Monkeys in Danger

Stupid Black! I don't want those Negroes around my children. Black men are not to be trusted around our women.

These are all terms and accusations regularly used in the south during the time of To Kill a Mockingbird. Black people were discriminated against every single day of their lives.

There were two common racist categories of people. The first were those who deliberately went out of their way to publicly embarrass or harass Negroes. Bob Ewell displayed identical behaviors and fits well in this category. His obnoxious being and his obscene accusations against Tom Robinson were enough to make young children (Jem, Dill, and Scout) see that Tom's case was unfair.

The second group is made up of those who would simply look the other way when they saw blacks in town, as if ignoring the nuisances long enough would just keep them out of their way. Aunt Alexandra and the ladies that met with her for tea possess some of these characteristics. They did not go out of their way to insult black people, just thought them incompetent.

Now, to tie this in with my collage, I would like to point out the picture of Martin Luther King Jr. The sentence at the bottom of this picture reminded me of Atticus's last words in defense of Tom Robinson in court. "In the name of God, do your duty." What he meant by this was, do not choose for the sake of your reputation, do not just say what is "expected" of you by social circumstances, do what you know is right, for this man is innocent.