Intolerance
In To Kill A Mockingbird
Strong communities define themselves by whom they exclude
QFT Questions and how they are shown in To Kill A Mockingbird
- Lula from Calpurnia's church is hesitant to allow Jem and Scout to attend the church service
- The blacks have to sit in a different section of the courtroom from the whites.
- They don't talk about current news around blacks.
- When someone has unusual ways of living the town assumes that something is wrong with them and makes them feel unwelcome in the community. (Boo Radley)
Today:
In America today there are many ways in which a person is excluded by a community. Although there is no longer segregation some people are still intolerant towards blacks and may exclude them from having certain opportunities. Kids, teens and even adults are also excluded and bullied because they are different in various ways.
2. Who are they excluding/including?
The community of Maycomb excludes:
- People of different races
- People that socialize with people of different races
- People that are different
Today:
People that are excluded:
In the 21st century people that are generally excluded include people of different races, special needs people, gays, and people that stand out in various ways.
3. Does being excluded have a positive or negative affect?
In Maycomb:
In Maycomb being excluded has a negative affect. Because the blacks are excluded and segregated from the whites, this has caused the community to not be a whole. People's feelings towards blacks have caused them to exclude a number of people from their life. Because of being excluded, the blacks now don't like the whites and think of them as awful people. The whites intolerance for blacks is the reason that an innocent man like Tom Robinson was accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit. The trial resulted in arguments between the people of Maycomb that believed Tom was being wrongly accused, and the people who didn't.
Today:
Being excluded in today's society also has a negative affect. Kids that are bullied and excluded in school start not wanting to come to school and will pretend they are sick just so that they won't have to go. Approximately 160,000 kids stay home everyday because they are afraid and feel unsafe in school. (Bullyingstats) In that case being excluded has interfered with a person's education which can result in a negative affect. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death of young people in America. (Bullyingstats) This also has a negative affect on our country because families everywhere are losing their children because other children are intolerant of them. Our country today is also divided on many important issues involving exclusion. Most of the southern states are opposed to gay marriage have not made it legal, while most northern states have made it legal. This issue has had a negative affect on our country and has caused national controversy. (ProCon)
Understanding The Statement
Harper Lee's message about intolerance:
How this is relevant today:
Intolerance Today:
Overall people today are far more tolerant of different races than people that lived in the 1930s. Although there are still racist prejudices and stereotyping in society today, there is no longer segregation in America.
Works Cited
"Bullying and Suicide." - Bullying Statistics. N.p., 2013.
"17 States with Legal Gay Marriage and 33 States with Same-Sex Marriage Bans - Gay Marriage - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. ProConorg, 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Jan. 2014.