The Irony Of Racism
Racism and irony? Do those two things sound like they could be related? The fact of the matter is that, all racism is ironic. The basis of racism is ironic and In To Kill a Mockingbird we see the irony of racism, Mrs. Merriweather's racism against her maid Sophy and Atticus and how Maycomb's ironic racism compares with the racism of today. Not a lot of people realize just how ironic racism really is. Examples of racism and irony in To Kill a Mockingbird and in everyday situations are everywhere.
Racism is ironic for the simple reason that the same people who discriminated against black people brought them to America. These people worked for white people for centuries, raised their children and then endured the same cycle …show more content…
Mrs. Merriweather had not one good word to say about what was happening to Tom Robinson in Maycomb. She said that this case, disrupted her everyday life because Sophy, her maid, was upset. This is ironic as Sophy does nothing but help Mrs. Merriweather with her everyday life. Mrs. Merriweather told Sophy that “you are simply not being a Christian today. Jesus Christ never went around grumbling and complaining.” (Lee 232). Mrs. Merriweather uses the bible to defend her own unholyness. Sophy is however put in a difficult situation by Mrs.Merriweather and by society. If she tries to speak up for herself shrisks being fired and she will most likely have trouble finding a new job thanks to Mrs. Merriweather because Mrs. Merriweather is a gossip and will spread around rumors about Sophy. Another ironic fact is that, as Mrs. Merriweather continues to go on and on about how wrong Tom Robinson’s case is and how no one should support/defend him, Tom’s lawyer’s sister sits in the same room not defending nor speaking up for her brother. She is a bystander to the racial situation and is therefore as bad as the …show more content…
Unfortunately racism is still an issue in our society although racism back then (the 1940s) was more blatant and prominent. The 1940s, the era To Kill A Mockingbird is set in, was an important time for African Americans. It paved the road for change in our society and brought awareness to the situation. However, today we still have racism and it is not just against African Americans. One of the things people fail to realize is that everyone can be racist. It does not matter if you are white, black, educated and not educated. Racism is everywhere. When most people think of racism they automatically assume that the perpetrator is white and the victim is black. To Kill A Mockingbird is not the best example of what racism looks like today but it gives an accurate portration of what racism was then. Hipster racism is what we would refer to as ironic racism today. The dictionary refers to it as a phenomenon in which an educated person makes an ignorant remark about a race and culture that they are not familiar with. For example, ironic racism occurred in 2014 when white college students dressed up like Native Americans for Halloween. They were mocking a culture although they were educated. This can be compared to the racism that we see from the prosecutor in To Kill a Mockingbird.He is an educated lawyer who despite being educated, mocks Tom as he takes the stand to testify as to why he helped Mayella. The
Racism and irony? Do those two things sound like they could be related? The fact of the matter is that, all racism is ironic. The basis of racism is ironic and In To Kill a Mockingbird we see the irony of racism, Mrs. Merriweather's racism against her maid Sophy and Atticus and how Maycomb's ironic racism compares with the racism of today. Not a lot of people realize just how ironic racism really is. Examples of racism and irony in To Kill a Mockingbird and in everyday situations are everywhere.
Racism is ironic for the simple reason that the same people who discriminated against black people brought them to America. These people worked for white people for centuries, raised their children and then endured the same cycle …show more content…
Mrs. Merriweather had not one good word to say about what was happening to Tom Robinson in Maycomb. She said that this case, disrupted her everyday life because Sophy, her maid, was upset. This is ironic as Sophy does nothing but help Mrs. Merriweather with her everyday life. Mrs. Merriweather told Sophy that “you are simply not being a Christian today. Jesus Christ never went around grumbling and complaining.” (Lee 232). Mrs. Merriweather uses the bible to defend her own unholyness. Sophy is however put in a difficult situation by Mrs.Merriweather and by society. If she tries to speak up for herself shrisks being fired and she will most likely have trouble finding a new job thanks to Mrs. Merriweather because Mrs. Merriweather is a gossip and will spread around rumors about Sophy. Another ironic fact is that, as Mrs. Merriweather continues to go on and on about how wrong Tom Robinson’s case is and how no one should support/defend him, Tom’s lawyer’s sister sits in the same room not defending nor speaking up for her brother. She is a bystander to the racial situation and is therefore as bad as the …show more content…
Unfortunately racism is still an issue in our society although racism back then (the 1940s) was more blatant and prominent. The 1940s, the era To Kill A Mockingbird is set in, was an important time for African Americans. It paved the road for change in our society and brought awareness to the situation. However, today we still have racism and it is not just against African Americans. One of the things people fail to realize is that everyone can be racist. It does not matter if you are white, black, educated and not educated. Racism is everywhere. When most people think of racism they automatically assume that the perpetrator is white and the victim is black. To Kill A Mockingbird is not the best example of what racism looks like today but it gives an accurate portration of what racism was then. Hipster racism is what we would refer to as ironic racism today. The dictionary refers to it as a phenomenon in which an educated person makes an ignorant remark about a race and culture that they are not familiar with. For example, ironic racism occurred in 2014 when white college students dressed up like Native Americans for Halloween. They were mocking a culture although they were educated. This can be compared to the racism that we see from the prosecutor in To Kill a Mockingbird.He is an educated lawyer who despite being educated, mocks Tom as he takes the stand to testify as to why he helped Mayella. The