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Justice / Law and Order
Harper Lee portrays the legal system realistically.
She shows that is not always fair and it is not always just. It
is through Atticus that we learn that the legal system is only as
just as the community it serves.
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Activities
Tasks |
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1
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Skim and scan through the novel to
find any statements that Atticus makes about law and justice.
Write out each quote and record the page number and some
details about the situation in which Atticus makes each
of these statements. |
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2
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In failing to arrest Boo Radley at
the end, Sheriff Tate is breaking the law, as is Atticus,
who knows the truth of Ewell's murder. Do you agree with
some critics that Atticus' actions are "wrong"
as well as illegal? |
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3
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Present a legal defense of Boo Radley
at the time of his first arrest. Make sure that you are
prepared to bring up any points by the other side and
offer your rejoinders. |
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Related to the theme of innocence and experience
is the novel's suggestion that innocent children can often see large
moral issues more dearly than adults. Scout, Jem and Dill never waver
in their horror at the injustice done to Tom Robinson. The adults
in the story, however, see all the complexities of the situation to
the point of being blinded to the central issue of and wrong. However
much Scout may grow through her experiences, one hopes that she will
never lose her childlike undertaking of justice. Harper Lee emphasises
that justice is a concept not always inherent in the machinery of
legal process. To recognize the difference between justice and injustice
does not take any special degree of wisdom or sophistication. The
novel supports the belief that justice is easy to recognise and define. |
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Activities
Tasks
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1
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What examples of justice and injustice
are depicted in the novel? For each example give an explanation
of your choice. |
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2
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Why does Mr. Underwood come to the
aid of Atticus in defending Tom Robinson from the mob?
Contrast Mr. Underwood's behaviour with the decision of
Heck Tate to file a false police report about Bob Ewell's
death. How do the two men's ideas about justice differ?
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3
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What if Tom Robinson was an Indigenous-Australian
man and the events of To Kill a Mockingbird occurred
in Australia? Explain what you think would happen and
the outcome of Tom Robinson's case considering the change
in setting. |
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4
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Listen to the
song "The Hurricane" by Bob Dylan (you can find
the lyrics here: ).
You may even wish to watch the film Hurricane starring
Denzel Washington. Discuss the following questions:
(a) Do you think there were any changes in law
and order between the 1930s and late 1960s?
(b) What caused Tom Robinson and Rubin Carter to
be imprisoned?
(c) What helped Rubin Carter?
(d) Why is it significant that the successful campaign
to free Rubin Carter was started in Canada? |
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5
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Atticus also insists to the jury that
"there is one way in this country in which all men
are created equal-there is one human institution that
makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid
man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the
equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen,
is a court" [p. 234].
(a) Does the jury's guilty verdict invalidate Atticus's
claims?
(b) Are the courts today "the great levellers,"
making us all equal, as Atticus believes, or do wealth
and race play an inordinate role in the way justice is
distributed in Australia? |
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