Traditions and Beliefs An individual’s beliefs are often a reflection of the expectations placed on them by society, family, friends and themselves. The type of pressure experienced differs according to social status as well as level of education. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee that follows the life of a young girl named Scout Finch and her experiences as she grows up in the small, Southern town of Maycomb. Through Scout and her family; ideas of injustice, prejudice, courage and character are expanded upon as she explores both her external environment as well as her inner self. As she learns about the world around her and develops opinions on its workings, she often finds herself being challenged by her community and their expectation of what her morals and values should be. More often than not, it is these social standards standing juxtaposed to the morals of the Finch family that help develop a deeper understanding of the ignorance that has shaped Maycomb and its citizens. With this ignorance came underdeveloped models of what each gender, age, race and caste should look like, and these models became the standard of normality for the town. Maycomb’s tendency to follow tradition without question only helped to solidify outdated expectations on collectives. As a direct result, the standards held by the community were considered to be correct, and those who thought otherwise were often pressured into altering their beliefs. Maycomb’s principles were based
For my paper I have chosen to analyze the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This movie is based on the novel – by the same name – written by Harper Lee. The story has two major plotlines. One follows Jem, Scout, and Dill as they try to uncover the secrets behind the infamous “Boo” Radley. It’s only at the end of the movie that we learn “Boo’s” real name to be Arthur, and that we discover he actually tries to protect people, as he saved Jem and Scout’s lives. The other major plotline, and the one more relevant to this class, follows Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout’s father, as he tries to represent Tom Robinson. Mr. Robinson is an African American man who has been charged with raping Mayella Ewell. The movie then
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is set in a small Southern United States community called Maycomb during the Great Depression era. The whole book primarily revolves around segregation and racism and how it relates to Maycomb’s history. It eventually leads to the trial of Tom Robinson where he is accused of beating up and raping Mayella Ewell. Even though it was clear that Tom Robinson did not do anything wrong he was convicted by an all white jury simply because he was black. The trial of Tom Robinson and its verdict shows an example of how segregation in the court system prevents fair trials from occurring.
Jem and Scout, throughout “To Kill A Mockingbird,” learn to consider things from other people’s perspectives. Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father, says “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” (Lee 39). They learn this through experiences with their neighbor Boo Radley as they mature beyond their years. At the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout make fun of Boo and assume that all of the rumors going around about him are true. However, later on in the story the children grow an admiration for Boo and learn to understand him. As they matured, Jem and Scout naturally learned many life lessons of appreciation, respect, and courage
“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum...There was no hurry, for there was no where to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb.” (Lee 6) In Harper Lee’s classic story To Kill a Mockingbird,
I selected this book because its the best book I have ever read. I read To Kill A Mockingbird last year and my class wrote an essay about this book, since I already know so much about this book I thought it would be a nice and quick read. I thought it would be a great enjoyment to refresh my memory of this epic book. I watched the movie soon after I read the whole book and it was very fun to pick out the not-placed and wrong-worded parts of the movie. To Kill A Mockingbird is about a sister, brother, and their friend Dill finding items in their neighbors tree, soon after this their father was the lawyer of a case on an african american.
“If there’s just one king of folks, why can’t they get along with each other?” (Lee 259). These words were spoken by Jem Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. In Harper Lee’s novel, Jem has a loss of innocence, a repeated theme in the book; this happens during the Tom Robinson trial, from Jem’s mood, and because of the character, Boo Radley.
There are couple of reason that Mr.Raymond act drunk and one of them is that he wants people to leave him alone.
redujice is not something we are born with; it is something that we grow to learn from who and what surrounds us, things that help to form our identity. Prejudice is an integral theme in Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird. Prejudice is evident throughout the novel, not just in the appalling racism but also through, prejudice against different sexual orientations, gender constructs and feminism. Society had certain constructs that had to be met. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee breaks the bounds to overcome barriers, and challenge social constructs.
In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch, and her brother Jem, learn the importance of seeing things through other people's eyes. At the beginning of the story, the people living in Maycomb County, can be considered "mockingbirds" because they are innocent. Their father, Atticus, leads as a strong example while defending Tom Robinson, a black man convicted for rape. The residents of Maycomb (besides the Finches) fail to see situations through other people's eyes. For example, when the trial takes place, most people do not have empathy toward Tom Robinson, resulting in some of those "mockingbirds" becoming killed. Trying to see situations through other people's eyes can keep someone from hurting somebody who is innocent.
(Remember to say According to the text, or The author says, or On page ____ the author states)
“ I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless. I am Divergent” (Roth 442). This quotation display a certain substance we all need understand about ourselves in life; we are more than one thing, one personally, and one judgement, we are all divergent. Divergent is a powerful word in which means that we are all different than what the world may want you to be or how you are portrayed as to the rest of the world. Divergent means, you are not just one human you are one different human being who has many aspects that make you the person you are. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, judgement is evident when characters Arthur Radley, Atticus Finch, and Dolphus Raymond are misjudged for the way they community sees them, which is being
By combining real life problems and at the same time creating entertainment and suspense the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most influential and best books of the 20th century. Throughout the story and the conflicts that reside in it, a clear message or theme presents itself as the story unravels. As Lee uses point of view, tone, and conflict the message that innocence should be preserved and never killed by force is conveyed. This message is the clear theme of this story.
The concept of courage is more philosophical rather than something that is real. Its a fact that can’t be substantiated, courage is a non tangible feeling that lies within one's heart and psyche. It isn’t something that you're born with, it's something you work for as you grow older. When the day comes when you have to battle the inner demons that make your life discontented you’ll need to conquer in order to overcome it once and for all.After you overcome the thing that's pains you the most you’ll have the face of courage. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it revolves around the idea of courage but to the farthest extremity. The characters are more than just literary entities that inhabit the book, they are individuals
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the narrator, Scout, finds truth and compassion through personal encounters and through using the ethics that her untraditional yet wise father, Atticus, has taught her. She gradually strays away from the preconceptions that her town of Maycomb has planted into her mind and understands the world from a more broad perspective. Harper Lee demonstrates the way prejudice is encouraged by being part of an isolated group, the way it is resisted through individual experience, and the way it is overcome by acting with moral courage. Maycomb, Alabama is filled with social people, who have held the same views of the world for years because of their lack of exposure to outside influence; consequently, they spread
People can be good after all. I realize that as i'm in the scorching hot courtroom. The smell of wood is overpowering. Everyone is staring at me so hard with disgust I can feel it. As I came in here I asked God a question, “Why are people so cruel?”. When it was my turn to take the stand I stood there sweat beading down my face. I tried my hardest to show the truth. By the end it was clear, I am not guilty. Atticus gave a speech and that is where i realized all is not lost. He understood, he understood the troubles my people have been through, i wondered if he could smell the guilty consciousness in everyone. As he finished the jury decided . I felt a small gleam of hope since it took two hours to come up with a verdict. I heard the words