Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 3038 Words

Through the Glass What does it mean to tear apart our past for the sake of a new beginning? The answer is simple, really. It means to look through a new pair of glasses, ones that are not scratched and foggy, in order to see the world clearly. Abandon the wrongs that have plagued society and strive instead for peace and equality. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, took place during the Civil Rights Movement In the 1930’s. At the time, a lot of racism and prejudice was integrated into life as blacks became segregated from whites. Various stereotypes were formed, such as saying that blacks were dangerous, liars, and perverts, lusting for white women. In addition, they had entirely separate drinking fountains, restrooms,†¦show more content†¦Both Jem and Scout question these narrow mindsets of the people in Maycomb and whether or not it is acceptable to judge people right from the start. Slowly, Jem and Scout choose to adapt to their father, Atticus’s, noble wa ys of thinking to not judge people on rumors and appearances. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, addresses the social inequity by showing the readers that it is important to look past differences in race, reputation, and isolation and look at one another through pure, fair, and understanding eyes; only then can we finally realize what makes us equal to each other in our hearts. We should see each other for who we really are instead of believing rumors and by doing this, create a more fair society to overcome prejudice. During chapter 12 of the story, Scout and Jem go to an African American church for the first time with their maid Calpurnia. Calpurnia lives with the Finch family at home and often acts as an influence for Scout and Jem to be more open-minded as they become more exposed to racism. When they leave the church later that day, Scout asks Calpurnia why she acts so polite around whites but talks in â€Å"her nigger-talk† when she is around other colored people. Calpurnia explains to them that often times, racism inhibits black people from expressing their true emotions: Suppose you and Scout talked