Racism, Sexism, By Harper Lee And Kill A Mockingbird

â€Å"I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that?† (Sojourner Truth) Truer words were never spoken in 1851 and in 2016 as well. Gender should not affect the way others view women, but in a city like Chicago, where 87% of women between the ages of 16-64 have personally experienced sexual harassment by a male stranger, sexism is still clearly an issue today. Our research and classic readings in our HWOC class suggest that women are often perceived as being lesser and are treated differently than men in the arts, in sports, at the office, and on the streets. This cultural mindset needs to change if sexism is to remain only on the pages of classic literature and be erased from local communities and modern society. In our HWOC class, there were a great deal of references to sexism in the major works we studied. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s older brother Jem says, â€Å"‘Scout, I m tellin you for the last time, shut your trap or go home—I declare to the Lord you re gettin more like a girl every day!’ (24) His comment implies that being a girl is a bad thing, and that Scout is not allowed to play with them if she continues to act scared and â€Å"girly.† Jem believes having feminine qualities is unacceptable, whereas Walter, in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun, believes that it’s okay if women want to be feminine, as long as they remain in their place. He tells his younger sister, Beneatha, â€Å"Who the hellShow MoreRelatedRacism, Sexism and Socioeconomic Prejudice in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird828 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many different types of prejudice. The three that are most current in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are racism, sexism and socioeconomic prejudice. Racism is a big problem in many people’s lives. Throughout history, many groups and cultures have been significantly affected by racism. African Americans are an example of a group of people who have suffered the effects of racism. In 1867 the â€Å"Ku Klux Klan, was founded as a secret organization terrorized the African AmericansRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1695 Words   |  7 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee presents as a ‘tired old town’ where the inhabitants have ‘nowhere to go’ it is set in the 1930s when prejudices and racism were at a peak. Lee uses Maycomb town to highlight prejudices, racism, poverty and social inequality. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of Walter Cunningham. When it is discovered he has no lunch on the first day of school, Scout tries to explain the situation to MissRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 1645 Words   |  7 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird is told from the view of Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. It is through her we are introduced to the social injustice, racial prejudice and problems rife in Maycomb’s society. Through Lee’s use of characters, objects and events we see how these issues are permeated into society, and I will be delving into these and explaining how they present the town of Maycomb. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of WalterRead MoreRacism, Sexism, And Classism1188 Words   |  5 PagesMerlyn Manoj April 13, 2016 Period 2 Kale Then and Now: Changes of Racism, Sexism, and Classism In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout, the protagonists in the book, experience and learn about the problems of racism, sexism, and classism when their father, Atticus, agrees to defend Tom Robinson, an African American, in a trial. Set in the 1930s, most people were treated unfairly because of their race, gender, or social class. Even though problems about race, gender, and classRead MoreEssay about Maycomb Society in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee791 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss Harper Lee’s Presentation of Maycomb Society in to Kill a Mockingbird Maycomb is described as a â€Å"tired old town† where the inhabitants had â€Å"nowhere to go†. Maycomb is very similar to any small southern town in the 1930’s, sexism, racism and other prejudices are at a peak, and old traditions are carried out regularly. To Kill a Mockingbird revolves solely around family, community and society, the focus point of the book, the rape trial, would not have occurred if society had notRead More Sexism, Prejudice, and Racism in Lees To Kill A Mockingbird2051 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird Lee discusses the effects of ignorance and the toll it takes on people such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Scout herself, and many more. Through her examples of sexism, prejudice, and racism, from the populist of poverty stricken Southerners, she shows the readers the injustice of many. The victims of ignorance are the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story. A good example of this injustice is the trial of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white girl andRead MoreThe Scottsboro Trials And Racial Prejudice1707 Words   |  7 Pagesreferring to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird includes The Scottsboro Trials. Both stories uprise in the 1930s, displaying a white supremacist mindset, which two cases fall into the conviction of rape. The Scottsboro case started on a train to northern Alabama to southern Tennessee, when nine African American boys, ranging in ages from 13-19, allegedly raped two â€Å"innocent† Caucasian women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. Racial discrimination uprises in American judicial system when shown in To Kill a MockingbirdRead MoreExamples of Prejudice in To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee836 Words   |  3 Pages To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the difficult times of the Great Depression in the early 1930’s. The novel surrounds the life of a young girl named Scout Finch, along with her brother Jem, and their friend, Dill. Who are forced at a young age to watch the people of their small town of Maycomb not only receive, but also give prejudice to numerous, harmless people. Whether it be Boo Radley, a shut in who falls victim to the town’s gossip, even thoughRead MoreRacism, Sexism And Prejudice By Harper Lee1554 Words   |  7 PagesThe entire world views and is affected by many immoral and cruel behaviours. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, the citizens of Maycomb County are harmed or troubled by vices that are seen throughout the text, such as racism, sexism and prejudice. It is obvious that throughout the work of To Kill a Mockingbird, the vices of racism, sexism and prejudice harm and negatively affect the community an d it’s people. Within the time period in which the novel takes place, women areRead MoreA Sweet And Loving Portrait Of A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1772 Words   |  8 PagesAnalysis Throughout the first half of Mockingbird Harper Lee builds a sweet and loving portrait of growing up in the disappeared world of small town Alabama. Harper Lee, nevertheless, proceeds to undermine her depiction of small town gentility throughout the second half of the book. Lee dismantles the sweet facade to disclose a rotten, rural underside filled with prejudice, ignorance, and social lies. However, no one in Mockingbird is totally evil or good. Every character is human, with human