A shield is used to defend someone from harm or injury. In the novel, Jem is like a shield for his sister. He cares about her a lot and always makes sure that she is all right. To him, her safety comes first, even before his own. As the older brother, he feels responsible for making sure his sister is okay and out of trouble.
An example of Jem being a shield for his sister is when he, Scout, and Dill were rolling in the tire. They pushed Scout so hard that she kept rolling until she landed at the steps of the Radley Place. At the beginning of the novel, it was very scary for them to go near the place because they were young and they believed everything that was said about Boo. Scout was so dizzy that she couldn’t get up. Jem called her to come but she wouldn’t move. He ran into the Radley Place to help her up and take her out as soon as possible.
Another example of Jem being a shield is when Bob Ewell attacked the children. The first thing that came out of Jem’s mouth after being attacked was “Run, Scout! Run! Run!” (Lee 351) Scout couldn’t run due to her uncomfortable costume, so she lost her balance and fell. Of course, Jem didn’t run away because he knows that he is responsible for his sister and that he needs to help her.
An important quote I found of Jem being a shield is:
“From somewhere near by came scuffling, kicking sounds, sounds of shoes and flesh scraping dirt and roots. Someone rolled against me and I felt Jem. He was up like lighting and pulling me with him but, though my head and shoulders were free, I was so entangled we didn’t get very far.” (Lee 351)
This shows that Jem struggled to free himself so that he can help his sister. He cares about her and her safety is his number one priority. This shows us the importance of family and how family members are there for one another through thick and thin.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is best represented by a pair of glasses, because he sees the problems regarding treating others and racism in Maycomb, and tries to show others how to fix them. One example is when Atticus tells Jem:
“‘…son, I told you that if you hadn’t lost your head I’ve have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her- I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what.'” Chapter 11
In this way, Atticus attempts to teach his son that to respond to violence with more violence is wrong. He wants to show his children that they should have reacted to Mrs. Dubose’s mean comments with respect because she was dealing with something that not many other people know of and was trying to get past her addiction so that she could die free.
Additionally, he sees how racism plays an important role in how things are run in Maycomb, because he takes on the role of being a lawyer for Tom Robinson, a Black man. Not only does he defend Robinson because it was his duty to, he defended him to the best of his ability because he knew that Robinson was being pulled into the Ewell’s mess simply because Mayella was guilty for what she did, and because Tom was Black. Therefore, Tom was blamed and guilted heavily, simply because of his skin color, and Atticus was trying to show Maycomb that all men were supposed to be treated equal, regardless of race.
In conclusion, Atticus can be best characterized as a pair of glasses because he sees Maycomb’s issues that need to be fixed when nobody else is aware of them, and aims to break the town’s traditions that linger on these problems.
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Calpurnia symbolizes a mama bear. A mother bear takes care of her children and teaches them important lessons for her cub to use throughout his/her life. Calpurnia symbolizes this because she stands as a mother figure for Scout and Jem. In the book, Scout goes to Calpurnia in times of hardship, like a cub would with her mother. She also teaches her many valuable lessons. On page 33, she tells Scout, ‘ “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo‘ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty!” ‘ She teaches Scout to be kind to others and to be humble. You can feel the love and connection between all of the members of the Finch family with Calpurnia. We see this when Atticus defends her against his sister Alexandra. When Aunt Alexandra wants Cal to leave Atticus says, ‘ “Alexandra, Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to.” ‘ A mama bear is very important to her cubs and family, just like Calpurnia is to the Finch family.
Calpurnia also gets mad at Scout when she is disrespectful, just like a mother would with her child. In the book, when Scout is disrespectful to Walter, Calpurnia “sent me through the swinging door to the dining room with a stinging smack”. The day after, Cal confessed that she had missed Scout so much and even made her favorite crackling bread. Later, they made up for the fight they had previously and everything was better. This is exactly what a mother bear would do with her cub. Even with all the fights they might have, in the end, the mother bear is still her mother. This is what proves that Calpurnia symbolizes a mother bear.
Tom Robinson is a black man living in the town of Maycomb. He is 25 years old and has a wife and children. He works in the cotton fields and occasionally stops by the Ewell’s house to do some heavy lifting.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is being defended by Atticus for being accused of raping Mayella Ewell.
Tom Robinson’s character relates to a mockingbird because he doesn’t do anything but mind his own business. Although he has other responsibilities, Tom Robinson takes the time out of his day to occasionally help Mayella Ewell.
“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.'”That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.”‘Your father’s right,’ she said. ‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” (Lee 119)
This quote relates to Tom Robinson’s situation because he doesn’t pester anyone, but helps when he can and I think the author is implying that it’s a sin to accuse an innocent man like Tom Robinson of rape.
We know that Tom Robinson’s left arm is disabled because, in the novel, Jem says,
“Scout, look! Reverend, he’s crippled!’ Reverend Skyes leaned across me and whispered to Jem,
‘He got it caught in a cotton gin, caught it in Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s cotton gin when he was a boy…like to bled to death…tore all the muscles loose from his bones-“(Lee 249)
He was unable to choke her with both hands like Mayella and her father claimed, and as Atticus showed, Mayella had been hit by a left-handed individual because her right eye had been hit, therefore, Tom Robinson shouldn’t have been proved guilty.
Tom Robinson resembles a mockingbird because all he does is what he has to do, and helped Mayella Ewell with chores when he didn’t have to.
Women have known to fall under discrimination and several stereotypes from gender only. According to the United Nations Human Rights, “gender stereotype is a generalized view or preconception about attributes or characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by women and men or the roles that are or should be performed by men and women.” One of the oldest, most common female stereotypes is the fact that women should be home and be housewives, while the men go outside and actually work. This would be a gender stereotype because it is putting women in a box and saying they should stay inside while a man should do work outside. Another common one is that men are stronger than women, but that is not always true. The list can go on and on about different stereotypes and what women are supposed to do. Nowadays, women have broken most of those stereotypes and made themselves clear about what they can, should, and should not do
Women at the time were not given basic rights such as being able to voice their opinions about politics, receiving equal pay, and even become a lawyer. Now, women are allowed to do all of that because of how much people fought for it. Take the women’s suffrage movement. Ever since women found out they weren’t able to vote, many parades and protests started to take place. They even held one on the day of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration to try and gain as much attention as possible. According to an article called The 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade,“Organized by Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the parade, calling for a constitutional amendment, featured 8,000 marchers, including nine bands, four mounted brigades, 20 floats, and an allegorical performance near the Treasury Building.” This was clearly a big protest and the first of many.
Women have been fighting for their rights for over 150 years. According to an article called Seneca Falls Convention, the Seneca Falls Convention was the first meeting for women’s rights in the United States. It was held on July 19-20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. In that meeting, over 300 people attended. It was open only for women on the first day and then to both men and women the next day. The meeting’s organizers were Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary M’Clintock, Martha Coffin Wright, and Jane Hunt. According to the article, “Stanton and Mott first met in London in 1840, where they were attending the World Anti-Slavery Convention with their husbands. When the convention excluded women delegates solely based on their sex, the pair resolved to hold a women’s rights convention. Back in the United States, women’s rights reformers had already begun contending for women’s rights to speak out on moral and political issues beginning in the 1830s.” After this, the five women gathered and drafted a notice to announce “a Convention to discuss the social, civic and religious condition and rights of Woman”. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the primary author of the Declaration of Sentiments, which was inspired by the Declaration of Independence. In the declaration, they wrote 19 abuses and usurpations and 11 resolutions (which demanded that women have the same rights as men.)
This was a propaganda strategy used back in the 1900’s. As you can see, women stereotypes were used heavily not only towards them, but to use as advertisement.
“I think the gender norms of emotion are horrendous. Being masculine means showing zero emotions, but having the choice to be angry or depressed. Being female means you are one dimensional – if you show more than that, you are a psycho, hysterical, or historically, a witch.” (Petra Collins).
This quote reveals that stereotypes are still being used and used throughout society and that women usually are thought to be emotionless. They are viewed as objects and not typical humans but if they show emotion, others would see them as weak. Women are sometimes viewed as objects because some people don’t think they are capable of anything
Additionally, on a recent interview from Alexander Street and Rebecca Raymond-Keller with Peggy Simpson in 2011, she describes the stereotypes that were placed on women in the modern society.
“…or you know, Phyllis Schlafly’s, one of her big agendas was to make sure that women never got, if we had a draft against that women would never be drafted or (be) eligible for the draft. And they shouldn’t be in combat, and they shouldn’t be here, and they shouldn’t be that… But you thought of women as reproductive cows, you know. You couldn’t, you don’t wanna think of them as anything broader, as having brains, or having talents, or having muscles, or having strategic abilities to fight a war…” -Peggy Simpson for the U.N. Conferences on Women Panel at the Berkshire Conference on Women’s History
As stated in this quote, Simpson firsthand informs the listeners and the interviewer that in society, women are labeled as not having the ability to do the things that men could do. She states that people don’t believe that women could fight in the army, or even have basic talents. Later in the interview, she says that it was not wise to pay attention to only half of the country’s population, meaning the men, and downplay the females.
The opponents to the idea of women stereotypes are the anti-feminists, and the people who criticize women who do not match up to the potential of men. These people are the backbone of women’s stereotypes. The proponents are the feminists and the people who are looking for a change. They recognize that the current situation that women are in is wrong, and are moving for a more positive change to dispel the labels that have been placed on them.
There is many things we can do to support women’s rights and make sure we are seen the way we are, not the way people want to see us. For example, you can take apart of women’s protests and marches. Since 2017, there has been an annual women’s march anyone can take part of. Being apart of marches makes you feel empowered and helps you get involved in something bigger than you. You can also vote. Voting gives you a chance to voice your opinion about things that are important to you.
This issue is political and social. It is political because it granted women the right to vote and be able to take jobs that require laws. For example, it granted women the right to be lawyers and judges. This issue is social because of stereotypes. People usually say “women can’t do that” and “that’s a man’s job”. This affects women and it creates a social issue because it is unfair when people say that. Most stereotypes are incorrect. It creates a social issue because it affects women and enrages them because it is incorrect to say what women can do and what they can’t do.
Woman stereotypes are implied in To Kill A Mockingbird many times. For example, Aunt Alexandra is heavily affected by women stereotypes. We see that when she mentions Scout’s appearance, and how she should act and dress more like a lady. In chapter 9, she says, ‘ ”What are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways-a Finch waiting on tables at the O.K. Café—hah” ‘(Lee, page 101). Clearly she says this as an insult. Jem also makes remarks about Scout being a lady. He says, ‘ “Scout, I’m tellin’ you for the last time, shut your trap or go home—I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl every day!”.’ This shows that Scout is supposed to be quiet and follow along everything that’s happening, as thats what a girl would do.
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Calpurnia symbolizes a mama bear. A mother bear takes care of her children and teaches them important lessons for her cub to use throughout his/her life. Calpurnia symbolizes this because she stands as a mother figure for Scout and Jem. In the book, Scout goes to Calpurnia in times of hardship, like a cub would with her mother. She also teaches her many valuable lessons. On page 33, she tells Scout, ‘ “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo‘ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty!” ‘ She teaches Scout to be kind to others and to be humble. You can feel the love and connection between all of the members of the Finch family with Calpurnia. We see this when Atticus defends her against his sister Alexandra. When Aunt Alexandra wants Cal to leave Atticus says, ‘ “Alexandra, Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to.” ‘ A mama bear is very important to her cubs and family, just like Calpurnia is to the Finch family. 
This quote relates to Tom Robinson’s situation because he doesn’t pester anyone, but helps when he can and I think the author is implying that it’s a sin to accuse an innocent man like Tom Robinson of rape.
The New Conventional Way 