Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and in...

Prejudice can be defined as any preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience, 2. Harm or injury that results or may result from some action or judgment, and due in part to the first Amendment, which gave all Americans the right of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition, many Americans believe they have the right to verbally judge whomever and whatever they seem fit, to no extent. However these same American underestimate the impact prejudice can have on a person’s body and mind because as we all know prejudice grows. Prejudice can also affect all phases of life: the past, the present, and the future. Maya Angelou said, â€Å" Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the†¦show more content†¦He is told to blend in with the other African Americans, told to address white as if they were superior to him, and he is pressured into not following his dream of being a writer. In the end he path his own pa th, walks his own way, contrary to what he was told. â€Å"I knew that I lived in a country in which the aspirations of black people were limited, marked-off. Yet I felt that I had to go somewhere and do something to redeem my being alive†(Black Boy 209). Today approximately 13. 7 million single parents in America with 82.2% of them being single mothers as told by Time Magazine, these mothers all somewhat attempt to make ends meet even though women earn 30% less money than men. This derives from the lingering opinion that women are less able to conduct work than men or the opinion that women should solely be kept at home as housewives, cooking and cleaning. However, single mothers ranging from Mary Ann Moore, who works 10 hour shifts to help support her four children, to Angel Gordan mother of six who has no job, these women find ways to make ends meet. Women carry in their bodies’ the future minds of America. They labor Page 3 in pain for hours in order to bring life to new sons and daughters of the country, but if women aren’t paid equally these new sons and daughter will not be able to receive all the benefits America offers. Prejudice threatens the future. The story The Awakening by Kate Chopin illustrates a woman named Edna Pontellier who breaks outShow MoreRelatedEssay On Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird859 Words   |  4 Pagessomeone is from, they deserve to be treated just like everyone else. Society usually affects natural biases. Influenced by society, prejudice is the theme which prevails, drastically affecting people’s lives in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and â€Å"Caged Bird† by Maya Angelou. Isolation, or feeling isolated is an effect of prejudice. In Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Arthur Radley is a character who has never been seen outside of his house for years. Thus, rumors and assumptions about Radley stabbingRead MoreComparative Essay-to Kill a Mockingbird and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings1065 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish 10 18 November 2012 Response to Literature â€Å"The free bird thinks of another breeze†¦.a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The two literary works â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings† by Maya Angelou and Harper Lee’s â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† can be seen as mockingbirds that have flown over fields of prejudice and repeat what they have seen for all to hear. Jem Finch, a young boy and lawyer’s son from â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† clearly symbolizes a mockingbird because of his youth and innocenceRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesthe Castle of My Skin, by George Lamming (1953)[31] Goodbye, Columbus, by Philip Roth (1959)[32] A Separate Peace, by John Knowles (1959) To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (1960)[30] Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)[33] The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton (1967)[34] A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)[35] I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (1969) Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya (1972) The World According to Garp, by John Irving (1978) The Discovery of Slowness, by Sten Nadolny