tkam injustice essay

5 Essays About “To Kill A Mockingbird”

In 1960, Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird . Taking inspiration from her family and an event in her childhood, Lee told a story of racism, injustice, and growing up in 1930s Alabama. The book was an instant classic but became one of the most challenged books in schools around the country. What makes this book so enduring and so controversial? How can readers wrestle with its themes and flaws? Here are five essays about To Kill A Mockingbird :

“How Do We Teach “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Honestly Confront Racism?” – DJ Cashmere

The author of this essay read To Kill A Mockingbird in 8th grade. He loved it. Later, when he tried teaching the book to his students, the kids didn’t connect to it. This isn’t unusual. Why? Cashmere states that it’s because too many white teachers neglect to discuss how racial justice has changed over the years. This gap in understanding also hurts students of color. Cashmere explores five ideas on how to teach this book today, including decentering whiteness and including Go Set A Watchman, the sequel that shook white readers’ view of Atticus Finch.

DJ Cashmere is a print and audio journalist in New York. He covers urban policy, culture, and education.

“We Shouldn’t Always Feel Comfortable: Why ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Matters – Christina Torres

Similar in theme to the first essay, “We Shouldn’t Always Feel Comfortable” addresses a recent reason schools aren’t reading Mockingbird : its racial themes cause discomfort. Torres, a middle-school English teacher, believes that discomfort is a sign the novel should still be read. The use of the N-word in the novel should make both students and teachers uncomfortable. Torres writes that it’s important for teachers and students to wrestle with the word. Good education includes facing uncomfortable things. It’s the only way to change. Note : In the comments section, Torres does say she understands that in majority-Black classrooms, the novel may be too problematic. The “good discomfort” she’s describing applies to classrooms where non-Black students wrestle with their own biases and history.

Christina Torres is a teacher and writer. Her work has appeared in Honolulu Civil Beat, Teaching Tolerance, and EdWeek Teacher. She writes about culture, education, race relations, and fitness.

“To Kill a Mockingbird: a story for white people” (2019) – E.R. Shipp

Aaron Sorkin adapted To Kill A Mockingbird for Broadway, where it opened in 2018. It was a huge success. Jeff Daniels played Atticus Finch, who is centered as the main character instead of Scout, the novel’s narrator. E.R. Shipp saw the play, describing Daniels as “magnificent.” There were updates she appreciated, such as Calpurnia having a bigger role. Still, as Shipp watches the stage, she realizes how clear it is that Mockingbird is for white people. They like to imagine themselves as friends of Atticus and fighters for justice. Even adjusted for the times, Mockingbird still centers whiteness.

E.R. Shipp is a journalist. In 1996, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. She’s the journalist in residence at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication.

“The Courthouse Ring” (2009) – Malcolm Gladwell

Drawing on the history of Southern politics, this essay compares Atticus Finch to Jim Folsom, the populist Alabama governor in the 1940s and 50s. On the surface, Folsom and Atticus are both progressives. However, even though Atticus stands up to racists, he doesn’t address the racist system. When Tom Robinson is found guilty, Atticus just hangs his head. He isn’t angry with the town’s blatant disregard for justice. While many readers adore Atticus, seeing him compared to a real person – Jim Folsom – reveals the problematic aspects of his character.

Since 1996, Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer for The New Yorker. He’s also a best-selling author, podcaster, and public speaker.

“Go Set A Watchman: Why Harper Lee’s New Book is so Controversial” (2015) – Dara Lind

We shouldn’t ignore Lee’s controversial sequel in an article about To Kill A Mockingbird . Announced in 2015, many questioned Lee’s involvement in Go Set a Watchman . Did she give informed consent? Was this just about money? Then the book came out. Many readers were horrified to learn that Atticus Finch is racist. This essay digs into that revelation and asks what this means for To Kill A Mockingbird.

Dara Lind has worked at Vox since the site’s launch in 2014. She’s one of the US’ leading immigration reporters and also covers stories on federal data, police shootings, and more.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

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Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird , Scout witnesses many different types of prejudice—and even promotes these attitudes herself—including classism, sexism, and racism. Regardless of the type of prejudicial worldview, each one treats people as stereotyped groups, demands conformity, and doesn’t give any credit to individuals. Over and over again, To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates how prejudice can be closed-minded and dangerous, as well as seemingly benign—but in all cases, it’s ridiculous and misguided.

