Relationship between “How to Kill a Mockingbird” and “Mississipi Burning”

What is a “nigger”? “Used as a disparaging term for a Black person” in the modern world, calling a black man, a nigger would be offensive and would be racist.

What is racism? “Racism is a form of discrimination based on race, especially the belief that one race is superior to another. Racism may be expressed individually and consciously, through explicit thoughts, feelings or acts, or socially and unconsciously through institutions that promote inequality between races.”

Racism is relevant in society today as well as the past, where there was different kinds of racism, through colour, gender etc. But, there is a different meaning of racism in the texts, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Mississippi Burning, where coloured people, as they say, are discriminated based purely on their skin colour, but not judged by their skills, human like features etc. In context of the film and book, the white community judge only by appearance. Racism is society is relevant to the book by Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the film, Mississippi Burning, directed by Alan Parker.

In context, between the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the film, “Mississippi Burning”, they show racism in two unique ways, from “To Kill a Mockingbird”, racism is distinctly shown through a small town, Maycomb, through the eyes of a young girl, Scout. The growth of racism is proportional to the growth of Scout. The concept of Bildungsroman, a German word meaning novel of growth/ education comes into context in relation to Scout and her view of her “world”. While in the Mississippi Burning, racism is shown through various film techniques, symbolic meanings and mediums.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a great example of showing how racism was portrayed during the 20’s and 30s. Life was very different from then, where previously there were still African American slaves that were not being recognised as equals to the white community. Racism is shown in the book, with Tom Robinson, a Negro, who is accused of raping Mayella, daughter of Bob Ewell, who is described as being extremely poor. In reality, it is obvious that Tom Robinson was convicted because he was a black and that if the community would blame it on someone and the blame would go on a nigger, and all would be better if the blame could go on a Negro.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a phrase used in Harper Lee’s book by Miss Maudie to teach the children not to hurt creatures that do not cause any harm. In To Kill a Mockingbird, we learn that both adults and children discriminate by hurting or looking down on others because of their differences, but it is the fault of adults that prejudice continues over time. Lee shows us that discrimination is rampant in Maycomb County as it was in most places in the South in the 1930’s. The racism encountered by Tom Robinson and the discrimination against Arthur Radley are not fair, but the same types of prejudice are still apparent today.

The symbolism of the killing of a mockingbird is a powerful symbol that is used very frequently throughout the book. The concept of a killing a mockingbird is described by Atticus – ” Atticus said to Jem, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever hear Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. “You’re father’s right,” she said. “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 mocking bird.” pg 98.

The connection between the mockingbird and story is that Tom Robinson is an innocent being (mockingbird), he has done nothing to bring on his own troubles, his only fault was being too kind to Mayella Ewell and the victim of racial prejudice. The mockingbird is a symbol of the good things about the traditional southern way of life, a way of life that is being destroyed from within by the evils of segregation and racial prejudice. In this case, it is the innocent children- Scout, Jem, and Dill- who are wounded by the unthinking cruelty of the adult community. They grow up carrying a burden of guilt and shame for a system they had no part in creating. Still other victims are the eccentrics and individualists like Dolphus Raymond, who has to give up their pride and place in the community in order to live and think as they please.

Harper Lee purposely used Scout as the narrator to portray that racism is shown differently in children and in adults. The “Killing of a Mockingbird” is relevant in today’s society, when children bully their peers in the school playground just for their own enjoyment and making the person being bullied feel bad for no particular reason. In the context of the book, Scout broke her promise to Atticus, her father about fighting at school: “My fists were clenched I was ready to make fly. Cecil Jacobs had announced the day before that Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers.” This quote has a relation to the metaphor of discrimination “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

I remember the times when I have physically, mentally and emotionally bullied someone just for a small laugh among my peers, as I held a deep thought into these moments, it became more personal to me I realised how I would feel if someone did the exact same thing to me. I personally know how it feels to be bullied and tormented. How would you feel?

A form of discrimination (racism) against Tom Robinson was when the Maycomb townsfolk formed a mob against him while he was held in jail to ensure that he died no matter the verdict of the court’s decision. This is an example of killing a mockingbird because when the trial actually is in place, our suspicions that Tom Robinson was indeed the rapist was denied. The phrase “To Kill a Mockingbird” has changed to a metaphor for discrimination. As a common quote in today’s society – “If you can’t say something nice – don’t say anything at all”.

A similarity between “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Mississippi Burning”, is the key figure, Martin Luther King a pioneer in the civil rights movement said this -“”Men hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they are often separated from each other.” This quote is a chain definition line, where one thing leads to another and that thing leads to another etc. This is effective in a way; we know the resultant of why men hate each other (in context of the book, the segregation of black and white community, the tension between them).

A very powerful quote by Atticus Finch, at the summary of the trial, he stated “The witnesses for the state…have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption–the evil assumption–that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their calibre. Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you.

You know the truth, the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral; some Negro men cannot be trusted around women, black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men…” pg 217. The technique used in this quote is comparison of 2 stereotypes, one of evil assumption and the plain truth, a truth which people with the evil assumption imprinted in their mind cannot accept. Harper gets his message across through the frequent use of commas, which indicates a pause in speech, giving reader time to absorb the stereotypes stated, viewing the stereotypes with their own opinion.

The problem of racism is wide spread during this 21st century generation, in the book Tom Robinson is the key symbol of racism within the book To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee was trying to express what discrimination for what it really is, a problem that affects all types of people of different religions, race, handicaps etc. In relevance to today’s society, Adults are the main teachers of discrimination due to children (sons/daughters) learning by example, it is up to adults to change so it will influence their children.

While in the film, Mississippi Burning, racism is portrayed through the media and also with various film techniques, symbolism and dialogue. Mississippi Burning is about 3 civil right workers, a Negro and two white boys, are murdered and where the FBI is in charge to find the murders who are hidden in the society. The town’s society erupts when the case escalates to be shown in the media. Racism is symbolic through the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), who were veteran fighters of the Confederate army during the American Civil War, this group was dedicated to stop “invaders” of blacks, Jews or gays, which is evident in the movie.

Contextual references to Mississippi Burning would be historically as the time that the setting had a occurred when 3 civil rights workers were murdered was during the Civil Right Movement. Sherrif Stuckey explains the term SNCC, NAAC, COFO, NAACP all which relate to the Civil Rights movement.

SNCC – Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee

NAAC – National Assessment and Accreditation Council

COFO – Council of Federated Organisations

NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People

Sheriff Stuckey comments on the NAACP acronym – “Niggers, Alligators, Apes, Coons and Possums”, he is demoralising and devaluing Negros, putting them in context of being a lesser being, in the level of animals. While he relates SNCC + COFO equalling B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T, discriminating Negros in a masked way using racism.

A great set of dialogue by the Eulogist, accompanied by powerful music is spoken by the Eulogist –

Eulogist: They want me to say, “Let us not forget that two white boys also died helping Negros help themselves.” They want me to say, “We mourn with the mothers of these two white boys.” But the state of Mississippi won’t even allow these white boys to be buried in the same cemetery as this Negro boy. I say, “I have no more love to give! I have only anger in my heart today, and I want you to be angry with me! That I am sick and I am tired, and I want you to be sick and tired with me! I-I-I am sick and tired of going to the funerals of black men who have been murdered by white men! And I-I am sick and tired of the people of this country who continue to allow these things to happen!” What is an unalienable right if you are a Negro? What does it mean, Equal Treatment under the law? What-what does it mean, Liberty and justice for all? Now I say to these people, “Look at the face of this young man, and you will see the face of a black man. But if you look at the blood shed, it is red! It is like yours! It is JUST… LIKE… YOURS!”

This set of dialogue is spoken after the corpses of the 3 civil right workers are found, he talks about the unison of black and white communities, where 2 white boys were helping a white boys. The eulogist is speaking the truth the “unalienable right if you are a Negro”, “Equal treatment under the law”, “Liberty and justice”. These remarkable comments made by the Eulogist explain the unfair treatment of Negros. The assistance of music greatly represents the power of his speech, the rising tempo as he goes deeper into his feelings.

The conversation approaching the end of the film with Mr Anderson and Mr Ward, the 2 F.B.I agents

Ward: Don’t drag me into your gutter, Mr. Anderson!

Anderson: These people crawled out of a sewer, Mr. Ward! Now maybe the gutter’s where we should be!

Here, in this dialogue, Anderson is showing sympathy for the Negros, with concern to gutters and sewers, the conflict between the “superior races” comes into mind, his sympathy towards them shows that he doesn’t care who is the “better” race, but rather how equal we are.