Essay On Segregation In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Segregation is like an internet trend. People will join in simply because everyone around them is having fun doing it, whether the trend is good or bad. But in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus tries to tell the people of Maycomb the trend of blaming African Americans through segregation is not worth the consequences that come with it. The book shows Atticus standing up against prejudiced people through the eyes of his daughter, Scout. Not only does she watch her father demonstrate his bravery countless times, but also observes how people who stand up for segregation can be very hypocritical. Through the course of the book, Scout sees how her father’s courageous actions have the potential to change the way prejudiced people…show more content…
The segregation between the white and black people in Maycomb gives a false sense of power to the white people and can be seen through their ironic acts. As Scout advances in school, her teacher, Miss Gates, teaches how America is a democracy and also explains, “Over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced” (245). This is ironic because Miss Gates obviously knows about the segregation that goes on in Maycomb, and she still has the absurdity to tell her students that there’s no persecution in Maycomb. Her fake superiority leads her to believe that the African Americans are not people, just tools. With segregation considered normal, Miss Gates has this fake authority to forget about the African Americans and say that Maycomb is a fair town. After Calpurnia makes the decision to take Scout and Jem to her church, First Purchase, Scout describes the church and points out, “Negroes worshiped in it on Sundays and white men gambled in it on weekdays”(118). It’s ironic how even though the white men and the black men worship the same god, they don’t worship together. What’s worse is the white men feel as though they have that power
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