Though racism is the type of prejudice that shines through the novel the most, Mockingbird is careful to show that this not the only kind of prejudice at work—and, at least for a white girl like Scout, it’s not even the most pressing issue in her life. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that racism isn’t Scout’s biggest issue exactly because she’s white, and what bothers her more is the sexism she experiences, and the classism expressed most often by her Aunt Alexandra . Scout is a tomboy and states clearly that she has no interest in being a lady, so she finds attempts by her Uncle Jack , Aunt Alexandra, and occasionally Jem to force her into acting more like a lady to be especially offensive, especially when this concerns wearing dresses instead of her preferred overalls. While certainly not a direct equivalent to racism, the sexism that Scout experiences at times impresses upon her just how silly prejudice is in general. Despite this, she still holds and espouses her own sexist views—she laughs when her cousin Francis says that Aunt Alexandra is going to teach him to cook, as she believes that boys don’t cook. To an outside observer, the juxtaposition of Scout’s annoyance with others’ clothing preferences with her own sexist ideas makes the point that anyone, even the victims of unfair treatment themselves, can hold questionable views.

Similarly, Scout gradually comes to the understanding that a person’s financial situation or family history shouldn’t have any bearing on whether or not they’re thought of as good people—though in many cases, she sees clearly that it does. While Aunt Alexandra outright forbids Scout from playing with Walter Cunningham , a poor farm boy at school, Scout sees that the only thing that separates her and Walter is that Walter has to miss school to work on the farm and his family doesn’t have any money—neither of which are things with which Scout (whose father, Atticus , is a lawyer) has to contend. Further, Scout feels especially warm toward the Cunningham family in general following Tom Robinson ’s trial, as someone in the family was on the jury and was the one who fought to acquit Robinson. For Scout, this is proof that Walter isn’t all that different from her, and moreover, is a good person deserving of respect and kindness. To Aunt Alexandra, however, the possibility of Scout being friends with Walter represents an existential threat to the Finch family name, as she believes that being anything but polite and detached toward poor individuals sullies one’s own reputation—again, something Scout sees as being ridiculous, misguided, and selfish.

While the existence of racism in Maycomb becomes clearest to Scout during and immediately after Tom Robinson’s trial, the novel goes to great lengths to show that the racism hurled at Robinson doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it’s a part of the way Maycomb operates. Scout learns in the year or so before the trial that segregation and a general dislike of black people isn’t something benign or normal: rather, it exists thanks to a strong undercurrent of hate on the part of white people in Maycomb. During and after the trial, Scout hears friends, family, and neighbors verbally attack Atticus for taking Tom Robinson’s defense seriously—in their opinion, Robinson doesn’t deserve a fair trial because of the color of his skin. She and Jem also suffer abuse for Atticus’s choice to defend Robinson, suggesting that in Maycomb, treating a black person with anything other than distant contempt is an unspeakable offense. Similarly, Atticus makes the case in his closing argument that the case, which relies on he-said-she-said argumentation rather than medical evidence or eyewitness testimony, asks the jury to believe that all black men are dangerous rapists—even if there’s no compelling evidence that Robinson raped Mayella Ewell , and even if there’s a very good chance that Mr. Ewell , Mayella’s father, was the one who beat her instead.

Through all of this, Scout gradually comes to the conclusion that prejudice of any kind is ridiculous and misguided—after all, she sees that the town becomes increasingly hostile toward Atticus, whom she believes is unwaveringly good, when he stands up against prejudice by defending Robinson. Further, she begins to interrogate her own prejudiced thoughts about Boo Radley , especially after he saves her and Jem’s lives. Scout’s gradual realization that it’s not fruitful or worth her time to dislike or fear people for their differences, no matter what they are, makes the case that it’s possible to move on from prejudice as people gain exposure to others who are different—especially when those seemingly different people turn out to be not so different from oneself.

Prejudice ThemeTracker

Prejudice Quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird

“There's some folks who don't eat like us," she whispered fiercely, "but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't. That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?” “He ain't company, Cal, he's just a Cunningham—“ “Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!”

