Classic Text To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s coming-of-age story reminds readers how far society has come. In the time period in which the novel is set, society faced many issues involving racism and discrimination. Now in the 2000’s the world doesn't focus on the colour of one’s skin but the person it carries. Harper Lee effectively represents African-American history in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the novel Lee shows how racism negatively affected Maycomb County’s population by utilizing major themes including racial discrimination and the right to a fair trial. Lee’s novel has a similar story to multiple cases in the early 1900’s as well as showing links to the troubles the town faced with the Great Depression and social standings.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a complex literary work exploring several aspects of the human condition. Lee’s story is one based in the 1930’s, shortly before the Civil Rights Movement. Her novel ventures into the societal issues, such as racism and gender stereotyping, in their fictional town, Maycomb. One recurring theme throughout the narrative is the social adjustment of the citizens of Maycomb and the human race as a whole. Lee showcases the progress in social justice matters by using symbolism and motifs.

Being at the top of the social hierarchy has been a must for every American of past generations, but can lead to fatal damages for some trying to obtain that goal and a cause to ruin people’s lives. In a remarkably triumphant story on compassion, Harper Lee explored the horrors of racial prejudice in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Set in the 1930’s, the poor town of Maycomb, Alabama has been hit by the depression hard, which created a vast, complex social pyramid, with distinct families and lifestyles. At the Finch household, composed of a little nine year old girl, Scout, a twelve year old boy Jem, and their father Atticus, proceed through a whirlwind of events throughout the next few years. Atticus, a lawyer who is a hardworking, honest man at the top of the social hierarchy of Maycomb, has to defend a colored man by the name of Tom Robinson. This happened to be very unusual for the time period, as the family has to transcend through the struggles in a racial prejudice town and learn the raw nature of the worst in humans, thus trying to overcome these events through compassion. The author utilizes metaphor, characterization, and mood to describe the situation of Maycomb, it soon then becomes very clear that the dangers of ruining innocence can lead to a vast road of horrors and evils.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a highly regarded work of American fiction. The story of the novel teaches us many lessons that should last any reader for a lifetime. The messages that Harper Lee relays to the reader are exemplified throughout the book using various methods. One of the most important and significant methods was the use of symbols such as the mockingbird image. Another important method was showing the view through a growing child's (Scout Finch) mind, eyes, ears, and mouth. There is another very significant method that was used. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee utilizes the effects of irony, sarcasm, and hypocrisy to criticize a variety of elements in Southern life.

The intriguing novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is written by the prestigious author Harper Lee. Lee has utilised the lifestyle and attitudes towards ‘African-Americans" in the 1930's to create a novel which presents the reader with Lee's attitudes and values. The dominant reading of the novel is focused on the issues of racial prejudice, but there are also a number of other alternative and oppositional readings. Examples of this are the Marxist and feminist readings which can be applied to the text.

In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, heavy influences of opinions towards racism, religion, and worldly views in the 1930’s are very prominent through the writing of Harper Lee. Specifically through chapter 24, Lee uses various types of diction and narrative techniques to portray her opinion on racial and religious views. Lee fills this chapter with various dialogue and diction. The scene starts as the women of the church converse lightly about various topics, “fighting the good fight all over the house”. (Lee 228).

As the United States “progresses” in economic, educational and technological advancements we still are fighting for racial equality. With more than 50 years since the brown vs. board of education case there is still incidents like Ferguson, Baton Rouge, and Phiando Castile where many questions are still unanswered. However, Harper Lee dealt with these same problems in 1960 when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee created an emotionally confronting story. Lee writes through the eyes of “Scout” a lawyer’s daughter in a small sleepy town of Maycomb in Alabama during the great depression. Throughout the book “Scout” learns coming of age lessons from Atticus and her own experiences. But when Atticus takes on a case defending a black man (Tom Robinson) convicted for rapping a white woman (Mayella Ewell) and is found guilty. “Scout” her brother Jem begin to understand the effects of the prejudices in society. Therefore, Lee applies the literary concepts of diction and tone to revel the truth that prejudices in society negatively affect the way people treat each other in To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Emily Noble Ms. Williams Advanced English II, 4th Period 15 May 2018 To Kill a Mockingbird Final Argument     To Kill a Mockingbird was published longer than sixty years ago, and is still considered a huge hit, and a must read. People are curious as to why most students from 8th through 12th grade will be required to read, study, and be tested on Harper Lee’s novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a young girl and her brother who are faced with difficult situations when they realize racism in their town. To Kill a Mockingbird is still important to study in classrooms because it shows what life and racism was like in the 1930’s through a personal perspective of a child to make her circumstances more understandable through the readers eyes.

