play it’s course or taking matters into his own hands. Macbeth ultimately chooses to take matters into his own hands and kills King Duncan. This allows the play to follow the action plan of Macbeth instantly becoming king of Scotland, causing him to spend the rest of the play covering up his tracks. Similarly, in Harper...
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...centuries ago to now, numerous conflicts have occurred involving race, class, and gender. People from all ages have fought and argued over the issue of equality. A person’s class, gender, or race can affect whether they are powerful or powerless. Harper Lee, the author To Kill a Mockingbird, discusses the idea of power primarily through the character Mayella Ewell. Mayella, a white woman, accuses a black man of raping her. While Mayella is white, she is not powerful because she is a low class female who must live with an abusive father. Mayella is not powerful in regards to her gender as a female because as a female she cannot control or make decisions about her life. Furthermore, she is often disrespected by males. Males most of the...
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...Lucius Greene Dr. Seymour ENG 113D 11th April 2016 Portrayals of Race In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee uses a variety of techniques to show how race pays a factor in many different ways of life during 1930s time period in a small town Maycomb, Alabama. As Harper Lee writes with vivid details of what the events are like during the 1930’s. During her book To Kill a Mockingbird, she showed exactly what it was like to live in Maycomb County Alabama when it comes to race. Atticus is the father of Jim and Scout who also is a lawyer whose office was in the Maycomb County Courthouse. Atticus had a very special role in that court house; Atticus had not had just an empty office but an office full of work. His first two clients...
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...Mayella Ewell is a controversial character in To Kill A Mockingbird when it comes to identifying if she has power or not. Power can be defined as “the ability to control one’s own life or the lives of others.” The definition of power can make this scenario able to be argued from both sides. Mayella Ewell has areas of power and areas of disempowerment but eventually, she fails to have the power she needs. In the 1930’s a powerful person could be defined as a white male, who is adequately wealthy. At this time, women were considered gentle, not respected, and not equal to men. Women were expected to, “know how to be charming” and, “well mannered,and polite” (Document IV). However, because she did not display the correct fundamentals, any possibility of Mayella having gender power was eliminated. Since she did not meet society's interpretation of what a woman with power should be presented as, Mayella was later taken advantage of by her father during the trial. In the trial Mayella’s father shows his level of domination when he suggest to Mayella to watch what she is about to say as shown in the book, “Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat up straight and waited for her to answer”...
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...In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many characters who have power, but the one who stands out is Mayella Ewell. Many will say Mayella is not a powerful character even though she is white, she is very poor and lives on the bad side of town. Mayella does not have much control over her life and does not get to make her own decisions. Mayella Ewell’s dad is a drunk and abuses her. In the little town of Maycomb, Alabama class, gender, and race all determine how much power someone has. Class refers to a person’s level of income and education and often boils down to how much money one is able to earn. Mayella and her family are very poor. They live in an old cabin, where African americans use to live. The only thing nice in Mayella’s yard was her red geraniums. Scout refers to Mayella as the “loneliest person in the world” (Lee, chap. 19). White people would...
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...lynched, no wretch is tortured, in whom I too am not degraded and murdered" (qtd in Black Skin, White Masks 61). Darren Felty in "An Overview of To Kill a Mockingbird", states: "Lee wants to make explicit the consequences of racism. She accomplishes this goal by employing Tom Robinson's trial to allude to different historical events such as the famous 'Scottsboro Boys' trials of the 1930s". According to Felty, in these trials nine black men were accused of raping two white women. Despite a lack of evidence, the men were sentenced to death by the white jury. Unlike Tom, they finally escaped death after a long time (2). Tom Robinson's trial mirrors these historical events to illustrate the racial binarity and segregation that the black people suffered throughout the colonial history. Racial binarity is prevalent in the novel. The narrow-minded people of Maycomb are in favor of segregation in their society and they consider sexual relationship as a threat to their segregation. According to Adam Smykowski in "Symbolism and Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird", For example, "the red geraniums that Mayella Ewell kept in her yard" stand for "Southern white womanhood". Also "the fence that surrounds the Ewells' property", suggests "the fear and racism of the Southern whites that tries to protect this womanhood" (54). Although it is Mayella Ewell who tries to make advances to Tom, the people of Maycomb close their eyes to the fact of Tom's innocence and accuse him of invading this fence...
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...Power is a strong word that people use to control someone's life or their own. It can be used to create strength, weakness, or sheer terror. People have used power as strength over people to make them weak. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, she shows how power can be used in different ways of controlling people. Mayella Ewell is able to show power against Tom Robinson through gender, class and race. Mayella is able to use her gender to help defend her against Tom using the power of Macomb County. The whites were in more power when the, “Southerners continued to use racism as a tool for re-election, scaring their constituents by claiming that ‘white womanhood’ was endangered by the loss of states' rights to control the blacks of the South”(Tafari 6). Southerners were using “white womanhood” as power against the blacks. Tom gave Mayella power when he says, “‘Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em—’”(Lee E). Tom Robinson said that he was sorry for her. His apology gave Mayella more power because a man should never be sorry for her. Tom being sorry gave the entire jury power against him in favor of Mayella. The power of Maycomb County favored Mayella Ewell during the trial because of...