“There are just some kind of men who—who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.”

“If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why are you doin' it?”

“For a number of reasons,” said Atticus. “The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again.”

"Atticus, are we going to win it?"

“No, honey.”

“Then why—”

“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said.

“Atticus, you must be wrong…”

“How's that?”

“Well, most folks seem to think they're right and you're wrong…”

Lula stopped, but she said, “You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here—they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?”

When I looked down the pathway again, Lula was gone. In her place was a solid mass of colored people.

One of them stepped from the crowd. It was Zeebo, the garbage collector. “Mister Jem,” he said, “we're mighty glad to have you all here. Don't pay no 'tention to Lula, she's contentious because Reverend Sykes threatened to church her. She's a troublemaker from way back, got fancy ideas an' haughty ways—we're mighty glad to have you all.”

Somewhere, I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was.

“Well how do you know we ain't Negroes?”

“Uncle Jack Finch says we really don't know. He says as far as he can trace back the Finches we ain't, but for all he knows we mighta come straight out of Ethiopia durin' the Old Testament.”

“Well if we came out durin' the Old Testament it's too long ago to matter.”

“That's what I thought," said Jem, “but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black.”

“If you had a clear conscience, why were you scared?”

“Like I says before, it weren't safe for any nigger to be in a—fix like that.”

“But you weren't in a fix—you testified that you were resisting Miss Ewell. Were you so scared that she'd hurt you, you ran, a big buck like you?”

“No suh, I's scared I'd be in court, just like I am now.”

“Scared of arrest, scared you'd have to face up to what you did?”

“No suh, scared I'd hafta face up to what I didn't do.”

“The way that man called him 'boy' all the time an' sneered at him, an' looked around at the jury every time he answered— … It ain't right, somehow it ain't right to do 'em that way. Hasn't anybody got any business talkin' like that—it just makes me sick.”

“They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep.”

“Oh child, those poor Mrunas,” she said, and was off. Few other questions would be necessary.

Mrs. Merriweather's large brown eyes always filled with tears when she considered the oppressed. “Living in that jungle with nobody but J. Grimes Everett,” she said. “Not a white person'll go near 'em but that saintly J. Grimes Everett.”

Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.

“When they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things…Atticus, he was real nice…” His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.

Themes and Analysis

To kill a mockingbird, by harper lee.

The theme of race and injustice is a powerful element of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee that makes the novel a great sensation.

About the Book

Article written by Onyekachi Osuji

B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

Race is the most prominent theme in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. However, Lee also explores other important themes like innocence, reputation, and parenting in the novel. The novel is written in the first-person narrative, but Lee’s genius shows in how she balances the limited perspective of the first-person narrator and the need to give readers a complete picture of events.

Race is a major theme in To Kill A Mockingbird . We see racial inequality and injustice in the Depression-Era South throughout the novel . The most striking evidence of racial injustice is the unfair accusation of rape on Tom Robinson—Mayella Ewell and her father Bob contrive to accuse Tom of rape because they cannot stand it being known by the public that Mayella who is white tried to seduce a black man. Then we see the racism of the people in the mob that attempt to lynch Tom Robinson before his trial and ultimately, in the jury who pronounce him guilty despite strong evidence and a brilliant argument by Atticus Finch in his defense.

Aside the prominent case of racism against Tom Robinson, we also see other instances of racism in the social structure of the South at the time. The blacks live in separate neighborhoods from the whites, most of the black people are illiterate because there are no schools for them, and the career options available to the blacks are limited to domestic servants, field hands, and garbage collectors.

Another subtle indication of racism is Aunt Alexandra’s outrage that Scout lacks a female influence in her life despite knowing that Calpurnia is a female and has been in Scout’s life since birth. Calpurnia’s feminine influence on Scout counts as nothing to Aunt Alexandra because Calpurnia is a black woman and Scout a white girl.

To Kill A Mockingbird addresses the interplay between what the public perceives a person to be and what a person truly is. In the novel, we see that sometimes, people are truly what their reputation says they are, while some other people are different from what they are reputed to be.

