Describe your thoughts on social structure in today's world and in TKAM. Use your novel and life experiences to support your opinion (ex. school, community, etc.)
Remember to include a source of media, a thought provoking question, and respond to two other questions.
There are major differences in today's world and in TKAM. In our world, there is more acceptance everywhere racially, sexually, and gender wise. In TKAM, the major prejudice is racial differences and gender differences. Women back then were not allowed to be on the jury but now, women and men can be on the jury. Also, there is a greater acceptance for children going to school. Back then, school wasn't entirely important for the girls, after all, they were meant to have kids and rais them. Now girls can do anything boys can. We are able to try new thiings and this has benefitted our society. My question is, why did it take so long for society to accept itself? The Constitution and other written documents have all stated equality for all, but why wasn't that implemented back then? The picture is of a fish being outcasted, just like the blacks were outcasted for their color. http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=557&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=9NFn8UFF00EAJM:&imgrefurl=http://autismparentingsolutions.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/autism-awareness-understanding-and-acceptance/&docid=890lQD8yQZWpOM&imgurl=http://autismparentingsolutions.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/fish-acceptance.jpg&w=325&h=325&ei=0jwzT5SINKeHsALDmJ2gAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=320&sig=104863730312605188251&page=1&tbnh=159&tbnw=159&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=22&ty=74
ReplyDeleteHi daphne,
DeleteI agree that our society is more accepting nowadays, but there is still segregation between the differences in people. Also, for your question, I believe that the change took so long because changing one's prejudices doesn't happen over night. People's thoughts towards certain people have been burnt into their minds so the acceptance of "different" people had a gradual change.
I think that "society took so long to accept itself" because the blacks and the whites didn't see themselves as a whole society. Remember in the book, the blacks and whites lived in different parts of town, and they even sat on different floors in the courthouse. This shows that they considered themselves to be different and thus, they would not give them rights or accept them until it became inevitable, which leads to MLK.
DeleteI agree with albert, i think that a long time ago when whites began to see themselves as superior they began to degrade blacks and force the idea that blacks and white were different and not equal. Therefore enforcing the discrimination and segregation, but finally change was possible.
DeleteI don't think that equality wasn't implemented back them because the people refused to accept it. I mean, sure the constitution said it, but they just didn't feel connected to the blacks in the same way they were connected to each other. The whites solely looked at the outer covering, not realizing how similar they were to the blacks inside.
DeleteI believe that the social structure is somewhat similar in the fact that educated people and less educated people are segregated. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch family is looked up upon while people like the Ewells are looked as "white trash". In the novel, Aunt Alexandra is prejudiced over the uneducated and tells Scout to stop playing with Walter Cunningham because of his social status. This segregation and prejudice is still here nowadays. Going to such a school right now, many are asking and expecting so much from "smart" people.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.com/imgres?start=97&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=ZZb94-pd0omhoM:&imgrefurl=https://underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com/tag/gay-soldiers/&docid=ZwuHkpIlhQb2uM&imgurl=http://underthelobsterscope.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/100921pettc-slideshow_main-prod_affiliate-91.jpg%253Fw%253D604&w=600&h=415&ei=WDwzT-uTA-KvsAKY7f2BAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=873&vpy=4&dur=12&hovh=187&hovw=270&tx=116&ty=69&sig=102127557791870205876&sqi=2&page=5&tbnh=130&tbnw=188&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:97
This cartoon shows that many people have thoughts that educated and good people are always superior and educated.
Question: If we lived in a world without social segregation, will we still have problems going on such as problems going on right now?
Athena, what do mean when you say that this segregation and prejudice is still here nowadays? And what problems do you mean? Thanks
DeleteI believe Athena is trying to say that there is still segregation among races. For example, there is a China town, a Korean Town, an India town. Also, prejudice is still abundant in our community present day. This creates problems politically and on a personal scale since different ethnicities often don't feel obliged to help each other out. I believe if there weren't social segregation, the world would be much more peaceful and wars such as World War II could have been avoided.
DeleteI sort of agree with Allison, that there would be more peaceful if there wasn't social segregation. But, even without social segregation, I think that societies would find other ways to dispute. Maybe not because of social rankings, but maybe because of something else. I believe that it's impossible to be entirely peaceful, and there must be some form of conflict for peace to even exist. So either way, with or without social segregation, we probably would still have problems like the ones going on today.
DeleteI think that in TKAM, most people still had the idea of male and white superiority, but that they were slowly starting to change. For example, if the jury were totally biased and totally "whitely supreme" then the trial for Tom Robinson would have been done in 10 minutes, not for multiple hours. This shows that people are actually considering blacks to be citizens worthy of the law, and not just as their workers or the scum of society. In today's world, even though much progress has been made in terms of having equality in race and sex, people are still somewhat expected to fill certain characteristics, like how people expect women to clean the house as housewives, and how many expect Asians to excel mainly in science and math. Yet, I believe that because our society has been so accustomed to accepting these roles from certain types of people, MORE of those people have actually specialized in that certain area and therefore society functions that way.
