Preview

Examples Of Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
670 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Examples Of Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird
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 …show more content…
According to the song, it had all been decided before hand. The District Attorney (D.A.) was “[practicing] all his lines in the mirror.” He knew what the outcome was going to be, and so did everybody else. They must’ve all “read the morning paper, The headline [read] “the man hangs” but the jury doesn’t.” The D.A. doesn’t have to say anything to convince the jury over- a hung jury is an undecided jury-they agree with what the newspaper says. The man is already hung. Just like in TKAM, Tom Robinson had no chance to win. But even if some of the jury isn’t convinced-Mr. Cunningham-the Prosecutor can just “pay to close it like a casket.” Even the witness is payed off he is, “Too well dressed for the witness stand” AKA he just got new clothes. Hmm, maybe a new paycheck?? The defendant has no chance, he either “[Hangs] on a rope, or bated breath.” The death penalty will be served, or the suspense will end him. Game over. To add to the injustice of this case “The press prays for whichever headline is worse.” The accused has nothing going for him. The jury, either they get payed to vote against him, or they agree with the Prosecutor. The witness already got payed off to say the ‘right’ thing; and the press just doesn’t care-unless it will help them sell papers. That dude couldn’t catch a break. The 5 minorities arrested had DNA proof-DNA that is I believe 100% accurate, they were innocent and no amount of arguing could prove it another way-yet they still were convicted. Tom Robinson had the 1930’s version of DNA proof, yet he stood no chance at being

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the story, To Kill A Mockingbird, there is a town called Maycomb, that experiences racial prejudice, I know this because of what some of the characters say or experience.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of Scout and her father…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” (Rosa Parks) This quote is a very accurate representation of what life for people is like today. Yes, you heard that right. Today's society is not truly equal like it is portrayed to be. There are several authors that have written about what their life has been like, such as, How to Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian are all good examples of stories that portray how the world today is different, but still similar in many ways.…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine living in a rural town in Alabama back in the early nineteen hundreds; racism runs wild and social injustices occur frequently, unregulated by law enforcement. This is just what The Finch family in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, has to deal with. This is an appealing story about the Finch family and the problems that they face, especially regarding an instance of racial oppression involving a black man and a white lawyer, Atticus Finch. Besides Atticus Finch, other characters in the town of Maycomb such as Boo Radley, and Scout Finch are all known for their courageous and sometimes defying actions throughout the book.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom Robinson was a man who received no justice because of the color of his skin. Justice in and out of the courtroom is a playing theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. We learn that justice is not given to everyone because of the majority belief of prejudice in society. People are discriminated because of the color of their skin, their age, or the things they believe in. Tom, and Scout are all prime examples of this theme.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Harper Lee). Harper Lee wrote the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a top selling novel that brought the nation and the world to a realization. This novel hit the stores in 1960, selling millions of copies and becoming an award winning film. She lives in a small town down in the southern part of the United States, where racism is at its highest. Harper Lee is a ninety-four year old woman whose goal in writing the novel was to bring awareness about discrimination. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee does an incredible job of portraying the necessity of morality, the importance of family, and the overwhelming power of justice.…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    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.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “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.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a story from a girl's perspective of the Great Depression era. Bob Ewell was the main antagonist of this novel. He was a light-colored man and most light skinned people during this era were unfair to dark-colored people. Bob was a particular light-colored person that accused a dark-colored man, Tom Robinson, of raping his daughter: Mayella Ewell. Bob Ewell harassed the Finches, which was the family that defended Tom Robinson, as well as dark-colored people because he was a racist. Bob also abused his own eight children. At the end of the story, Bob Ewell was killed by a mysterious person and this could be seen of a "poetic justice."…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many ethical and moral dilemmas are portrayed through out To Kill a Mockingbird. The most obvious being the racial tension surrounding not only the court case but most of America at the time. Atticus (the main character's father) doesn't see the world in black-and-white (pun not intended) as the many other members of the community. Atticus believes that people should be judged by their actions without bias (bias being race). A more intricate dilemma felt by the main characters (mostly Atticus) is that he is going against the community by defending a black man.…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The jury must reach a verdict after considering all of the evidence presented. The jury helps to contribute to a impartial and fair trial. The jury system in To Kill A Mockingbird had a large impact on Tom Robinson’s case. This case was an example of a bias and unequal justice system, fuelled by the racial views of the town. For Tom Robinson’s trial the jury consisted of 12 white men, which was typical for juries of 1930’s in America. Robinson’s trial was not stand-alone case, here have been many parallel insidents in American history. For example “Scottsboro Boys’, nine young black men falsely accused of raping two white women on board a train near Scottsboro, Alabama. This case succeeded in highlighting the racism of the American legal system. Within two weeks of the women’s accusations the Scottsboro Boys were convicted and eight sentenced to death and the youngest, Leroy Wright, at the age of 13, to life imprisonment. This case illustrates through fact, what the author tried to covey in To Kill A…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays