Discrimination, Courage And Power In To Kill A Mockingbird

Improved Essays
Register to read the introduction… Power is used in many different ways through TKMB; many people use their power in a positive way like Atticus unlike others who abuses their power like Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell uses his power in a negative way when he blames the rape of his daughter Mayella on Tom Robison knowing that Tom would be convicted guilty because he is black. In The Help power is shown in mostly negative ways with the white people treating their maids with disrespect. This is shown when Milly fires her maid Minny for using the home toilet instead of the one made outside and when Aibileen gets accused and fired for stealing silver cutlery. Through TKMB and also The Help are constantly shown the innocent being taken advantage of from those with more

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    An example of power in “The Kite Runner” was when Assef raped Hassen. Hassen is a very innocent little boy, but Assef took his innocence from him. This is an example of power because rape is used to hurt someone it is not a sexual act, it is a dominance of power. Assefs goal was to harass Hassen, and dominate him. Another way that power was abused in this situation was when Amir was watching all of this happen.…

    • 180 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the story “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Mayella, a white southern teen that lives in a dump with her abusive father, is in fact in control of Tom Robinson’s fate. Mayella is sexualy assaulted by her father, which causes her to file a false court case against Tom Robinson (a black male) in which he is convicted. During the court case the evidence points to Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father and a man known to have a drunken abusive history. Power being the amount of control one has over their life; through being able to not only control her own actions, but the fate of another man, Mayella is in a fact a powerful woman. Mayella uses her race to her advantage despite being a woman of low societal standing, ultimately proving her power.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a coming of age novel set in the 1930s. It is by Scout as we learn of her adventures with Jem and Dill, from first grade to third. She discovers the secrets of Arthur “Boo” Radley and watches as her father fights for Tom Robinson’s case. In the end, we are replayed this series of events as Scout stands on the Radley porch and recaps it all as if she were Boo Radley. The very obvious way discrimination vs. acceptance is portrayed is with Mayella Ewell v. Tom Robinson.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Not many people in today’s world think that racism is still a problem ,but others see otherwise. Those that have seen the true world will know that racism is still a very big problem. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has to protect a black man from being accused of a crime he did not commit, and protect him from the racist views of the town. Atticus, the black mans defense attorney, uses strong emotions and facts to try to persuade the jury.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ways to gain power have been seen throughout history. The three main ways to obtain power is through race, gender and social class. To have power is to control one's own life as well as the lives of others. The idea of power is discussed in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Mayella Ewell is a poor white woman who accuses a black man of raping and beating her.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, once stated, “All men are created equal. No matter how hard they try, they can never erase those words. That is what America is about.” Although it is a fundamental American idea that people are created equal, this often is not the case due to personal bias. The similar sentiment, unnecessary racism, is mirrored in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” features a lot of discrimination against race, sex, and culture. As Bonnie Hammer once said, “Prejudice and discrimination based on our differences is an unfortunate fact of life”. It is very unfortunate and sad that discrimination is a common occurrence all over the world. Discrimination is shown when the townspeople bullied Atticus’ children for him defending Tom Robinson. It is also shown when Mr. Dolphus Raymond has to pretend to be drunk so he won’t be judged for marrying a black woman.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grant Harper Mrs. Murray Pre-AP English 9-Block 1 27 November 2017 Race Relations Then & Now “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. is a convincing speech that shows that he wants to end racism and live in harmony with all skin colors. The black community in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is not treated well at all because of their skin color. Even though African Americans are still being treated wrong, there has been a huge improvement in the treatment of African Americans from 1930 to today. African Americans contributed to numerous roles in the community of Maycomb Harper Lee’s…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many would think that people would choose money over family because cash has become seen as no money equals no life. Walter had to make a tough decision with little time to act and a somewhat decent argument towards why they shouldn’t move into Claybourne Park. There are many factors that could’ve affected walters decision on Lindner’s offer, but only three stood out the most. Walter does not accept Mr. Lindner's offer because he knows that he and his family deserve a good life, he will not back down to racial prejudice, and his father's life was put into the house. The Youngers have always had a tough life.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These three topics will covered in this essay. How has racism changed throughout the years? In the 1970s,…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To begin, racial prejudice was common at this time and the people that suffered from it in Maycomb County it was because of ignorance. One Saturday evening Calpurnia asked Jem and Scout if they wanted to go to the black church since Atticus was going to be out. When Calpurnia, Jem, and Scout arrived at The First Purchase, Lula, Calpurnia's acquaintance, greeted them and said, “I don't know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church”(P.158). Lula was known for being a troublemaker and did not want Jem and Scout to be allowed at The First Purchase, even though their father Atticus Finch was defending Tom Robinson, a black man in court. Lula was being ignorant, not knowing why the children were there,making Jem and Scout suffer by feeling scared and not welcomed at…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Discriminate- make an unjust or prejudicial distinction in the treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, sex, or age. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the Great Depression. The story follows Scout, the tomboy daughter of lawyer Atticus Finch who is given the task to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. During the time the story takes place, there were many racist and prejudice impressions, primarily about black people.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The use of Equality, Respect, and Integrity in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book set in the 1930s that centres around Macomb County. This book follows the story of Scout and her childhood adventures. Her father Atticus Finch is Scout’s single surviving parent and he tries to teach her several values. Atticus Finch teaches Scout equality, respect, and integrity through direct and implied conversations. Scout learns equality when Atticus repeatedly teaches her that all people are equal and only their actions set them apart, she learns respect when he shows kindness even to those he disagrees with, and she learns integrity as he repeatedly teaches her a set of values.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Power is defined as the ability to control an aspect of a person’s life. In the second half of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the question of who holds more power over the other is answered. The two people involved in the trial are a poor white woman named Mayella Ewell and a black man of equal class called Tom Robinson. In the trial, Mayella accuses Tom of both raping and savagely beating of her. This claim is entirely false, but still, as the trial goes on, it is clear that Tom does not stand a chance of winning against her because Mayella has more favorable characteristics than he does.…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the past, there was a lot of injustice, and there are a lot of books that showed it. A specific book I’m writing about today is, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In this novel, Justice is influenced by age and race, and is distributed unequally in a small town called Maycomb County, specifically when; Tom Robinson, The Ewells, Atticus and his two children, Jem and Scout are affected. Firstly, the Ewells are allowed to do whatever they want, because they are lazy, and white.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays