What are some quotes about racism from chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In the first quote below, Scout is speaking humorously of her forebear Simon Finch, who came to Alabama from Cornwall, England via a route through Philadelphia and Jamaica:

Mindful of John Wesley's strictures on the use of many words in buying and selling, Simon made a pile practicing medicine, but in this pursuit he was unhappy lest he be tempted into doing what he knew was not for the glory of God, as the putting on of gold and costly apparel. So Simon, having forgotten his teacher's dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves and with their aid established a homestead on the banks of the Alabama River some forty miles above Saint Stephens.

John Wesley was the founder of Methodism, and Methodists opposed slavery, so there is a certain grim comedy in the idea that Simon was so fearful that his wealth as an apothecary would corrupt him that he bought slaves instead to start a homestead. Wesley's "dictum on the possession of human chattels" was his opposition to buying slaves, so we can see that Simon, in fact, did not adhere to that aspect of his faith. The story has a serious undertone, showing that the Finch family had a long history of benefitting from slavery.

Simon's racism continues as Scout recounts,

Simon would have regarded with impotent fury the disturbance between the North and the South, as it left his descendants stripped of everything but their land.

Simon in this guise is a typical Maycomb white man, finding a personal financial benefit in slavery that meant more to him than the suffering of the slaves. Scout is saying here that Simon would have been angry over the Civil War for stripping the family of its slaves.

The next racist quote refers to Boo Radley. The sheriff upholds the racist separation of Black people from white people when he refuses to jail Boo with Black people:

The sheriff hadn't the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement.

All of these stories show that racism had a long and ingrained history in Maycomb by the 1930s.

What are some quotes about racism from chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are three references to racism in chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird. The first reference comes when Scout is talking about her family's ancestor Simon Finch, who,

having forgotten his teacher’s dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves and with their aid established a homestead on the banks of the Alabama River.

This homestead is, at the time of the story, occupied by Atticus's sister, Alexandra. This brief, seemingly insignificant allusion to Simon Finch's possession of slaves is a reminder that slavery at this time was ubiquitous. Even the life of a liberal person like Atticus has racism in its ancestral roots.

The second reference to racism is when Scout is describing Boo Radley's house. She describes it as a frightening place, a place which the people of Maycomb County would associate with crime and wrongdoing. Scout explains that

A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked.

A black person presumably would not have walked too close to the Boo Radley house for fear of being judged or condemned by association; there were some people who would take any and every opportunity, no matter how flimsy, to condemn a black person at this time.

The third reference to racism is also in relation to the Radleys. When Boo stabs his father in the leg and is arrested again, Scout explains that

The sheriff hadn’t the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement.

This quotation shows how black people were considered sub-human. The fact that the sheriff "hadn't the heart" to put Boo in a cell with black people suggests that he thinks such a thing would be an act of horrible cruelty.

What are two quotes showing racism in chapters 1-9 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

To Kill a Mockingbird is slow in discussing the racial dynamics that come to the forefront in the trial of Tom Robinson. There are a few casual references to African Americans by Scout and her friends in the first few chapters, but no direct engagement with racism until chapter nine, when Scout is upset by Cecil Jacobs, one of her schoolmatesm who tells everyone in the schoolyard that Atticus "defends n----rs." This angers Scout to the point that she is ready to fight the boy.

As she discusses the matter with Atticus, he reveals that he is defending Tom Robinson, and the issue emerges again at the Finch Christmas Eve party, when Francis essentially says the same thing in an effort (which turns out to be successful) to provoke Scout.

After this incident, Atticus alludes to the racism in the town in conversation with Jack. He says that the trial boils down to a black man's word against the word of the Ewell family, who are white. He goes on to refer to racism as "Maycomb's usual disease" and says that "why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand."

This foreshadows much of what will come in the rest of the novel. After the early portrayal of Maycomb as a fairly typical, if quirky Southern small town, we learn that the town is typical of the 1930s South in another way—it is infected with the "disease" of racism.

What are some quotes about racial discrimination in Chapters 14 and 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Although some are subtle, there are several remarks in chapters 14 and 15 that are racially biased.

