Oppression Quote Blog: By Tyler Parrish

     "After by bout with Cecil Jacobs when I committed myself to a policy of cowardice, word got around that Scout Finch wouldn't fight anymore, her daddy wouldn't let her. This was not entirely correct: I wouldn't fight publicly for Atticus, but the family was private ground. I would fight anyone from a third cousin upwards tooth and nail. Francis Hancock, for example, knew that." - Scout pg.90
   
      We've all been there, that one annoying kid who keeps trying to roast you or just get to you. Psychological warfare, perhaps the most oppressing and condescending of them all. In Scout's case, it's Cecil Jacobs & Co. Atticus' upcoming trial defending Tom Robinson, a black man, has all the kids raging with insults to throw at Scout and Jem. Though most of them probably didn't understand why the adults gossiped negatively about it in the first place.
      Scout, I know what it's like wanting to punch someone in the face or doing some other thing to them. It's hard to "be the bigger man" and decide to walk away or ignore it sometimes, but it has to be done by someone. I know when I was your age, I had a fistful of pride, and that was a hard thing to put down (though I don't think I actually fought anyone). For instance, look at Marty McFly from Back to The Future, he loses it when someone calls him chicken.

 
      Anyway back to the whole oppression thing. Oppression is defined by the dictionary as "the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner," but how is that implemented into To Kill a Mockingbird? It's actually a largely repeated motif throughout the story. Looking at the quote and drawing from the text around it, the kids picking on Scout about Atticus' defense of a black man ("The whole school buzzed  with talk about him defending Tom Robinson, none of which was complimentary." Lee, page 89) is a bit minor and childish example of this, but it's one we all relate to. Though the much bigger example of oppression in this classic work of American literature is in and of the trial of Robinson, Atticus defending him, and the overall treatment of African Americans in the novel's correlation to the Jim Crow era.
      As most all of us know, the Jim Crow era was one of extreme oppression of African Americans by whites lasting from 1890-1965. Thus it makes sense why Atticus, a white man, defending Tom Robinson causes lots of controversy and negative gossip in the town as they had all grown up in the prime of the era, so it was integrated into their mindsets by then and oppression of Negros was the norm for them. So even though now we all know the Jim Crow era was a bad thing and morally wrong as it violated the basic unalienable rights and truths stated by the U.S Declaration of Independence, to the whites of the era there was mostly not a thought to it. So even though those kids should've apologized to Scout, they did not think what they said was wrong; and it would take until 1954 with the supreme court case of Brown v. The Board of Education and the civil rights movement that such opinions would begin to change.
    Though we ourselves are currently living in a time with obscene oppression. I'm sure you've heard of this organization in the news lately: Black Lives Matter (BLM), and the recent attacks on Paris by a terrorist group. BLM shows us how even in a time 50 years after the final abolition of the Jim Crow laws, there is still racial discrimination and oppression against blacks in America, like for instance the Ferguson shooting, which is truly a pathetic thing to have for 'the land of the free'. As for Paris, it is evident that the terrorists (some from ISIS) who attacked it oppressed the French peoples brutally and some say 'cowardly'. France even bombed Syria not to long afterwords.Though it is a good thing that multiple nations are coinciding with France to help them through this difficult time.

A "Pray For Paris" Logo 

A Black Lives Matter March in New York (Source: CNN)

    I think my opinion about how oppression can be prevented in the future after all that's going on right now with the likes of  the "Black Lives Matter" movement against racial oppression, the Paris attacks, and Syria bombings that we all pretend to be ignorant towards can be summed up pretty well by Atticus:

"First of all...if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it"- Atticus Finch (Page 30 of To Kill a Mockingbird)

      Think about it. If people only just sat down and talked things out, or as Atticus said 'climbing into their skin and walking around in it' so many conflicts could be avoided. The world still has a long way to becoming a truly "all people created equal" place, but this could be the first step into helping it get there. After all, the first step is always the hardest; and a rock thrown into a still puddle of water will create a ripple effect. Before I take my temporary leave, I feel obligated to say this to my generation: we are the generation of change. We will be soon given control of this Earth and its nations by our parenting generation; and we have the technology, intellect, and mindset to change the world left behind into a truly equal place. It may not be accomplished in our lifetimes, and since everyone wants to be remembered for the things they did, not the money they made, let's take that first step towards change. The millennial generation, I challenge you to make the world a better place, even if it's one little thing at a time. 

After all, it starts with us. 

P.S I found this on Google, thought Ms. Garvoille would like this, enjoy!

Sources of Images, Some with Articles (Shown as a link, they will take you there):

http://fearingfearitself.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/0/0/25009925/6872292_orig.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/18/06/c0/1806c0c29c7a8d674426639ad7070811.jpg

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/18/politics/black-lives-matter-2016-presidential-race/

http://time.com/4114288/paris-instagram/