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me somewhat of the caste system and that because people are born in and expected to fulfill a duty, they have excelled in what they do usually. https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTCDiPBZEM9ldJ8hAmonibNyoANWvXFw6YUJKNNjS1FDLDUgvtc1Q
My thought provoking question is: Is it better to have total equality in society (in the context presented above), or is it better for people to specialize and benefit the society?
I think that it is much better if there was individuality. If everyone was equal, there wouldn't be seperate jobs or different things that some people can or can not do. If every single person was equal, that means they would be doing the same thing, job, or whatever and the world would not have been as technologically, economically, and mentally advanced as it is today.
DeleteAlbert I agree with you that in TKAM, the people of the jury actually took into consideration of Tom Robinson instead of quickly declaring him guilty. I think that if the people of the jury really WERE completely biased and had the mindset that all whites were superior, I wouldn't think that the decision-making would take so long.
DeleteI think it is interesting that the jury in TKAM took so long to decide their verdict. It shows that not everyone likes the idea of racism between blacks and whites. They may believe that everyone should be equal, but are too afraid to express their thoughts to others because they will be judged and criticized.
DeleteThe social structure now is different than it was in To Kill a Mockingbird. Then, blacks were at the bottom, and were plentiful. Also, educated people were scarce, and they weren't regarded as well as they are today. Back then, the color of your skin and your gender determined your place in society;two factors you couldn't control. Now, however, blacks and whites are considered equal. There is no difference in social placement between a black doctor and a white doctor. Also, nowadays education is a huge factor in placement in society. For example, a doctor is considered very highly, versus a hot dog vendor. The social hierarchy has pretty much flipped from then to now. Before, society didn't care for education, now it's a huge part of our lives.
ReplyDeletehttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Vgxf0UW9v7w/SfTY2DMBT5I/AAAAAAAAAHo/7QxdA-5baVI/s400/Untitled1.jpg
This picture shows how instead of a pyramid now, it is a diamond, because times have changed ever so drastically.
Some food for thought: Are there any positive affects of segregation? If not, why do the whites stick to it so much?
Anshika i agree because education is an important factor of society. Education is basically your ticket to succeeding in life. I think our society revolves around education and i also think that was the case in TKAM.
DeleteAnshika I agree when you said that blacks and whites are CONSIDERED equal now, but they aren't THOUGHT to be equal. Because, for example, there were MANY people who were shocked as to why a black man was voted for president. Many disagreed and questioned the USA.
DeleteI think the reason white stick to it so much is because they want to be at the top and they have to give the rest of society reason for it and that reason is segregation. If you make all the whites superior to the Blacks they will come across as better and the whites will be treated better and if they did anything wrong they could easily point fingers at the blacks and everyone would believe them. And that's exactly what Mayella and her father Bob Ewell did in TKAM.
DeleteThe society in TKAM is very different to our society now because there is a decline in racism and also the roles of males and females have become a lot more independent. There is also the increase in tolerance for homosexuality. TKAM society is restrained by family, sex, tradition, and race; however our culture has grown tolerant. Although the two societies are different they have similarities like the economic division of the classes.
ReplyDeletehttp://thesacredwordis.blogspot.com/2011/05/society-is-disgusting.html
question: What are the disadvantages of having a tolerant society.
Hey Taniaa
DeleteI don't think there are any significant disadvantages in having a tolerant society. Maybe, if people are forced into tolerance, it could lead to resentment and end up causing a larger ruckus than before....I don't know where I'm going with this.
I think that the disadvantages is that the society might accept so much that it might accept anything that passes by. If our society is too tolerant, we might even accept somebody that might have done something wrong.
DeleteExaaaactly Athena that's what i was thinking, maybe our society could become violent or too apathetic. This could also affect the government as equality is sometimes promoted by the law.
DeleteI agree with your comment that people today have become more tolerant. People have started to get along with each other and consider one another as friends, not enemies. I think that this not only makes the world more peaceful, but it has also brought everyone together to work on making the world a better place.
DeleteWhen I imagine a tolerant society, it's like a Utopia of sorts because there won't be hatred between people because they will be tolerated. However, if everyone was tolerated, the ones who deserve to be punished may not be punished and everyone would sort of be living a fake life because intolerance in a part of human nature. Without it everyone's just playing happy.
DeleteThere is a huge difference between the social structures of today and of To Kill A Mockingbird. In the novel, many people, mainly the whites, take racial discrimination to a new level. They make sure to keep away from the other race and try not to get involved with them in any way. But today, everyone, or almost everyone, accept the world of differences and get along. But there is still one thing in common between the two societies: We still judge people by race. Today has been more tolerant with racism and more open, unlike in the early 1900's where discrimination was very severe and used to blame people, hurt people, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis comic shows the racism that is still included in today's society.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Cry2hN-xUQM/SM3W_5GyggI/AAAAAAAAAcY/8p7GyvPYf3c/s400/end-of-racism+cartoon.png
Question: If racism never existed in Earth, what could possibly be the outcome of that type of world today?
Answer to your question: I think that there would be equality for all. We wouldn't have had a Civil War and many of the conflicts that we have today because of racism and prejudice.
DeleteI don't think getting rid of racism will make everyone equal because within countries, in history there have been many class tensions that lead to problems like in France, the class tensions led to a Revolution and a Reign of Terror. All the people were French in ethnicity and considered White in race yet people were not equal.
DeleteIf racism never existed, it wouldn't mean that people would be equal. People would just find a way to blame another person without using racism as a tool. Just like today, with cyber bullying going on, people are being bullied because of various reasons that are not necessarily racist reasons. People could be bullied because they do not see as intelligent or someone may be too smart!
DeleteIf racism did not exsist, I think we would be in an extrememly tolerable environment. If we saw each other as equal persons, then wouldn't everything work out? Whatever race we are, we are still human beings that live in the world together.
DeleteIf no racism existed on this very earth today, i believe this would cause people to not learn many valuable lessons that racism teaches, such as acceptance, fairness, kindness, etc. These things could have very well been made possible through racism. Maybe racism is actually necessary to teach us "non-perfect" humans between right and wrong.
DeleteThere are major differences in today's world and TKAM. Back in the day, people were heavily judged by their race and gender. Blacks and whites did not get along with each other and women were considered low on the social ladder. Nowadays, people are more accepting of each other and have more empathy. The world is becoming more diverse and I believe that this makes people get along with each other as well as understand different cultures of different races. Although there may still be some racial profiling, I think that each year it's getting better and better.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: What do you think will happen to the social structure in the future? Will it continue improving or come crashing back down?
http://www.socialnatural.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Assumptive-Outrageousness-Social-Natural.jpg
This picture shows what women probably felt when they were considered low in the social class.
To answer your question, I think the social structure will continue to improve. It may take a while and will never be "perfect", but we don't live in a utopian society, so nothing will ever be the way everyone wants it to be. I think in the future, women's rights will be improved. In our society today, we can see many improvements being made. For example, there are more candidates for a woman president and women are often given higher positions by their employer. Women are becoming more "important" in society.
DeleteI think that the social structure may remain the same. History has a habit of repeating the same events, in one way or another. We still have many conflicts to sort out, especially with social segregation and prejudice. One example is the conflict in the middle east. Sure, it may improve a little, but I feel that the same problems will still arise and halt progress.
DeleteI agree Elijah..about the history repeating itself. However I think because of the amounts of problems we've had in history, it improves our social hierarchy. In the American Revolutionary Way, Blacks we allowed to fight because they were needed and even though the Whites may not have realized this, history would repeat itself to show them. During WWI, women had to take over for men and this helped gain women's rights in America because in 1920, two years after the war ended, the women's suffrage amendment was ratified.
DeleteFor this reason I think society will continue to improve itself because that's just the way it's always seemed to work out.
I believe that social structure will continue to improve in the future. Although here in the US we claim that everyone is thought of as equal, we have yet to see a female president take office. It is steps such as these that will continue to promote equality in our society. These milestones in history help remind us to stay away from prejudice and descrimination. As time progresses, the ideas of equality and unity will grow in our society, and hopefully in the global community as well.
DeleteThe society in TKAM is much different from society today. In TKAM, the main difference in social structure is between the whites and blacks. However, there are some major differences between children and adults. Often times, adults are seen as superior and wiser, however sometimes the most provocative ideas come from children. Because they are more innocent and don't have much knowledge of the world, they don't let the rest of the world's opinions affect their own. In today's society, a big difference shown is between men and women. Men are seen as stronger and more important, while women are only seen as the caretakers and weaker ones. One similarity between the social hierarchy in TKAM and in my life is the rich being higher in society, and the poor being lower. For instance, in the Tom Robinson case, some sympathy may have been given to the Ewells because of the fact that they don't have a lot of money.
ReplyDeletehttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KhiSy5bJK7A/TejuHIZoBwI/AAAAAAAAAA4/mf7GEz9-3LI/s1600/social-mobility-cartoon1.jpg
This picture shows how adults are seen as more important than children. The child is given a broken ladder to climb because he isn't seen as important.
Question: Why do children come up with their opinions without letting anyone's thoughts affect them? I know it's because they are innocent and don't have much knowledge of the world, but they have some knowledge of what others think, so why don't they listen to that?
ReplyDeleteI think it's just a part of human nature. We never just accept something because of what someone says whether that someone is the President or just a random person. In geometry we have to prove EVERYTHING and in science it's all about disproving theories because you can never FULLY prove something and this idea of needing proof is everywhere so I think it just becomes a part of people especially in the U.S. where we have rights and we're not exposed to biased propaganda like people in communist Russia were. We're allowed to question authority's point of views and that probably encourages us.
DeleteAs a child, we think that we know EVERYTHING. I know I used to feel like I knew even more than my brother. We get that sense of pride, the pride of growing up and gaining more knowledge. I think this causes the reason why children create their own opinions. Also, I agree with Payal. Human nature just simply allows us to be like that.
DeleteI think that the structure of society today is much different from the social structure in TKAM. First of all, in TKAM, there are basically two social classes. The Whites and the Blacks. Today, there were movements of equality and pretty much every adult who is a citizen of the US has the same rights. Of course, there are some exceptions such as racial prejudice, but there isn't segregation between colored folks and White folks in the early 1900s. In TKAM, the social status of the people is usually first determined by their color, then by their personality. An example is the Ewells. Though they are White, because of their attitudes, they are considered the "trash" of the White society. Today, the social classes are determined by your money and possessions.
ReplyDeleteIn TKAM, there is a separation between the adults and children. The children are less important than adults because they are wiser. The men also have more rights since the book took place in the 1900s
http://www.leftycartoons.com/wp-content/uploads/denial_is_so_white.png
This comic shows how a White man has more rights than a Black man, and how their social status affects their life.
One thought provoking question: How do you think our social structure will be like in a few hundred years?
In the future our society will probably be more accepting of other races and cultures and sooner or later it people will not even think about the color of ones skin or where they come from. But i still do wonder if that happens where do e go on from there?
DeleteI do not know. It depends on the human nature of people. It depends on who would become president or another form of a political leader. I mean with new technology and all people can even manipulate DNA. Imagine in a hundred years when technology will be much more advanced. More advanced technology=more dangerous.
DeleteElijah,
DeleteI disagree that the Ewells are treated like that because of their attitudes. There is textual evidence in the book that explains the Ewells are treated like that because "they lived among pigs," unlike "regular" white people who had a normal job. So maybe the order of social status goes by race and then how they live their lives?
I do think that was a good point to point out that children are lower on the hierarchy than adults for wisdom reasons. It's almost pretty much true today too, but there are some children looked upon as great for their genius prowess.
DeleteI think today's world is a modern version of TKAM. The reason I say this is because the society and life in TKAM reflects our past and the future of that past is now. Now we have rights of equality for all and all men and women of any race are equal, but that's only in the U.S. There are countries all over the world, such as in Africa where children are still being abducted and women are being harassed. We know of the children being abducted in Africa because of the Invisible Children seminar and in my opinion, this idea of abducting children and turning them into killers is somewhat related to the children of Maycomb County and especially Scout and Jem. These kids are being abducted from their childhood by reality and they are being turned into horrible things- adults. Most of the adults in Maycomb County have biased opinions and are very ignorant towards others. They don't treat people fairly the way they should be treated especially in Court where everyone is supposed to be equal. If Tom Robinson was a white man he could have easily won his case but the jury trusted the questionable evidence of two white people. I know Mrs.Bryson said we all knew he wasn't going to win, but I honestly thought Atticus had quite a big chance at winning the case. I was disappointed when I found out he lost the case but it's true what Atticus and Ms.MAudie said- they had accomplished something becuase normally with a racial case, the jury would've immediately proven the black man guilty, but in this case, the jury spent TWO hours discussing the case.
ReplyDeleteNow we don't have racism and slavery in most parts of the world, but in some it still exists and there's even a poster about it by the finance office! :)
http://nzpundit.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/pro-smacking.jpg
This comic shows child abuse and I put it because it portrays this image of the evil parent that just wants every kid to grow up way top fast. This is the idea I was trying to relate from TKAM about reality and the ignorant adults of the society snatching the children's childhood.
My question is: What would the world be like if the roles were switched? What if just maybe the Blacks were the superiority and the Whites were at the bottom of the social hierarchy?
Well for one thing, America would be much different culturally. For example, no one would say someone was white-washed, probably black-washed instead. Oh, and people would make a big deal out of a white president rather than a black one.
DeleteI agree Jalyssa, everything would be flipped but segregation and discrimination that had occurred years ago would still happen but they would just switch sides. All the same evets would have probably occcured just in a different color scheme - not to be racist
DeleteI agree with both of you, but instead of just limiting the changes to America, I think the entire world would definetly change. Just looking at history has shown us that nearly every continent has been affected by the white race dominance. By placing Blacks as the superiority, you would definetly alter nearly every major event that has occured in history.
DeleteSince the color of our skin does not matter and shouldn't determine how we act, there would essentially be no difference. History books tend to make Negroes back then sound more "polite" and less ruthless than the whites at the time, but I think this is only because they were forced to be polite, submissive, and obey orders from their masters. The Negroes weren't ruthless because they weren't able to be. They did not possess guns or whips to torture their masters in turn (which would be very weird). The slaves were brought into a completely alien country and locked up in a cage. My point is, had the roles been switched nothing would have changed.
DeleteSociety has definitely grown over the decades, as well as each individual. America has been built and shaped by many different types of people, physically, racially, emotionally, and so forth. I believe that with each generation, we take a step closer to accepting one another and becoming less biased. With this, the way we view each other is different. Contrary to the social hierarchy of the era in TKAM, which was affected by the person's relativity to the majority, middle class white people, ours currently is more focused on education and wealth.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Could you even consider colored folk as a part in the social hierarchy of TKAM? Since in a hierarchy it's possible to rise in rank, and also considering that colored people were not seen as people in that time?
http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/equality-of-opportunity.gif
Today's structure, as compared to the one is TKAM is exponentially different. Many aims have been established to treat everyone equally, and many causes and organizations have spread the mouth to treat everyone the same, since they we, humans, are all the same inside, and skin tone does not matter. However, in TKAM, your skin tone and lifestyle determined your rank and place in society. Mr. Raymond, who raised mixed kids was rejected by society, and had to constantly pretend he was under the influence for others to even fathom why he would marry a black lady. Tom, although proven innocent very clearly by Atticus, is still presumed guilty, tried, and eventually killed. This racism and ignorance is very detrimental to society, which is why very few extreme cases of this occurs today.
