What is ironic about the lesson Miss Gates is teaching the children?
Miss Gates argument is ironic because during the lesson she is advocating for the Jews, a struggling minority, while also believing that the blacks should not have the same rights as the whites when Scout overhears her say: "They were gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us" (283). Scout is confused by this because her hypocrisy is something new to her. She is confused by Miss Gates's views because she feels that is Miss Gates supports one minority she shouldn't bash another. Her inconsistent views are strange because she is teaching the fact that the Jews should not be persecuted and perfectly understands what it means, while also thinking the exact opposite about the blacks. This demonstrates that Scout is learning the idea of hierocracy. Rather than brushing away the confusion she feels, she asks questions in an attempt to understand the mind of adults, as she will soon become one. She is realizing that the views of adults aren't always right, and at times are twisted.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 3, 2019 at 5:31 PM

    I think Harper Lee put this in the novel to emphasize the racism in Maycomb. For example, the Jews at this point in the novel are being killed for no reason by Hitler at an alarming rate at one point in time. Most of the white people are annoyed because they can get past the Jews believing in a different religion, but they can’t get past their own kind [white people] are being killed for no reason. African Americans, on the other hand, have been being killed for no reason for years. For instance, Tom Robinson was found guilty because a white woman claimed that he raped her. This is a serious case, but after hearing the testimony, Tom Robinson was clearly innocent. Even though Tom Robinson died from trying to escape prison, he probably would have died from an electric chair anyways. Scout is starting to realize, even though she doesn’t notice that she is, that there are inconsistencies on which how minorities are viewed in Maycomb and specifically Miss Gates.

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