Essays on Tom Robinson

Thesis

Racism is still a very big problem in the world and America in particular. The gains of the civil rights of the 1960's have been washed away, partly, by the rise of the ‘political correctness' era that designed things to be said in a certain way, and, a pluralistic ignorance that came out as an offshoot of political correctness, where, people speak about racism in acceptable terms while believing in the opposite to avoid appearing insensitive and racist. Just as racism was rampant in America in 1930’s as brought out in the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, ...

Introduction

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mocking Bird is a unique story, which provides insight into the issue of inequality that existed between the black and white races during the 1930s. The Book is based on the author’s observation of the society during that era and reflected the biased and hypocritical views and actions of the members of the society. Although the book is relatively old and the inequality between the white and black races has been significantly eliminated from society, some resemblance can still be found in the modern day the United States of America and ...

Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of Scout Finch, the six year old daughter of Atticus Finch, a strong father, a virtuous lawyer and the defender of Tom Robinson. Scout grows up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, among the other interesting and entertaining people in the town. Going through her life and growing up with her friends, she learns many lessons from her father and the town itself. Much like Atticus with Scout, this book is incredibly important because of its teachings of morality and virtue; the book teaches the ...

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a highly influential American novel for many reasons, not the least of which is the compelling, well-drawn and uniquely American character of Atticus Finch. A strong, paternal presence to his family and his community, Atticus is highly principled, hard-working and dedicated to a sincere sense of justice. Both in his parenting of Scout and his defense of Tom Robinson, Atticus’ virtue is shown throughout. While America may not always live up to the standards Atticus Finch himself sets, he represents a set of ideals that America hopes to strive towards, including equality, fairness and standing up ...

The theme that is addressed in To Kill a MockingBird is racial prejudice as well as social justice. A strong principle is represented by Atticus Finch that indicates the liberal perspective which runs opposite to the white’s ignorance and prejudice. He is convinced that in order to counteract the influence by the racists, he must work hard to instill values of equality in his children. When Atticus makes the statement “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal,” he ...

The title of the book To Kill A Mockingbird comes from a proverb that states that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The characters in the novel are warned not to kill a mockingbird which is always depicted as an innocent bird. Mockingbirds are said to be harmless, as they do not eat up people’s crops in the gardens, they only sing their hearts out to please the people around them. The title is significant to the novel because, it portrays many forms of mockingbirds throughout the story. In the progress of the novel, it is evident that Tom Robinson ...

The disabled character in To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson; his disability is a physical one, as one of his arms was mutilated in an accident some years prior to the events of the film. To that end, he is unable to use it in any way. Despite his physical disability, he is an extremely strong character; for one thing, he demonstrates a kindness and compassion for others, as he states that he helped Mayella (the woman he is charged with raping and beating) because he felt sorry for her during his testimony. He often took up Mayella’s requests for help ( ...

Introduction

Social conflict theory refers to a social theory that argues that the social classes have different levels of resources which leads to a conflict between these social classes. In most cases the powerful groups ends up exploiting the less powerful and poor groups. This may be done through economic forces as well as brutal police forces. Power may be In the form of physical, coercive or manipulative forces. All powers may lead to conflict. In relation to the movie, To Kill a Mocking Bird, it demonstrates various issues related to social conflicts especially issues to do with social inequality and racism. ...

Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of Scout Finch, the six year old daughter of Atticus Finch, a strong father, a virtuous lawyer and the defender of Tom Robinson. Scout grows up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, among the other interesting and entertaining people in the town. Going through her life and growing up with her friends, she learns many lessons from her father and the town itself. Much like Atticus with Scout, this book is incredibly important because of its teachings of morality and virtue; the book teaches the importance ...

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, the society is heavily influenced by racism and white supremacy mindsets. As a result, several of the key characters are victimized by the other members of the community as well as the society at large. Two such characters are Tom Robinson, a black slave, and Atticus Finch, the man who employs him. Tom Robinson is a humble black man accused of beating and raping Mayella. His left arm is crippled from an accident at the farm which happened when he was young, this made it physical impossible to beat Mayella because the attacker ...

Harper Lee's evocative piece, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most profound pieces of American literature of the 20th Century. A central factor leading to its impactful nature is the development of relatable characters, whether laudable or despicable, which have since become archetypes of certain personas. These personalities represent interminable characteristics of American history and highlight elements of the development of the American social conscience. Since the initial publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has been a symbol of an individual whose moral compass points true North. Interestingly, Atticus is assigned the defense of Tom Robinson, he ...

There are two radically different and competing versions of family and community in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. One of these is the semi-feudal status quo of rigid divisions by race, gender, caste and social class and the other a more democratic, integrated and humane community of the future symbolized by Atticus Finch, his children and supporters. Broadly speaking, these two conflicting ideologies are not simply taking place in the small, fictional community of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. They are in conflict throughout the entire country and perhaps the world, and are not confined to one particular ...

Blacks live in complete poverty in Maycomb and have hardly any rights at all, but most of the whites are also poor, and the whole county is basically backward and marginalized, especially because of the Great Depression. Most of the whites do not even have money to pay the legal bills that they owe Atticus, but in compensation they do have a sense of racial superiority over the blacks, who are even poorer and more degraded than they are. That someone like Atticus even exists there is highly surprising, although he has no real chance of changing system as it ...

PART A

Question 1 Atticus Finch, although belonging to the white community, defends Tom Robinson, a subjugated black who stands of raping a white woman. Through his actions, Finch promotes equality and liberty, having a simple purpose of having justice served, regardless of race. However, he is opposed by the accusers; Mayella and her father Bob Ewell, while other members of the white community term him a "nigger-lover". In the novel, Bob Ewell is portrayed as a villain. His disregard for other human beings and his uncaring attitude towards his own family reveal that he is a man of limited values. It is his hatred ...

Introduction:

“To kill a mockingbird” is a luminous piece of literary work by Ms. Nelle Harper Lee. The novel was written in the year of 1960 wherein author portrays her childhood memories beautifully in the novel. The theme of the novel revolves around some serious issues including racism, rape, gender, audacity, empathy and inequality in American Lower South. The characters depicted in the novel are inspired by author’s family members and neighbors. The lead character Scout Finch is inspired by her father Atticus Finch. The Novel carries lot of humor and tenderness regardless of serious issues. The work done by author ...

Atticus is a reputed citizen and he is a very good lawyer. He is very tolerant person and a humble human being who satisfies several queries of others and believes in helping other people. Atticus As father of Jem and scout pays his responsibilities in a proper manner. He inspires them to study, satisfies their queries and on the other hand, is always ready to help others in his social life. When his daughter scout refuses to go to school, Atticus not like other parents, merely tells him that she has to go to school but he patiently listens her and ask ...

As a nation, America is populated by immigrants and as such, its culture is a mixed bag – a melting pot, if you will, of ethnicities, cultures, ideas and beliefs. As a result, it is difficult to define any one traditionally American aspect of culture as it is bastardised from a whole variety of European, African and Asian influences. However, America can boast its culture as having been affected by these various different influences and as being shaped accordingly. One such major influence is that brought to the table by the African American community who have influenced American culture for decades through music, film, literature ...