• Chapter 14

After Aunt Alexandra arrives, there are several changes in the order of things in the Finch household. One of these is Alexandra's idea that, with her presence in the home, theFinches no longer need Calpurnia, their black maid. After learning the children have accompanied Calpurnia to her church, Alexandra feels Calpurnia has acted out of her place and is negative influencing the children. When she hears Scout telling Atticus about their visit to the African Methodist Episcopalian Church, she puts down her embroidery and stares at the children. Then, she asks incredulously, "You all were coming back from Calpurnia's church that Sunday?"
Scout asks her father if she goes to Calprunia's church again next Sunday, as Calpurnia invited her to do so. "You may not," interjects Alexandra, clearly indicating her feelings that her niece and nephew should not attend an African-American church.

• Chapter 15

One evening, a group of men stand in the front yard of the Finch home. These men speak uneasily of the upcoming trial of Tom Robinson, wishing there could be a change of venue for this trial. Atticus replies that the trial will be on Monday, only one day from then, asking Sheriff Tate, "You can keep him [Tom] one night, can't you?" Mr. Link Deas expresses anxiety about "that Old Sarum bunch." He then adds that Atticus has "everything to lose from this." Atticus challenges this assumption, which insinuates the black man's life is of little consequence:

"Link, that boy might go to the chair, [implying that Tom may go only because he is an African-American]  but he's not going till the truth's told...And you know what the truth is."

Atticus suggests here that, while Tom may be condemned because he is "just a Negro," Atticus is still going to do his job as an ethical attorney and expose the untruths of the Ewells.

Once again, Aunt Alexandra exhibits her racial bias when she asks Atticus to withdraw from the case and be concerned about the ladies of the community, perhaps suggesting what could happen if the Negroes are "stirred up." Then, Scout overhears Atticus saying to his sister that he is,

"...in favor of Southern womanhood as much as anybody, but not for preserving polite fiction at the expense of human life..."

Later, Jem tells Scout that Aunt Alexandra

"...won't let him [Atticus] alone about Tom Robinson. She almost said Atticus was disgracin' the family."

When the Old Sarum bunch arrive at the jailhouse at night, it is obvious they are a lynch mob when they say,

"You know what we want...Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch."

Luckily, the appearance of the children and Scout's bold move to speak to Walter Cunningham, who had asked Atticus to step aside, diffuses the situation because Cunningham then urges the others to leave without taking Tom.

What are three quotes showing racial discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are many quotes that show racial discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird. For instance, consider how Scout recounts the story of Boo Radley. He stabbed his father with scissors and Mrs. Radley ran into the street screaming. When the sheriff arrived Boo was calmly cutting up the newspaper. He had to be punished but as Scout explains:

The sheriff hadn’t the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement.

The fact that the sheriff thinks it is a punishment to be put near Black people shows how much white people look down upon Black people in Maycomb. Boo’s story also highlights the racial prejudices in the criminal justice system. He received special treatment for committing an actual crime, while Tom (and countless other people of color) get convicted despite being innocent.

Many characters also outwardly express racial prejudice. For instance, consider some of the things that Mrs. Merriweather says at the missionary circle in chapter 24. She refers to Africa as a land of “sin and squalor” and tells Scout she is lucky that she grew up in a Christian home. Her depiction of Africa as an unruly place that needs Christian intervention reflects a xenophobic perception of the continent and its people.

Mrs. Merriweather also criticizes the Black community in Maycomb for being upset over discrimination and in particular the outcome of Tom Robinson’s trial. She says that Tom Robinson’s wife should just “forgive and forget.” She also talks about how annoying it is that her maid is upset about the trial. She complains:

Gertrude, I tell you there’s nothing more distracting than a sulky darky. Their mouths go down to here. Just ruins your day to have one of ‘em in the kitchen.

This quote expresses racism on several different levels. The use of the phrase “sulky darky” is discriminatory and dehumanizing and reveals Mrs. Merriweather’s racial prejudice. She clearly lacks compassion for the Black community and looks down on them as if they were inferior people.

What are three quotes showing racial discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Three examples of racism are the townspeople bullying Atticus's children, the lynch mob that tries to kill Tom Robinson before his trial, and Mr. Raymond pretending to be drunk so people won't question his marriage to a black woman.

Atticus's children bullied by children and adults alike because their father is defending a black man.

Scout comments that she has been bullied at school by kids who are annoyed that her father is defending a black man.

"Do all lawyers defend n-Negroes, Atticus?"

