Social, Political and Economic Conditions of the 1950s

Table of Contents Introduction Social Aspect Political Economic Discussion Conclusion Works Cited Introduction The conclusion of the Second World War brought many changes to the world. In the United States, President Truman spearhead programs that would rehabilitate the society through economic policies that would help the citizens in the United States recover from the war. The trauma experienced by the Americans was unimaginable for their fear of bombs and war devices grew at the same time the government was also on constant alert by ideologies that differ from the Western version of democracy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social, Political and Economic Conditions of the 1950s specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The United States continued to support wars of other democratic nations against communists thus domestic policies suffered for budgets were mostly allocated to national security and funding of wars. The growing racism of the 1950s contributed to the birth of civil rights groups where white youths protest to equalize the system. As the United States government aggressively supports foreign wars against communism, a chunk of the federal budget is allocated to national defense and security programs. Domestic programs suffer thus the American population suffer for the number of poor people increased during the 1950s to 1960s. America’s intervention in the Vietnam War cost constrains where a civil war almost broke out. The citizens grew weary and angry of the government’s decisions and actions to aid the French in controlling communist Vietnam. People suspected that the United States government’s ulterior motive in financially supporting the French in the war is because the former wanted to colonize the country. American families lost allot of their family members in the Vietnam War. This paper aims to evaluate and analyze the social, political and economic cond itions of the 1950s in the United States. It aims to provide an explanation by discussing factors that lead to the social upheaval of the 1960s. Chosen events after the World War II will be the subject of the study in order to fully understand the development of the American society in the 1960s. Social Aspect After the Second World War, Americans experienced a tremendous personal fear which was a result of bombs during the war (Henriksen). Government social programs resulted in large –scale suburban housing resulted in the more suburban than urban American in the 1960s. The fairly new suburban architecture after the war necessitated new social relations with the emphasis on immediate family more than extended family. The American suburban life exaggerated the traditional male and female roles and relations. In the suburban identity there is a lack of traditional ethnic and religious diversity which are found in city life. In the 1950s femininity required conformity, passivit y and deference especially in the suburbs. Suburbs were once described by Betty Friedan in The Feminine Mystique as comfortable concentration camps (Friedan). Suburban is ideally characterized in the form of domesticity, cooperation, conformity and family. Unfortunately in the 1950s, the new suburban life Americans enjoy is excludes African Americans. Racism grew more prominent. The United States was significantly richer and more conservative than any other time in history where the middle class grew but the population of the poor did not decrease.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The hypocrisy of inequality between the whites and colored in the United States drew many white youth into civil rights movements. The massive spread of racism even resulted in many states forbidding interracial marriages at the same time most communities have restrictive housing covenants. Interstate Commerce Commission even ordered the desegregation of trains, buses, waiting rooms while the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of restaurants in 1958. Racism became a major issue in the 1950s. Racism and the US government’s constant participation in foreign wars gave rise to civil rights groups and protesters. Of all the social protest movements of the 1960’s, student movements would have the most affect on middle class Americans. Political In terms of political aspects, President Truman justified the use of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to save both American and Japanese lives for the use of such destructive device seized the war. In the 1950s racism became intrinsic in the US government and throughout its agencies. The Truman Doctrine was produced after the war where the US pronounced its intentions to stop the spread of communism. The doctrine allowed the US to give monetary aid and military support to the Greek right during its civil war in 1946 – 49. Limited wars were also created which circumvent Congress and traditional Pentagon procurement system. When the Cold War came money from social programs were diverted to national defense. In the 1950s the United States begun testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific namely in Bikini Atoll and on the mainland in Utah. The new nuclear world and anti-communist rhetoric which developed in the United States created national anxiety. In 1956, Eisenhower was reelected as president. He filled the cabinet with business leaders who determined the domestic policy of the United States. The president’s conservative fiscal policy as well as his dynamic conservatism resulted in the increase of the average family income of Americans. During the Cold War the Americans help in funding the war expenses of the French in the Vietnam War. 80% of the expenditure was paid by the American government as of 1954 (Addington). Vietnam was divided into two parts namely the North which is controlled by the communists and the south which is controlled by the democratic French and Americans. The United States was on the verge of civil war in 1968 because of the government’s intervention on the Vietnam War. The people were angry because about 14,650 Americans had been killed in 1968 alone – almost one-half of the 30,610 who had died since 1961 (Addington). Many Americans criticized the government for spending money on Asia when the said money could be spent at home developing new jobs and infrastructure as the poverty level in the United States had increased.