Essay on Setting to reveal theme of racial prejudice Feedback

General points Harper Lee is a woman Use paper with a margin Don’t use first person in a higher critical essay. (eg. I will show how….) You should introduce each quotation by giving its context. i.e -What is happening at the time? -Who says it and to whom? -Where does it happen?

General points (continued) Your analysis shouldn’t be part of your topic sentence, but should come after the quotation. Analyse each quotation separately. Don’t make bold claims or sweeping generalisations. Don’t make insincere and sycophantic comments praising the author.

Key Words from the question Setting in time and place Theme of racial prejudice Discussion of setting in both time and place are very significant in the novel.

Maycomb and Racism Maycomb is a deeply racist town It is typical, in its racism, of any small town in the Deep South of America in the 1930s Maycomb fears losing its white supremacy Christianity is used to give white people a sense of security in their wrong judgement of black people. Maycomb’s racism is so deeply engrained in the people that even the children don’t understand equality of all races.

Maycomb’s racism comes from - hundreds of years of slavery -generations of belief that black people are sub human.

Its racism is perpetuated (continued) by: -The insular nature of Maycomb -The backward nature of Maycomb -The South’s resentment of having lost the Civil War which forced the South to abolish slavery, one of the key elements of its agricultural economy. -Poverty, as the whites are determined to hold on to what little sense of superiority they have in the face of the nationwide economic catastrophe which was the great depression.

Atticus and Racism Atticus is a deeply principled man who tries to prevent a black man suffering a racist jury verdict He has an almost impossible task in defending Tom Robinson as he would have to overturn the ways and ideas of the people of Maycomb. It is highly significant that Atticus fails to deliver Tom Robinson from his fate at the hands of a white racist town. That would suggest a power that one man simply does not have. For racism to end, society has to change.

Hope for change Several people’s racism views are changed by Atticus’s lessons (either directly through him or his children). This hope is further represented in the book by the children achieving a degree of understanding and maturity by the end, suggesting that they will continue to espouse the values in the future, that they have learned from their father.

Key Point 1 – Lee’s portrayal of Maycomb as an isolated and insular town is important in helping the reader to understand the racism of the town. The inbred nature of the town means that there is no external influence and as such it is unlikely that attitudes will change. This reflects the size of task that Atticus has in defending Tom.

Key Point 2 - Lee’s decision to set the novel during the great depression aids the readers understanding of Maycomb as an impoverished town with no immediate future prospects. You have to link the poverty of the town to the racism of the town.

Like so!! People in Maycomb are hurt and frightened -Their town like many in the southern states is in economic ruin and suffering the effects of losing the civil war. -They are desperate to cling on to what they have -It is this fear that causes them to subjugate and discriminate against the black people in the town. - They deny the blacks education, give them the poorest jobs, and force them to live in the “settlements beyond the town dump”

Moreover, the racist attitudes about the inferiority and dehumanisation of blacks are passed down from adults to children. As a result of this the racist attitudes and ideas of the townsfolk will continue to dominate and pervade society for generations to come. Key Point 3

“A negro would not pass the Radley place at night” It is the attitude of the narrator here that subtly implies the inferiority of the blacks in Maycomb and that their safety and well- being are not so important as that of the whites.