Essay, Research Paper: To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper
Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many
examples of racism. During this time in history racism was
acceptable. Racism is a key theme in her book. Not only
those who were black, but also those who affiliated with
blacks, were considered inferior. Atticus, a lawyer, who
defended blacks in court, was mocked. An example of this
is when Mrs. Dubose said, “Your father’s [Atticus] no
better than the niggers and trash he works for!” Mr. Dolphus
Raymond was also criticized for affiliating with blacks,
especially black females. Example is when Jem said, “He
likes ‘em [blacks] better ‘n he likes us [whites], I reckon.”
Basically, you were black if you “liked” blacks. Blacks,
because they were considered inferior, were expected to do
everything for whites. Everything had to be perfect, without
excuse. Even when Calpurnia, a Finch family friend, did not
make the perfect cup of coffee, she was mocked. Book
excerpt, “She [Calpurnia] poured one tablespoon of coffee
into it and filled the cup to the brim with milk. I [Scout]
thanked her by sticking out my tongue...”. Even when blacks
did do good, they were still mocked. An example is when
Aunt Alexandra said, “Jem’s growing up now and you are
too. We decided that it would be best for you to have some
feminine influence.” Even though Calpurnia was a female,
Aunt Alexandra over-looked this, because of her race.
People were so biased, it didn’t matter how good a job a
black person did. Since there was such strong racism in
Maycomb, there were excuses made for whites. In the
book, it was obvious that Bob Ewell was a mean man. It
was also obvious that he was abusive to his daughter,
Mayella, and he was the one who violated her, not Tom
Robinson, because what the evidence showed. But, the
people of Maycomb over-looked the evidence in favor of
Tom Robinson, just because he was black. In Harper Lee’s
book, To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many examples of
racism. The legal barriers to racial equality have been torn
down, and racial exclusion from the benefits of society and
the rights of citizenship is no longer nearly total, as it once
was. But discrimination still limits the opportunities and stifles
the hopes of many black Americans and other minorities. In
the realms of housing, employment, medical care, education
and the administration of the criminal justice system, we are
still, as the 1968 Kerner Commission Report on civil
disorders warned, “two separate Americas.” At this moment
in our nation’s history, it is critical that we move definitively
forward in remedying the effects of discrimination. But
tragically, the most successful civil rights remedies have
come under attack from conservative politicians and pundits.
Affirmative action, for example, which is to be credited with
the creation of an increasingly diverse workforce, has come
under intense criticism. Voting rights laws, which have begun
to integrate the halls of Congress and state legislatures, are
also under attack. As long as our society is ridden with
race-based problems, we will need race-based remedies.
And while we have come a long way, we still have a long
way to go.


Word Count: 531