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social, Political and Economic Conditions of the 1950s specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Economic After the war FHA loans were provided to individuals and VA loans for war veterans. Social programs such as the Social Security subsidized housing program called â€Å"Levittowns† were offset by the Fed because of the insecurity the people felt towards bombs. The FHA did not lend to African Americans despite the ruling of the Supreme Court. The blacks suffered because of the restrictive covenants where it resulted to higher costs of loans, poorer housing and worse schools for the ethnic group (Wolfe). Many Americans were forced into the cities to find work as federal subsidies to business and agriculture exacerbated problems for small farmers and business people. During the 1950s, about 1.5 million people left Appalachia for cities. The poor educational system left Americans with few opportunities for apprenticeships which meant there were fewer skilled workers available. In 1953 to 1959, about 1.5 million blue collar jobs were lost. 11% of which were lost forever. Between 1956 and 1959, 30,000 meat packing jobs were lost. Discussion In the 1950s the suburban life was very prominent in the American society where the ideal life of every American was to live in the suburbs. The man was the bre ed winner of the family thus he was the decision maker. On the other hand femininity was best described as being passive. Women were expected to be submissive to their husbands and they were considered the homemaker. They did not need to work for the man would be the sole provider. The American government had provided loans for the white families unfortunately there was racial discrimination thus African Americans did not enjoy such benefits. The rise of racism also gave rise to civil rights movements formed and led by white American youths who contradicted the way of life. These movements would later become prominent in the American society in the 1960s where mostly students would lead such groups. Political leaders after the war were characterized by their alertness to new ideologies that may oppose the democratic way of thinking in the world. After the war the US government’s priority was to rebuild the American economy. The federal government had devised programs which wo uld recover the American economy through loans that would help in the construction of homes to citizens and war veterans and serve as capitals to start up businesses.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More America’s fear of communism led to the government’s down fall in the 1960s when the government allocated most of its budget to national security and defense. The Vietnam War is an example of the government’s expensive aid to the French allies in winning the war. This expenditure angered the American public and almost cost a civil war to occur. In terms of the American economy, the 1950s showed the height of America as a rich nation where the middle class grew but ironically the poor population remained the same. During this time the American government aided citizens in building their homes and businesses to stabilize the US economy. White collared jobs were created but unfortunately blue collared ones decreased thus explaining the constant population of the poor in the United States. African Americans were not given the same benefits as their white counterparts. They were the ones who suffered the most for they had poor housing, bad education and their standard of livings have worsened during the 1950s. Conclusion The United State’s social upheaval in the 1960s was caused by racism in the 1950s where only the white population benefited from the government’s social programs. This led to civil rights groups which lobbied for the equal treatment of citizens. The same group gave rise to the popular student hippies in the 1960s that almost cost civil war because of the US government’s support in the Vietnam War. In terms of the political sector, the US government’s constant intervention with other foreign nations’ concerns with regards to wars against communism led to the anger of US citizens in the 1960s because budgets were allocated to national security and defense as well as financial supports in wars. Such move greatly affected the US economy. Works Cited Addington, Larry. America’s War in Vietnam: A Short Narrative History, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2000. Print. Friedan, Bet ty. The Feminine Mystique, New York, United States of America: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1963. Print. Henriksen, Margot. Dr. Stragelove’s America: Society and Culture in the Atomic Age, Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 1997. Print. Wolfe, Tom. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, New York, United States of America: Random House Inc., 1968. Print. This essay on Social, Political and Economic Conditions of the 1950s was written and submitted by user S1lverclaw to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Coal in a Nutshell