Atticus Finch is a man whose reputation is consistent with his true personality. He is known across town as a ”n****r lover” which he truly is, and every other aspect of his character is public knowledge. In Maudie Atkinson’s words: ”Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.”

For some other characters, their reputation is a misrepresentation of their personality. For instance, Boo Radley’s reputation as a monster is wrong because, in truth, he is a kind young man who is just shy and keeps to himself. Another instance is Mr Dolphus Raymond’s reputation as a drunkard, which is false as he is a sober man who is a happy and loving father and husband to his colored wife and children. He keeps up that reputation for giving society something to cling to as a reason to pity him while they condemn his decisions.

Childlike Innocence

Childlike innocence is a powerful theme in To Kill A Mockingbird. Childlike innocence exposes the folly of racial and class prejudice exhibited by adults. And the irony is that the adults are the ones who should know better but end up being the ignorant ones. Scout as a child does not see any reason to discriminate against people because of gender and class and she becomes saddened by the realization that the society in which she lives has such prejudicial sentiments.

We also see how the evil ways of adults can threaten and corrupt childlike innocence. For instance, Aunt Alexandra’s grandson Francis, learns racial slurs against blacks from his conventionally southern white grandparents.

At the end of the day, Scout’s experiences of hatred and racial prejudice in her hometown make her wise beyond her age but she still maintains her childhood innocence of regarding people as equal and protecting the helpless.

Gender is a social construct that comes with expectations and limitations in the South. There are expectations of how a girl ought to dress, and act, and standards of propriety for ladies.

Scout, a girl, dresses, and plays like a boy. Early in their childhood, her being a girl makes no difference to her brother Jem and friend Dill, but as they grow up, they begin to exclude her from their play and from their secrets for the reason that she is a girl.

Aunt Alexandra always disapproves of Scout for being a tomboy and insists that Scout ought to wear dresses and play with dolls with is a conventionally feminine way for a girl to behave.

Scout meets the white ladies of the County when her aunt Alexandra hosts them in their home and the hypocrisy of their speech and manners makes her feel more like an outsider to people of her own gender.

Injustice and Unfairness

In To Kill A Mockingbird, we see that there is injustice and unfairness in the world and that even the law sometimes cannot protect the innocent from injustice.

Tom Robinson is pronounced guilty and killed violently despite being an innocent good man. It shows that good does not always prevail over evil and that the cruelty of the world sometimes succeeds in destroying good harmless people.

Analysis of Key Moments

• Two siblings, Scout and Jem live in a nice neighborhood with their widowed father Atticus Finch. The siblings only play with each other as there are no other children in the neighborhood to play with until a boy named Dill visits one summer and they become friends.
• There is a house in the neighborhood that is always shut and never receives visitors. The occupants of the house are the Radleys and their son Boo Radley is never seen outside which makes children formulate many legends about him being a monster.
• The children devise various plots to see Boo Radley but never succeed.
• Atticus Finch’s sister Alexandra comes to live with them because she does not approve of Atticus’s unconventional parenting style
• Atticus is assigned to defend a crippled black man called Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white young lady called Mayella Ewell.
• Atticus goes to guard the accused Tom Robinson in his cell following rumors that a mob is trying to lynch him.
• Scout, Jem, and Dill surreptitiously follow Atticus to the cell.
• When the lynching mob arrives, Scout unwittingly talks them out of their intention to lynch Tom Robinson.
• Tom Robinson goes to trial but is pronounced guilty by the jury despite Atticus Finch’s strong argument and defense.
•  Atticus promises Tom that they will appeal the decision of the court. But before that, Tom is killed while trying to escape from prison.
•  Bob Ewell, the father of the allegedly raped Mayella Ewell, who felt Atticus Finch humiliated him in court, attacks Jem and Scout on their way back from a Halloween party. Boo Radley rescues them from the attack and the children’s perception of him changes from phantom to hero.

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is told in the first-person narration. The story is a flashback to childhood days of the past and a narration of those events in retrospect . The current age of the narrator is not specified but we know that the narrator is older and has gained more wisdom with age as she narrates the events.

Even though there are some complex words in the novel, the diction is generally simple. The writing style is not flowery or exaggeratedly artistic, the writing is direct and conversational.

