The theme hate is present in all the stories that we read this semester. Every story has an overwhelming amount of hatred, all hatred of another race. There is no other reason for the hatred other than the race they are. The goal they have is to mock or hurt or kill the others for being exactly who they are, and they can’t help it. I will talk about all the stories we learned about in this class and how this theme made it the book that it is. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Junior sees so much hatred. He’s in the unique position throughout the whole book where he can see both sides. He sees how much the white people hate the Indians and how much the Indians hate the white. He even receives much of the hatred himself. …show more content…
Atticus talks about how people don’t seem to care. As they grow up they lose that guilt and they don’t want to see the truth they see what they want to. “ ‘I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-- seems that only children weep.’ “ (Lee, 213) Atticus is able to change many people’s minds but not all and that’s because people are afraid the change their minds, they’re afraid of what might happen. The thought seems to be very old fashioned. And Atticus who is wealthy and white is hated in the book simply because he is defending an African American. Some people don’t seem to want to hate him but because he is always in the way and defending someone of the race they hate feel they have to. But Mr. Ewell is the man in the story who uses his hatred. He blames Tom for something he didn’t do and tried to hurt Atticus’s family for not hating like he does. There’s also hatred toward a man in town named Boo Radley. And this is all because of rumors that have been going around. He is never seen in the town, he has a mystery about him so most people are afraid. But at the end of the book he saves Jem and Scout’s lives from Mr. Ewell. She realizes he is not what everyone says, he’s kind and gentle and saved her and her brothers lives. She knows after all these experiences that what her father says is true. “ ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from
In the novel, Atticus is seen as a nonjudgmental person that treats everyone alike and that is the reason everybody in Maycomb likes him. Additionally, Atticus is a strong believer in justice and complying with the law. During the novel, Scout asks Atticus if he is “really a nigger-lover” (Lee, 112) and Atticus replies “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody…” (Lee, 112). Also, “while Walter piled food onto his plate, he and Atticus talked together like two men…” (Lee, 24) To explain, Atticus talks to Walter, a poor farmer boy, as if he was a regular person. Just as the children are trying to give Boo Radley, Atticus catches them and commands them to “stop tormenting that man.”(Lee, 50) To clarify, Atticus orders them to stop because he realizes it is morally wrong to mock the Radley family or any other family which shows that Atticus believes in treating everyone equally and that everyone should have justice.
When Atticus took the case, he went up against Maycomb, a generally prejudiced town, in order to defend Tom. He understood that taking the case would make him an object of ridicule and that no one would forgive him for believing a black man's word over a white man's. Even his own sister expresses disapproval at his decision, practically telling him he was bringing disgrace to the family. Nevertheless, no matter how much his reputation suffered, he did not change his mind. Standing up for his morals and ethics was more important than what people thought about him. From the very start Atticus knows he will not win the case however he does his job and finishes what he set out to do.
People have different opinions and views on subjects and we won’t always agree with them or understand why they think that way. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” I like that Atticus is teaching his kids valuable lessons. We don’t know what makes someone act or dress or do the things they do, so we make assumptions and conclusions in order to “understand”, but the only true way of understanding someone is through sympathy and compassion.
When Atticus is explaining to Scout and Jem, Bob Ewell’s disgusting behavior, he tells them, “‘the man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella one extra beating, that’s something i’ll gladly take.”’(292-293). Atticus would want Bob Ewell to hurt him rather than his own children. Furthermore, when people speak poorly of Atticus, he also understands why they are disrespecting him. Atticus is explaining to his children that you have your own mind and you are entitled to think whatever you want and people can not change what people think about other things and other people, “‘ they’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect on their opinions”’(139). Just because other people do not like someone's opinion they can not control it. So, when Atticus tries to fight for justice for Tom Robinson there is always going to be consequences, even when he is trying to do something that is
In the novel, it states “ Scout you aren't old enough to understand some things yet, but there been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man”(Lee,100). Atticus discusses to Scout that many people in Maycomb County now, despise him for taking Tom robinson's case. “Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism can be seen by studying various examples from the book this includes the actions of the children, the racist whites, and the actions of Atticus Finch” (Hunter). The actions of Atticus finch helped Tom Robinson but Atticus Finch was hated and despised for
I believe that Atticus did the proper thing by defending Tom Robinson during the trial. Though it was controversial throughout Maycomb County, he served as an exceptional example for his children by accepting the case and genuinely defending a black man. There were many downsides when Atticus agreed to take the case appointed to him. Initially, his reputation and social status took a blow from this incident. This lead to backlash and insults from people across the community. The Finchs' had one of the highest social statuses in the town, for Atticus had a suitable job with a reputable name. (Lee PAGE) When word about this incident spread, many people disapproved. This was evident when many of Scout's classmates taunted her about her father being "a nigger lover", which they unmistakably picked up from their parents. (Lee PAGE) Atticus' family members were not too pleased with this decision as well. In the text, Francis repeats what his grandmother said, saying "[Atticus] ruinin‘ the family, that’s what he’s doin’". (Lee PAGE) Additionally, Mrs. Dubose had several degrading comments to say about the
In their article, Polemic of Hate: How Mainstream Political Discourse Fueled the Growth in White Supremacy 2007-2012, authors Hicks and Hicks set out to show how the hate-filled political rhetoric during the election and presidency of President Obama increase the memberships to white supremacy groups. Hicks and hicks also bring attention to how their [white supremacy group’s] increase popularity allows them to make donations to political parties and campaigns, furthering their membership expansion. This article covers the various groups that have contribute to far right-wing campaigns thought to take over the political climate by inciting the public, creating smear campaigns, and using scare tactics to get the masses against our first biracial
A book of conflict and thrill, it bring happiness and sadness. An American classic, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book that is to be read for hundreds of years.The book revolves around many characters with different personalities but Atticus, a single father who has two children named Scout and Jem is just one of the very many. In a part, he decides to defend a “negro” when he is accused of raping a white girl. Now Tom, the “negro” is more of a caring person who actually always helped people and minded his own business. I should say that it does make sense for Atticus to take a stand, for his honesty and his selflessness.