DeletePicture: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DP5WuVJDyVA/TUBG1s6JmHI/AAAAAAAAAIY/cZ7HCBgOiXM/s1600/judge_a_book_by_its_cover+cartoon.jpg
Question: If Scout were to be raised in the 21st century, would her innocence have lasted longer than in TKAM?
As you know the social pyramid consists of a wide base that is always the most numerous but viewed as inferior people. It's the slaves, the workers, the farmers, or the blacks. But in order to be able to get a top part you need the base under it: in order for white people to BE superior they have to be superior OVER people, the blacks. Without the blacks to be stepped on to raise the white people, the white people would just be on it's on. They would not be superior because there would be no one to be superior to.
DeleteThe social structure of TKAM and today's social structure vary tremendously. In today's society we have equality among different races and both genders. However in TKAM, they do not have the equality that we have. Basically in TKAM, 'whites' were superior and 'blacks' were not. Also women and children were not treated the same way as men were in To Kill A Mockingbird. On the contrary, woman and children today seem to be just as important as men are. For example, if a woman today served as a soldier, she would remain respectable, even though fighting does not fit the stereotypical woman.
ReplyDeleteThis is a picture that stresses the equality between males and females in our society. It shows that no matter how different you are from another, you still have one thing in common: you both are human. Now, I am not saying that our social structure is perfect because it is not. People today still face bullying and teasing because they are different. However, compared to the social structure of TKAM, I believe our social structure is an improvement.
~picture: http://www.themuslimtimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/equal-but-different.png
~question: If the society of TKAM became a society like the one we have today, do you think Scout would be the same?
No I don't. If you see the kids today, and compare them to the kids in TKAM,you lose this sense of Scout being Scout. There's so much outside influence now a days and technology such as computers, cell phones, and music that affects who we are and who we become and if we made a clone of Scout then and stuck her in life now, we'd see the INSANE difference...I think...
DeletePayal I agreee with you. I believe that Scout would be more accpeted in today's world as opposed to the original setting of the book.
DeleteHonestly, I think Scout would be the same, how she acts doesn't really reflect how society wanted young girls to act at that age. She better reflects our society as an independent, young woman who is not afraid to speak her mind.
DeleteI think that Scout would be a radically different girl. Since this is the 21st century there are very different values and edicts in today's society, and connections to technology will affect how Scout grows up.
DeleteI think Scout would be the same because no matter what she will always want to be the girl that supports the side that has nothing but the truth. However, if Jem was different then Scout would be a different person because of her brothers influence.
DeleteI think that Scout would be much of the same girl she is normally, but she might be braver and more outgoing. She would not have the pressures of having to act like a proper young girl as she does in Maycomb's society, and people such as Aunt Alexandra would not continually try to shape her into something she is not due to a stereotype set by society.
DeleteI agree with what you said about how everyone is the same in soceity. People just get teased by how they look and act, which can make them feel "lower" than the bully.
DeleteThere are many differences in the society in To Kill a Mockingbird but there are also many similarities that they have as well. As we all know back then whites were superior to any of the other colored people. Women were also discriminated because of their gender and weren't thought of as important to society. This type of things still occur in our society today but as the years pass society grows more diverse and we become more understanding and respectful of different cultures and races. Racism still goes on today but is gradually decreasing as we mature as a society.
ReplyDeleteWill we ever be fully accepting of each other in society? Where will we go on from there?
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/8532
here is a study by the university of Michigan about the segregation in the US in our society in residential figures.
I don't think that there will be absolute acceptance in society because there are people in the world who do not want this to happen and will use their power to not let this phenominal event occur
DeleteThe social structure of TKAM and today's society has surely changed. In TKAM, the whites and blacks of society stood entirely apart. The court case of Tom Robinson is almost like a war between blacks and whites, with Atticus leading the blacks with his pure heart and Mayella leading the whites with her lies. Of course, our society today honors the Constitution of the United States and treats everyone as equal. And yet, racism still exists in today's society, and it can be seen through people's assumptions, the way people look at other people, and even how other people treat different people. Although not visible, I believe in the hearts of many people, deep down inside, racism still exists as much as it did in TKAM. Our society shows racism in a very indirect way, while the society in TKAM openly shows their hate for "bad" races.
ReplyDeleteMy question is what influences you to think others are better or inferior to you? (i.e. friends, family, teachers, etc.)
http://2log.biz/img/upload/2009/Oct/racist3.bmp
This is a picture of a cartoon showing kids expressing racism through speech, showing that even children today can be extremely prejudiced even though they're very young.
I believe the media starts a lot of stereotypes and makes me judge people before meeting them. For example, the media often portrays nerds as people that have huge glasses and big backpacks, especially in movies. Therefore, when I meet someone with huge glasses and big backpacks, I automatically assume they are a nerd. Therefore, I believe the media influences me and how I treat other people.