The tone of the narrator is nostalgic and playful at the beginning but becomes progressively melancholic as she narrates grave events.

Sarcasm and euphemism are also prominent figures of speech used in the novel. For instance, on page 79, Harper Lee simplifies Aunt Alexandra’s sexual copulation with her husband, the conception and birth of her child as: ” Long ago, in a burst of friendliness, Aunty and Uncle Jimmy produced a son called Henry.” Read more quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird here .

Foreshadowing is a notable literary device deployed in the story. For instance, the climactic event of Scout and Jem’s attack is foreshadowed by the statement ”And thus began our longest walk together.”

Analysis of Symbols

The mockingbird.

The Mockingbird is a symbol of goodness and innocence that should be allowed to exist and thrive but is unfortunately preyed upon and destroyed by the wickedness and injustice in the world. The character Tom Robinson is a mockingbird—an innocent man who works hard, takes care of his family, does not make any trouble, and renders assistance to those in need of it without asking for anything in return. But unfortunately, the unjust society in which he lives destroys him with a false rape allegation and a violent death.

Boo Radley is another mockingbird whose personality is subdued by his family’s cruelty.

The Mockingbird gives the novel its title as Atticus teaches his children that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.

The Rabid Dog

This symbolizes the unpleasant reality which looms in the South but that the average people would rather not confront. The rabid dog poses a danger to all but none of the people in the neighborhood take any decisive action to confront it, they rather retire indoors and shut their doors. Even the sheriff stalls and manages to place the task of killing the dog on Atticus Finch.

The rabid dog is just as unpleasant and as dangerous as racism but even the good people in Maycomb County are afraid to confront it and the fight is and so the responsibility is always left on Atticus Finch’s shoulders.

The Refuse Dump

The refuse dump is the abode of the Ewells. Living in the refuse dump symbolizes that the Ewells are trash both literally and figuratively.

What is the main message in To Kill A Mockingbird ?

The main message in To Kill A Mockingbird is that it is wrong to prey on the innocent and that racial prejudice is cruel and wrong.

Who is the narrator in To Kill A Mockingbird ?

The narrator of To Kill A Mockingbird is a girl called Scout. Her full name is Jean Louise Finch and narrates the story as she recalls the events that took place during her childhood. She is a white girl from a relatively wealthy home. She is playful, stubborn, and tomboyish and begins to realize that she lives in a racially prejudiced society as she comes of age.

Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?

The answer to this is given by Miss Maudie Atkinson when she explains to Scout that the only thing mockingbirds do is make music for others to enjoy, they do not destroy people’s crops, do not nest in corncribs, and so it is a kill to kill such a creature that does nothing but bring pleasantness to others.

Is To Kill A Mockingbird based on a true story?

No, To Kill A Mockingbird is not based on a true story, it is fictional.

About Onyekachi Osuji

Onyekachi was already an adult when she discovered the rich artistry in the storytelling craft of her people—the native Igbo tribe of Africa. This connection to her roots has inspired her to become a Literature enthusiast with an interest in the stories of Igbo origin and books from writers of diverse backgrounds. She writes stories of her own and works on Literary Analysis in various genres.

Cite This Page

Osuji, Onyekachi " To Kill a Mockingbird Themes and Analysis 📖 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/harper-lee/to-kill-a-mockingbird/themes-analysis/ . Accessed 5 April 2024.

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The Role of Racism and Social Injustice in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

05.11.2023 // By Tome Tailor

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless classic that captures the essence of human nature, with its beautiful narrative and powerful themes. Among the various themes depicted in the story, racism and social injustice are the most prominent ones. Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, the novel explores how racial biases, prejudice, and discrimination seep into the minds of a community and hinder their ability to rightfully evaluate people.

In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the role of racism and social injustice in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, examining how Harper Lee uses these themes to highlight the flawed nature of society’s judgments and the concept of innocence.

The Trial of Tom Robinson: A Reflection of Racism and Discrimination

At the heart of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is the trial of Tom Robinson, an innocent black man falsely accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch, a white lawyer who also happens to be the protagonist Scout Finch’s father, takes up the challenge of defending Tom. In doing so, he faces tremendous backlash from his own community, as most people in Maycomb are prejudiced against African Americans.

