Smith
Logan Smith
Mr. Barker
English 9
9 May 2017
Prejudice In The Town of Maycomb
In desperate attempt to save his client, Tom Robinson, from death, Atticus Finch declared, “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white.” (Lee 271). People are not born prejudice, it is something that is learned. Especially with children, when they are reinforced by listening to derogatory ethnic jokes, when others thinks it’s something to joke about. Racism is a big problem in many people’s lives, throughout history, many groups and cultures have been affected by racism. Racial prejudice is a negative aspect of society that has unfavorably affected many different people.
The town of Maycomb was very prejudice in the trial of Robinson v. Ewell. The quote shows how Maycomb is prejudice during the trial. At the beginning of the quote Atticus said “A white woman tempting a negro is something unspeakable in our society”. Meaning a white female flirting with a black man was frowned upon in the town of Maycomb. “She was white, and she tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: She kissed a black man. No code mattered to her before she broke it but it came crashing down on her afterward.” (Lee 206). As I stated in my thesis, racial prejudice negatively affects different people. In this case it is affecting African-Americans. Unfortunately Tom Robinson being black he was accused for coming on to Mayella when it was the other way around and he was assumed for doing it because he was black. I believe all the evidence stated above proves that the trial was based upon racial prejudice.
In the story Bob Ewell was grossly prejudice, so prejudiced that he would hang an innocent black man just for being the color he was. This quote shows how prejudice he is against blacks. “Why, I run for Tate quick as I could. I knowed who it was, all right, lived down yonder in that nigger-nest, passed the house every day. Jedge, I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to live around ‘sides devaluin’ my property” (Lee 180). How I see that this quote relates to the thesis is he isn’t treating all of these black people fairly. Meaning he is being prejudice against black people. As this quote shows how Mr. Bob Ewell is being prejudice to the black people by saying that blacks lived in “nigger-nests” as a home.
You could also say the people in Maycomb are prideful of their town majority being white. The people are so prideful of being a majority white they tried to rid the town of all the “niggers”. In the trial of Robinson v. Ewell the town tried to unfairly give Tom Robinson a sentence that he did not deserve to try to get rid of him. I believe that the town is more prejudice against blacks than prideful of their town. Not saying that their pride for their town isn't very strong but being prejudice is stronger. They were a “common Alabama” town in the 1930’s.
Tom Robinson was being treated wrongfully in the town of Maycomb. Many people seen him as a useless slave that only could do slave labor. This quote I believe that it shows how prejudice the town was against black people. I shows how a statement from a white person can beat multiple black people's statements. "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads --they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life." (Lee 220). This relates to the thesis by standing by the fact that white people were prejudice of black people in Maycomb. It shows how white supremacy was back in the 1930’s. I believe this shows how Tom Robinson was innocent in the situation but because of the town's prejudice they went with the white word and not the black person's word.
Racial injustice on a certain race against blacks in the 1930’s has negatively affected the culture because of all the prejudice. The trial was prejudiced because everyone was wanting to take the white person's word over the truthful, black person's word. Bob Ewell was one of the most prejudiced people in the town of Maycomb and his daughter getting caught in the middle of all it made it worse. Tom Robinson was negatively affected by all of these things and was going to be punished for a crime that he did not commit. Would you like something like this in your society?
Works Cited
Harper, Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York, Grand Central, 1982, pp. 180-271.
Harper, Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York, Grand Central, 1982, pp. 180-271. Accessed 9 May 2017