DeleteBetween TKAM and today's world, there are many differences involving social structure and classes. In the current state of our society, the majority of people are much more accepting in nearly every aspect of life such as race, gender, religion, culture, etc. In this novel, the dividng line between adulthood and childhood becomes the best indicator between guilty and innocent. Adults are typically percieved as the wiser, smarter, and superior portion of society. However, they are very easily blinded from the truth. This can come from their past experiences, the way they were raised, or simply their own ignorance. On the other hand, children have the pure minds that are easily influenced by these superior forces, but children are also the innocent and pure minors of society. In TKAM, this generalization of the relationship/roles of adutls and children is directly percieved from the text. The interactions between the characters proves this in the way they act towards one another and respond to ideas and their own assumptions. In today's society, this setup still keeps its place, but there have been several alterations. The position of children has not changed, but expectations have risen. With this, some of the purity and innocence that had initially existed has faded away.
ReplyDeleteWhen in the novel Jem and Scout still think that Atticus can win the case, yes, they are proving thier ignorance. But, they are also proving that they see the innocent man that is being falsely accused for the crime. They do not understand the role that prejudice plays, however they do realize that an unfair event is occuring. The following cartoon shows how the ideas, thoughts, and opinions are an unacceptable contribuator to the solutions of conflicts.http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&biw=1600&bih=672&tbm=isch&tbnid=Ws0YlODOiu8peM:&imgrefurl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/cartoon/2008/jun/24/gordon.brown.social.mobility&docid=OkIzQA40qdKv5M&imgurl=http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/steve_bell/2008/06/24/stevebell512ready.jpg&w=512&h=372&ei=MVwzT-udIKS-2gXqvomhAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=687&vpy=160&dur=2652&hovh=191&hovw=263&tx=88&ty=54&sig=103904448602669484489&page=1&tbnh=156&tbnw=218&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0
My question is: Would our society be different if we based decisions on the thoughts and ideas of children? And if so, why or how?
Today's society is much different than the society which has been portrayed in To Kill A Mockingbird. In today's society most of the time, if not all, blacks are treated as equal to whites. Black men or women can get jobs just as easily as white men and women. A good example of this is that this year many black teachers just like Mrs. Bryson got a job at Whitney High School. If this happened in TKAM a black teacher would have brought down the image of the school and maybe the only the poorest children would attend it. However, with black teachers today, it creates a variety in the school and different ways of teaching that are new. Additionally, unlike in TKAM black men are getting married to white women and white women are getting married with black men. If white men married black women and had children that white man would be in the lower class with the blacks no matter if he may have been at the highest class.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: How do you think that the world is slowly ridding itself of racism even if there are so many extremist with different ideas and with much power?
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1279&bih=589&tbs=itp:clipart&tbm=isch&tbnid=0QVaa8p9z4CPkM:&imgrefurl=http://www.heai.org.in/&docid=UqX85mzI9ds2UM&imgurl=http://www.heai.org.in/3d_pie_chart.jpg&w=300&h=276&ei=LGMzT8-1D8WyiQLT3sWeCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=387&vpy=271&dur=373&hovh=209&hovw=228&tx=112&ty=155&sig=109554752501221301840&page=2&tbnh=133&tbnw=145&start=20&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:20
The green in this image describes the men in TKAM, the blue and purple being white women and kids, the red being the whites that wanted to be with blacks, the golden as black men and the yellow as the black women.
The world is experiencing an era of interdependence and so knowledge of the outside world is easy to come by compared to the olden days where people wouldn't know whether they would come back from a journey to a distant land for need of information. The world is getting of racism slowly because the world has had to cope with and learn about itself as a whole. The more it knows, the more it sees the similarities between people of the same race, planet etc. and the more it analyzes why certain types of people became who they are. Finally, there was a lot of force used to create the world we have gotten used to. The force came from the fact of wars occuring all over the world non-stop and unpredictable. Knowledge of the enemy (or soon-to-be enemy) was essential to keep oneself alive.
DeleteIn every civilization, ancient and modern, there is a social pyramid with layers that represent the social statuses and ranks. In ancient civilization, the king was exclusively placed at the very top and is viewed as the ultimate power. In the novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird", the whites are placed at the top and the blacks are placed significantly lower than them. In fact, during this harsh time of discrimination and segregation, Negroes were placed on the very bottom of the social pyramid, perhaps even below animals to some. In the time period of the novel, the whites could vote, the whites could be on juries, the whites were initiated, executed, and enforced the laws; blacks were viewly as merely "the help" and easily disreplaceable. Today, whites and blacks are supposedly equals and are given the same ranking in the social pyramid. However, bias and prejudice is still present and still causes injustice today, not only toward blacks but also toward other minority groups. Additionally, women and children were also less valued in the novel than they are today. The current level of tolerance in general has grown drastically since the past but could still improve.
ReplyDeleteAnd so my question is:
Is having a social pyramid at all good? Do we really need to place everyone in a category and basically segregate (metaphorically) everyone? How does having this structure benefit our society, if it does?
http://abetterkuwait.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/social-pyramid.jpg
This is a picture of a social pyramid.
Having a social pyramid benefits some and destroys the daily lives of others. The need to classify everybody is not really neccesary. If it was, we'd have already done it since the old days. Once again the only benefits are to those few who are the tip of it all. Quite literally, its very easy to fall off and nothing to hold on to and pyramid is just what it is: a pyramid. It's never going to be fair and square to anybody from top to bottom. But then again who knows? Maybe the benefit of a few is better than the benefit of none.
