Influence of Stereotypes in To Kill a Mockingbird by...

Introduction Section One: Harper Lee’s Life Section Two: Time Period Influences on Lee’s Writing Section Three: Influence of Stereotypes Section Four: To Kill a Mockingbird Reviews Conclusion Works Cited Introduction Which doll is better? In the 1950s, psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark asked black children between three and seven to answer this simple, yet revealing question. The kids were shown four dolls that were exactly the same except for their skin colors. Almost three quarters of the children chose the white doll as being superior and attributed positive characteristics to it. When asked why they picked it, they replied with, â€Å"Because it’s white† (Abagond). Almost half a century later, in 2005, Kiri Davis repeated the†¦show more content†¦In both cases, the black males were found guilty because individuals did not think for themselves and simply conformed to everyone else’s stereotypical beliefs (Schmoop Harper Lee). As a child, Lee was very much like her character Scout Finch. Lee was a tomboy; she would fight on the playground, and talk back to teachers, just like Scout. When Scout attends her first day of school she retorts back to her teacher to the point that her educator says, â€Å"Jean Louis, I’ve had about enough of you this morning...Youre starting off on the wrong foot in every way† (Lee 24). Lee would have acted very similarly on her first day. After secondary school, Lee studied law at the University of Alabama from 1945 to 1949, writing in the school’s newspaper and humor magazine, the Rammer Jammer. Lee soon realized that her passion was in writing and dropped out after the first semester. Though she quit, the knowledge she gained from university about the legal system is displayed in her novel (Big Read). Section Two: Time Period Influences on Lee’s Writing During the mid-1900s, prejudice and stereotypes were very prevalent, especially in a southern city like Alabama. Lee’s novel was published in 1960, right when the civil rights movement peaked. During this period of fight, groups hoped to end racial segregation and inequality. Additionally, the Scottsboro case held court in Alabama in 1931. The trial was about nine black males who were accused of raping two white women. The malesShow MoreRelatedUse of Minor Characters in To Kill a Mockingbird1274 Words   |  6 PagesFurthermore, protagonists are isolated without the people that surround and influence them subliminally. This applies to the intriguing minor characters one has the privilege of discovering in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Specifically, Lee uses minor characters to effectively disprove stereotypes and establishing setting. Not only do they influence the direction of the plot, but also Scout and her development as a character. Lee carefully selects min or characters to send important messages and reinforceRead MoreTheme Of Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird791 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader. MockingbirdsRead MoreTheme Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird1450 Words   |  6 Pages Ingrained Racism â€Å"Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird...Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy† (Lee 119). The white community sinned and the black community suffered as an innocent mockingbird was killed. Although innocence is one recurring theme in Harper Lee’s novel, it seems as though it only mattered to her. Lee illustrates the widespread racial discrimination and oppression that developed in every social class of Maycomb, Alabama. Mulligan’s interpretation howeverRead MoreInequality In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay1241 Words   |  5 Pagesthe time and setting of To Kill a Mockingbird. Both black people and women dealt with stereotypes, like being a woman associated with being useless, a gossip, and delusional and being a black person meant you are uneducated. These stereotypes led to the word â€Å"female† or â€Å"n*gger† or black an offensive term. These connotations made being a woman or a black person less worthy. 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In context, between the book To Kill a Mockingbird and the film, MississippiRead MoreDangerous Social Forces1185 Words   |  5 Pagesthem. Social forces influence identities and become dangerous. Gender, race, time and place are just three social forces. All can have negative effects associated with them, the stereotyping of gender, saying that a girl has to dress nice, or cook in the kitchen, race and being discriminated against for not being a certain color, or even how being in a certain place can affect a persons identity, on the way they should act. Using references from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and other variousRead MoreRacial Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird1564 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughout all societies, but when are they ever true? This is an insightful question that the characters Jem and Scout may be asking themselves following their experiences of racial prejudice and unfair judgement of others in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. 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