Despite having substantial evidence that points to Tom’s innocence, the all-white jury chooses to convict him, primarily because of the deeply rooted racism in their hearts. Atticus’s closing argument impeccably summarizes the crux of this trial:

“In this country, our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal. I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system – that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.” ( To Kill a Mockingbird , Chapter 20)

Despite Atticus’s plea to the jury to uphold justice and fairness, racist prejudices cloud their judgment, leading to the ultimate miscarriage of justice for Tom Robinson.

The Mockingbird: A Symbol of Innocence

The novel’s title, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, carries a deeper meaning, symbolizing the notion of innocence. As explained by Miss Maudie to Scout:

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” ( To Kill a Mockingbird , Chapter 10)

The mockingbird represents individuals who are pure at heart and hold no malice, yet society’s prejudices and discrimination cause them harm. Tom Robinson becomes a metaphorical mockingbird, as his life is ruined due to racial prejudice, despite his innocence.

Similarly, Boo Radley, an enigmatic and reclusive neighbor, becomes another target of society’s judgments, albeit not as a result of racism. Boo’s isolation and strange past led people to create rumors about him and label him a dangerous individual. In reality, Radley saves the lives of Scout and her brother, Jem, proving that people’s judgments about him were unjust and unfair.

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ serves as a stark reminder of the power of racism, prejudice, and social injustice on the lives of innocent people. Through the trial of Tom Robinson and the racial bias exhibited by the people of Maycomb, Harper Lee reflects upon the need for an impartial justice system and society to look beyond race or social status when making judgments about people.

Furthermore, the symbolism of the mockingbird in the narrative speaks to the overarching theme of innocence ruined by the cruelty and prejudice of society. By highlighting these issues, the novel encourages empathy and understanding, making it an essential read to this day.

Take the time to read or listen to To Kill a Mockingbird and understand the powerful themes presented by Harper Lee.

Recommended Articles:

• In-Depth Guide to Understanding ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee
• 5 Books Like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ for Fans of Harper Lee’s Classic
• The Significance of the Mockingbird Symbol in Harper Lee’s Novel
• Character Analysis: Scout Finch in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
• Exploring ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Through a Historical Lens

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To Kill A Mockingbird – Injustice Essay

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Injustice is a problem which everyone faces. Nobody likes to suffer from injustice, yet they do it to others. In the novel, ” To Kill A Mockingbird ” written by Harper Lee, there are three characters who suffer the most injustice. They are Atticus, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

Atticus, a man with great wisdom, suffers from the fact that he had taken on a Negro case. He was constantly persecuted for his decision, which made him work even harder at winning the case. Even though his family was made fun of, he stuck with his choice and worked the hardest he could to ignore the threats and harassment. He did very well to ignore all the abuse and was greatly respected after the trial was over. Another person who suffered from injustice was Tom Robinson.

He was charged with a crime he did not commit. His side of the story was not believed because he was black, which really shows the amount of injustice during the time the novel was set in. Through the whole trial, he did not retaliate at the white people, he did not get mad because he was improperly accused, he just showed the level of respect which everyone deserves. He handled the injustice with a manner reserved only for gentlemen, which is a good description of what he really was. The third person to suffer injustice in the novel was Boo Radley. Many accusations were claimed about him even though they were untrue.

Just because he didn’t leave his house, people began to think something was wrong. Boo was a man who was misunderstood and shouldn’t of suffered any injustice. Boo did not handle the injustice because he didn’t know about it. In conclusion, the person who deserves the deepest sympathy is Tom Robinson. He did nothing wrong but his crime was being nice to white people.

This type of injustice is the worst because everyone puts up with it. Therefore, Atticus, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley suffered the most injustice in the novel.

This essay was written by a fellow student. You may use it as a guide or sample for writing your own paper, but remember to cite it correctly . Don’t submit it as your own as it will be considered plagiarism.

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Guernica editor who published Israeli writer’s coexistence essay resigns, saying she disagreed with retraction

( JTA ) – The editor-in-chief of the prestigious literary magazine Guernica whose decision to publish an Israeli writer’s essay about the war in Gaza last month led to the mass resignation of the magazine’s staff has herself resigned from the publication, saying she disagreed with the decision to retract the essay.

