Examples Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Prejudice is an opinion with no real reason or experience that supports it. Prejudice can come in many different forms and many are shown in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s when racism and sexism was everywhere and the idea of prejudice fueled many of these broader topics. Oftentimes racist and sexist ideas are passed down by other people's opinions, so what one person is told may allow them to create their own similar opinion, this is also how prejudice is spread. People are not born prejudiced but rather learn prejudiced ideas as they grow, however there are ways to avoid prejudice and to remain indifferent towards prejudiced opinions. Prejudice is not a concept that we are born with but rather

Changing how you view the world and other groups in society is not always the easiest process however there are a few simple ways to get rid of personal bias. According to greatergood.berkeley.edu, some of the most beneficial ways to reduce prejudice are to travel and interact with the world around you, learn about different cultures and races and learn more about prejudice itself, and where it comes from. Traveling and seeing how people from different places do things and interact with one another can automatically change how you think about these groups of people. By talking to people from other cultures or ethnic groups, individuals can learn more about the background of their lifestyle and why they do things a certain way. Learning about where prejudice comes from can benefit a prejudiced person by learning what may have caused their biased opinions and how to change them. One example of a person realizing their prejudice and changing for the better is Mr. Underwood from To Kill a Mockingbird. At the start of the novel, Mr. Underwood is racist just like the rest of his town, but after Tom Robinson's trial, he begins to realize how unfairly Tom, and many other african americans at the time, were mistreated. He even goes as far as writing about Tom's death and referred to it as a “senseless slaughter.” This shows Mr. Underwood's growth throughout the book and how he was able to change his prejudiced thoughts and use his change in thought to spark change in others. Modern day society can also change in this way, if individuals began to realize their bias towards certain groups and channel them as motivation to change their perspective, people would begin to treat others more