Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021)

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Exploring Discipline and Resistance in To Kill a Mockingbird from Perspective of Foucault’s Theory of Power

Authors
Chen Sun1, †, Dan Zhou2, *, †
1School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
2School of Foreign Languages, Central South University, Changsha, China
†

These authors contributed equally

*Corresponding author. Email: 201111012@csu.edu.cn
Corresponding Author
Dan Zhou
Available Online 17 January 2022.
DOI
10.2991/assehr.k.220105.135How to use a DOI?
Keywords
To Kill a Mockingbird; Foucault; power; discipline; resistance
Abstract

Modern society is a kind of disciplined society where individuals are intertwined in a network of power, being the object controlled by power and the role of wielding power. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates that various disciplines control everyone. Townspeople with different gender, race and class identity have unconsciously accepted discipline or evidently suffered oppression from the discourse of patriarchy, racial discrimination, and rationality. Under different disciplines of power, some people are submissive without observing subtle forms of power, while others are dissatisfied with the status quo and rising against oppression. Combined with Foucault’s theory of power, this paper explores the oppression that resulted from unequal power relations and resistance against the power of discourse. The study finds that women and children are the victims of patriarchal ideology; black folks lose their voice, dignity and civil rights under the constraints of racial hierarchy; and those who violate social norms would be regarded as freaks and expelled from the mainstream by rationality discourse. Eventually, the paper reveals diversified modes of power operation in Maycomb and Harper Lee’s humanistic reflections on equality and justice.

Copyright
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
17 January 2022
ISBN
978-94-6239-512-1
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/assehr.k.220105.135How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Chen Sun
AU  - Dan Zhou
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/01/17
TI  - Exploring Discipline and Resistance in To Kill a Mockingbird from Perspective of Foucault’s Theory of Power
BT  - Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 737
EP  - 744
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220105.135
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.220105.135
ID  - Sun2022
ER  -