Prejudice within the white community is another theme that is explored in the novel. In the novel the member of the white community being singled out is Boo Radley. Boo Radley is singled out by almost everyone in the white community including Scout. Scout singling out Boo is important because it is part of the novels narrative which is that the events are seen from the innocent, non biased point of view (Scout). The innocence of scout is made apparent when she says “I think there’s just one kind of folks” which is her unknowingly occurring the values that Atticus has installed in her. This links to the characterisation of racial divide which is an important feature of the novel. Also as aforementioned this is an example of Scout subconsciously portraying her innocent personality. The quote “when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things...” , “Atticus he was real nice” Is again an example of Scouts innocence.
What do the words Cracker, Kike, Nigger, Jap, Chinc, Faggot, Queer, Dike and Spic all have in common? They are all derogatory remarks that humans call one another on a daily basis. Why can people use these terms and not have to worry about receiving any punishment or any ridicule? The reason is because of the First Amendment right of free speech. The first amendment gives people the right to basically say anything that comes to mind whether it is something nice or something like a derogatory remark. The first amendment is good and freedom of speech has its advantages like most things, but however, it also has its disadvantages. The disadvantages are that people can say words that are extremely hurtful
It's true that if you ever feel the intense depths of sorrow there are two results that could occur after the fact. Someone could either feel hatred towards the experiences they have been through, or they could become reassured by the sincere gratefulness in their heart. I have not always been grateful for my life, sometimes I didn't even want it anymore, however, now it's becoming more clear how much passion and love I need to indulge myself in. I have been awaken by all my experiences and I have come to the conclusion that hate means nothing. It will get you nowhere and it's a waste of space. Yes, frustration and annoyance will still occur, but judgements and never ending grudges will in no way help me succeed in life. Life is full of bliss
Every child has a loving mind, no racism, no hatred, or any unfair judgements sown in. However, over time, a child’s mind can be corrupted to include hatred and intolerance into their many thoughts. This hatred can come out anywhere. In words - or even worse - in action. When hatred comes out either verbally or physically - It. Is. Grotesque. As sad as it is to say, it happened on two completely different occasions in the past few months at Ridgedale Middle School.
reality. Many innocent people in the story were misunderstood. They were only trying to do good, but in the end got punished for it. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are prime examples. “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Atticus says in chapter 10. Just like it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a sin to harm these men. When referring to Boo, Scout says ”...Atticus, he was real nice...” and Atticus replies with “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” (31) Everyone saw Boo as a horrible person, but he turned out to be completely innocent. Tom was innocent as well, but he still paid for the crime he didn’t commit. “..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." (25) In reality, he didn’t deserve what he got, but since it was a white person’s accusations against his word the jury didn't believe
Love far exceeds any type of hate in the world. As the world grows and evolves, hatred becomes more prominent and those who hate grow in numbers. People are judged by every part of their existence if they try to be unique and go against the normal grain of society. As the world accepts different sexualities and races, more people emerge with views against these people. When someone is unhappy with themself and their state in life, they try to bring content people down to their level. Hate can easily be ignored in a peaceful state of mind, while love will always be in the back of a person’s mind. In the end, none of these hate filled actions deter people from expressing themselves and who they are or what they believe in. Wars never end, as
“Treat others as how you would like to be treated.” This is considered to be the “Golden Rule”. It is a rule embedded in many cultures and religions as a format on how to live life. Now, with that in mind, imagine a world where one is stuck in daily oppression, aloneness, and dogged, for nominal money if not none. Imagine a world where one is stuck in the world of an animal’s, eating out of troughs where the “runts” are left to hang in solitary. Imagine a world where one is forced to be “on-sale”, dressed to cover up the bad on them. Would the aforementioned be considered a favorable world in which abuse does not take place and the Golden Rule is applied? The answer is no. Slavery exemplifies abuse through the mistreatment both physically and mentally portrayed on a slave, dehumanization, and forced governmental labor.