Jina Moore announced her resignation in a blog post on Friday , nearly a month after Guernica retracted the essay by the British-Israeli writer and translator Joanna Chen.

“The magazine stands by its retraction of the work; I do not,” Moore wrote in the post.

On the social network X, Moore issued a more pointed critique of the Guernica staffers who objected to Chen’s piece . “After weeks of difficult conversation, it is clear to me that Guernica’s space for writing on war, injustice, and oppression has evolved away from commitments I consider essential,” she wrote.

Chen’s essay, “From the Edges of a Broken World,” ignited a firestorm at the heart of the literary world’s deeply polarized reaction to the war. After the piece was published in early March, Guernica’s co-publisher called it an “apologia for Zionism and the ongoing genocide in Palestine,” and more than 15 members of the all-volunteer staff resigned in protest. The journal also removed Chen’s essay, appending a note online promising “a more fulsome explanation” for the decision, though none has appeared to date.

For some Jews who have questioned their place in progressive and literary spaces since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Guernica’s retraction offered new evidence of a toxic discourse in which no Israeli or Jew can pass muster. “The problem, when it really comes down to it, is that it presents an Israeli as human,” the Jewish writer Emily Fox Kaplan tweeted at the time.

Moore said she disagreed with the criticism of the essay.

“Many critics have said the essay normalized the violence Israel has unleashed in Gaza. I disagree,” Moore wrote in her Friday post. “I saw the piece as an example of the difficult work that Guernica is known for: capturing, with complexity and nuance, how such violence is normalized, and how a violent state extracts complicity from its citizens.”

Moore had served as Guernica’s top editor for three years and its co-publisher since 2003. A former East Africa bureau chief for The New York Times who has worked to support journalists in the aftermath of violence, Moore is managing editor of the Harvard Public Health Magazine. Moore was a Truman Scholar at Boston University, where she led a Holocaust education club, studied with Elie Wiesel and conducted research into the Holocaust. “I want to address genocide — why it happens, and what it means for those of us living secure lives as it occurs,” she told the university newspaper as an undergraduate in 2001.

Moore previously spearheaded a women’s rights reporting initiative at Buzzfeed. In her Guernica resignation announcement, she wrote, “A personal essay by a woman writer about the political nature of caregiving also struck me as aligned with a long tradition of feminist writing in Guernica’s pages.” In the essay, Chen, a peace activist who volunteers as a medical transport driver for Palestinians, describes her conflicted emotions after Oct.7.

Moore’s resignation was itself pilloried by some progressive writers. “There was nothing feminist about that essay,” Palestinian-American novelist Susan Muaddi Darraj wrote on X. “I am shocked by people who cannot see how harmful it was.”

“Good riddance!” added anti-Zionist Jewish writer Joshua Gutterman Trannen.

After being retracted, Chen’s piece was later re-published by The Washington Monthly , a center-left publication.

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Guernica Magazine Editor-in-Chief Resigns Over Retraction of Israel Essay

“The magazine stands by its retraction of the work; I do not,” Jina Moore writes in a blog post announcing her resignation

Online literary magazine Guernica’s editor-in-chief has resigned over the retraction of an essay by an Israeli writer that caused several outraged staffers to quit. 

The essay, titled “From the Edges of a Broken World,” featured a discussion of coexistence in the Middle East. Author Joanna Chen wrote about her experience attempting to bridge the divide between Israelis and Palestinians and how her efforts were derailed by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and then the subsequent war in Gaza. 

Guernica then retracted the story, replacing it with a note on the website that acknowledged that the magazine “regrets having published this piece, and has retracted it.” 

Since the essay was published, more than 10 members of the magazine’s all-volunteer staff and resigned from their roles, including former co-publisher Madhuri Sastry. 

However, on Friday, Guernica’s editor-in-chief Jina Moore resigned for a different reason, in protest of the retraction of the piece. 

