Analyzing the Concept of Justice in "To Kill a Mockingbird" Through the study this term of the central text, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and related texts, films Rabbit Proof Fence by Phillip Noyce and In the Name of the Father by Jim Sheridan, my understanding of the concept of justice, or what constitutes justice, has altered considerably. We all think we know what justice is, or what it should be. In Australian colloquial terms, it is the principle of a “fair go” for everyone. In a perfect world, everyone is treated fairly. No-one is subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sex or disability. But the reality is that the world we inhabit is far from perfect, human beings are by their very natures …show more content…
For him, like many other real-life Negroes in American history, the principles underpinning political, social and criminal justice failed. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus’ belief that, “in our courts all men are created equal,” ( p. 209) makes a complete mockery of the judicial system. The recent Australian film, Rabbit Proof Fence, similarly condemns the social, political and cultural mores of colonial and post-colonial Australia in relation to its past treatment of indigenous Australians. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, it too, is set in the 1930’s and reflects similar attitudes and values whites have to black people. The film is a true story based on the book by Doris Pilkington Garimara, the daughter of one of the half-caste children in the film who, together with two other Aboriginal girls, was forcibly removed from her family in Jigalong, Western Australia. These children form part of what is now known as the “Stolen Generation”. They, like many others who lived in the first part of the 20th century, were the victims of the official government assimilationist policy which decreed that half-caste children should be taken from their families and their land in order to be made “white”. The policy was definitely aimed at “breeding out” Aboriginality, because only half and quarter caste children were taken. Like Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird, the three girls, Molly, Daisy and Gracie are wrongfully imprisoned, discriminated against because of
What are the rules by which one must treat another human being? The two most important rules are justice and fairness. By definition, justice is the act of rewarding the good and punishing the bad , while fairness is treatment without discrimination. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, an innocent man is tried, and because of his race, is determined guilty. In an utopian society, freedom and justice stand side by side. In the town of Maycomb Alabama however, cases that include racism and prejudice occur every day. However, these people are seen in the eyes of Atticus, Scout, and Jem as innocent “mockingbirds” who benefit the lives of others. There are many people in the world who take justice and fairness to heart, and treat
One of the inequalities in Lee’s story is racism. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white, nineteen year old girl. During his trial, his lawyer, Atticus Finch did his best showing the jury that he was an innocent man. The jury delibabrated for hours before they reached a verdict: “Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty” (Lee 282). Tom was an innocent man but because of the color of his skin, he walked into that courtroom already found guilty. Today, people of color are targeted in many different ways, especially in the legal system:“One out of every 13 African Americans have lost their right to vote due to felony disenfranchisement versus one in every 56 non-black voters” (Quigley). Another example is, federal prosecutors are almost twice as likely to file charges carrying mandatory minimum sentences for African Americans than whites accused of the same crimes, according to a study published by the University of Michigan Law School. Our Declaration of Independence
“We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe...some people have more opportunity because they’re born with it”(Lee 274). This phrase shows Atticus’ opinion about society and the luck some people are born with. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee contains some similarities with the Scottsboro boys case in which a few black men are accused of something that they didn’t do in the early 1900’s and are taken to trial in which it results into unexpected consequences. Justice has been routinely denied to African Americans throughout the past century due to having an all-white jury who believe in the false accusations made by white women which has made a replacement of lynching in the court system.
Injustice and judgments are well known in the world. With so many people who get out of what they deserve or are punished for nothing at all. People who are judged by how they appear or seem, and how cruel it can all be. The concept of injustice and judgments is written out in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Injustice and judgments is the theme of To Kill a Mockingbird with certain symbols that help convey it, certain examples are Mr. Raymond’s “liquor” bottle, the snowman Scout and Jem made, and the gifts from Boo Radley.
In Harper Lee's classic 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch speaks to the stressed jury of Tom Robinson’s court case. Although he is very aware that the small odds are heavily stacked against lowly Tom, he attempts to convey that the one, and only, place humanity is truly equal, is once they are inside the court, no matter if it is the highest or lowest in the court system. Before long, Atticus Finch states, “a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury.”
“Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal.” However, for a strange reason, some people do not treat all men equally. Instead, they are prejudiced against certain groups or races. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is very prevalent in the lives of people in the South. Racism has affected the supposedly unbiased jury, as evidenced by the book. Though the jury found Tom Robinson guilty, there are many reasons why the jury should have ruled in favor of Robinson.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the most significant themes is race and social class cause inequalities. For example, when the jury was deciding Tom Robinson’s verdict, Jem was convinced that Atticus had won the trial and Tom Robinson would be found innocent. But, Reverend Sykes knew that that would not happen. Reverend Sykes said that he had never “‘seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…’” (111). The racism in the south was so deep, even if you compared the lowest class of white people, like the Ewells, to African Americans, the Ewells were considered better. Even juries, which are supposed to be fair, still showed racism and hatred towards African Americans. The justice system is designed
Most of the second part of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. Atticus, being the defendant, has a lot to say about justice and where it is deserved. Throughout the story, justice, or therefore lack of, is a recurrent theme, and it is most commonly seen surrounding Tom’s trial. The evidence of the trial and testimonies from witnesses clearly showed that Tom Robinson was innocent, but the jury convicted him guilty purely because of his race: black. Scout realizes the meaning of this true injustice and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (Lee 323). Harper Lee is using this situation and the literary device of conflict to show that justice is rarely
If there's one thing that we learned from jeggings, Uggs, and chain wallets, it's that the majority isn't always right. But Atticus doesn't need anyone to teach him those lessons. He already knows that individual conscience is a better guide to justice than majority opinion.
Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird is known to be one of a kind when it comes to its depiction of inequality as a result of racial injustice during the 1900s. Throughout the book, readers journey through the everyday life of 6-year old protagonist Jean-Louise Finch or “Scout” in Maycomb of the deep South. When her father attorney Atticus Finch, takes the case of a convicted black man Tom Robinson, the entire town of racist Alabamians turns up to watch the show of yet another black being punished, guilty or not. However, soon enough, readers can deduce that Robinson is falsely accused even though the majority of the population think otherwise. It should be noted that although the concept of racism is thoroughly interrogated throughout
Since the beginning of Atticus’s case, he knew there was no way in winning but still fought as hard as he could to prove something. That the phrase, all men are created equal, does not include black people under any circumstances. The message about justice is prevalent throughout the book and justice is shown to be biased as well as inequitable. The justice system in Maycomb is shown to be biased due to it being located in the south during the 1930’s. During the trial, there has been plenty of evidence proving Tom Robinson’s innocence and yet the jury found him guilty and sentenced him to the death penalty.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man, Tom Robinson, is convicted of raping Bob Ewell’s oldest daughter Mayella Ewell. The protagonist, Atticus Finch, is defending Tom and his argument which, based on what the defendant witnessed, is that Mayella tried to seduce Tom and was caught by her father and brutally beat. During the trial Atticus, gives a speech about equality to the jury and the courthouse. But even with this, Tom is accused with rape and is hanged. Throughout the speech Atticus talks about the truth of racism and discrimination. But in reality there’s a different story. Racial discrimination is everywhere in the South. Atticus shows the jury Truth vs Reality to win the case.
Abraham Joshua Heschel once said “ Racism is man’s gravest threat to man- the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.” Heschel is demonstrating that there is a lot of hate for such miniscule reasons. This belief is popular theme within in literature. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a community’s morals and beliefs regarding race, gender and compassion determines that justice is a privilege for a few rather than a right for all. While some characters are immaculate, morally educated,and believe that every person should be reverenced, and treated equally, some believe that it is correct to be racist and prejudice to others.
Justice seems to be nowhere in the world. People are treated dastardly all the time for terrible reasons everyday, and this si no new thing. Harper Lee’s renowned book To Kill a Mockingbird shows many cases of social injustice in the small town of MAycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. The novel is told through the eyes of Scout, a young girl learning many lessons as she grows up (facing adversity??). As Scout learns lessons so does the reader. In To Kill a Mockingbird the theme people treat others differently because of social class demonstrated by Maycomb's citizens’ way of life to show the necessity of fighting for justice by Aunt Alexandria’s judgemental nature, Atticus’ defense of the truth, and Scout’s understanding.
“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. “I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system—that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.” (109-110, e-book) In this essay the main discussion will be based upon how Harper Lee uses literary means as a way to present the way characters respond to cultural stereotypes and how it affects the deliverance of justice. The novel of “To Kill a Mockingbird” is conveyed and narrated to us by a young girl, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) who is raised by a single father living in the small, congested town of Maycomb, Alabama. The novel is established upon the foundation of racial prejudice, stereotyping and injustices in the 1930’s.