Coal in a Nutshell Coal is an enormously valuable fossil fuel that has been used for hundreds of years in industry. It is made up of organic components; specifically, plant matter that has been buried in an anoxic, or non-oxygenated, environment and compressed over millions of years.   Fossil, Mineral or Rock? Because it is organic, coal defies the normal standards of classification for rocks, minerals, and fossils:   A fossil is any evidence of life that has been preserved in rock. The plant remains that make up coal have been pressure cooked for millions of years. Therefore, it is not accurate to say that they have been preserved.  Minerals are inorganic, naturally-occurring solids. While coal is a naturally-occurring solid, it is composed of organic plant material.Rocks are, of course, made up of minerals.   Talk to a geologist, though, and theyll tell you that coal is an organic sedimentary rock. Even though it doesnt technically meet the criteria, it looks like a rock, feels like a rock and is found between sheets of (sedimentary) rock. So in this case, it is a rock.   Geology isnt like chemistry or physics with their steadfast and consistent rules. It is an Earth science; and like the Earth, geology is full of exceptions to the rule.   State legislators struggle with this topic as well: Utah and West Virginia list coal as their  official state rock  while Kentucky named coal its  state mineral  in 1998.   Coal: the Organic Rock Coal differs from every other kind of rock in that it is made of organic carbon: the actual remains, not just mineralized fossils, of dead plants. Today, the vast majority of dead plant matter is consumed by fire and decay, returning its carbon to the atmosphere as the gas carbon dioxide. In other words, it is oxidized. The carbon in coal, however, was preserved from oxidation and remains in a chemically reduced form, available for oxidation. Coal geologists study their subject the same way that other geologists study other rocks. But instead of talking about the minerals that make up the rock (because there are none, just bits of organic matter), coal geologists refer to the components of coal as  macerals. There are three groups of macerals:  inertinite, liptinite, and vitrinite. To oversimplify a complex subject, inertinite is generally derived from plant tissues, liptinite from pollen and resins, and vitrinite from humus or broken-down plant matter. Where Coal Formed The old saying in geology is that the present is the key to the past. Today, we can find plant matter being preserved in anoxic places: peat bogs like those of Ireland or wetlands like the Everglades of Florida. And sure enough, fossil leaves and wood are found in some coal beds. Therefore, geologists have long assumed that coal is a form of peat  created by the heat and pressure of deep burial. The geologic process of turning peat into coal is called coalification. Coal beds are much, much larger than peat bogs, some of them tens of meters in thickness, and they occur all over the world. This says that the ancient world must have had enormous and long-lived anoxic wetlands when the coal was being made.   Geologic History of Coal While coal has been reported in rocks as old as Proterozoic (possibly 2 billion years) and as young as Pliocene (2 million years old), the great majority of the worlds coal was laid down during the Carboniferous Period, a 60-million-year stretch (359-299 m.y.a.) when sea level was high and forests of tall ferns and cycads grew in gigantic tropical swamps. The key to preserving the forests dead matter was burying it. We can tell what happened from the rocks that enclose the coal beds: there are limestones and shales on top, laid down in shallow seas, and sandstones beneath laid down by river deltas. Obviously, the coal swamps were flooded by advances of the sea. This allowed shale and limestone to be deposited on top of them. The fossils in the shale and limestone change from shallow-water organisms to deep-water species, then back to shallow forms. Then sandstones appear as river deltas advance into the shallow seas and another coal bed is laid down on top. This cycle of rock types is called a cyclothem. Hundreds of cyclothems occur in the rock sequence of the Carboniferous. Only one cause can do that - a long series of ice ages raising and lowering the sea level. And sure enough, in the region that was at the south pole during that time, the rock record shows abundant evidence of glaciers. That set of circumstances has never recurred, and the coals of the Carboniferous (and the following Permian Period) are the undisputed champions of their type. It has been argued that about 300 million years ago, some fungus species evolved the ability to digest wood, and that was the end of the great age of coal, although younger coal beds do exist. A genome study in Science gave that theory more support in 2012. If the wood was immune to rot before 300 million years ago, then perhaps anoxic conditions were not always necessary. Grades of Coal Coal comes in three main types or grades. First, the swampy peat is squeezed and heated to form a brown, soft coal called lignite. In the process, the material releases hydrocarbons, which migrate away and eventually become petroleum. With more heat and pressure lignite releases more hydrocarbons and becomes the higher-grade bituminous coal. Bituminous coal is black, hard and usually dull to glossy in appearance. Still greater heat and pressure yields anthracite, the highest grade of coal. In the process, the coal releases methane or natural gas. Anthracite, a shiny, hard black stone, is nearly pure carbon and burns with great heat and little smoke.   If coal is subjected to still more heat and pressure, it becomes a metamorphic rock as the macerals finally crystallize into a true mineral, graphite. This slippery mineral still burns, but it is much more useful as a lubricant, an ingredient in pencils and other roles. Still more valuable is the fate of deeply buried carbon, which at conditions found in the mantle is transformed into a new crystalline form: diamond. However, coal probably oxidizes long before it can get into the mantle, so only Superman could perform that trick.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Assault and Abuse

Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Assault and Abuse Protecting your child from sexual assault or helping your child if they have been sexually abused can be traumatic and confusing. Many people share the same questions and concerns. Here are comments, frequently asked question, and feedback about the topic of child abuse and sexual assault. 11 Common Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Assault I am afraid of scaring my children by talking to them about sexual abuse, but I am also afraid not to talk to them about it. What should I do? Answer: There are many things that we teach our children to be careful about or about how to react to different scary situations. For example, how to cross the street (looking both ways) and what to do in the case of a fire (drop and roll). Add the topic of sexual abuse to the other safety tips that you give to your children and remember, the subject is often more frightening to parents than to their children. I do not know how to tell if someone is a sex offender. Its not like they wear a sign around their neck. Is there any sure way to identify them? Answer:  There is no way to tell who is a sex offender, with the exception of offenders listed on sex offender registries online. Even then, the chances that would recognize the offenders in a public place is questionable. That is why it is important to trust your instincts, keep an open dialog with your children, stay aware of your surroundings and the people involved with your children, and follow general safety guidelines. People may falsely accuse someone of being a sex offender or of being sexually abused.  How do you know for sure what or who to believe? Answer:  According to research, the crime of sexual assault is no more falsely reported than other crimes. In fact, victims of sexual assault, especially children, will often hide that they have been victimized because of self-blame, guilt, shame or fear. If someone (an adult or child) tells you that they have been sexually abused or identifies the person that sexually abused them, it is best to believe them and offer your full support. Avoid interrogating them and allow them  to decide the details that they are comfortable sharing with you. Help guide them to the proper channels for finding help. How does a parent possibly handle knowing that their child was sexually assaulted? I am fearful that I would fall apart. Answer: A common fear with children who have been victimized, is how their parents will react when they find out what has happened. Children want to make their parents happy, not upset them. They may feel ashamed and fear that it will somehow alter how a parent feels about them or relates to them. That is why it is paramount that if you know or suspect that your child has been sexually assaulted that you remain in control, make them feel safe, nurture them and show them your love. You must be strong and remember that the trauma that your child has endured is the issue. Redirecting the focus away from them to you, by displaying out of control emotions, is not be helpful. Find a support team and counseling to help you deal with your emotions so that you can remain strong for your child. How can children ever recover from such an experience? Answer:  Children are resilient. It has been shown that children who can talk about their experience with someone that they trust, often heals more quickly than those that keep it inside or who are not believed. Offering full parental support and providing the child with professional care can help the child and family to heal. Is it true that some children willingly participate in sexual activities and are partly to blame for what happened? Answer: Children cannot legally consent to sexual activity, even if they say that it was consensual. It is important to remember that  sexual abusers use deviant ways to gain control over their victims. They are highly manipulative, and it is common for them to make victims feel that they are to blame for the assault. If the child feels that they somehow caused the sexual assault, they will be less likely to tell their parents about it. When dealing with a child that has been sexually assaulted, it is important to reassure them that nothing that was done to them by an adult was their fault, no matter what the abuser did or said to make them feel otherwise. There is so much about sex offenders on the news. How can parents avoid being overprotective with their children? Answer: It is important that children learn how to react to the possible dangers that they may be confronted with in life. By being overprotective or exhibiting irrational fear, children tend to become helpless. It is more productive to teach children common sense, provide them with the information that can help them, and keep an open and inviting dialog going so that they feel safe to talk about their problems. I am fearful that I will not know that my child has been a victim. How can a parent tell? Answer:   Unfortunately, some children never tell that they have been victims of sexual abuse. However, the more informed parents are about what to look for, the better the odds are that they will recognize that something has happened to their child. Learn to keep close tabs on your instincts and look for any change in your childs behavior that is concerning. Do not dismiss thoughts that something might be wrong.   Is the court process terribly traumatic for child victims? Are they forced to relive the abuse? Answer:  Ã‚  Children who go through the court process often feel that they had regained the control that was lost when they were sexually assaulted. The court process can become part of the healing process. In many states, there are professionally trained personnel and child-friendly places designed to help child victims through the interview process. If my child is a victim of sexual abuse, does talking to them about it afterward make it worse? Answer:  Ã‚  A child should not feel that they are being forced to talk about being sexually assaulted. Be careful that you are opening the door for them to talk, but not forcing them through the door. Most children will open up when they are ready. It will help them to get to that point by knowing that when that time comes, you will be there for them. What should I do if I suspect someone is sexually abusing my child or child in the neighborhood? Answer:  Ã‚  It is best to contact the authorities and let them investigate. If you suspect the abuse because of something your child or another child told you, your primary role is to believe the child and give them your support.