"Of course they do, Scout." (ch 9)

Cecil tells Scout, “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace” (ch 9) and even her own cousin Francis picks fights with her about it.

It is not just children. Mrs. Dubose tells Scout that her “father's no better than the … trash he works for!" (ch 11)

The entire town seems to turn against Atticus and his children because he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of attacking a white woman. The fact that adults and children are attacking Scout and Jem with words and fists demonstrates how deeply rooted racism is in the town of Maycomb.

A lynch mob tries to kill Tom Robinson before he can come to trial.

Scout, Dill, and Jem see their father sitting outside the Maycomb county jail, and go to investigate. Soon, a lynch mob of white men arrives to kill Tom Robinson. Atticus has been protecting him.

I thought they must be cold-natured, as their sleeves were unrolled and buttoned at the cuffs. Some wore hats pulled firmly down over their ears. They were sullen-looking, sleepy-eyed men who seemed unused to late hours. (ch 15)

The men are ready to attack Atticus to get to Tom Robinson. They even threaten Jem and Scout. It is not until Scout’s innocent chatter brings them back to their senses that they finally leave. This demonstrates the lack of maturity in the racism the town displays.

Mr. Raymond pretends he is drunk so people can explain the fact that he married a black woman and lives with her.

Mr. Raymond has a reputation for being drunk. He cultivates this reputation carefully, coming into town rarely and weaving like a drunk while drinking out of a bottle in a paper bag. He explains to Scout, Jem and Dill why he does this.

Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live. (ch 20)

The fact that a man would pretend to be drunk just so he could live with the woman he loves and have children with her is a perfect example of the clear racism prevalent in Maycomb. Mr. Raymond knows that the people of Maycomb won’t understand him, so he gives them something to understand.

What are three quotes showing racial discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are so many quotes regarding discrimination in To Kill A Mockingbird, so I will focus on a few select quotes based on different types of discrimination. All quotes come from Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics 50th Anniversary edition, 2010)

Racial Discrimination: 

Lula stopped, but she said, "You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here—they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?"

… When I looked down the pathway again, Lula was gone. In her place was a solid mass of colored people.

One of them stepped from the crowd. It was Zeebo, the garbage collector. "Mister Jem," he said, "we're mighty glad to have you all here. Don't pay no 'tention to Lula, she's contentious because Reverend Sykes threatened to church her. She's a troublemaker from way back, got fancy ideas an' haughty ways—we're mighty glad to have you all." (136) 

This could be seen as racial discrimination against Scout and Jem because they are seen as white "intruders" to a safe space for blacks.

"Scout," said Atticus, "nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody."

"You aren't really a nigger-lover, then, are you?"

"I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes—baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you." (124)

This shows that the insult of "nigger-lover" is a powerful. It discriminates against blacks, and it suggests that whites who support blacks are acting unacceptably.

That Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me. The idea that she had a separate existence outside our household was a novel one, to say nothing of her having command of two languages. (143)

Scout, though she loves Calpurnia, still sees Cal as a servant, someone who is there when she needs food or clean clothes. It never occurs to Scout that a black woman would have the ability to speak two languages or even have a life outside of taking care of her. While that is not necessarily discrimination on Scout's part, it does show that black women had a particular place in her life and that has informed how she understands Cal. 

In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. (251-2)

This is the very essence of justice in the South during this time period. It didn't matter who was in the right—if a black man's word came up against a white man's, then the white man would win. It didn't matter what the evidence showed. And the case with Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson demonstrates this clearly. We know Tom is innocent. The town knows Tom is innocent. However, Mayella is white. Her father is white. That's all that matters. 

Social Discrimination: 

He ain't company, Cal, he's just a Cunninghman (27)

Scout doesn't see Walter as occupying the same social space as she does. By virtue of his being a Cunningham, Walter is far below her on the social ladder. Sout knows this, and she treats Walter with the social "respect" she thinks he deserves. Cal recognizes this and corrects Scout. 

The disgrace of Maycomb County... (33)

The Ewells are seen as "white trash," and as such, they are far below many whites in Maycomb County. They are not treated the same way that, say, Atticus or Sherrif Tate are treated. However, even though the are considered a disgrace, they are still above people like Calpurnia, Zeebo, and Tom Robinson by virtue of their race. 

