Examples Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Maycomb is a rundown town in Maycomb country. It’s situated in Alabama, a southern state in the USA which during the 1930s, and even the 1950s when Harper Lee wrote ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ possessed very racist views and resistant to change occurring; hence the isolation of the outsiders, as they are different from mainstream society in Maycomb. The problems that occur include: education, racism, being an outsider and finally a need for courage. The first issue identified is education. Lee is trying to make the point that the education system fails those who need it the most, particularly those living in poverty. This is evident when Walter Cunningham states “Reason I can’t pass the first grade, Mr. Finch, is I’ve had to stay out every spring an’ help papa with the choppin’.” Walter abbreviates his words such as “choppin’,” and “an’,” which demonstrates how uneducated…show more content…
Atticus’ character portrays what Lee thinks everyone’s ideals should be. He is attempting to explain to Scout that you should not make superficial judgements about others until you gain the ability to see things from another perspective. Atticus says to Scout “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.” Firstly, this quote features a metaphor, as you are not able to jump into someone else’s skin. However, it emphasises the only way to understand someone, is to be them. Until you are able to ‘be that person,’ then acting upon your judgements is not okay. Personal pronouns such as ‘you,’ are also used to promote this message to ‘you,’ the reader. Lee is trying to put this message out to everyone. This point can link into the theme of racism as black people experienced extreme forms of racism such as slavery and segregation and this was happening because people were acting on their own
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