Combining and using source material Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Combining and using source material - Essay Example e Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2003), and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2004) define research as a learning of an object in order to get new data. Howard and Sharp (1983), in his â€Å"Doing Your Research Project†, and Wisker (2008), in his â€Å"The Postgraduate Research Handbook†, have a similar view but add that there must be methodological processes which can gain benefit for research. These fairly general definitions are further expanded by Nunan (1994), â€Å"Research Methods in Language Learning†, who argues that research must include three elements or components such as 1. a question, problem or hypothesis, 2. data, 3. analysis and interpretation of data. For Wisker what is key is that research has an effect on the world, which is in research results, and finds the realization in our behavior in society. Dawson(2002), however, gives a less general definition and focusses specifically on the purposeful examining of the cond uct of other people with the aim of better understanding them or adding new information to knowledge. For the purposes of this essay, the word â€Å"research† will be used to mean specific studying of an object with a particular aim and special

Racism in Finding Forrester Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racism in Finding Forrester - Essay Example Finding Forrester" has elements of class, race, ethnicity and stereotyping and even gender inequality that are featured invariably in the various threads of the story as the director, Gus Van Sant would relate the 2000 movie. The film tries to reproduce what obtains in society in as close to reality as possible. Starting with sociological perspectives, this paper gives a synopsis of the film, progresses on to the story in selective perception mode and picks on incidents of the story featuring these sociological terms with an insight of what happened.In a gritty New York neighborhood, a shadowy but perpetually unseen figure appears behind thin curtains. Rumors abound regarding The Window's identity and story, prompting African-American Jamal Wallace to accept a dare to infiltrate The Window's apartment and bring something out. Jamal is a 16-year-old scholar-athlete and aspiring writer in inner-city Manhattan. When he's not writing in his journal in his bedroom, Jamal and his boys woul d play basketball on a local Bronx street court. They note that they're being observed by someone with binoculars in a nearby apartment building.As Jamal enters the apartment, he is caught in the act and accidentally leaves behind his backpack, which contains his journals. The Scottish reclusive genius writes comments in the notebooks, and drops the backpack through a window.Jamal returns for more lessons. His efforts lead him to get tutored by The Window, with Jamal agreeing not to reveal his whereabouts. The tutor turns out to be a Pulitzer Prize-winning classic novelist, William Forrester, who wrote "the Great 20th Century Novel," Avalon Landing, and had been reclusive for four decades. Forrester is a male Caucasian in his mid seventies. Sociological perspectives Blacks like Jamal are considered inferior by some theorists as a result of flawed genetic traits (Eitzen and Zinn 2004). In The Bell Curve work of Herrnstein and Murray (1994), Blacks are said to be mentally inferior to Whites. Such genetic inferiority, according to Gould (1994) cannot be changed by environmental changes. These theories bordering on biological deficiency, generally are not accepted in the scientific community (Eitzen and Zinn 2004). Media, however, just like films, continue to give attention to the thinking of these theorists. The Movie Race is a huge issue in the film and many stereotypes are made. Jamal Wallace is introduced in the film as a typical Black teenage male who goes to a low class school in the Bronx and really excels on the court as a basketball player. He is looked upon as an amazing Black as though unexpected because of his color. One proof of this is that the teacher (April Grace) calls Jamal's mother in to school, to inform her of her child's amazing abilities. Jamal is also looked at as given to playing or to pleasure because of his class. Although he had wanted to realize his writing ability, the exclusive New York school that had offered him a scholarship, is actually more interested in having Jamal play basketball to improve their school image. He soon learns that after losing several players to graduation, the school is looking to restock the basketball team. In fact, Jamal gets transferred there as a junior, presumably to have him educated. A Black, Jamal is seen to fit in their objectives as Blacks are of a class, easily pliable and more oriented to playing than studying. Or so the prep school thought. Jamal has been characterized also as an underachiever in class. This plot point caters to the stereotype that Black students get bad grades. This is different from the view that Jamal may want to get bad grades to fit in with his bad-grade-getting peers. This is probable and is more of peer pressure among the young which can be found in whatever race. The first view, however, which appears truer as far as the story is concerned, is stereotyping while the second view is non-racial. The first view which

Joy Luck Club - The Struggles of Life :: essays papers

