To Kill A Mockingbird Racial Inequality Essay

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird the author, Harper Lee, uses the character of Atticus to represent Moral and Truth. In many situations, Atticus's actions differ from the rest of the prejudice society of the 1930s south and represents how the south would change in the next 30 years. The reason why Atticus’s actions were unusual in this time period was because anyone who publicly challenged the system of segregation was in danger of being killed. When the book was written in the 1960s, many anti-segregation movements had happened since the 30s, changing laws and making it much more common for people to act out against segregation like Atticus. One major example of this was during Tom Robinson’s trial where Tom was convicted of a crime

Although there is a promise of failure Atticus will not stop on his fight for justice. In order for his children to see the difference in how the world is and how it should be Atticus is constantly teaching them about the unfairness and unjust ways around them. Using your higher status in society to belittle and discriminate against those below you is an appalling act that according to Atticus Finch makes you trash. ‘“As you grow older, you 'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don 't you forget it -- whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash”’ The metaphor “that white man is trash” is used when Atticus is explaining to his son the unjust racist ways of their small town.

No one will employ me; white boys won't work with me... no one will have me in his office... Can you be surprised at my discouragement?” (Doc L) Even a young man with incredible academic skills and potential was treated as a burden rather than a blessing. But, because he was an African American, he wasn’t considered special or great.

One can’t help but wonder why? In his 2009 essay about discrimination and illegal immigration, Earl Hutchinson, an African American author who focuses on political and racial issues in America, considers the current stereotype of black people in America and how it impacts hiring discrimination. He shares that

“I felt the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary closing in on me, and for the second time in my life, I thought of running away. Immediately.” She felt overwhelmed and felt as though she was being suffocated, even to the point of drowning in expectations. Another example of gender discrimination, or sexism, would be after the jury declares Tom Robinson guilty.

The judge, John Taylor, gave Atticus the job to defend Tom Robison, a colored man who was accused of raping a white woman, because Atticus was the only lawyer who do a good job of defending him. Bob Ewell, the father of the woman who was “raped” despised Atticus for making the decision to defend Tom. While Bob and others in the community are making comments about Atticus, and even giving him threats, Atticus is the bigger person and just goes along as it doesn’t offend him. By letting all the mean comments fly by,

Race has always been a part of history, from slavery to MLK, to Barack Obama. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee defines race in the south during the 1930’s. Jean “Scout” Finch, is the narrator of the story. Her brother Jeremy “Jem” and her dad, Atticus, are both main characters. Calpurnia is their house cook and helper, she is also black.

Scout displays the theme of social inequality when she invites Walter Cunningham into her own home for a meal. Walter Cunningham was a student in one of Scouts classes who she immediately got off on the wrong foot with but when Jem opened her eyes to the situation, he was invited over for dinner. Scout shows that she feels sympathetic to Walter when she says, “Yeah Walter, I won’t jump on you again. Don’t you like butterbeans? Our Cal’s a real good cook.”

Racial discrimination is an ongoing inequality that is seen in multiple ways, one being racial/ethnic groups which effects their pay wages. The black-white

In To Kill a Mockingbird there are lots of racial, gender, and religious, discrimination. Which is shown a multiple amount of times throughout the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee which takes place in Maycomb Alabama, where there is a lot of racial discrimination. But there is also some gender, and religious, discrimination.

In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the small, imaginary town, the Maycomb County, as a place where racism and social inequality happens in the background of 1930s America. Not only the segregation between whites and blacks, but also the poor lived in a harsh state of living. As Scout, the young narrator, tells the story, Lee introduces and highlights the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb County by using various characters such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Firstly, Harper Lee portrays Boo Radley as a victim of social inequality through adjectives and metaphor in the phrase, “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten;” ‘Long jagged scar that ran across his face’ tells us that Boo Radley has stereotype about his appearance, which forces to imagine Boo as a scary and threatening person. The phrase, ‘yellow and rotten’ make the readers think as if Boo Radley is poor and low in a social hierarchy, as he cannot afford to brush his teeth.

Racial distinctions between Africans Americans and Caucasians have been used to justify significant differences in jobs, policing and housing, leading to great injustices. If we want to address those injustices we need to change the way we think about what our society needs to do in order to strive. The racial influence on finding jobs for African Americans in modern society still worsens as discrimination still decides who gets the job or the promotion. For example, if two qualified males of both races applied for a job the one who would be called up for the job is most likely the Caucasian male.

Discrimination by definition is “the unjust treatment of different categories of people or things especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.” To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee set in the small southern town of Maycomb in the 1930s. The 1930s were a time of racial inequality, social unrest, and the start of the civil rights movement. It was also a time of the Great Depression which left many families poor and impoverished. The most obvious form of discrimination in the book is racism but there are several other types present in the book including discrimination based on class, gender, and other social stereotypes.

Though most of the town Maycomb feels negatively and discriminates the African-Americans, characters like Atticus show us how one person can impact his surroundings if he has high morals. Although he couldn’t change the mindset of the other town residents , he made sure that his own children didn’t discriminate people, purely on the basis of their skin colour. Racism can be seen even in the first few chapters of the book. These racist comments by nonracist children typify the culture in which they were growing up.

I experienced my first significant reality check when I was thirteen years old. In junior high, I attended a school where administrators and students alike embraced ethnic diversity. When I entered into a new school freshman year, I did not find this to be the case. However, this didn’t change the way I attempted to make friends and interact with my peers.