DeleteI believe that the world of TKAM and the modern world is almost incomparable. For example, the role of kids has changed greatly. In the past, children were only taught to live in innocence until it is inevitable to grow up. However, in the present-day, children start school earlier and extracurricular activities such as piano or taekwondo as early as the age of three. The structure of modern society in the United States and the world in the To Kill a Mockingbird is very different.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1034&bih=619&tbm=isch&tbnid=ajvefRdtoL0ClM:&imgrefurl=http://kfb1.wordpress.com/2007/12/11/first-piano-recital/&docid=0MVKFqSbC8M0iM&imgurl=http://kfb1.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/isaac-playing-piano.jpg&w=458&h=342&ei=SWczT-TfLKPhiAK8k9GODQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=733&vpy=179&dur=2225&hovh=194&hovw=260&tx=206&ty=86&sig=115734735106234162609&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=185&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:
This picture shows a young kid playing on a grand piano that is obviously too huge for him. His feet is not even close to touching the ground.
Why are parents today more driven to make kids have a more structured childhood that revolves around different appointments and activities?
I agree with you, children are asked to do so much more than what they were mainly supposed to do, which is to have fun and play aroud.
DeleteI strongly agree children these days are called upon to worry about school and homework and even college at such a young age. we lost this innocence and ability to play around and enjoy ourselves.
DeleteToday's social structure may as well have been in the past. The people with the most popularity are popular for the same reasons: money, influence, social acceptance etc. But there is one thing that differs from then and now (TKAM and modern-day). The resources used to become popular in the world ahve changed quite dramatically. Ads, social networking, news stations etc. and even these types of blogs are now being utilized as tools to go up in this social hierarchy of sorts. This is truly what makes sociology so interesting in the modern world: there are so many more and ever-changing factors that affect the big picture that everyone wants to see. Our experiences become different than in TKAM and take flight in different directions. So, if there is anything that survived the test of time, it is the fact that someone thinks of themself as higher than someone else.
ReplyDeleteMy question is:
Why would a social pyramid be an effective way for civilization to move forward or leave its mark? Because everybody fits in somewhere or survival instincts?
Here is an article by a sociologist about the modern world:
http://www.helium.com/items/695942-basic-sociological-concepts-society-culture-and-social-structure
The social structure of society of today has changed drastically from that shown in TKAM. African Americans are no longer the bottom of society, and women, for the most part, are regarded as the same as men. Although there may still be tensions between people of different social class or race, these conflicts are rare and generally considered taboo in our society. However, in the society and atmosphere of Maycomb County, tensions between people of different race and gender are easy to see. These tensions dictate almost everything about Maycomb, including the actions of its judicial system and the interaction of its people. For example, Tom Robinson was falsely convicted of a crime he clearly did not commit due to the prejudices of the people. This would never occur in our society; justice is always the first priority in any court trial. Also, in our society, women are encouraged to go to school in order to make something of themselves. However, this behavior is discouraged in Maycomb since it does not fit the social “norm” for a woman to be independent.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.com/imgres?q=social+structure&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS366&biw=1920&bih=899&tbm=isch&tbnid=ajuPd2WFHHmdsM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ancient-egypt-facts.com/ancient-egypt-social-structure&docid=yT4ouB309ZAI4M&imgurl=http://missolson.net/html/LessonPlans/6-2,%2525206-8,%2525206-9%252520Social%252520Studies/Oct012009/Egyptian%252520Social%252520Classes%252520-%252520Complete.jpg&w=720&h=491&ei=ImgzT-GfNKaSiQLH9NWPCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=342&vpy=298&dur=6851&hovh=185&hovw=272&tx=195&ty=96&sig=114959357483746240972&page=1&tbnh=114&tbnw=167&start=0&ndsp=56&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
This picture shows the social structure of Ancient Egypt, in which people were segregated by occupation. This is similar to the segregation in TKAM, since this strict social hierarchy prevented equality in society.
Question: Why are most people unwilling to stand up for justice, even when it is needed most?
I do believe that the social hierarchy today has been drastically changed from the social hierarchy in TKAM, but i do believe that there are still social hierarchy problems in America. Some people are looked down upon in today's society and there is still at least a hint of prejudice in today's world
DeleteIn Maycomb County the whites are socially higher than the blacks. In the social hierarchy, there are some whites that are higher than others. For example, the Finches are higher than the Cunninghams, who are higher than the Ewells. But because of racial standings, even the Ewells stand higher than the blacks in Maycomb. If Maycomb County was in today's time, in Cerritos, then the blacks would probably be higher than the Ewells. The similarity between today's time and Maycomb's time, is that there are still slight social rankings, even between people of the same race. Like how the Ewells are lower than the Finches, is the same how good, generous people in our community are higher than the 'lowlives' who steal and look down on other people. Some social standings are determined by personality and background. So the kind and caring folks, like the Finches, would stand higher than the people who beat their own children, look down on others for no exact reasons, and just aren't kind in general.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.religiousintelligence.org/churchnewspaper/wp-content/uploads/cache/17951_NpAdvHover.jpg
I chose this picture to help represent my views of a social hierachy. In this picture, Harry would stand higher than Voldemort. Harry is a good-willed person who is kind and takes care of others. Voldemort only wants to control the world, and treats everyone like trash. I believe that people who have horrible personalites and motives stand lower in a social hierarchy than those who understand that the world doesn't revolve around themselves.
