In Black Like Me, author John Howard Griffin uses his real-life account of his experience of temporarily transforming into a black man to six long, intense weeks of experiencing black oppression firsthand. In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses Scout Finch's point of view to learn about her father Atticus Finch, a lawyer desperate to prove the innocence of a black man wrongly accused of rape in the Southern United States United. in the 1930s. Black Like Me and To Kill a Mockingbird show that prejudice originates from a person's ignorance or unwillingness to understand others. Both novels present the idea that the only way to bring equality and empathy to society is through courage, knowledge, and compassion. In Black Like Me John Griffin showed courage throughout the novel; fear awaited him wherever he went. This took a lot of courage to face the same fears Griffin encountered. Griffin also battled many prejudices during his travels in the southern United States. He suffered abuse so unbearable that no one should ever have to suffer it. Being brave, he endured pain and suffering while away from his family just to take a step towards equality for all. An example would be when a group of white men insult him based on the color of his skin; a car full of white men and boys zoomed past him. They shouted obscenities at me. A Satsuma flew past my head and crashed into a building. The street was loud and raw, with tension as thick as fog. I felt a crazy terror [...] another car roared down... middle of paper... equality and empathy in society come through courage, knowledge and compassion. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus tried to teach his children Jem and Scout that everyone needs to develop morals, knowledge, and compassion to fully understand people. Where both kids, especially the scouts, learned to never judge a person or dislike them until you never know what they are going through. In Black Like Me Griffin learned that an environment defined by the evils of racism can still have good people who thrive in this society. White people like the Alabama construction worker and black people like Sterling Williams demonstrate that while racism can warp the human spirit, it cannot destroy the human capacity for love and kindness. Griffin argues that the only way to change society and truly understand a person is through courage, knowledge, and compassion.