Preview

Racism In Maycomb.

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
439 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Racism In Maycomb.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" takes place in the 1930's, in a small Alabama town called Maycomb. The story is narrated by a young girl named Jean Louise Finch (known as Scout). Scout lives with her father and her brother Jeremy Finch (known as Jem). Scout is having to grow up with the same racism that effects her father's, Atticus Finch, lawsuit. The reason for the despicable attitude towards the Finchs' is that Atticus defended Tom Robinson, a black person. Tom was charged with raping a poor white girl whose family Atticus thinks is less than trustworthy. The town's racism portrayed in the trial changes the Finch family.

Scout was raised by her father, and her maid, an African American woman named Calpurnia. Scout was taught by her father to respect all people, including black people. While attending school Scout and Jem have to endure name calling from their peers. For example, Cecil Jacobs says that Scout's father "defends niggers." Scout is angered by the comment but takes no action against Cecil, but asks Atticus if he does in fact defend black people. Atticus assures her that he does, and that it is the right thing to do. Atticus' fight for justice causes more problems for Scout. She always defends Atticus but the racist comments do not stop. Scout defends her father when her cousin Francais refers to Atticus with the statement "He's nothin' but a nigger-lover." After Scout beats up Francais, Atticus is disappointed at Scout's retaliation.

At Tom Robinson's trial Scout steps outside of the court room and talks with Dolophus Raymond, a white man. Dolophus is thought of as a sinful man because he has mixed race children and lives in the neighboring black community. Dolophus pretends to be drunk, so the townspeople didn't think that he purposely lived a shameful life by his close relationship with black people. He tells Scout why he lives the way he does, because he feels that she is innocent enough to understand his reasoning.

Racism changed the lives of the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    They happen to be that many people are racists to African Americans; she finally learns what the phrase "to kill a mockingbird" means, and the reason why Boo Radley stays in his house. Scout notices some racism in her county when Jem and Scout go to visit their maid's, Calpurnia, church. Right when they walked in, a lady started saying" You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here- they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal? (119)." The lady's name was Lula and was mad at Calpurnia for bringing white children to an African- American church. In addition, Scout also finds out what Atticus meant when he said that she shouldn't kill mockingbirds for it would be similar to murdering something or someone who's innocent. Towards the end, Scout says to Atticus, "Well it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it? (276)" telling Atticus that if the truth was told, then an innocent man would be condemned. Noticing all these thoughts and events, Scout must also face the idea she is to become a…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Atticus Finch Trial

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The book to kill a mocking bird is set in the great depression, and is narrated by a girl named jean Louise (Scout) Finch. Her father, Atticus finch is a lawyer who is told to defend a black man, and her brother who is always with no matter what. The book follows this girl for 3 years and documents all the important things that happened in her life. The story is set in a town called Macomb which is in Alabama in this town Atticus finch is told to defend a black man accused of raping a white lady hopelessly trying to prove that this man is innocent. Scout who is the main character in the story tells her story of 3 years. Throughout this three year period scout finds a man who has been in his house for a long period of time named Boo radley who eventually saves…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a parallel story about two young children who grow up in a racist southern town and learn that life is not all fun and games. In the beginning of the book the main characters Scout and Jem spend their days playing together and exploring their hometown of Maycomb, Alabama. They are especially intrigued with their mysterious neighbors, the Radley's. Later on in the novel, Scout and Jem’s father Atticus is appointed to defend a black man and the children realize how unfair and prejudice the townspeople of Maycomb really are. The trial of Tom Robinson and the mysterious Radley house come together in an action packed ending.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    At school, Scout almost starts a fight with a classmate named Cecil Jacobs after Cecil says that “Scout Finch’s daddy defends niggers.” Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. He knows he cannot expect to win, but he tells Scout that he must argue it to hold on to his sense of justice and self-respect.…

    • 3517 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Relevant Today

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To kill a Mockingbird was written and published by Harper Lee in nineteen-sixty, but was set in the nineteen-thirties during the Great Depression and a time of much racial tension. The story is about a nine year old girl named Scout, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus,who is a lawyer. Atticus is given a very controversial case where he has to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a small town, called Macomb, in the deep south of Alabama. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters and one of the best loved characters in American literature is the loving father of Jim and scout. Atticus was assigned to defend a black man in trial where the cards were stacked against him because of his race. Most of the town wanted Tom Robinson, the defendant, in the electric chair. Since his life was in danger from the town, Atticus went down to the county jail to protect and watch after Tom. When Atticus told Jim and Scout he was leaving and would not be home until after they had gone to…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over the course of three years, a seemingly quiet town faced the unexpected. A fruitless trial was held, innocence was lost, blood was shed, and an unlikely friend emerged. Written by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the city of Maycomb during the 1930s. The book tells the story through the childish views of Jean Louse Finch (Scout), as she and her brother Jem face instances of human evil. Alongside the two is their father Atticus, who gradually teaches the two to fight against their own well-being and do what they feel is right. In the story, Lee demonstrates Scout’s personality growth through her newfound morals, ability to look past misconceptions morals, and rejection of gender stereotypes.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch is a lawyer and has two kids, Scout and Jem, who he raises alone because his wife died. Scout is a young girl that acts like a tomboy. Her brother Jem is the oldest and is a boy, who is in love with football. Tom Robinson a person of color was accused of raping a white woman, Mayella. Even though the evidence leads to Mayella's father, Bob Ewell. Bob was forcing Mayella to say things to convict Tom. Most people in the courtroom knew Tom was innocent. Towards the end of the book when Scout and Jem get attacked by Bob Ewell who Atticus accused of raping Mayella. During this attack the Finches neighbor, Arthur Radley, who they have never seen comes out and saves Jem and Scout.…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch's Life