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...Power is the control over someone or something. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is about a little girl who witness the unfairness of the court system in the 1930’s while along the way almost getting killed. Because of Mayella's class and gender, Mayella is weak or powerless, but because of her race, she is strong and powerful Down south in Alabama during the 1930’s living in around or near blacks it was considered to be wrong. In chapter 17 it says “Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin (Doc A)” this is important because it shows that they live in the poor side of town near the black people. In chapter 19 it says “Yes, suh. I felt sorry for her (doc E)” this means that the Blacks feel sorry for them because they are poor. In chapter 18 it says “won’t answer a word you say as long as you keep mocking me; she said. Ma’am said Atticus (doc C)” this means because of her class and where she lives she’s not used to hearing ma’am said to her.All of the quotes in document A, E, and C show that...
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...happen and being found guilty. This is what happened to Tom Robinson in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel, Harper Lee used real life stories as a guide to help her write her novel correctly and accurately. The novel is tied to a few stories such as, Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the issues of racism in that time period. One of the first connections to America’s history of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird is the Jim Crow laws. To begin, Jim Crow was a racist system that promoted inequality between the races. A bountiful number of people believed the laws were necessary to keep black people in their place. In addition, they used the Jim Crow...
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...How does Harper Lee present the theme of Prejudice in the novel? ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’? In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Harper Lee presents the theme of prejudice in a number of different ways. She shows that prejudice is present throughout all levels of society in Maycomb. She directs her attention to groups and individuals. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was set in the mid 1930’s and although slavery was abolished by the North in 1865 throughout America, the South still treated blacks as inferior, as the slaves they once were and the residents of Maycomb County typify this. The main theme of prejudice in this book is that of racial prejudice. The whole trial of Tom Robinson is full of prejudice against him. Before the trial even commences Reverend Sykes invites the children to sit in the coloured balcony – (Pg 181). Even the black and white public must sit separately! Extreme racial prejudice is shown to us by Harper Lee when she tells us of the colour segregation. In Maycomb there is segregation between black and white people. This is emphasised by the way blacks file in last and are seated in the balcony. Their politeness to the children is shown when four black people give up their front row seats for them. This shows white children also have authority over black adults. It is ironic that the children will have the same viewpoint as the black people attending the trial – in terms of where they see it from. At the time black people could not show their disapproval...
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...people can either hurt or harm individuals or it can bring about resilience and determination. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee revealed that humans often have other motives in life; some are born to be evil in nature, some are naturally innocent and then there are some that are born to protect the innocent. Are humans decidedly cruel or is there some moral good in each of us? In Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents a different view of the individual, specifically that within each person there is a struggle between right and wrong, but that evil will end up winning in the end. Initially, the boys listen to their consciences and act according to the moral code they were taught during their...
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...In addition to not being able to show their true selves, these individuals also find themselves in problematic situations. Mayella Ewell, from the book To Kill a Mockingbird, is indecisive with her answer to Atticus Finch’s question about Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell: “Do you love your father, Miss Mayella?” was his next. “Love him, whatcha mean?” “I mean, is he good to you, is he easy to get along with?” “He does tollable, ‘cept when--” “Except when?” Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat up straight and waited for her to answer. “Except when nothin’,” said Mayella. “I said he does tollable.” (Lee 245) Mayella Ewell is scared of what her father might do to her if she tells Atticus the truth. The...
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...It’s A Sin To Kill A Mockingbird Life isn’t fair. Everyone has heard this phrase at least one time, and most absolutely agree. Our world is far from perfect, it always has and always will. Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, is a great example of this. This is an amazing story of a small-town girl named Scout Finch back in the 1930’s. She lives with her older brother (Jem), her father (Atticus), and her black maid (Calpurnia). Atticus is a well known and respected lawyer, who is appointed to a case he takes personally. A black man named Tom Robinson is accused of rape. A white racist man named Bob Ewell claims he raped his daughter. The case has gotten the whole town’s attention, and the Finch’s who are one of the most respected families...
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...Imagine if a couple of kids had their life taken away for a crime that they didn’t commit. Well in 1931, this happened. Society is fragile and warped, so much where two girls felt they had to lie for just being on a train they weren’t supposed to be on. To be at a place that they weren’t supposed to be. Mayella, Ruby, and Victoria play a game of victims and accusers. One may be fiction, but the others are true. Its sad to see what society was like back in the 1930’s, and how much the world hasn’t evolved since then. Ruby and Victoria were two girls from a small town. They boarded a train in search of work. But back then, two white girls in the place they were at, was looked down upon. When 9 black boys boarded, a fight was occurred between...
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...Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum." Page 5 Analysis The descriptive detail paints a vivid picture of the town of Maycomb, which provides some insight on Scout's feelings about Maycomb. In addition, the narrator provides the setting for the story and sets the mood for a quiet and somewhat dull town, which sets the stage for the conflict of Tom's trial. Chapter 2 Quotation "'Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now.' I mumbled that I was sorry and retired meditating upon my crime." Page 17 Analysis Scout's first grade teacher makes her feel bad about being able to read, when she should feel proud that she can read and write at such a young age. Scout even apologizes and referred to her ability as a crime. This exchange demonstrates how many people in Maycomb are very small minded in their views. Chapter 3 Quotation "'First of all,' he said, 'If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-' 'Sir?' '-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.'" Page 30 Analysis This passage exemplifies the special bond between Atticus and his daughter, Scout. Throughout the novel, Scout learns more from her father than anyone else. Atticus...
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