One of the main themes of the story below is that it’s wrong to judge people based on their appearance. Read the story and identify what piece of evidence best shows this theme.
In the 1930s, there was a young girl named Scout who lived with her brother Jem and father Atticus Finch in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus always taught his daughter and son how unfair it is to judge others for how they look, as you could always be wrong: a person who seems kind might be mean; a person who sounds clever might not be that smart; and a person who others say is bad might be good. Scout and Jem loved and adored their father, but it would take time for them to truly understand the importance of what their father tried to teach them.
Atticus was a lawyer who worked in a courtroom in the centre of Maycomb. To show he truly believed in what he taught his children, Atticus decided to defend an innocent black man named Tom Robinson. Atticus knew Tom Robinson wouldn’t get a fair trial, as he was a black man living in a time and place where black people were severely discriminated against because of the colour of their skin; if you had black skin, you were treated as if you were inferior, unintelligent, or guilty. It was undeniable to Atticus that Tom would likely be thrown in jail or executed, as the white people in court would be heavily prejudiced against him. Atticus understood that, if he lived in a society prejudiced against him for his skin colour, he would want someone to help him.
As Atticus defends Tom Robinson in court, Scout and Jem heard ugly rumours about their quiet and mysterious neighbour named Boo Radley. They were terrified of him because he rarely left his house and was scary to look at. One day in Maycomb, Scout and Jem were almost attacked by people who hated their father for defending a black man in court. They were saved by Boo Radley. Scout and Jem realized that, even though he appeared scary and mysterious, Boo Radley was just a kind-hearted man who was mistreated by others for how he appeared.
Although their father Atticus did his best to defend Tom Robinson, it wasn’t enough to persuade the white people in court. They didn’t care how little evidence there was against Tom Robinson. Ever since they were children, the white people in court had all been taught that black people were always wrong, always bad, and always guilty; all because of the colour of their skin. Atticus hoped to change the unfair guilty verdict. Sadly, however, Tom was shot and killed when trying to escape prison.
Atticus, Jem, and Scout were deeply saddened by what happened to Tom. The experience opened Scout’s eyes to how cruel and unfair the world could be. From then on, Scout truly understood the importance of never judging someone for how they look. How unfair it was of herself and brother to treat Boo Radley as a dangerous and scary man because of the way he looked; how unfair it was for the people in town to attack Scout and Jem because of what their father believed; how unfair it was for the white people in court to believe Tom Robinson was guilty just because he was black; and how unfair it was for white people to discriminate against black people because they different skin colour.
a.
“In the 1930s, there was a young girl named Scout who lived with her brother Jem and father Atticus Finch in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama.”
b.
“To show he truly believed in what he taught his children, Atticus decided to defend an innocent black man named Tom Robinson.”
c.
“The experience opened Scout’s eyes to how cruel and unfair the world could be.”
d.
“Atticus always taught his daughter and son how unfair it is to judge others for how they look, as you could always be wrong: a person who seems kind might be mean; a person who sounds clever might not be that smart; and a person who others say is bad might be good.”