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Kristina Melnichuk

Mrs. Pulk

Honors English

The Social Lens

What if you were treated differently because of how you looked? In history blacks were

never seen as equals to whites, causing them to be treated differently. Many were discriminated

against, some weren't give the same opportunities, and many suffered just trying to feed their

families. In To Kill a Mockingbird and The Days of Rondo, both authors Harper Lee and

Evelyn Fairbanks used black characters to show great examples of discrimination in the 1930s.

The Social lens is one way to understand how society classifies people, and why this lead

to the blacks being discriminated against. Social lenses are mainly how we observe the world and

how we decide whats right and wrong. What society considered to be wrong during the 1930s

was the freedom that the blacks had, which lead to racism and discrimination. Chad M. Gesser

states that norms are the guidelines and expectations in society (Gesser, Chad M.). In this

quote he explains how the norms are simply what society believes is right, and since blacks

being lower than whites was right, they were discriminated against. Reading from this lens

may help open up an entirely different meaning relating to the book and give you a deeper

understanding of it. In chapter 20, Mr. Raymond says Cry about the simple hell people give

other people - give colored folks, without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give

colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too (Lee, 269). This quote

does show how blacks were treated poorly. But looking at it with the social lens, you'll notice

how society doesn't seem to think twice about the racism or discrimination, to them, it's normal.
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Both books showed how blacks were almost never given a chance to be treated equal.

When Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird, went to court, he never stood a chance because

the outcome had already been decided since he was black. In the book Atticus says Theyve

done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems only

children weep (Lee, 285). Atticus explains how society has always discriminated against blacks

and that they'll continue to do it because they see it as normal. Evelyn in Days of Rondo, had

also been mistreated because of her skin color. When Evelyn went to her job interview, she was

immediately rejected because she was black. In the book, her interviewer explains I didn't know

you were a Negro on the phone. You didn't sound like one. (Fairbanks , 260). The woman who

was supposed to interview Evelyn was shocked to find that Evelyn was black, which caused her

to explain that over the phone, she hadn't sounded black. Tom Robinson and Evelyn had both

been mistreated solely because of their skin color.

Although discrimination was found both in the north and sound, the way blacks were

discriminated was different. In the North, discrimination against blacks was common but it was

usually never brought up in public. According to a blog on DAILY KOS there is just as much

racism in the north, but it is just unspoken and 'hidden'. The blog is written by blogger who goes

by the username BFSkinner and in the blog he talks about the racism he grew up with and

explains how in the North, discrimination against blacks was quiet and hidden. In the south

discrimination was a bit more extreme and it was more open to society. According to a post from

the Miller Center, In the rural south, blacks found it increasingly difficult even to survive

(Franklin D. Roosevelt: The American Franchise). The south was harsh and colder towards

blacks, many couldn't find jobs because of this and ended up on the streets with their families.
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Both The Days of Rondo and To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrated the struggles

blacks faced and how they were discriminated against. Reading these books and sources I

provided through the social lens will help you understand the information on a different level and

help open up different ideas and thoughts about how society works. It will help you understand

discrimination on an entirely different level.

Works Cited
"North vs. South: Racism/Discrimination, Etc." Daily Kos. BFSkinner, 14 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Apr.

2017.

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Grand Central Publishing, 1982.

Gesser, Chad M. "Durkheim and Anomie." The Social Lens. N.p., 04 Mar. 2010. Web. 08 May 2017.

Fairbanks, Evelyn. The Days of Rondo. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1990.
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"Franklin D. Roosevelt: The American Franchise." Miller Center. Miller Center, n.d. Web. 08 May

2017.