The 1950's was a time of racial segregation, unfairness, and inequality. When one thinks of the world in this time one would think of white and black with no fusion or freedom to converse amongst the two groups. African Americas were considered a lesser group of people with less potential than the white community. They therefore were placed in separate schools from the white children and were given a lesser education in run-down, ramshackle buildings. There was recognition that these facilities were not equal and were not allowing the minority group to have the opportunity to high education as the white children of each town were receiving. This recognition lead to the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896. This case resulted in what the court stated as "separate but equal facilities." However, there was little reinforcement to the equal facilities part of the agreement and the schools continued to be in significantly worse shape for the minorities. Linda Brown's parents were the ones who originally challenged the Board of Education because their daughter was forced to walk a great distance every single morning to attend the colored school in which she was told to attend. Her parents argued that because there was a school for white children much closer to their house that Linda should be allowed to attend this school if the buildings really were "equal." They stated, "Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children...A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn." Through the help of the NAACP and other parents who agreed with the Browns, on May 17, 1954 the desegregation of schools was officially declared. This paved the way for others to follow in the pursuit of equal rights.
When one thinks about the movieDoubtthe word gossip tends to come to mind. An entire sermon speech was dedicated to the detrimental effects of gossiping. Once one starts it, it is impossible to completely undo the damage. Father O’Rourke states the comparison of gossip to feathers in the wind to a woman in the church who has confessed to gossiping.
Father O’Rourke: “Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out onto the wind”
Woman: “It can't be done. I don't know where they went. The wind took them all over.”
Father O’Rourke: “And that, is gossip!”
This perfect metaphor explains how gossiping spreads all over. Once it spread, it is unable to be undone. On the way, it also changes just as the feathers would. InTo Kill A Mockingbird there are many rumors that go around about Boo Radley. When Scout talks to some people she hears that Boo Radley is still alive and well, he simply prefers to keep to himself. However, when she talks to others she hears that Boo Radley stabbed his father and later died himself and was stuffed into the chimney. Everyone had been talking about Boo and now the facts cannot be separated from the lies. In bothDoubtandTo Kill A Mockingbirdgossiping is a major problem that leads to the major issues that we have been introduced to thus far.
In Doubt and To Kill a Mockingbird both people are forced to recognize their faults. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout, Jem, and Dill were scolded by Atticus. Although their form of gossiping was different than that of Doubt it still had the same detrimental effect. Dill, Jem, and Scout were playing a game that made fun of Boo Radley. They publicly shared their version of a story which they did not know the truth to. They mocked him as well as dramatically put their own twists on the story for why he acts the way he does. To this, Atticus told them that they were publicly humiliating someone who had never done anything to them. After this, the game died down.
However, the form of recognizing the damaging effects of gossiping come is slightly larger. In this case there was an entire sermon to explain just how large of a sin gossiping was after he learned of women in the church who had participated in the act. Although this form of scolding was on a larger scale because of their age, the same lesson as in To Kill a Mockingbird was learned.
This lesson that was learned in both stories is that publicly sharing your opinion on someone else is unnecessary and unfair to that person. Most of the time, what you hear is not true. Therefore, it is best to keep what one may here hidden away until the truth is revealed from the person themselves. Scout, Jem Dill, and the woman in Doubt all had to learn this the hard way. The problems that arose in both cases could have been avoided. Boo Radley would be able to live in peace and solitude and although we know little about the situation of Doubt, it is clear through the guilty expressions on the gossiper’s face that they too started a good amount of trouble for someone.
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Harper Lee is an author most famously known for her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama. Everyone in the town knew everyone else. As a child she preferred to play around with the boys, just as is reflected through her character Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird.
An interesting factor in Lee's life was her parents. Her father was a social man who had been a newspaper editor, a lawyer, and a state senator. On the other hand, Lee's mother was believed to have a type of mental illness, most likely bi polar disorder. She was very unsocial and preferred to stay in her home. It is interesting to see how each of the parents influenced Lee throughout her life. Her writing skills one could assume developed from her father. Harper Lee discovered this talent through the quick fame of To Kill a Mockingbird. However, this fame must have set off the side of Lee that she developed from her mother because she quickly retreated to her home right after fame had come upon her. Afterwards, she was rarely seen.
Linda Brown's parents were the ones who originally challenged the Board of Education because their daughter was forced to walk a great distance every single morning to attend the colored school in which she was told to attend. Her parents argued that because there was a school for white children much closer to their house that Linda should be allowed to attend this school if the buildings really were "equal." They stated, "Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children...A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn." Through the help of the NAACP and other parents who agreed with the Browns, on May 17, 1954 the desegregation of schools was officially declared. This paved the way for others to follow in the pursuit of equal rights.