Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Everyone has a different perspective of the world. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, uses a unique perspective to understand more about discrimination. Scout and Jem are two siblings raised to be tolerant towards all people. Their father Atticus taught them to seek all the goodness in people. However, that all changed when the siblings, especially Jem, found inequality that plagued the whole community. Decades of intolerance caused the skewed perceptions of people, based simply on their skin color. While Scout was logical regarding the reality of the verdict, Jem had a coming-of-age moment when he realized the injustice of society. Using literary elements such as point of view, epigraph, and symbolism, Harper Lee connects the theme of societal inequality versus the goodness of men through a child’s eyes.

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Every American has the same constitutional right. The American dream is the justice that we strive for in America. Atticus debates the quote, saying that some people are smarter or born into more opportunities. In the context of his defendant, an African-American, equal rights is forgotten and instead overcome with the bias towards black people. However, in a courtroom, no matter the background, intelligence, wealth, or skin color, all men are equal in the face of liberty.

In the trial, Tom Robinson is used as a symbol for the mockingbird. The mockingbird is previously explained as innocent. Atticus was saying that you can kill the blue jays because they cause a ruckus. However, you cannot harm the mockingbirds because all they do is sing their songs; they don’t harm anybody. The innocent mockingbird, Tom Robinson was killed by the hysteria caused by decades of racial divide and tension in the United

Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

normalization; however, that has not always been the case. When reading, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is easy to decipher just how much society in the 1930s differs from that of today’s, which is why it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature. Through Harper Lee’s work of literature, it is apparent that she conveys the theme that injustices are experienced by those thought to be different and that there is a potent inequality present amongst the characters in the novel. Furthermore, Harper Lee…

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Theme Of Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Inequality in Maycomb In the 1930’s, people were judged mainly on their appearance. In the south, that caused people to be treated very unfairly. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows inequality in the way that Tom Robinson, an African-American man, gets accused of raping Mayella Ewell, so Atticus Finch has to defend Tom in court. Atticus realizes it will be nearly impossible to win this trial solely on the fact that Tom is an African American. This really shows how inequality splits up the…

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Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Harper Lee deeply addresses the controversial topic of inequality in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. A few of these include gender and racial inequalities. To begin, Atticus addresses female inequality in front of Scout during the court scene. As Tom is being convicted in jury, Jem questions Atticus on why he never sees anybody from Maycomb on a jury. In particular, he believes that Miss Maudie should participate in the jury. With Atticus pleased to hear what Jem said, he replies “For one thing, Miss Maudie…

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To Kill A Mockingbird Inequality Analysis

Inequality “No two leaves are alike, and yet there is no antagonism between them, or between the branches on which they grow.” This quote is by M. K. Gandhi. Gandhi was an anti-war activist, who wanted equality for everyone. People segregate people everyday, but yet so many other things are alike and live peacefully. In To Kill a Mockingbird inequality of the world is observed in the lives of Tom Robinson, Dolphus Raymond, and Boo Radley. Dolphus Raymond was subjected to inequality by the people…

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To Kill A Mockingbird Social Inequality

One of the main forms of social inequality in To Kill a Mockingbird is racism. In this novel, the Negroes are disrespected and treated unfairly, simply because of their dark skin. The blacks don’t have “white privilege” which refers to unearned advantages that benefit Whites (Ford 7). In this novel, the trial of Tom Robinson is a great example of social inequality. Tom Robinson is a black man accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Only having one arm, Tom is not physically able to have…

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Racial Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Racial inequality has been a dilemma for years in the United States. Long after slavery was abolished, racism and discrimination was still extremely prominent within the States, especially during the early 1900s. World War I had left its mark in the form of a profound isolationist sentiment. The Depression paralyzed the economy, leaving 25 percent of the workforce unemployed. The Jim Crow Laws, strictly segregating Blacks from Whites, were still in effect in the South and racial tension was high…

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Human Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Human inequality has been a controversial subject that has existed since dinosaurs roamed Earth. Throughout time there has always been some sort of topic on human inequality or division in society due to diversity. People commonly lack empathy or knowledge of a life or situation they cannot or have never needed to understand. Sadly, a person's race or religion has played a big part in human inequality and the way they are treated in society. In To Kill A Mockingbird the color of a person’s skin and…

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Gender Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee brings the issue of racism, classism, and sexism in the 1930’s to life in To Kill a Mockingbird through the narrator, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch with her brother, Jem Finch. Scout and Jem are going through their childhood with many different expe-riences, such as the situation when they go to Cal’s church (for black people). Another time, Scout was told by her brother that she was acting too ‘girly’ day by day. As most of the places, Maycomb has three classes: upper class, middle class…

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What Is The Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

The Inequality of Genders Topics on gender have always been a touchy subject for some people. Some people don’t face the fact that the world is full of imperfections and judgment. People of one gender have expectations to live up to and so does the other gender which both of those expectations are different. People struggle to live up to those expectations all the time and are shamed by some because of it. Gender stereotypes have always hit children to realize humanity and their expectations they…

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Examples Of Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows inequality in a place as formal as a courthouse. During Tom Robinson’s trial, Reverend Sykes tells Jem “I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…” (page 279). In this scene it’s obvious that Tom is innocent, but because of the past it is unlikely for a black person to be in favor over a white person no matter the circumstances. The way people went about life back then seemed as if they expected whites to always…

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