Now you tell your father not to teach you anymore. It's best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I'll take over from here and try to undo the damage. (19)

Miss Caroline sees Scout's ability to read as a detriment to her because Scout didn't learn it from her. Miss Caroline sees the children of Maycomb as pitiful, backwoods children and she is their "savior" come to rescue them because she comes from a more liberal county.

Gender Discrimination: 

"Let's not let our imaginations run away with us, dear," she said. (19)

Miss Caroline dismisses Scout's abilities because she is a girl. Obviously, Scout must be silly to think she can actually read well. She's just a girl, and an uneducated one at that. 

I felt the starched walls of a pink penitentiary closing in on me, and for the second time in my life I thought of running away. Immediately. (155)

Scout being forced to wear the dress is one of the funniest and saddest moments of the book. She is forced to adapt to gender norms in order to appease her aunt. Scout bucks against the idea of girls dressing in dresses—she wants to play in her overalls, get dirty, skin her knees, and be herself. She can't do any of this in that "pink penitentiary" or a dress.  

What are some quotes that depict racism from Mrs. Dubose in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is an ancient and malignant woman who lives near the Finches. She is introduced as generally disagreeable, rather than specifically racist:

Mrs. Dubose lived two doors up the street from us; neighborhood opinion was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived.

However, Mrs. Dubose's racism quickly becomes clear and explicit. Her most virulent expressions of prejudice relate to Atticus's defense of Tom Robinson. She says to Jem and Scout,

Not only a Finch waiting on tables [the fate she has predicted for Scout] but one in the courthouse lawing for n----rs!

When she sees that this has angered Jem (who is frequently infuriated by her ill-natured remarks), she adds,

Your father’s no better than the n----rs and trash he works for!

When Jem is forced to visit Mrs. Dubose in the afternoons, following his destruction of her camellia bushes, Harper Lee writes,

Mrs. Dubose would hound Jem for a while on her favorite subjects, her camellias and our father’s n----r-loving propensities; she would grow increasingly silent, then go away from us.

This shows that Mrs. Dubose's hatred of black people and her anger with Atticus for defending Tom Robinson (which she regards as a betrayal of race and class for a member of the Finch family) are obsessive concerns, to which she returns over and over again in her increasing sickness.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are some quotes about racism during the trial?

There are several moments during the trial when individuals testifying use racial slurs, the prosecutor talks down to Tom Robinson, and the audience displays their overt prejudice by reacting to significant moments in the trial. When Bob Ewell takes the stand, he reveals his racist personality by pointing towards Tom Robinson and saying, "—I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!" (Lee, 175). Bob Ewell proceeds to explain how he saw his daughter in distress and immediately ran for Sheriff Tate. He once again reveals his racist personality by saying,

"Why, I run for Tate quick as I could. I knowed who it was, all right, lived down yonder in that nigger-nest, passed the house every day. Jedge, I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to live around ‘sides devaluin’ my property—" (Lee, 177).

Mayella Ewell also displays her racist character by freely using racial slurs throughout her testimony. Mayella testifies,

"That nigger yonder took advantage of me an‘ if you fine fancy gentlemen don’t wanta do nothin’ about it then you’re all yellow stinkin‘ cowards, stinkin’ cowards, the lot of you" (Lee, 199).

When Tom Robinson takes the witness stand, Mr. Gilmer displays his racist personality by continually referring to Tom as "boy" and talking down to him. Mr. Gilmer asks Tom, "Had your eye on her a long time, hadn’t you, boy?" (Lee, 200). Mr. Gilmer is so disrespectful to Tom Robinson that Dill cannot contain his emotions and bursts into tears.

When Tom Robinson accidentally mentions that he offered to help Mayella Ewell because he felt sorry for her, the entire courtroom reveals its prejudice nature by expressing their displeasure with Tom's statement. Scout says,

"The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. But the damage was done. Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson’s answer. Mr. Gilmer paused a long time to let it sink in" (Lee, 201).

At the end of the trial, Atticus addresses the "evil assumption" that all black men are immoral, dangerous individuals and challenges the jury to look past their prejudice. Unfortunately, the jury wrongly convicts Tom Robinson of assaulting and raping Mayella Ewell, and he becomes the unfortunate victim of racial injustice.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are some quotes about racism during the trial?

Some obvious ones come from Ewell himself. For example, when he's giving his testimony about the night in question, he stands up and points his finger at Robinson, "--I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" It clearly wasn't enough for him to use the pejorative term "nigger"; he had to add "black" to emphasize the "horror" of it. (It is horrifying to be raped, but in this time, being raped by a black man was unconscionable.)

Later, when Mayella is on the stand, she decides she's "got somethin' to say": "That nigger yonder took advantage of me an' if you find fancy gentlemen don't wanta do nothin' about it then you're all yellow stinkin' cowards, stinkin' cowards, the lot of you." She goes beyond using the n-word; she practically dares the jury (all white men, of course) to vote "not guilty," because this is a time and place in which no black man would stand a chance if accused of raping a white woman--even if the white woman was an uneducated, hateful woman who lived off the county. 

When Tom is put on the stand, finally, Mr. Gilmer uses language designed to remind him of "his place": "Then you say she's lying, boy?" Calling a fully-grown black man "boy" was one of the many techniques used by Southern whites (in particular) to demean them and deny them their manhood based entirely upon the color of their skin. 

Which quotes from To Kill A Mockingbird exemplify racial segregation?

There are a number of quotations that can be found in To Kill a Mockingbird which exemplify racial segregation. 

• In Chapter 9 Scout comes home from school and asks Atticus if he defends "n*****s"; he tells her first not to say that word. Then he tells Scout that he does defend Negroes. Scout then asks him if all lawyers defend "Negroes." When Atticus replies that they do, Scout then asks, "Then why did Cecil say you defended n****s? He made it sound like you were runnin' a still."
  In this remark it is obvious that Scout is not acquainted with black people and that there is a separation of races.
• Tom Robinson, Atticus tells Scout, someone "lives in that little settlement beyond the town dump. He's a member of Calpurnia's church." These statements indicate that the area and churches are segregated.
• Francis, Scout's cousin, accuses her of loving Negroes when the Finch family gets together at Christmas. Later in the evening, Atticus talks with his brother Jack about the Robinson's case, saying that the evidence comes down to who said what. Atticus adds, "The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells'." It is obvious that the area is segregated because a reprobate such as Bob Ewell is given more credence that the good Tom Robinson simply because Ewell is white and Robinson is black.
• Further in their conversation, Atticus tells Jack, "Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand...." The white is believed in the segregated South regardless of the dubiousness of what is said.
• Mrs. Dubose's remark, "Your father's no better than the n*****s and trash he works for" places Atticus in the blacks' category, which is apart from that of the white.
• When Calpurnia takes the Finch children to her church, there is clearly segregation as Lula tells Calpurnia, 

"You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here--they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church , ain't it? Miss Cal?"
Jem said, "Let's go home, Cal, they don't want us here--"

Further, Scout tells the reader that First Purchase African M.E. Church is in the Quarters outside the southern town limits. It is the only church in Maycomb with a steeple, and it is called First Purchase because it was paid for with the first earnings of freed slaves. "Negroes worshipped in it on Sundays."

• The Maycomb courthouse has seating for the "Negroes" only in the balcony. Mr. Underwood gives the children a disgusted look when he sees them with their black cousin.
• Dill cries when he hears the cruel way in which Mr. Gilmer examines Tom Robinson, even though he realizes that Mayella and Bob Ewell lie when they give their testimonies.
• Despite the fact that Atticus has exposed the testimony of Mayella and Bob Ewell as lies, and he has established the good character of Tom Robinson, while pointing out the difficulties of Tom's being able to hit Mayella in the eye with his withered right arm as Mayella has testified, added to the fact that there is no concrete evidence whatsoever, the all-white jury finds him guilty.
• The Reverend Sykes, having listened to all the testimony and Atticus's disproval of much of what the Ewells have said, tells Jem, who is confident that Tom will be exonerated,

Mr. "Now don't you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain't ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man...."

He clearly alludes to what Atticus does in his closing remarks,

[The Ewells had] the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen [of the jury] would go along with them on the assumption--the evil assumption--that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber." 

• Mr. Raymond Dolphus pretends to be a drunkard so that the people of Maycomb will have a reason to give for his odd inclination to live with the black population.
• Mrs. Merriweather talks about the Negroes' becoming out of hand because there are "some good but misguided people in this town. Good, but misguided." Then she speaks of her maid Sophy's being "sulky" and "dissatisfied."
• After the trial, Scout overhears Miss Stephanie Crawford saying that "it is time someone taught them a lesson, they were gettin' way  gettin' way aove themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us."  

What are some quotes on racism in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

While Harper Lee exposes the racism of the Jim Crow South in the trial of Tom Robinson, the reader should not forget the racial bias of Lula who resents the white children's coming into her church. She tells Calpurnia,

"You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here--they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it , Miss Cal?"

In addition, racism is not always so clear-cut in Maycomb in other ways. For example, at the missionary tea when Mrs. Merriweather speaks of the "saintly J. Grimes Everett" who lives in the jungle with the natives in Africa, it is with admiration. Yet, she later mentions how her maid was "sulky and dissatisfied" after the trial. And Mr. Underwood, who has made it clear that he does not care for blacks, nevertheless, writes a scathing editorial about the cruelty dealt to Tom Robinson.

Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds....

While Mr. Dolphus Raymond, an upper-class man of Maycomb, cohabits with black woman and has black children. Mr. Link Deas speaks up on behalf of Tom Robinson, declaring at the trial that Tom is a decent man.

The line between the races is not so clearly divided as one would assume in the South. As a native of Alabama, Harper Lee understands the nuances of racism and the lack of it, as well, in her home state.

What are some quotes on racism in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Harper Lee’s novel of life in a small town in the American South when racism remained embedded in the regional psyche, To Kill a Mockingbird, has numerous examples of such racism directed against the town’s – Maycomb, Alabama – population of desperately poor blacks. In fact, one of the novel’s central plots involves the father of the story’s narrator, Scout, a lawyer representing a black man accused of raping and beating a white girl despite a paucity evidence pointing to the black man’s guilt. In the Deep South of the 1930s, where and when Lee’s novel takes place, racism against blacks is endemic, often manifesting itself in overt verbal and physical attacks. For example, Tom Robinson, the kindly, meek and physically disabled black accused of the rape, is the target of innumerable racial taunts and is regularly referred to by angry white town folks as a “nigger.” So ingrained in the culture portrayed in Lee’s novel is the prejudice and legacy of discrimination directed against blacks that the black community even uses that word to describe elements of its own community, as when the Scout, her older brother Jem, and their friend Dill discuss local superstitions. Jem, the older and wiser of the children, warns his sister about ignoring the scary stories Dill relates and which frighten Scout: "Don't you believe a word he says, Dill," I said. "Calpurnia (the Finch family’s African-American housekeeper) says that's nigger-talk." Similarly, later when the kids are attempting to build a snowman without an adequate supply of snow, they substitute dirt instead, resulting in a dark-complexioned snowman, to which Scout, a sweet, conscientious and nonjudgmental girl innocently remarks, "’Jem, I ain't ever heard of a nigger snowman,’ I said.” These racist comments by nonracist children typify the culture in which they are growing up. Lee does not suggest that there is any animosity in Jem and Scout with regard to blacks. On the contrary, their father, Atticus, a socially liberal educated lawyer, has raised his children to view individuals as eminently decent until evidence suggests otherwise – a practice that will similarly prove beneficial towards the novel’s end when the mysterious figure of Boo Radley emerges from the shadows a heroic and kind person.

If these instance of the use of a word the use of which by various elements of the American public remains contentious and hotly debated today is employed in a relatively benign context in the above quote, however, it is later scenes involving Tom Robinson and the angry white mobs that aim to lynch him that reveal the real depth of the racism permeating this Alabama town. When word gets around that Atticus will defend Tom Robinson in the emotionally and racially-charged rape case, Jem and Scout are forced to endure racist taunts from their schoolmates, as in the following comment:

“Cecil Jacobs made me forget. He had announced in the schoolyard the day before that Scout Finch's daddy defended niggers. I denied it, but told Jem.”

The next day in the schoolyard, the taunting from the children of white racists assumes a more intimidating form, as when Scout is again confronted by Cecil Jacobs:

“. . .I faced Cecil Jacobs in the schoolyard next day: "You gonna take that back, boy?"

"You gotta make me first!" he yelled. "My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an' that nigger oughta hang from the water-tank!”

This sentiment, uttered by a child, is clearly representative of the views of the town’s adult population. Scout describes a Christmas Dinner with her extended family, during which her cousin, Francis, makes clear that Atticus’ liberal attitudes towards blacks are not welcome:

"If Uncle Atticus lets you run around with stray dogs, that's his own business, like Grandma says, so it ain't your fault. I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-"

"Francis, what the hell do you mean?"

"Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'."

In Chapter Eleven, the Finch children are accosted by Mrs. Dubose, a particularly unpleasant and virulently racist member of the community who takes it upon herself to school Jem and Scout about the ways of the world and where the Finch family ranks by virtue of Atticus’s decision to defend Tom Robinson:

"Yes indeed, what has this world come to when a Finch goes against his raising? I'll tell you!" She put her hand to her mouth. When she drew it away, it trailed a long silver thread of saliva. "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!"

The novel’s most tense scene takes place in Chapter 15, outside the town jail, where Tom is being held pending his trial. An angry mob of racist whites descends on the jail with the intention of breaking in and lynching the black suspect. No racist words are used; none are needed. The men make clear by their presence and demeanor and demand that Atticus step aside that they plan to lynch Tom. It is a scene that portrays the racism native to the region without employing what we now refer to as “the N word.”

Finally, Tom’s conviction on the charge of rape, despite his being physically incapable of having committed the crime and the “victim’s” father clearly being the more likely perpetrator, and his later killing while allegedly trying to escape prison place the novel’s depictions of racism in a very revealing and entirely credible light. To Kill a Mockingbird is about racism and prejudice, and the depths to which many people will sink to enforce their own perverted views of humanity. Atticus Finch is not entirely alone in his town in seeking objective justice, but he represents a very small minority.

What are some quotes on racism in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

    "It couldn't be worse, Jack. The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did--I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells'--are you acquainted with the Ewells?" (88)

    Lula stopped, but she said, "You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here--they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?" (119).   This is a good example to show that there was a degree of racism on both sides of the color line.

    "Well, Mr. Finch didn't act that way to Mayella and old man Ewell when he cross-examined them. The way that man called him 'boy' all the time an' sneered at him, an' looked around at the jury every time he answered--"

     "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro." (199)

What are three quotes on race relations in To Kill a Mockingbird?

1.  Look at the very end of chapter 9 (our versions of the book are probably different, so page numbers won't be the same), when Atticus is talking to Uncle Jack about the trial.  He states,

"I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb's usual disease.  Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand."

In this quote, Atticus is saying that he hopes that he can set a good example for his children as he defends Tom Robinson, and that by setting that example, they can grow up without being racist.  He says that normal people just go crazy and act completely irrationally when it comes to black people--racism is a disease that alters judgment, kindness, logic and decency.  In chapter 16, when the mob comes for Tom, and Scout talks to Mr. Cunningham, we see this concept in action, so check out that chapter for some more quotes.

2. When Jem is asking Atticus about the things that Mrs. Dubose said about him, one of the questions is whether or not Atticus is a "nigger-lover" like Mrs. Dubose claimed to be.  Atticus responds,  "I certainly am.  I do my best to love everybody."  This quote is about 4 pages before the end of chapter eleven.  This quote is short, but very important, because it relates Atticus's entire attitude about people--not only black people, but all people.  He says that he strives to love everybody, despite their appearances, station in life, background, or class.  And, he does a pretty good job of living by that standard in this book.

3.  About four pages into chapter 12, Cal has brought Jem and Scout to her church, and Lula protests them being there by saying,

"You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here--they got their church, we got our'n."

Here, we see a bit of discrimination coming from the black side of the issue; Lula doesn't want white people coming into her church, just like white people don't want black people coming to theirs.  This quote is significant because it shows that racism exists on both sides of the aisle, and that all people are subject to its meanness.  Of course, most of the people at Cal's church were very nice, but Lula showed how racism can exist in all forms.

There are just so many quotes that could be used, and these are just a few; I am sure that other editors will have some great ideas too.  I hope that they helped a bit; good luck!

Can someone give me some quotations that shows diversity in the book To Kill a Mockingbird?

Sure. There's a lot of diversity in the novel, and not all of it co-exists peacefully. There's the line "Do you defend niggers, Atticus?" Scout asks Atticus this at the start of Chapter 9, and that shows how the community is torn about legal representation of African-Americans.

Another view is Lula's "You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here—they got their church, we got our'n." She says this to Calpurnia when Cal takes the kids to the AME church in Chapter 12.