Unequal Rights in To Kill a Mockingbird
Unequal Rights in To Kill a Mockingbird
Unequal rights have been in the world for as long as history has existed. Jem and Scout are two main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that have learned (the hard way) that unequal rights are ever so present. Their father, Atticus, clearly sees this and tries to teach them to keep their heads up no matter what the situation is. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird the young characters learn that not everything in the world is fair and they also learn to have compassion for others that don’t have the same rights as them.
An example that is very clear in the novel is when Atticus Finch is at the courtroom defending a Negro, Tom Robinson, that is accused of raping a white girl. After asking Tom Robinson some questions Atticus finally tells the court, “You know the truth... the truth is this: some negroes lie, some negroes are immoral, some negro men are not to be trusted around women – black or white… but this is (the) truth… there is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, who has never looked upon a women with desire” (204). By saying this Atticus has told the people that no matter what skin color you are you still lie, you still commit immoral acts. It’s something that everyone did. Atticus has also shown that the courtroom should have compassion for Tom Robinson that they should try to reach out and help him no matter what color he is.
Scout shows that she understands this concept more when she tells Mr. Raymond, “Atticus says cheatin’ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man” (201). Saying this shows that Scout has started to comprehend that colored folks don’t always have the same rights as white folks. She also starts to understand that when things don’t come out fair you have to be there to show compassion for the family and for other people’s families.
As the days go by and the trial approaches people in the town start to look at
Unequal rights have been in the world for as long as history has existed. Jem and Scout are two main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that have learned (the hard way) that unequal rights are ever so present. Their father, Atticus, clearly sees this and tries to teach them to keep their heads up no matter what the situation is. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird the young characters learn that not everything in the world is fair and they also learn to have compassion for others that don’t have the same rights as them.
An example that is very clear in the novel is when Atticus Finch is at the courtroom defending a Negro, Tom Robinson, that is accused of raping a white girl. After asking Tom Robinson some questions Atticus finally tells the court, “You know the truth... the truth is this: some negroes lie, some negroes are immoral, some negro men are not to be trusted around women – black or white… but this is (the) truth… there is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, who has never looked upon a women with desire” (204). By saying this Atticus has told the people that no matter what skin color you are you still lie, you still commit immoral acts. It’s something that everyone did. Atticus has also shown that the courtroom should have compassion for Tom Robinson that they should try to reach out and help him no matter what color he is.
Scout shows that she understands this concept more when she tells Mr. Raymond, “Atticus says cheatin’ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man” (201). Saying this shows that Scout has started to comprehend that colored folks don’t always have the same rights as white folks. She also starts to understand that when things don’t come out fair you have to be there to show compassion for the family and for other people’s families.
As the days go by and the trial approaches people in the town start to look at