...To Kill A Mockingbird And The Movement Towards Racial Equality Since the American colonial times, African Americans rights have been repressed over and over again. Whether it is the right to enter a white owned stores or the right to vote, they can never have the same liberties and freedom that the Caucasian man and woman have. In 1930’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, an African American man named Tom Robinson is accused of supposedly raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Tom is being defended by Atticus Finch, a white attorney and town friend of the fictional town of Maycomb. Atticus ,as well as many of the townspeople's, believes that Tom is innocent but, due...
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...Truth in Equality The idea of equality throughout all men and races plays a major role in Atticus Finch’s ideology. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is portrayed as a trusted, respected, high integrity person who will always do the right thing to keep a moral authority over others in his County, state, or even to the whole world. In the defense for Tom Robinson, Atticus summarizes his case by creating a strong sense of equality in hopes to sway the jury for a hope of Robinson’s innocence. Atticus tries to instill fairness into the bigoted courtroom, “ There is one way in this country in which all men are created equal - there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any...
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...I believe America will never achieve true racial and social equality because racism is a very big problem in our world and it always has been. It may be getting a little better as the years go by but there is still a big issue with it. It will probably always be an issue in this world that we live in. Things have definitely gotten easier for colored people than in the past, however, white people still have it way better. Colored people are contradistinguished compared to white people. Karen Kellaher wrote ¨African-Americans were freed from slavery in 1865. But they were still not treated fairly in many parts of our country. Many people would not hire blacks for jobs or sell them homes. Blacks could not use many public buildings or even ride...
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...In the Pursuit of Equality Every man should have equality in the courts; it’s not fair that so many people are against this because no two people are the same. I think Dill believes in Atticus’ closing argument because unlike other people in Maycomb, he actually understands that this isn’t fair for Tom Robinson. He may not have witnessed all of the evil things that happen in Maycomb like Jem and Scout have, but he still understands that every man should have equal rights. He even mentions his opinion to Scout during the Tom Robinson case, “I don't care one speck. It ain't right, somehow it ain't right to do 'em that way. Hasn't anybody got any business talkin' like that--it just makes me sick (Lee, 19). This is something Dill could have said...
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...Thomas jefferson once said all men are created equal within the harper Lee novel, to killing Mocking bird, the people focused to the not fair social equality in maycomb alabama with the narrator scout finch through the comparison character interactions in the novel and the influence of current events , it seems that the concept of social equality has changed since the 1930s when searching about social equality in the 1930s from the blacks and whites not being treated right ,the audience experienced just how much unequally occurs in the novel. in chapter 10, Miss lula asked calpurnia i wants to know why you bringin white chillun in a nigger church. for miss lula to come up to the kids and calpurnia , and say that scout and jem...
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...Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird Whether it is in literature or even shown in pictures, when people use things to represent something with a deeper meaning, it is called symbolism. By doing this, the reader is able to obtain a better and deeper sense of what a writer is trying to convey. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, different symbols are used that are reflective throughout the book relating to equality either directly or indirectly. Often, the symbols that she uses are tied to the ultimate theme of the book, which is being able to understand someone from his or her point of view. The most apparent reoccurring theme is equality that is symbolized through the people, the birds, and even the inanimate objects that...
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...honest and moral characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird“ by Harper Lee and his character remains, for the most part, unchanged throughout “To Kill a Mockingbird”. As any character analysis of Atticus Finch should note in terms of the plot of “To Kill a Mockingbird” he begins as an upstanding citizen who is respected and admired by his peers and even though he loses some ground during the trial, by the end of To Kill a Mockingbird he is still looked up to, both by his children and the community as whole—with all class levels included. As a lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch represents everything that someone working in the justice system should. He is fair, does not hold grudges, and looks at every situation from a multitude of angles. As Miss Maude quite correctly puts it in one of the important quotes from “To Kill a Mockingbird”by Harper Lee, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (87) and this could also be said of how he behaves in the courtroom. He is a skilled lawyer and without making outright accusations in a harsh tone he effectively points out that Bob Ewell is lying. Even more importantly, the subject of this character analysis, Atticus Finch, is able to gracefully point out to the jury that there although there probably are a few black men who are capable of crimes, “this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (208). His understanding of equality and his colorblindness allow him to...
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...In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, justice is demonstrated throughout Atticus’ actions. His strive for equality can be represented by the scales of justice. Atticus believes that everyone should be treated fairly regardless of race, socio-economic or familial background. Having such an honorable and just character, propels Atticus to defend the wronged individual, Tom Robinson. Atticus believes that Tom Robinson is innocent of the crime accused against him and he believes Robinson should not receive the death penalty. Atticus knows Tom might lose this case due to the racial attitudes and prejudices prevalent in the community. When an African-American is accused of a crime, the person is undoubtedly presumed guilty. Atticus still persists in...
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...The books, Tangerine and To Kill a Mockingbird, are very similar yet they are also very different. They have similar themes and meaning but the setting and people could not be more different. They have almost the exact same styles beside one thing. Along with the setting, characters like Paul, and Erik make Tangerine so good and characters like Scout and Jem to make To Kill a Mockingbird so good .In this essay, I will go over the differences starting with settings and conflicts and from there I will go to theme, and finally with styles. First, The settings in these books are quite different. Tangerine is located in Florida and in present time but their still isn't equality, it's just a different type. But it's totally a different story for...