Joy Luck Club - The Struggles of Life A giant total has been assessed onto an assignment. The team has spent weeks of preparation. In moments the presentation of this project will commence. But, some team members aren't ready. The whole project crumbles and ultimately results in a failure. Disciplined workers have no control over it, but they must overcome this obstacle. Only this way can they become better people and know how to handle similar situations in the future. People must overcome hardships to have stronger personalities, just like the women in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. People learn from their mistakes. For Suyuan Woo, she over packed and failed to make it to a relief area. "After a while, she left the suitcases behind, keeping only the food and a few clothes. And later she also dropped the bags of wheat flour and rice^ ." (p. 324). After leaving all this, she continued, but she was already too fatigued to walk anymore. Her energy was burned up from her body, like fossil fuel from the Earth. Finally, too much was used. She learned that no one could ever take everything with them. They must make sacrifices to survive. An-mei Hsu survived a great hardship, like when hot soup scorched her young neck, leaving her with a scar. "I could not speak because of this terrible choking feeling. I could not see because of all the tears that poured out to wash away the pain." (p. 39). Her tender skin survived the intense heat, and her character developed. When she was older, another crisis erupted when her mother killed herself with opium. At this point, Wu-Tsing's house was nothing, only a hive of polygamy. From this, she learned that she could gain respect that her mother could never fully achieved. "And on that day, I showed Second Wife the fake pearl necklace she had given me and crushed it under my foot. And on that day, Second Wife's hair began to turn white. And on that day, I learned to shout." (p. 272). She resisted, and refused to succumb to the pressures in her life. Planned marriages were a common practice when the Joy Luck mothers were still young. For instance, when Lindo was 12, she was forced to marry into a very harsh family. From it, she learned patience. Soon, after her marriage, she longed to be free again. "On the morning of that day, I woke up Tyan-Yu and the entire house with my wailing. It took Huang Taitai a long time to come into my room.

The Symbol of the Mockingbird Lies at the Heart of Harper Lee’s Novel to Kill a Mockingbird. Discuss.

Mockingbird's are not only symbols of innocence; they are also symbols of happiness and to kill them is evil. This concept, the senseless persecution of an innocent individual, is central to Harper Lee's novel. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both mockingbird figures, innocent yet condemned through the prejudices of society. The symbol of the mockingbird, with its associated ideas of a fragile, albeit beautiful innocence appears when Atticus tells Jem and Scout they may shoot all the bluejays they want, â€Å"but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird†.This is the first time Scout has ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something. The full significance of this remark is explained to Scout by Miss Maudie as she explains that mockingbirds â€Å"do nothing but sing their hearts out for us†, making music for the enjoyment of everyone in Maycomb. They represent a type of gentle and harmless creature. Throughout the text, Lee reiterates that to kill a mockingbird wou ld be wicked and spiteful, a senseless and pointless act of destruction. Boo Radley symbolises a beautiful, but tortured mockingbird that is misunderstood and ostracised by both his family and the wider community.He is kept as a prisoner in his own home, kept in confinement by his god-fearing Baptist family. Despite this treatment Boo remains gentle and harmless. However, people tell stories about how he eats squirrels and cats and poisons the pecan nuts in the school yard. To the community Boo is a â€Å"malevolent phantom†. Gradually Scout and Jem begin to see things from Boo's perspective. Like the mockingbird Boo gives pleasure and comfort: for example, the gifts in the tree, the blanket placed around their shoulders as they watch Miss Maudie's home go up in flames.Finally, he saves Scout and Jem's lives. In turn, Scout realises to drag Boo into the limelight would be like â€Å"shootin' a mockingbird† and a cruel betrayal of all the inherent goodness Boo symbolise s as a mockingbird. The mockingbird symbol also involves the broader themes of justice and how it can destroy an innocent person. Tom Robinson is an honest and principled black man who is accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. He explains he was only in the Ewell's house to help her; however, he condemns himself in the eyes of the jury when he says he felt sorry for her.This would be seen as the lowest class of citizen showing superiority towards a class above. The white community's fear of racial disturbance and their insecurity about their own position in society meant that Tom Robinson was found guilty. The prosecutor responds with feigned indignity â€Å"You felt sorry for her; you felt sorry for her? † Harper Lee uses rapid dialogue in the courtroom scene to emphasise the way the prosecutor attacks Tom, like an attack on an innocent mockingbird. Harper Lee exposes not just the prejudices of Maycomb but the ugly nature of such beliefs in society as a whole.Justice is betrayed when the jury ignore the evidence and destroy the mockingbird figure of Tom Robinson. It is evident that both characters have mockingbird traits. They both show kindness – Boo to the children, Tom to Mayella. They are both innocent – Boo of the evil persona with which he is associated and Tom of the crime of rape. Both are victims of prejudice. The significance of the mockingbird motif broadens out to contain many layers of meaning and is kept alive through the narrative continually reminding the reader of the theme of prejudice with which it is associated.