“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph,” said Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. Haile Selassie was a man of action, one who begged for change and reform in the name of the Ethiopian, and African, people. Much like Emperor Selassie, literature has a fondness for this topic; as can be seen in the historical fiction novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Atticus is a lawyer who has taken a case he fears he cannot win; he must defend a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman in an ignorant and racist society. Atticus has taken on this trial because he desires for an end to racism in America, he desires for a change in his nation. Atticus is dedicated to his cause, and will take this trial despite insurmountable odds against him, as well as endure through the social divide this causes him and his family to have with the rest of their community. Atticus is proof that in order to change society, action must be taken against ignorance.
Society requires people to take action if there is to be change, and To Kill a Mockingbird’s setting helps support this. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the 1960’s, when The United States was going through the Civil Rights Movement. This was a period of time when The U.S was going through change; when people stood up to make a difference and allow all people the same inalienable rights regardless of race, religion, or sex. The story of To Kill a Mockingbird itself took place during the 1930’s in a small, southern community that is plagued with racism. This helps contrast the time when the story was published, as this story shows how life used to be before change, allowing people to truly see how terrible society treated people in the past. In short, the story was released in a time where change was needed, and the story helped promote a wider desire for change and for people to act for that change.
With a desire for change established, it is clear that the youth should become involved seeing as how they are the best at creating change. The story of To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a Bildungsroman, which is essentially a coming of age story. This genre is an excellent one to promote change, as it typically involves a child seeing something wrong in the world, or learning something, and they change who they are because of that. To Kill a Mockingbird deals with the character Jem Finch, who throughout the story learns from what his father is doing and changes his point of view because of that. Jem is introduced with his childlike ignorance, but he changes his viewpoint over time due to his surroundings, and develops his own desire for a change in the world. The way children are taught to see the world is an important way to influence the development of change in the world, and To Kill a Mockingbird is a prime example of this.
All change has to start from somewhere; we would all still be grunting around campfires if nobody conjured up any new ideas. All change requires some form of problem, or something that calls for change. Atticus Finch was fervently opposed to the racist tendencies of his community, and while not everyone was against racial equality, the majority of people didn’t agree with that viewpoint. Change will also require some form of catalyst, that is, something that hastens the desired change. The community would have never changed without Atticus because while there may have been people with similar views to him, he was the only one of them outspoken enough to try and do anything about it. So while the change itself is important, it is equally important for there to be people actively working for the change.
Society requires people to take action if there is to be change, and To Kill a Mockingbird’s setting helps support this. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the 1960’s, when The United States was going through the Civil Rights Movement. This was a period of time when The U.S was going through change; when people stood up to make a difference and allow all people the same inalienable rights regardless of race, religion, or sex. The story of To Kill a Mockingbird itself took place during the 1930’s in a small, southern community that is plagued with racism. This helps contrast the time when the story was published, as this story shows how life used to be before change, allowing people to truly see how terrible society treated people in the past. In short, the story was released in a time where change was needed, and the story helped promote a wider desire for change and for people to act for that change.
With a desire for change established, it is clear that the youth should become involved seeing as how they are the best at creating change. The story of To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a Bildungsroman, which is essentially a coming of age story. This genre is an excellent one to promote change, as it typically involves a child seeing something wrong in the world, or learning something, and they change who they are because of that. To Kill a Mockingbird deals with the character Jem Finch, who throughout the story learns from what his father is doing and changes his point of view because of that. Jem is introduced with his childlike ignorance, but he changes his viewpoint over time due to his surroundings, and develops his own desire for a change in the world. The way children are taught to see the world is an important way to influence the development of change in the world, and To Kill a Mockingbird is a prime example of this.
All change has to start from somewhere; we would all still be grunting around campfires if nobody conjured up any new ideas. All change requires some form of problem, or something that calls for change. Atticus Finch was fervently opposed to the racist tendencies of his community, and while not everyone was against racial equality, the majority of people didn’t agree with that viewpoint. Change will also require some form of catalyst, that is, something that hastens the desired change. The community would have never changed without Atticus because while there may have been people with similar views to him, he was the only one of them outspoken enough to try and do anything about it. So while the change itself is important, it is equally important for there to be people actively working for the change.