“Many critics have said the essay normalized the violence Israel has unleashed in Gaza. I disagree,” Moore wrote in a blog post . “I saw the piece as an example of the difficult work that  Guernica  is known for: capturing, with complexity and nuance,  how  such violence is normalized, and how a violent state extracts complicity from its citizens.”

Moore continued that she understands that “many readers did not see the essay this way, and I have learned from many thoughtful critiques.”

“But it has become clear to me that  Guernica ’s commitment to writing on war, injustice, and oppression has evolved. The magazine stands by its retraction of the work; I do not,” Moore wrote. “ Guernica  will continue, but I am no longer the right leader for its work.”

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New Report Reveals N.Y.C. Areas Most Hurt by Environmental Inequities

By Hilary Howard

A new report from the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice digs deep into the social inequities that contribute to environmental problems in New York City neighborhoods.

The Background: A project years in the making.

In 2017, a new law required the city to publish a data-driven study and mapping tool that identifies areas with disproportionate levels of pollution, as well as contributing socioeconomic factors.

Seven years later, it’s here .

Mayor Eric Adams said that the report and mapping tool would help locate “the communities that have been most impacted by environmental inequities.” And those insights, he added, will help guide government policies.

The Findings: Low-income communities of color are the hardest hit.

Nearly half of the city’s population lives in what the report describes as an “environmental justice area.” (It determined these areas, which typically have histories of societal neglect resulting in elevated levels of pollution and health issues, using census data.)

Polluting infrastructure, like high-emitting power plants and hazardous waste generators, tends to anchor these neighborhoods, many of which also lack green space and public transit. Several of the areas are near highways and warehouses, which can expose residents to contaminants.

Structural racism and poverty contribute to hardships for residents, who also battle a disproportionate amount of challenges related to housing and climate change, such as lead paint exposure and high heat.

Within these areas, 27 percent of residents are Black and 43 percent are Hispanic; almost a quarter have incomes below the poverty level.

The Bronx has the most environmental justice areas — nearly the entire borough qualifies for the designation. Affected neighborhoods in other boroughs include East Harlem, central and eastern Brooklyn, the North Shore of Staten Island and southern Queens.

Why It Matters: The data underscores needs.

The report and interactive map can equip environmental justice areas with the kinds of data and information that can be useful in, say, applying for federal funding , said Elijah Hutchinson, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, which announced the project Friday.

“In order to look forward sometimes you have to look back, to address the harms of the past,” Mr. Hutchinson said.

Investing in disadvantaged neighborhoods is crucial while the city works to meet the state’s ambitious climate goals , which include decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, Mr. Hutchinson continued. “In order to achieve these, we can’t leave anyone behind.”

The Numbers: Park access is low. E.R. visits are high.

The Bronx has the highest rates of food insecurity and diet-related diseases (39 percent of residents in the South Bronx have high blood pressure). The borough also has the highest percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their energy bills (36 to 38 percent in some areas), yet neighborhoods in the Bronx dominate a list of those where households lack air-conditioning.

Of the New Yorkers who live in neighborhoods with histories of discriminatory housing practices (known as “ redlining ”), 67 percent also find themselves in environmental justice areas, and more than half are people of color. And Black New Yorkers are twice as likely to die from heat stress as white New Yorkers.

In Erasmus, Brooklyn, public park space is scant: For every 1,000 residents, there is about a tenth of an acre. In Elmhurst, Queens, and Parkchester in the Bronx, there is about half an acre.

In some environmental justice areas like East Harlem, adult emergency room visits from exposure to particulate matter from sources like truck exhaust and smokestacks can be as high as three times the citywide average.

East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has 10 waste transfer stations, the most in the city. Hunts Point, in the Bronx, has seven, and there are five in Jamaica, Queens.

What Happens Next: Sounds like a plan.

“The report puts context to the data that the city has collected and gives a snapshot of what communities are experiencing,” said Peggy Shepard, the executive director and co-founder of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a nonprofit in Harlem involved in the project.

The next step, which is also required by law, is for the city to work with the public to develop a plan for addressing and repairing these social inequities. It will involve “a robust community engagement process across the five boroughs,” Ms. Shepard said.

Hilary Howard is a Times reporter covering how the New York City region is adapting to climate change and other environmental challenges. More about Hilary Howard