Segregation

Author's Note:  This is my final essay for the book, To Kill A Mockingbird.  This piece is showing how Atticus supported the African American community throughout the book.  I believe I may have accidentally fallen into the Atticus trap, but let me know if I should change my topic.

Back in the 1930's, segregation was common throughout the United States.  It was a way of life for all African Americans and white Americans living in the south.  Tasks as simple as going to church and taking a drink from a drinking fountain were decided purely on their skin color.  In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the town of Maycomb was segregated, but one person in particular did not agree with it-- his name was Atticus.

Atticus, Jem and Scout's father, definitely did not support segregation.  Throughout the book, he constantly preaches to his children that everyone is created equal, including African Americans.  These lessons greatly affect both Jem and Scout. Their respect for the black community is greatly influenced by Atticus.  These speeches were often prompted after Scout had gotten into a fight with someone who remarked that Atticus "favored" Negroes.  When they say favor, Atticus is really just accepting African Americans as equals. 

A pivotal event in the novel was Tom Robinson's trial.  Tom was an African American man accused of raping a white woman.  Atticus agreed to be Tom's lawyer.  He wanted Tom to receive a fair trial but knew this would be extremely difficult in Maycomb with an all white jury.  During the trial, Atticus easily outperformed the Ewell's lawyer, bringing up several points that proved Tom Robinson was innocent.  In the end it didn't matter.  Tom was found guilty because the all white jury had basically predetermined his fate due to the fact that he was black.

As you can see, Atticus really did not agree with segregation.  He fought hard for Tom Robinson's freedom.  When people were calling him names behind his back, he didn't care.  Atticus continued to do the right thing.  Although he didn't win the trial, Atticus had stood up for one African American man's rights.   Actions like Atticus' were what changed America's views on segregation.

A Word From Tom

Author's Note: This is a piece on what I imagined Tom Robinson was thinking before the trial.  I'm unsure if we had to say if we had sympathy for this character or not, but I think we can all agree Tom Robinson really deserves sympathy.  Atticus performed greatly even though he was unsuccessful. 

"Standin' in court ain't neva something I had eva anticipated.  After all, I'm only a cotton picker, pickin' for those white folks down yonder.  When the Mayella incident occurred, I was most definitely dead meat.  I know the trial ain't gone change none of those people's minds about what really happen'd that day.  I'm already as good as dead.  All I hope is that good old Atticus may be able to git Maycomb t'change their minds about Negroes."

Bragg

Author's Note: This is a character analysis on the main character in Alas Babylon.  

Randy Bragg is just an average man living in Fort Repose, Florida.  When the threat of a nuclear war with Russia emerges, Randy orders his brother's family to come and live with him until the threat expires.  Unfortunately for them, the threat turns into a reality.  All major cities and military bases in the United States  are nuked, but on the good side, Fort Repose is left unscathed.

With the exception of Fort Repose, Florida is basically dead, limiting the small town to only what they have.  With all of the chaos, Fort Repose needed a leader, and this is where Randy comes into play.  Before the nuking, Randy made sure to stock up on as much things as he could find, which included food and supplies.  After the nuking, he made sure they rationed these and also made sure to assign work to his family and friends to grow and catch anything edible.  Since there was no electricity, Randy helped design things to cover for the power loss.  For example, when the short wave radio stopped working, he fixed their car so that it powered the short wave radio.   Also, when a group of highwaymen terrorize the town, Randy forms a small group to eliminate the threat.  Finally, Randy created new laws to be followed in the small town.  It's safe to say he is the whole reason why Fort Repose didn't die.

Randy Bragg's actions can be compared to the actions of Derek Stillwater in the book, The Fallen.  In The Fallen, Derek got  stuck inside the G8 Summit when a terrorist attack occurs and was forced to lead a rebellion against the terrorists.  Although this rebellion was only two people at first, several later joined at the end of the book.  Also, both never shied away from action.  When Randy faced down the highwaymen, he faced them down coolly, just like when Derek continuously faced down terrorist after terrorist. 

Lost Power

Author's Note: This is an assignment in which we had to describe our thoughts or feelings about a certain scene in To Kill A Mockingbird.

"So it took an eight-year-old child to bring 'em to their senses.... That proves something - that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children" (157).

