To Kill A Mocking Bird By Lee Essays - English-language Films

To Kill A Mocking Bird By Lee Racial categories are created in the film To Kill A Mockingbird through a complex societal hierarchy founded in difference. Although all of Macon county lives in poverty, the town does not unite on the basis of this shared experience, but instead focuses on their differences, both real and imagined, to segregate themselves. The town operates under a general assumption that wealthier whites hold the most power and prestige, followed by poorer whites, while all blacks, regardless of financial station, are considered to be the lowest citizens. General depictions of black men and women in the film are of household servants and ignorant, docile farm workers. The only slight indication that there were any educated blacks in Macon comes from the appearance of the preacher at Tom Robinson's trial. Held on charges of raping and beating a poor, white woman, Mr. Robinson is portrayed as a meek and nearly helpless man. The fact that he can barely speak in his own defense, relays both the idea that black men were uneducated, as well as the idea that blacks were afraid to step over the boundaries of their society. Attics Finch, a kind and fair white lawyer, is the only person to speak up for Mr. Robinson. This demonstrates the idea that the lowly black man needs a benevolent white man to "save" him and direct his life along the right path. Black men and women in the film are unable to make their own decisions. Clearly, there were obvious lines drawn in Macon, delegating specific roles to the various groups of citizens. The dark pigment of Mr. Robinson's skin placed him on the bottom rung of society, forcing him into a subservient position. It is difficult to discern whether the film is attempting to garner sympathy for the oppressed black community, or reinforce stereotypes of ignorant and complacent black men and women. While the initial depictions of the black community center around the Finch's maid, Calpurnia, the respect with which the family treats her is far from the norm. Ranging from the callous indifference of several of the white law-enforcement officers, to the blatant racism of the group of country farmers, much meaning is assumed from difference. The racism of Macon seems to stem from the Southern history of slavery. Blacks continue to be classed as servants, and not equals, to the white townspeople. With no other opportunities available to them, the black workers attempt to make the most out of what they have. They are faced daily with the stigma attached to the color of their skin, a difference which assigns the entire black community an inferior status. Especially evident in the treatment of blacks by the poor, white farmers, is a desire for dominance over the blacks. Bob Ewel, the father of the victim, expresses his distaste by referring to black men as "boy," a term we have seen is weighted by heavy historical significance. This racism most likely stems from the substandard treatment these farmers receive from the wealthier population of Macon. In the blacks, the farmers are looking for a place to vent their own frustration and exert power over another group. The idea of ethnic identity as an illusion opened my eyes to the fallacy of a single identity for every group. Using only the basic elements of family life for example, it is clear to see that the Finch family is very different from the farming Cunningham family, despite the fact that they are both white. This illusion shows up again in the lumping together of all of the black men and women of Macon into a single category, at the expense of any individual identities. Even Tom Robinson, the man held on (false) charges of raping a white woman, is never developed as a character. The audience is left to imagine that he is "just" another poor, black farmer. I chose this film because of the use of difference as a foundation for social hierarchy. Throughout the film, there is much lumping of various ethnic groups. A group identity is favored over the individual identity, and all assumptions are based on the idea that each member of a group shares the same thoughts, values, and identity. Seeing the various episodes of the film through the eyes of the young narrator, Scout Finch, also offered a unique perspective to the film. The questioning eyes of a child are often as critical as any educated outsider looking in on Macon could be. Through this course I have

Definition and Examples of Correctness in Language

Definition and Examples of Correctness in Language In prescriptive grammar, correctness is the notion that certain words, word forms, and syntactic structures meet the standards and conventions (that is, the rules) prescribed by traditional grammarians. Contrast correctness with grammatical error. According to  David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, Achieving grammatical correctness is a matter of both knowledgehow to recognize and avoid errorsand timing: when to narrow your focus to proofreading (Writing Analytically, 2012). Examples and Observations It is in vain to set up a language police to stem living developments. (I have always suspected that correctness is the last refuge of those who have nothing to say.)(Friederich Waismann, Analytic-Synthetic V. Analysis, 1952)Concern with correctness, whether mechanical, logical, or rhetorical, is in no way illegitimate or suspect. Virtually all educators evaluate student writing for correctness of spelling, grammar, or logic. What generates the distinctive pedagogies of clear and correct writing is not a concern with correctness that no one else shares, but the rather less widespread notion that rules are somehow context-neutral, that they can be taught by themselves and then applied elsewhere.(Dennis McGrath and Martin B. Spear, The Academic Crisis of the Community College. SUNY Press, 1991)School Grammar and CorrectnessIn nearly every instance, school grammar is traditional grammar. It is concerned primarily with correctness and with the categorical names for the words that make up sentences. Thus, students study grammatical terms and certain rules that are supposed to be associated with correctness. Grammar instruction is justified on the assumption that students who speak or write expressions such as He dont do nothin will modify their language to produce He doesnt do anything if only they learn a bit more grammar. . . .Although most teachers in our public schools continue to prescribe language, linguists dropped prescription long ago, replacing it with the concept of appropriateness conditions. This expression signifies that language use is situation specific and that there is no absolute standard of correctness that applies to all situations. People modify their language on the basis of circumstances and dominant conventions . . ..(James D. Williams, The Teachers Grammar Book. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999) Three Kinds of Rules Most of our attitudes about correctness have been encouraged by generations of grammarians who, in their zeal to codify good English, have confused three kinds of rules:A few date from the twentieth century:But since grammarians have been accusing the best writers of violating such rules for the last 250 years, we have to conclude that for 250 years the best writers have been ignoring both the rules and the grammarians. Which is lucky for grammarians, because if writers did obey all their rules, grammarians would have to keep inventing new ones, or find another line of work.(Joseph M. Williams, Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace. Longman, 2003) Some rules define what makes English Englisharticles precede nouns: the book, not book the. These are the real rules we violate only when we are tired or rushed. . . .A few rules distinguish Standard English from nonstandard: He doesnt have any money versus He dont have no money. The only writers who consciously follow these rules are those striving to join the educated class. Schooled writers observe these rules as naturally as they observe the real rules and think about them only when they notice others violating them.Finally, some grammarians have invented rules they think we all should observe. Most date from the last half of the eighteenth century: Dont split infinitives, as in to quietly leave.Dont use than after different, as in This is different than that. Use from.Dont use hopefully for I hope, as in Hopefully, it wont rain.Dont use which for that, as in a car which I sold. Freshman Composition and Correctness Composition courses provided a means to teach larger numbers of students at once, assessing their success by measuring their adherence to prescribed standards. . . . [M]any schools [in the late 19th century] began instituting Freshman Composition classes that focused more on correctness than invention. For example, Harvards course English A, initiated in the 1870s, focused less on traditional aspects of rhetoric and more on correctness and formulaic responses. The concept of discipline had changed from moral and religious discipline, codes of conduct and virtue, to mental discipline, means of working with repetitive drills and exercises.(Suzanne Bordelon, Elizabethada A. Wright, and S. Michael Halloran, From Rhetoric to Rhetorics: An Interim Report on the History of American Writing Instruction to 1900. A Short History of Writing Instruction: From Ancient Greece to Contemporary America, 3rd ed., edited by James J. Murphy. Routledge, 2012)