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee has a naive view of life in the South of America in the 1930’s. The book is written through the eyes of Jem and Scout Finch. Scout is a young girl that is growing up around her father’s case. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who is fighting the charge of raping a white lady. The lives of the characters are changed from the effects of racism in the book To Kill a Mockingbird.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”(39) In this quote Atticus is trying to give Scout, the main character in To Kill a Mockingbird, that some advice about having a general code of moral ethics. This novel is the recollection of events that happened when the author was a young girl. It tells the story of how she grew up in a town called Maycomb with her older brother Jem and her father Atticus. It’s main event is the trial of Tom Robinson, in which he is falsely accused of “carnal knowledge of a woman without consent,” as Atticus’ definition of rape states. In, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces the theme of racism through the characters of Bob Ewell, Scout’s Aunt Alexandra, and Calpurnia. She shows how the theme of racism can shape someones views on things majorly through the trial of Tom Robinson.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, is an honest white man who is defending an innocent Negro man, although he is frowned upon by others. The white folks of Maycomb County think that they have a higher social status than the black community, and that the views of a Negro does not matter. The most blatant example of racism in the novel is when Tom Robinson was convicted of raping Mayella Ewell. Although the people of the town know that Tom Robinson was innocent, the jury still saw him as guilty because he is an African American man, and would never be able to win over a white man. This jury ruling causes both those who encouraged Robinson’s conviction and those who were convinced of his innocence to question their views of justice and fairness. This decision forces Scout and Jem to confront the fact that the beliefs that Atticus has taught them cannot always be accustomed with the reality of the world and the evils of human nature. Even their neighbor, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, who the children are scared of, is racist and calls Atticus a "nigger-lover" to his children. The children despise of her and “hated her. If she was on the porch when [they] passed, [they] would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy prediction on what [they] would amount to when [they] grew up, which was always nothing”…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Scout learns that certain people in town are feared, distrusted or hated because of their skin color, personal decisions, or rank on the social hierarchy, also known as class warfare. Colored people don’t receive as much respect as white people because they are lower in the social hierarchy than the white people who are on the top. By stepping into the shoes of Boo Radley, Walter Cunningham, and Dolphus Raymond, Scout learns a lot about class warfare. Tom Robinson is a black man who is falsely accused of beating and raping Mayella Ewell. The jury finds him guilty, and Scout knows that it was wrong. Her father, Atticus, was Tom’s lawyer, so she was able to experience each step of the trial. Arthur “Boo” Radley was feared by all of Maycomb because he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors when he was younger. Scout constantly wonders what it would feel like to be trapped in your house for so many years and be all alone to understand why Boo does not have great social skills and is quite shy. He left many things for the children in the hole of a tree, but expected nothing in return. Scout and Jem both recognized that he was not a bad man, and just needed some friends. Dolphus Raymond was the town dunk. Actually, he wasn’t. He drank Coca-Cola out of a paper bag to make everyone think that he was drunk. Dill and Scout got the opportunity to talk to him during the trail, when they decided to take a…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Taking place in the small, peaceful town of Maycomb, Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a time when racial tension is high. After Scout's father Atticus takes the job of defending a black man in court, Scout is teased by the other children in school. When she asks her father about the names he is called, Atticus tries his best to explain the situation. Scout has faith her father will win the case, even when he admits it would be unlikely. But when Atticus loses, Scout becomes discouraged and starts to question the ways her world works, and eventually experiences the terrors of racism.…

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages

    <br> One of the most important role models in Scout's life, is her father, Atticus. Atticus is a small town lawyer who deals with a very tough case involving a black man and his rights. Although Atticus is a single father, he manages to teach his children right from wrong. He makes it a common practice to live his life as he would like his children to live theirs, and therefore displays the characteristics of an honest, respectable, and kind man. Atticus demonstrates his feelings for example, by showing the highest respect for everyone in Maycomb, regardless of their color or class. His serious defense for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, proves his high ideals. Throughout the trial process, Atticus shows Jem and Scout that a true person is standing up for what you believe in, and all human beings, despite their race, deserve respect. Atticus not only shows his non prejudice ways through defending Tom Robinson, but also through his everyday dealings with Calpurnia, the cook. He refuses to fire…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout defines the image of a curious and outgoing child. Scout is young and does not yet understand the quirks and roles of societal members, which makes her the ideal candidate to use when discussing the morality of discrimination. Discrimination and social injustice are both constant themes throughout the story, such as in the Tom Robinson case. Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of rape and found guilty even though there is suitable evidence that proves his innocence. The sheer fact that Tom Robinson is black puts him under a lot of scrutiny. Scout and Jem are in shock after witnessing the results of the hearing and do not understand why Tom Robinson was found guilty. Dolphus Raymond, a local “drunk”, tries to explain to Jem and Scout the social injustices blacks face in Chapter 20 when he witnessed Jem crying about the hearing, “[...] Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too”. In this quote Dolphus expresses his mutual distaste of discrimination of black people with Scout and Jem. Scout’s morals are shown because she continues to agree with Dolphus’ thoughts. Scout may be young, but she is beginning to understand the atrocities of the society she lives in. Earlier in the story Scout also experiences discrimination herself from her Aunt Alexandra. Scout is not particularly “lady-like” and her Aunt does not approve of her “boyish” style so she forces…

    • 1598 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays