A Gathering of Old Men A Gathering of Old Men is a novel that was written by Ernest Gaines in 1983 that surrounds the shooting death of Beau Boutan a Cajun farmer on Marshall’s plantation located in Louisiana. Throughout this novel there are many transformations in characters attitudes, but the one character that stands out the most would be Charlie who worked closely with Beau Boutan. This particular novel uses multiple narrators such as blacks, whites, Cajuns, and the old that expresses the different relationships between this Louisiana community during the 1970’s in the south. Due to the fact that Cajuns disliked blacks, it was very obvious in this novel that blacks lived in fear. The author Earnest Gaines tends to cite the importance of
Several days later the body was found, and Bryant and Milam were charged with murder. A Surprise Verdict Mississippi politicians and newspapers unanimously condemned the murderers and promised swift justice. However, Mississippians became more defensive as for weeks the press bombarded them with harsh condemnations of racial violence in the South. The highly publicized trial of the two men was charged with racial tension. African-American politicians and reporters from the North were treated contemptuously and were segregated in the courtroom.
He also stated that the lynching of black people was often used as public displays to show Caucasian dominance over African Americans. Curry then concludes his essay by stating an article from the Birmingham Voice of the People from April 1, 1916. The article states an incident that happened in 1916 where a black man accidently brushed past a white girl in order to catch a train, and was then beaten by a group of Caucasian males, and was then hung from a tree. The article then stated that pictures of the hanged body were being sold for 5 cents. This article selected by Curry reinforces his argument that lynching was used as a method of showing white dominance over African Americans.
To Kill a Mockingbird deals with many basic lessons in human nature. The movie exposes many issues that affect most people throughout their lives such as poverty, discrimination and prejudice. It tells the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer appointed to defend a black man accused of raping a white young woman, and his two children Scout and Jem. It is set in Maycomb county Georgia during the Great Depression. Both of the films have recurring subjects of racial prejudice and stereotyping, during the first five minutes of Crash, a white woman is disrespectful to a Chinese woman, blaming her driving for a fender bender.
He is affected by racism, the great depression, and the laws of that time. As an African American Tom Robinson, life was filled with hardships. For example the constant racism he encountered. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout overheard Miss Gates saying “Time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us” whites didn’t even view blacks as humans at this time. Racism can also be shown in people through science.
They all never stood up for themselves until that day. That day they represented the new black men for the future black men to look up to. Mathu is one of the minor characters in the novel who did not narrate a chapter, but yet stood for a lot and felt strongly for what he believed in, Unlike the rest of the black men that gathered at his house that day, Mathu was the strongest of all the old men and stood up for his pride against the Cajun’s. He looked at himself as different from everybody around him because his skin was darker than all the other old men around him. Even though all the old men were black, in Mathu’s eyes they were not equal to his skin tone therefore they were not equal to him.
Main character, Atticus Finch, lives in the town of Maycomb. As a town, Maycomb has racial problems. Atticus’s job is a lawyer and he agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom was accused of raping a white woman while at her house. The Finch family faces harsh criticism because of Atticus's decision to defend Tom.
The author uses events that really happened in the Civil War to bring home the brutality of war--the building of a wall with dead bodies, young men shot in the stomach being left to die, horses being killed to feed starving men. These events must change the men involved. When Charley leaves for Fort Snelling, he is a smiling, fast-talking boy. Once Charley returns home, he is a different man-a broken man, in constant pain, unable to hold a job, and looking forward to his own death. Narrative
A hero is a gifted individual that provides a positive contribution to society. An example of a hero was Jefferson, a young African American man, who was accused of murder, a crime he didn't commit. During Jefferson’s trial, he was referred to as a hog by his Caucasian peers, because a hog was lazy and didn't use his brain. That example was used during Jeffersons trial to presume his innocence. Through out the trial, racism was a prevalent factor, eventually leading to Jefferson’s unfair conviction and death penalty sentence.
The Novel To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee, is about innocence and prejudice in the small sleepy town of Maycomb County Alabama. The main character Jean-Louise Finch (aka Scout) and her father face difficult times ahead because Atticus (her father) has been appointed to the trial Tom Robinson. Tom who is black is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell, Mayella’s family would be considered the lowest of the lows in Maycomb but simply because they are white they are above hard working honest men like Tom. When the trial comes to pass Atticus clearly proves that this man is innocent, however because of the racism against blacks in Maycomb he is found Guilty and dies trying to escape from his fate. Tom is a prime example of a Mockingbird in this novel.