Harper Lee, the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," left behind a massive legacy. Her book sold more than 40 million copies since it was published in 1960, and Americans rank it among the most influential books they've read. But after more than 50 years and millions of classrooms lessons, some of its central lessons still, at least at times, go unheard. the same racial prejudices that led to Robinson's conviction are thriving, if in more subtle ways, in courtrooms today. It is not unknown that black defendants are more likely to be convicted of crimes than white defendants, and that people found guilty of murdering white victims are significantly more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murder blacks. Defendants with more stereotypically…
Justice vs. Injustice is a very prevalent theme in the text To Kill a Mockingbird, the song “You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave” and the article The Nation: The Central Park Jogger; An Old Case in a Different New York. In To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM), Atticus Finch is called on to defend a black man accused of rape. Before the case is turned over to the jury, Atticus presents the jury with his final argument. He believes that the case requires “no minute sifting of complicated facts,” and should be easily decided. Atticus asks the jury not to get caught by the Prosecutor's case, as they gave very few adequate points and are relying on the assumption that “all negroes lie, that all negroes are basically immoral beings.” Sadly, Tom Robinson…
In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, characters resist the status quo many of their family and friends believe in to take a stand against racial injustice. For example, Atticus takes the case to defend Tom against his family’s wishes, because if he didn't, “.... [he] couldn't hold [his] head up in town, [he] couldn't represent this county in the legislature..” (100). Scout was asking Atticus why he would defend Negroes if he wasn't supposed to, and Atticus told Scout he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't accept the case.…
In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of Scout and her father…
Prejudice is a preconceived opinion established without any thought, reason or knowledge. It is an act of discrimination towards those considered subordinate compared to others. Prejudice is a habit that one develops with experience and the effects of a negative surrounding environment. During the 1930s, prejudice was a more critical issue, as demonstrated in Harper Lee’s award winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Throughout the novel, there are various situations of discrimination. However, few characters in the novel portray egalitarianism, which is a belief that favors everyone equally. One remarkable character that portrays egalitarianism is Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. The seven year old portrays egalitarianism through her actions and…
Out of many reoccurring themes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, injustice proves itself the most extensive. In the small southern town of Maycomb, populated by both blacks and whites, several situations involve great injustice. One will see injustice practiced by a person making quick assumptions or judgments, as well as one possessing a prejudiced or predetermined bias. Whether a minor situation or one in a courtroom, injustice is always wrong. The common theme of injustice displays itself through a number of vastly different scenarios, such as Aunt Alexandra’s quick judgments about Walter Cunningham, the Finch’s unique experience at Calpurnia’s church, and the people of Maycomb’s biased verdict of Tom Robinson.…
Social inequity is an arising issue has been affecting billions of people around the world for centuries, and it needs more attention! Even innocent teenagers have been exposed to these types of prejudices. Of course, the effects of it are not good. Different kinds of literature are useful tools for shining a light on social injustice, and writers are taking advantage of this fact and writing many novels about social inequities. Authors have been writing articles and stories about racial, social, financial and gender inequities which reflect to today’s society to try and galvanize readers into action.…
In America racial injustices have been present for many years. Slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and many other cases are examples of racial prejudices. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee effectively shows the American mindset in the 1930’s while Black or White effectively shows the American mindset of today. Even though America has progressed racially, America is still working towards equality.…
“Racism and injustice and violence sweep our world, bringing a tragic harvest of heartache and death,” Billy Graham once said. In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus is a father and a lawyer, who lives with his children, Jem and Scout, and their cook, Calpurnia, in a town of Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a town populated with black and white people, where racism is apparent. White people feel they are superior than the black people and treat them poorly. Racism is evident when Tom Robinson lost the trial to Bob Ewell, because he was black, even though he is innocent. People were also being judged on appearance, or being treated improperly, like how people see the kind of person Boo Radley is in the beginning of the story. Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” is about injustice.…
To Kill A Mockingbird illustrates through prejudiced acts of avoidance and discrimination and Atticus’s attempts to teach his children to be unbiased, prejudice can be improved with positive parental guidance.…
Social inequality was a major factor of society during The Great Depression. People frowned upon other races.Some welcomed them to their community but many others did not. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, There's a huge difference between two races. The novel explores human morality and shows many indications of it throughout the book.…
Could a perfect society exist in where everyone is treated like equals? Social Justice is a cause that aims to create equality for everyone in the world. However, this aim is prohibited by repressive groups that view only themselves as worthy of ideal lives. These groups try to put down the vulnerable minorities and keep the imbalances in their society. Therefore, their actions create Social Injustice. These Social Injustices affects everyone in the society, whether they realize it or not. In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the science fiction book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and the dystopian novel Unwind by Neal Shusterman, characters face various Social Injustices caused by unequal power. In these books, Social Injustice is created by an oppressive society viewing a more vulnerable group as inferior to them.…
“Injustice everywhere, is a threat to justice anywhere.” –Martin Luther King. When reading this quote what comes to your mind? It tells an obvious point which many people fail to recognize. When injustice is done to one person, another has to consider what would it take for him, or her to have the same injustice happen to them. People may say that injustice towards someone is a shame, but they don’t generally ponder on the possibility that it could happen to them at any given time. We see racial injustice happening frequently in courts. A man might get convicted of something he is not guilty for just because of his race, which is very unjust and inhumane. We see many ways of injustice in our world, like economic injustice, but one of the main examples of injustice is political and racial, especially in court rulings.…
1930’s Maycomb, Alabama, the setting for the Harper Lee novel To Kill A Mockingbird. A novel which highlights the issue of social inequality, and the asinine binds of racial division in the 1930s South. Tom Robinson, an African American gentleman, was falsely accused of the rape of Mayella Ewell, an impoverished young white woman, and had to battle for his life at court in a racist, and prejudice society. But social inequality is not limited to only race. All people of all different backgrounds, ages, and financial statuses may experience forms of social inequality.…
Harper Lee once said, “ You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” Lee is alluding to the notion of winning, for this belief is a popular theme within literature. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a community’s morals and beliefs regarding race, gender, and compassion determine that justice is a privilege for a few rather than a right for all. Throughout the small-town life, many characters see the evil in human nature, while others cause the evil with being racist. The kids’ innocence gets demolished, yet they learn valuable lessons about being prejudice.…