To Kill A Mockingbird Caste System
A last name. Race. That is all it takes to tell a great deal about a person. A person’s last name and race can be the difference between living in poverty or wealth. Whether a person can get the job or not. Many people claim that America is the land of opportunity, but I believe that those opportunities are for people who are born into it. To Kill a Mockingbird brilliantly illustrates how the caste system affects society and is still prominent today. Americans claim that the caste system is gone, but it is still here. The caste system in Maycomb is similar to those in America. Everyone knows everyone else by what their last name is. That last name limits a person to specific standard or raises the bar for them. The Ewells and Cunninghams are
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As said by Michelle Alexander, many minorities are labeled as criminals and have no chance of proving himself innocent because “their people” are inclined to do those crimes. Black people are known for violent robbery. Hispanics are known for drug dealing. Muslims are labeled as terrorists. These people are not even given a chance to prove that they are mislabeled because by the time they can, they have already been taken in for “suspicious” behavior. Many black people are being fatally wounded due to skeptical behavior. Random search is just another word for racial profiling. Reports state that ever since the attacks on the twin towers, airport security has been stricter on those who look Muslim and are of Middle Eastern descent. But why is being a person of color cause people to feel threatened? It is because people of color are labeled as criminals and will never be able to step out of that stereotype because of the caste system.
After reading these articles, I am realizing that the caste system is also practiced at school. Teachers can tell how a student will act if they had previous family members in their class. Being the sixth Lalo to attend Roxbury comes with expectations that I am “supposed” to fulfill. When they see my last name teachers usually tell me, “Oh you’re a Lalo? You must be related to (relative’s name)! They were such a great student.” I feel pressured to meet the expectation my last name has and this is just a small scale
As said by Michelle Alexander, many minorities are labeled as criminals and have no chance of proving himself innocent because “their people” are inclined to do those crimes. Black people are known for violent robbery. Hispanics are known for drug dealing. Muslims are labeled as terrorists. These people are not even given a chance to prove that they are mislabeled because by the time they can, they have already been taken in for “suspicious” behavior. Many black people are being fatally wounded due to skeptical behavior. Random search is just another word for racial profiling. Reports state that ever since the attacks on the twin towers, airport security has been stricter on those who look Muslim and are of Middle Eastern descent. But why is being a person of color cause people to feel threatened? It is because people of color are labeled as criminals and will never be able to step out of that stereotype because of the caste system.
After reading these articles, I am realizing that the caste system is also practiced at school. Teachers can tell how a student will act if they had previous family members in their class. Being the sixth Lalo to attend Roxbury comes with expectations that I am “supposed” to fulfill. When they see my last name teachers usually tell me, “Oh you’re a Lalo? You must be related to (relative’s name)! They were such a great student.” I feel pressured to meet the expectation my last name has and this is just a small scale