Examples Of Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Racism, Sexism, Prejudice Prejudice, by definition, is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought or reason. Prejudice can take many different shapes or forms in our diverse human society and jeopardize the society in great extent. The problem existed before back in the 1930s, however, it never took a complete stop even after many sacrifices were made. Prejudice can be arise in several ways, but prejudice against race and gender is most profound in modern society. The issues of racism, sexism, and prejudice were emerged in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which took place in the 1930’s. Although there has been major changes since that time period, it seems that these problems are still present in today’s…show more content…
Recently, there was a boy named Trayvon Martin who was shot by a neighborhood watchman. Before his death, “Trayvon went into a store and bought himself a bag of Skittles and a can of Coca-Cola with his hood on. When he exited the store, the neighborhood watchman saw him and suspected that he had a gun in his pocket, so he shot Trayvon” (President Obama’s speech: “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago”). This pointless murder portrays how corrupt and prejudice our society is to certain races. If this scenario was changed to where Trayvon was white instead of black, it is most likely that the neighborhood watch wouldn’t have even batted an eye to what Trayvon was doing. In one of President Obama’s speeches, he explains how racial prejudice in modern society may be slight, but it still offends the ethnicity it is directed to. Obama says that whenever a black person walks by people tend to “lock their car doors, clutch their purses a little tighter or hold in their breath” (President Obama’s speech: “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago”). There was a hidden camera video that demonstrated the different ways a store owner reacted when a white person walked in versus a colored person. When a white person walked in, the owner welcomed him, asked him if he needed any help, and left him alone. When a black person entered the store, the owner would constantly…show more content…
Scout, the protagonist in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, explains on one Sunday, “she was confronted with the Impurity of Women doctrine” (Lee 122). In the 1930’s, pastors would preach about how women themselves were a type of sin and that they were a burden to men. This prejudice against women is also seen in present day society. An advertisement presents Google search results about women, and one of them says that “women should not have rights” (UN Women Ad Series Reveals Widespread Sexism). Women are seen as weak and helpless in our society; people have stereotypes that women should always be in the kitchen or cleaning the house. I view this as not right, considering the fact that women have made an abundant amount of accomplishments in the last two centuries. For example, “in 1869 women raise their voices for equality. In 1893, women gain the power to vote. In 1960, women redefined politics” (UN Women Ad Series Reveals Widespread Sexism). Prejudice and sexist people fail to see their achievements and it “shows just how far we have to go to achieve gender equality” (UN Women Ad Series Reveals Widespread
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