The scene this quote is said is actually a very odd one indeed.  In this scene, a mob travels to the jail and plans to rid of Thomas Robinson.  While there, Atticus tries to convince them to leave, but is unable to persuade them.  It wasn't until Scout started talking to one of the members of the mob did they decide to leave.  Eventually, one of the mob members, Mr. Cunningham, had a very important role in the Robinson case, he decided to side with Atticus and Thomas Robinson.  Although Mr. Cunningham was not able to convince the rest of the jury, he still withheld them for hours, which meant the thought of saying Thomas was not guilty was there. 

I thought this was an important scene because it basically showed that everyone has a weakness, no matter how powerful they are.  In this case the mob, the children were the weakness.  Because the children showed up, the mob questioned their motives and decided if children were present, executing Thomas Robinson wasn't appropriate, so they left.  It's sort of like kryptonite to Superman.  When it is present, Superman loses his powers. 

Actually Unfree

Author's Note:  This is just my essay for social studies responding to the question how free were blacks in the north.

Back in the late 1700's and early 1800's, the start to ending slavery finally occurred.  By 1800, all of the states north of Delaware freed African Americans.  Although they were freed, many laws were still used to basically limit their freedoms.  Because of these laws, I believe African Americans couldn't be considered free.

One of the freedoms African Americans were denied of was their political freedoms.  Over half of the northern states either restricted or did not allow African Americans to vote.  This actually was a big problem because 4.9% of the entire US population was free African Americans living in the north.  Although this may not be a huge percentage, this was over 200,000 people, all of which, had they been able to vote, could have change a few things in the government.  Also, besides Massachusetts, no African American was allowed to hold jury duty.  In my opinion, I believe they were not able to hold jury duty because nobody would believe what they had to say.  Most people back then probably would have believe a white man's word over an African Americans'.

Besides political freedoms, economic freedoms were also denied.  For African Americans, finding a job would be especially hard because of the racism that still exists.  Getting hired, for one, would be tough. Also, since only 4.9% of the population was free African Americans living in the north, it was almost certain that an African American would have to work with a white man, and a lot of the time, the white man would refuse to work with him.

Along with economic freedoms, social freedoms were also denied.  African Americans were commonly segregated from white people.  School was one of these places that were segregated.  Back then, African American schools were supposed to be equal to white schools, but they weren't.  Their school funds were lower, teachers were paid less, and African American students were more likely to miss school compared to white students.  Not only were schools segregated, but churches were, too.  African American churches also held other events, such as publishing a newspaper and holding a literacy club, because of the lack of freedoms they had.

Although African Americans were free, technically, back then, I believe they were still being treated like a slave to a lesser extent.  They did not have many political freedoms, economic freedoms, were social freedoms.  I found the quote, "He shall be free to live, and to thrive, if he can, and to pay taxes and perform duties; but he shall not be free to dine and drink at our board (table) - to share with us the deliberations of the jury box- to attend us in our courts - to represent us in literature - to attend us at the bed of sickness and pain - to mingle with us in the concert- room, the lecture room, the theater or the church, or to marry our daughters," basically sums up what most people thought of African Americans in the 1800's.

Under the Influence: A Cause and Effect Analysis from the novel Speak

It all started when Melinda attended The Party.  Events that occurred at the party completely changed her life.  A phone call she made during the party made her friends feel betrayed.  This wasn't just any phone call, it was a call to the police.  Her friends' assumptions on why she made the phone call quickly made her a social outcast.  Had she explained why she made that call, her freshman year in high school could have been very different.

The beginning to Melinda's conflicts during her freshman year started at the party.  Alcohol was present.  Several people, including Melinda, consumed  large amounts of it during the party, which resulted in a bunch of drunk teenagers.  Knowing that underage drinking was against the law, I believe all of her friends were quick to assume that the reason Melinda called the police was to bust them for consuming alcohol.

Melinda never explained the true reason for that call.  Her friends' assumption of a betrayal became  viewed  as the truth.  This is the root to her problem.  Once word got around, everybody soon hated her, making her a social outcast.  Depression soon filled Melinda.  Everything became meaningless, including her grades.  After this happened, a domino affect occurred.  Bad grades never please parents, so when Melinda's parents were informed of her poor school performance, they became enraged. 

If she had left the party early, her freshman year in high school could have been very different.  At the party and in her drunk state, Melinda found herself with boy named, Andy Evans.  It took her a while to realize exactly what was happening to her, until it was too late.  She was being assaulted.  This was the true reason why she called the police.  Had she stuck around to give an explanation for her actions,  things would have turned out differently.  Melinda would most likely have received support from her family and friends, and Andy Evans would have been the outcast.