Reprehensible Discrimination “The roots of a child’s ability to cope and thrive, regardless of circumstance, lie in that child’s having had a least a small, safe place in which, in the companionship of a loving person, that child could discover that he or she was lovable and capable of loving in return,” are the wise words of well-known television entertainer and educator Fred Rogers, better known as Mr. Rogers (Frank, 100). This quote by Fred Rogers talks about how a child can thrive regardless of the circumstances in which he is raised as long as he has one small place where he is loved and is safe. The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee deals with the topics of isolationism, racial inequality, and segregation in the United States
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The unfair segregation and unethical treatment of Tom Robinson and other black people in the novel are just a couple of instances of the moral shortcomings in history which have been far too prevalent such as the slave trade, to the rounding up of Japanese-American citizens during WWII, and the genocide against the Jews by the Nazis. The issue of racism in the novel is useful in illustrating Dill and Jem’s different backgrounds so the reader can see the moral shortcomings in the community of Maycomb. Through the eyes of Jem, the reader is shown the immoral nature of racism and the mistreatment of black people, as shown in this quote, “Atticus says cheating a colored man is ten times worse than cheating a white.”(Lee 201). Even though Jem disapproves of cheating a colored man, the rest of the community is not nearly as sensitive to the racial inequality that exists in Maycomb. It seems that many of the other inhabitants of Maycomb approve of racism and are used to it as normal in their community. The author highlights the fact that the citizens of Maycomb were desensitized to the racism that occurs because of its prevalence with this quote about Dill’s reaction to the verdict, “Things haven 't caught up with that one 's instinct yet. Let him get a little older and he won 't get sick and cry […] about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they 're people, too" (Lee 201). This quote suggests that the reason Dill is so upset about the verdict is because he is still sensitive to the racism because he has not been around it as much. The quote also suggests that if Dill stays around Maycomb long enough that he will get used to racism and it won’t bother him anymore. As the story go along, even though most of the town is still racist and seems
The unfair segregation and unethical treatment of Tom Robinson and other black people in the novel are just a couple of instances of the moral shortcomings in history which have been far too prevalent such as the slave trade, to the rounding up of Japanese-American citizens during WWII, and the genocide against the Jews by the Nazis. The issue of racism in the novel is useful in illustrating Dill and Jem’s different backgrounds so the reader can see the moral shortcomings in the community of Maycomb. Through the eyes of Jem, the reader is shown the immoral nature of racism and the mistreatment of black people, as shown in this quote, “Atticus says cheating a colored man is ten times worse than cheating a white.”(Lee 201). Even though Jem disapproves of cheating a colored man, the rest of the community is not nearly as sensitive to the racial inequality that exists in Maycomb. It seems that many of the other inhabitants of Maycomb approve of racism and are used to it as normal in their community. The author highlights the fact that the citizens of Maycomb were desensitized to the racism that occurs because of its prevalence with this quote about Dill’s reaction to the verdict, “Things haven 't caught up with that one 's instinct yet. Let him get a little older and he won 't get sick and cry […] about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they 're people, too" (Lee 201). This quote suggests that the reason Dill is so upset about the verdict is because he is still sensitive to the racism because he has not been around it as much. The quote also suggests that if Dill stays around Maycomb long enough that he will get used to racism and it won’t bother him anymore. As the story go along, even though most of the town is still racist and seems