I agree with what your saying Amy but i still believe that their are some rather strong racial prejudices that affect our beliefs as a society. We still for example think black men always steal and that is so so wrong.
DeleteIn TKAM the social hierarchy is based off of not only racial prejudice, but also one's own actions. For example The Ewells are considered superior beings compared to the blacks such as reverend Sykes and Tom Robinson. In the court case where the Ewells were obviously wrongly convicting Tom Robinson of rape and Atticus makes this fact clear as night and day the jury still convicts Tom Robinson of it out of racial prejudice, or they could've have done it to protect the reputation of the whites. To make sure that they still are the superior beings.
ReplyDeleteNow if you look at one's own actions you can see that they are put lower on the social hierarchy because they don't want someone such as Reynolds to represent the white culture. Having him represent would make the whites lose their foothold as the superior beings in the country, so they out people like Reynolds to protect their reputation, but also use his seemingly drunkenness as a way to out him. They say things like, he only does what he does because he's in the "clutches of whiskey" and there is no way for him to come back to the reality that the whites created.
In our modern times, we still do have a social hierarchy. I don't mean to offend anyone, but in certain circumstances one person seems larger than the other. For example, some people look down on low performing black people or student who have dropped out of school, because for one we're scared, and two: we don't want to believe that they're part of the "normal" society. Sometimes illegal immigrating mexicans are looked down upon because some people feel they are "dangerous" or "dirty" and not up to standards. Of course that's not all; sometimes asians will be looked down upon. In a "normal" school setting where the football or basketball jocks are at the top because of their physical strength they pick on the stereotypical nerdy asian for fun or out of some family rage, etc... Today's social hierarchy is not the best, but we are getting closer and closer to a more equal social hierarchy between people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CBud1eEJeU
This video points out many reasons for the faults in our modern "equal" social hierarchy. He also speaks of what to do to try and fix it.
I do realize that the social hierarchy has changed from then to today, but what i'm really scared of is it all coming back in the future for some odd reason. What do you think will happen is In the near future all this racial prejudice is will be allowed because of one large event?
ReplyDeleteThe social hierarchy in TKAM is different than the one we have today. In today's society, women have the ability to do what they want to, like have a job, vote, run for a position in the government, etc. However, the Maycomb County, the women was not able to do any of these things. They were only to do chores around the house and play with the children. Also, in Maycomb County, the social hierarchy was determined by what race you were. Today, our hierarchy isn't by race, religious group, or etc. Also, the minds of children today are more mature and advancing than the children of TKAM.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pakpublishers.com/downloads/wallpapers/Baby_Wallpapers/Lawyer%20Baby.jpeg
In this picture, there is a baby who looks like he is graduating college already, this shows that children now are gradualling getting smarter than each year. Also, this can mean that children are not playing as much, but more of preparing for their future.
QUESTION: Why does the social hierarchy change everything and the views of the people?
The world of TKAM and our society today have severe differences however still some quite sad similarities. Racism still engulfs our society today, we have achieved equal rights for all and the black man won't always loss to the white man. We have equalized our society in a sense but we still as a nation have a long way to go. Back then we had a strict social hierarchy of whites being on top and blacks the bottom. However in our day and age this hierarchy has in a sense been mixed up. No longer in the white man first, black men have been known to achieve great deeds as well. http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkK514DNPr18AOXuJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dred%2Btails%26fr%3Dchr-greentree_gc%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D0&w=510&h=755&imgurl=ia.media-imdb.com%2Fimages%2FM%2FMV5BNDQ5MTg2NzI4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDM2NzQzNg%40%40._V1._SX510_SY755_.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Fmedia%2Frm632994816%2Ftt0485985&size=97.9+KB&name=Red+Tails+%282012%29&p=red+tails&oid=1f34bd74e0192b374415e1a36915dd06&fr2=piv-web&fr=chr-greentree_gc&tt=Red%2BTails%2B%25282012%2529&b=0&ni=84&no=0&tab=organic&ts=&sigr=11f7rl2gn&sigb=139al71u2&sigi=1310o41va&.crumb=h9McUG67Ms2
ReplyDeleteSo guys my question for you all is how has social hierarchy changed from the old days to today
ReplyDeleteTKAM's society is not very different from our own. Sure, racism is not as prominent and discrimination has been smothered, but on the inside, we as a people have not changed our way of thinking about others. We all wear masks that hide the ugly we all possess, we give an image of peace when our minds have been brainwashed with ideas and morals that we find difficult to uphold all the time. This is the main thing that separates humans from animals, the ability to judge each other. There has only been external progress, for when man learns to not judge, discriminate, hate, bigot,lie, cheat, and condescend, the world will have peace.
ReplyDeleteMy questeeon is: What "slap on the face" does mankind need to have peace?
ReplyDelete