Tuesday, August 14, 2012

What are two examples from To Kill a Mockingbird that prove that prejudice is a learned behavior we adopt from our parents and/or role models?

There are several examples throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that prove that prejudice is a learned behavior that children adopt from their parents and role models. In Chapter 8, Scout encounters Cecil Jacobs in the school-yard, and he says, "My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an' that nigger oughta hang from a water-tank." (Lee 102) Cecil Jacobs makes reference to his parents' thoughts about Atticus. Cecil was told by his parents or overheard them discussing how Atticus was a disgrace to white people for defending a black man. This is evidence that prejudice is learned from parents because Cecil would not have made that comment to Scout, had he not first heard it in his home.


Another example is when Francis Hancock tells Scout, "Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin." (Lee 110) Francis recalled Alexandra's racist comment and used it in a derogatory manner toward Scout. Later on in the novel, Aunt Alexandra tells Scout that she can't play with Walter Cunningham Jr. because "he---is---trash." (Lee 301) Aunt Alexandra conveys her prejudice towards lower class individuals to Scout by calling them trash and encouraging her not to play with them. These examples prove that children learn prejudice from parents and role models.

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