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...The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird both have many similarities in how prejudice and empathy were displayed throughout the story. Both of the stories were set in the time of segregation in the Southern United States. It also shows the similarity of African-Americans as caretakers or housekeepers – Calpurnia in To Kill a Mockingbird and Aibileen is only one of the examples in The Help. The settings were also similar, a part of a town was where whites lived and part of a town was where African-Americans lived, but there was a twenty-year difference of when the books took place. Prejudice was mainly shown throughout the storied by the way whites treated the African-Americans. In The Help, there were multiple examples of prejudice: African-Americans were not allowed to us the same bathroom as whites and how African-Americans could not use the same plates as whites. The acts of prejudice often stemmed from the fact that whites believed that African-Americans contained diseases, a statement that was supported by no facts. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the main example of prejudice was when Tom Robinson was convicted of raping a white girl when...
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...writing became my life. I once threw a Halloween party as a child and invited my black friend John White as a guest. The KKK showed up on my front lawn to kill John but my father rushed outside and put a stop to the violence. That night I learned how cruel and racist people could be and I knew I wanted to make that stop. Eventually I grew up and wanted follow in my sister’s...
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...It is true that Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is more than just a simple story. Novels that challenge the reader’s way of thinking become distinct from others. Lee explores key ideas such as prejudice and courage and challenges readers to think about major moral issues experienced in society .The story at first seems like any other childish novel but Lee highlights key ideas making the novel evolve into something much greater. Lee shows the co-existence of Good and Evil and the moral nature of human beings in society. Readers re-evaluate their understanding of the world making the book much more significant. Ideas such as prejudice and courage are emphasized in To Kill a Mockingbird. Prejudice is the preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee isolates characters and depicts ways prejudice is used. She demonstrates the evils of prejudice and the result can be quite confronting to readers. Lee reinforces the idea that all men and women are created equal and have the same rights. To Kill a Mockingbird exposes the dangers of stereotyping and prejudice. In the novel the idea of equality is lost even in the house of god. Prejudice appears in many forms in the novel. An early form of prejudice in the novel is the children’s obsession with Boo Radley which appears all throughout the novel. Local Gossip portrays Boo as a malevolent phantom. The children run by the Radley house out of fear acting as if the...
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...Harper Lee created one of the most beloved characters in American literature when she created Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus always treats everyone the same no matter who they are or what they do. Atticus always has a good attitude and very rarely raises his voice or shows extremities in his emotions. Atticus also is very straightforward, honest and doesn’t beat around the bush. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows Atticus as fair, consistent, and honest to illustrate equality. Throughout the novel Atticus is portrayed as a very fair man. “I asked Atticus if Mr. Cunningham would ever pay us. ‘Not in money,’ Atticus said, ‘but before the year’s out I’ll have been paid. You watch” (Lee 23). This quote from the book shows...
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...Ethical Influence Paper September 18th, 2015 Brandon McConnell To Kill A Mockingbird If you were to ask me about a book or a hero that was an ethical influence on me, I would tell you that both come from the same book/movie. It would be Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird, it is a classic example of heroism and doing the right thing and there is many readers who would agree with that statement. I read this book at the young age of 14 in middle school when I was still developing my feel for the ethics of right and wrong so it made a lasting impact on me growing up and developing as a person. Summarize the book or hero’s life in a few paragraphs; Everyone should know the story of To Kill A Mockingbird but if you don’t, let me share it with you. It happens in a little town of Maycomb, Alabama in the heat of all the racism in the South. In this little town everyone knows each other and everyone knows what happens. The main characters are the Finch family with Atticus, Scout, and Jem in their small house in the middle of Maycomb. Scout is a young girl who grew up with a lot of boys and acts that way in the way she deals with conflict. Jem is the older brother who isn’t really isn’t in the picture a lot but is in a crucial incident of the story with Scout. Atticus is a very well known coveted lawyer; everyone in town knows him and looks up to him as a person and a professional. That was short lived when Atticus did something he knew was right but society...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird is packed with famous and helpful life quotes. On of the greater quotes is “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” said by Atticus. The quote has a deep meaning and is a good moral to live by. Atticus and Miss Maudie say that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because they don’t do anything but sing for us. They don’t tear up gardens or nest in corncribs, they just sing(119), but there’s a deeper meaning than that. Atticus and Miss Maudie don’t mean just mockingbirds, they mean real people, too. Take Atticus for example: he could be considered a mockingbird because he’s nice, helpful, never done anything wrong. Just like a mockingbird, he doesn’t do anything but help people. Maycomb was a racist town, but Atticus was one of the few wholesome people. He didn’t care if someone was white or black, rich or poor, he saw everyone the same. Those qualities were very useful for his career as a lawyer, because he wasn’t biased. He even says “ but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal. (274) He’s saying that the court makes everyone equal and a black man has an equal chance of winning against a white man. Even though he has his...
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