Unfair treatment makes discrimination evident. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place when The Great Depression occurred during the 1930’s in an Alabama small town called “Maycomb”. To Kill a Mockingbird is written in the perspective of a little girl by the name of Jean Louise Finch (Scout finch) who is a stubborn, impulsive and outspoken little girl who throughout the novel gains maturity, becomes more observant, and understanding through life alongside her father. Harper Lee’s award winning novel is focused around the social, gender, and racial discrimination and, the affect it has on the people of Maycomb.

"I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot at all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird," Atticus tells his children (Lee 119). This quote is the most known and most commonly used quote from the famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is full of symbolism, and there is different types of symbolism represented in each character. When Atticus Finch tells his children that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is make songs for them to hear, he is implying that it is a sin to kill something that is innocent. Because each character symbolises something, three of these characters can be portrayed as metaphorical mockingbirds. One of these characters is Atticus Finch, because he did everything in his power to do what is morally right, what he believed was right, and what is right with

To Kill a Mockingbird is a famous novel written by Harper Lee that is known for its compelling characters and its irresistible plot line. These attributes make To Kill a Mockingbird a classic read by almost all students in the United States. Many think that the novel is relevant to this day due to its powerful messages and similarities of American Society. Others think that the book is outdated and has lost its meaning. Regardlessly, To Kill a Mockingbird is still relevant in the 21st century because its morals can still be implied in today's society, it displays intolerance that is still present in one's community as well as racism

It further develops the plot by showing evidence of the segregation that was built up over the generation of the Finch family. Specifically, we begin to see the injustice and the problems Scout and Jem encounter because of Atticus’ passion. It develops the conflict because the real problem of the story and in the opinions of all of Maycomb think what Atticus is doing is going to ruin the respect and dignity built over the decades. The literary device, characterization, is used to label Atticus and Scout based on their actions and their credence, “he turned out to be a nigger-lover...” The reader begins to see the different diverse characters and the racial comments made, mostly the grandmother ruthlessly making Atticus seem like a horrible person in the minds of the young children. Atticus Finch becomes a victim of the ongoing prejudice due to his dreams to help an innocent black man. Harper Lee uses indirect characterization to further develop the theme, prejudice and the inequalities, through the characters for better understanding the unjust. When the trial is discussed in the novel, the town folks make racist comments or ideas in an attempt to persuade those who believe that Tom Robinson is innocent. In this quote, the theme discussed is the fear of prejudicial injustice. The author, Harper Lee, explains the fear and the restrictions a skin color could

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, has created a complex story about racism, prejudice and family. Many have argued about the main, underlying message,but the message that resonates with me is about the necessity of character development and change influenced by society. Harper Lee shows us this through the eyes of a young girl who doesn't know much about the world and her views are ever changing. The author’s message is delivered to us through a mixture symbols, metaphors and a wide array of diction.

In the riveting coming-of-age novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee projects the idea of acceptance of all people, through the eyes of a child. Harper Lee combats the prejudice of social standing when she proves that some of the poorest people have the best of character traits. While racism of African Americans is first and foremost in this novel, the acceptance of white people into the African American community shows racism can be beaten from both point of views. Finally, the disabilities that Arthur Radley portrays, is forgotten, when his actions help him soar above the bigotry of the people of Maycomb County. The most obvious topic is the overt racism based on a person's skin color, however, Harper Lee takes us beneath the skin to show that discrimination occurs in other ways.