Preview

TKAM Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
465 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
TKAM Essay
Is Maycomb totally racist? To what extent?

The human race may come and go, but racism will always remain. Racism in Maycomb is part of society, within their daily lives.
In the movie “To Kill A Mockingbird” people in the town of Maycomb call Atticus Finch and his two children Jem and Scout ‘negro lovers’. The town’s people call them this because Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, a black man. This shows pure racism in the town. People look down on black people so much that they frown upon a white man defending them. In their society it is wrong for a white man to interact with a black man. This racism doesn’t only affect Atticus but it also affects his daughter Scout. At school Scout is called a ‘negro lover’ by a boy in her class and her first thought was to act out violently. Scout doesn’t full understand why she is called that name. This part of the story shows that racism isn’t only going on with adults but children as well.
Although most people in the town of Maycomb are racist towards colored people, not everyone is. For example, even though Tom Robinson is a black man who allegedly committed a crime, Atticus still believes it is the right thing to defend him in court. This identifies that not everyone in Maycomb is racist. Atticus teaches the idea that it’s not a horrible thing if you help a colored man in need. Atticus defending a black man isn’t only teaching society that it’s not wrong but also his children. Jem and Scout watch their father as he defends a black man and learn along the way that there is nothing wrong with being friends with colored people.
In “To Kill A Mockingbird” Tom is kept in a jail cell in the center of the town. One night while Atticus is keeping look out outside the cell a mob of town’s men surround Atticus. The town wants to beat and kill Tom for allegedly raping a white woman. Atticus stands his ground, along with Jem and Scout who join him on the stairs in front of the cell. The family continues to defend Tom, but the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Based on perspective, Atticus Finch considers that Maycomb is a racist, yet an atrocious town; due to its racialist/intolerant behaviors that the citizens practice towards different skin complexions. For instance, an example of this bigotry can be demonstrated by Tom Robinson’s case; as this was clearly shown/said throughout the arguments during the court trial. As a single parent and a lawyer, Atticus Finch receives a lot of negative attention in Maycomb for representing Tom Robinson's case; which also, happens to have a negative impact on his children. They are talked about, made fun of, and their lives are even threatened at some points.…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    An example, is that Atticus’s children are bullied by townsfolk, because their father is a known lawyer for the black community. “Your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for,” said Mrs.Dubose. (Lee 135) This shows that even associating and/or working with black people in Maycomb county makes you “trash” and is frowned upon. This example plus many others throughout the book proves Maycomb experiences racial prejudice in “To Kill A Mockingbird.”…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “‘Well, Dill, after all he’s just a Negro.’ ‘I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right somehow it ain’t right to do ‘em that way. Hasn’t anybody got any business talkin’ like that-it just makes me sick,’”(Lee, 266). In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird author Harper Lee lays out the story of the Finch family consisting of two siblings, Jem and Scout, along with their widowed father Atticus. This family is faced with a tough break when Atticus get appointed a case to defend an African American (Tom Robinson) in the time of extreme discrimination. Growing up shapes and builds minds to what will fully become of them in future years even though there may be obstacles to endeavor through the process.…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Being a Black man in Maycomb, Alabama was difficult; Maycomb was a racist town with people who did not want the Blacks to be equal to the Whites. People discriminated Robinson’s race to the point where his race was what defined his character. The Whites in Maycomb had a mentality that all blacks were not to be trusted. This affected Tom Robinson because during his rape trial his lawyer, Atticus Finch states “. . . You know the truth, and 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 a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.” [Lee, 48] Atticus was trying to say that we need to judge people as individuals rather than by their race. Robinson’s race caused him to be discriminated against by the Whites in Maycomb, in particular Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell had seen that his daughter had kissed a Black man and was very upset. He said "I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" [Lee, 84] Because Robinson…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Innocent people are being targeted for the color of their skin and their social class just like the residents of Maycomb,Alabama during the 1930’s in Harper Lee’s book “To Kill A Mockingbird”. In this book, which is based on a white family and told through the eyes of the youngest child, “Scout Finch”, you learn about her residential city Maycomb, and its many issues with racism and social discrimination. You also learn about Scout's father , Atticus Finch, who is an attorney for a hopeless black man striving for innocence due to being falsely accused of rape. Throughout this essay, you will read about the characters of “To Kill A Mockingbird” and how they mature due to racism and social profiling. Scout changes her racist and social view of Maycomb after her dad talks to her about the various situations and why they happened.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    White people think they are better than them and consider it a crime if a black man beats a white man in any way shape or form. This is when Tom Robinson comes into play. He is a huge aspect of the book. He is put into trial for supposedly raping Mayella Ewell. When the court date comes, the information gathered from both sides point to Tom as being innocent. Many people suspect Mr. Bob Ewell was the man that beat Mayella for coming to a black man. Evidence suggest that Tom Robinson only losses his case because of his colour. Even in the courtroom, people are divided by their colour and class. The black people of the crowd have to sit on the balcony while the white folk sit on the floor. This is discrimination against the black race. They are treated differently than the white people because of false and prejudice judgement and opinions of others. “A white man’s word against a black man’s word, the white man always wins.”(Lee, 243) This quote is a significant piece of evidence that represents the injustice and biased treatment against black people in Maycomb. This can also demonstrate the fact of how Maycomb tends to be bias towards characteristics of people or families that are out of their control such as age, gender, wealth, race or even your family. Everything the people in Maycomb are is based upon these factors that are out of their control. Atticus…

