To Kill A Mockingbird Today

“Even here in America, people are fighting for civil rights 45 years after the civil rights movement.” -Ruben Santiago-Hudson, actor. This quote explains what is happening today even after the Civil Rights Movement, and explains why I believe To Kill A Mockingbird would still be influential today.I believe the novel To Kill A Mockingbird would be influential to our society if published today for the first time, because the overall theme of the book applies to many of the problems we as a people face today. The overall theme of the book was equal opportunity for everyone. It was set during a time when the color of your skin affected your life because it could limit your education, job, and who you could marry. The shocker and climax of the
book is when a white lawyer has to defend a black man for rape. Everyone in the town knew the black man was a dead man, but the court still wanted to give him a fair chance. In the end, the white lawyer lost but he kept the jury out for 3 hours which a baby step, but a baby step in the right direction.

To Kill A Mockingbird was published in 1960 and the movie was released in 1962.
It was released and published during the Civil Rights Movement in America. The Civil Rights Movement was fought by African Americans wanting to end the segregation between them and white people. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird challenged the way people thought and made them question “Could our way of life be wrong?” Eventually the Civil Rights Movement ended with the African Americans decreasing the segregation, but still today there is segregation or hate between or on different groups of
people.

Today, the color of your skin still affects your life. People might judge you, make cruel jokes or underestimate you because of your skin color. Even though, now there are more ways discriminated. People can be judged by their skin color, but also by their religion, their style, their government view, and by their sexuality now. we are more divided now than ever. This is why the novel would still have an impact on the public today, because it would make them question their doings and change their views. The novel can be used to change all discriminations, not just skin color ones.

Last year in Ferguson Missouri, a 18 year old man was shot, but was so controversial about this shooting was the color of his skin. Michael Brown, the man who was shot, was black. While his shooter, a policeman by the name of Officer Wilson was white. This is what placed this story in the news. Days after, there was riots and petitions against this injustice. Michael Brown was caught on footage stealing cigarillos, but there was no need to shoot him. Brown ran away and did not harm Officer Wilson, but Wilson still decided to pull out his gun. White men shooting black men is all over the news, but a white man shooting a white man does not get as big news feed. This is because there is still segregation between the races and a mindset in some people of white superiority. The novel would alter this mindset and decrease the segregation, or at least challenge it.

Another example is gay marriage. On June 26, 2015 gay marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court in all 50 states. All across the country was celebration for this new step forward for LGBTQ+ equality. Still, some states refuse this ruling and discriminate the LGBTQ+ community. People could be fired for being openly gay or were asked to leave the military. Several religions say gays should not be loved or will be sent to Hell. Children are thrown out onto the streets for being gay. Some people don’t realize, we can’t choose who we love just as we can’t choose our parents. To Kill A Mockingbird could change this mindset by making the public see the wrong in their behavior so much that some might actually change it. It could be used to show even in the most discriminatory of times, people can make a change. Even if it just by legalizing gay marriage or making the jury think for 3 hours.

My final example is Donald Trump. He is a Republican candidate for the 2016 presidental election, but what strikes most people is his wealth and views against people and politics. People view him as a narcissist and a racist. He gains more followers and supporters the more racist he gets. He has posted fake statistics and lies about President Obama and the 9/11 attacks. He is like the white men from the 1930’s, he’s telling his followers and others to hate and not support this group of people. For the white men of the 1930’s, they were telling people not to befriend Black men or black people in general. Donald Trump is saying don’t befriend or and to hate Muslims. If the book was published now, more people would see how wrong what he saying it by viewing the racism from a third person point of view. Overall, To Kill A Mockingbird would still be as influential if it was published today.
History just repeats itself, so the same problems America had in the 1960’s are still going on today. The problems of not fitting in or isolating a group because of their differences is still going on today. There is still racism, but also discrimination against religions, especially Muslim right not, but also gender and sexuality with the LGBTQ+ community coming more into the news.Even though, today because of the rich and diverse cultures and differences in our world we should be more accepting of others’ uniqueness. To Kill A Mockingbird would open people’s mind and allow them to break down the walls between differences. As it says on the cover of the book, “ The Timeless Classic of Growing Up and the Human Dignity That Unites Us All.” We are all different, but we as a people have one big similarity. We are all
human.