    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    TKAMB Essay

    • 883 Words
    • 3 Pages

    and moral characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. His character remains, for…

    • 883 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, Atticus decided to defend Tom despite knowing that this could put his family’s safety and reputation at risk. With this in mind, he still had enough courage to defend Tom to the best of his abilities. “I’ll send him home,” a burly man said, and grabbed Jem roughly by the collar. He yanked Jem nearly off his feet.” (Lee, 203) An angry mob approached Atticus as he guarded Tom’s cell and attempted to hurt Jem, Atticus’ son. Scout and Jem secretly followed Atticus to the prison and overheard a conversation Atticus was having with one of the members of the mob. Afterwards, Scout ran to her father and Jem quickly followed her. A member of the mob tried to hurt Jem and put Atticus’ family in danger because of his case. This was one of the many consequences of defending Tom that Atticus was willing to undertake in order to stay true to his…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch Stereotypes

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Books filled with controversy rarely get recognition for shaping people’s lives; however, To Kill a Mockingbird overcomes this stereotype by showing the good in an otherwise not so good community. This community, known as Maycomb, exemplified traditional racial views that southerners held during the 1930’s. Most of the community, and most of Southern America, shared these same racial views, but Atticus Finch’s beliefs differ from those around him. Throughout the book, Atticus stands up for people of all races despite what those around him think. The courage shown by Atticus has greatly impacted all aspects of my life, including my faith, and demonstrates the determination that I wish to possess.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Tkam Essay Outline

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A. Attention Getter: As children grow, they learn many life lessons but they also become more immune to the sometimes ugly reality.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "To Kill A MockingBird''

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “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” (Lee). In the Maycomb County there is a lot of whites, blacks and even some mixed. There are some that are wealthy and some that are not. Some get along and others do not. Even in a small town, they all live so differently. Throughout Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, hypocrisy, injustice and evil is envisioned in an adult society. Miss Gates and Lula contradict themselves. Atticus is harassed, Tom Robinson gets accused for a crime he did not commit. Bob Ewell tries to kill Scout and Jem and Maycomb is loaded with rumours of Boo Radley,…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The racism shown in Maycomb has been a part of the town for a long time and is ingrained in the society’s mindset. ‘…I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease.’ When Atticus says usual disease he is referring to his experiences in Maycomb ‘Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don 't pretend to understand’. This shows that from what Atticus can see no matter what happens if something goes wrong with a black person in Maycomb the people will go crazy until they get their way with them whether that be in trial or attack. And due to what is said earlier we assume it has always been this way which would explain why in the novel we see how a person’s race can turn another person against them for no good reason but that they had grown up that way and believing they are superior.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Racism and injustice and violence sweep our world, bringing a tragic harvest of heartache and death,” Billy Graham once said. In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus is a father and a lawyer, who lives with his children, Jem and Scout, and their cook, Calpurnia, in a town of Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a town populated with black and white people, where racism is apparent. White people feel they are superior than the black people and treat them poorly. Racism is evident when Tom Robinson lost the trial to Bob Ewell, because he was black, even though he is innocent. People were also being judged on appearance, or being treated improperly, like how people see the kind of person Boo Radley is in the beginning of the story. Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” is about injustice.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scottsboro Trial

    • 1444 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Racism is part of everyday human society and it is human nature to judge other by their skins color, race, or the way they look. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, talks about perspective of a young girl named Jean Louise or Scout on series of events that happen in the town Maycomb, Alabama. Her father and a widower, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer with high moral standards and with the help of Calpurnia, a black cook, Scout and Jem discover the extent of racism in their home community while witness many events such as snow in Maycomb, neighbor house burning down and rape trial between a white woman and a black man and these events significantly change her at the end of the book. The two consequences of racial discrimination…

    • 1444 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maycomb’s shining point in Harper Lee's plot is the Tom Robinson case. While Harper Lee quickly forces us to root for Atticus and Tom, we learn that Tom Robinson has already lost the case purely because of his skin color. Tom Robinson is an African-American. Maycomb recognizes that Atticus is unique and assigns him to take on this case because he is the only citizen in Maycomb that would support Tom fairley. Since their father is involved, Jem and Scout instantly begin to be curious. They wonder why Atticus would agree to such an event. The children later understand that Atticus is doing the right thing and must stand up for what is right. Atticus tells the children, “In our courts when it's a white man's world against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee, 250). Furthermore, Atticus exclaims to the children that racism prevails within their county. “ We can conclude that Atticus shows disgust with white people taking advantage of black people's ignorance” (Felty, 300). The aged book lets us know that Maycomb's citizens do not feel good about responding to other people's differences. As we do today, Maycomb does not take action in up and coming problems such a…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays