Ethical Dilemmas in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a story of life in an Alabama town in the 30's. The narrator, Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, is writing of a time when she was young, and the book is in part the record of a childhood, believed to be Harper Lee’s, the author of the book..

As children grow up, they open their eyes to the harsh truths in the world around them that they once did not understand or question. This is experienced by the main characters of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The story is of a girl called Scout and her older brother, Jem, who go through the trials of growing up in the fictional small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is rampant in the mindset of the townspeople, shown when the children’s lawyer father, Atticus, takes the case of an obviously innocent African-American man and they convict him in their hearts before the trial even starts. Through this all, we can see the theme of loss of innocence in the children. Lee uses characterization to portray

Atticus says, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Chapter 9, page 101). Atticus made a decision when he decided to defend Tom Robinson, one that would change his career and life for the better. The book that this essay is referring to is “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee. Atticus lives with his two children in the sleepy Maycomb county, in the 1920’s. He is a lawyer, who is respectful, just, and generally welcoming to anyone.

The characters in, To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, often use prejudice against people of controversial issues. Many of the townspeople of Maycomb use prejudice on the families who are on the less wealthy end of the spectrum. Issues are still displayed because of the racial prejudice used against African Americans and those of other races. Lastly, gender is a clear issue in Maycomb because of women’s and girl’s rights and lack of respect towards them because they are female. All of the types of prejudice show that Maycomb has many problems all throughout the town between other families and townspeople.

Morality is not a virtue that many can tolerate without a conscience. It was considered the critical awareness of humanity's standards of conduct that are accepted as proper. Yet, for Scout, morality becomes not only a principle, but also a necessity in order for her to survive in the prejudiced society of Maycomb County. It is solely the essence of ethics that causes her to frown upon the injustices brought about by intolerance. Thus, Scout's maturity towards understanding the vitality of morality allows her to become a noble individual in an unjust social order.

Charles Lamb once wrote, “Lawyers, I suppose, were children once,” which also happens to be the epigraph of Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. This quote demonstrates the connection between lawyers, who are usually seen as serious and understanding, and children, who are usually seen as carefree and innocent. The “lawyer” in this quote refers to anyone who is understanding, empathetic and informed, rather than just the profession, whilst the “children” refer to anyone who has yet to grasp a better understanding about the complexity of people and their lives. This quote depicts how children went through some tough times and faced difficult dilemmas which caused them to eventually, become lawyers and to who

Every man or woman is capable of harbouring innate evil. From the first mention of Adam and eve in the bible, man has continuously committed evil and co-existed with it. Regardless of whether it has always been there or man created it, evil has remained embedded within our society. Even in many classics in literature, the depiction of evil as the driving force and the heart of the story are common; this includes Harper Lee’s bestselling novel and social commentary “to kill a mockingbird”. Harper Lee creates and develops the book to comment on the negative, but also the positive aspects of society. One of this includes the development of the reader 's understanding of man’s capabilities to do good but also evil. Through the characters’ actions and the prevalent racism, then, she depicts human nature’s capabilities to harbour both evil and good within a person. Thus, she comments on how evil and good coexist within a person and that humans cannot be strictly evil nor good beings. She is telling the readers that we are all capable of harbouring both and have both qualities inert or alive inside.

In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, a Pulitzer Prize winner, there is one significant theme that develops over the course of the story, which is about “climbing into somebody’s skin” or observing the world from another person’s perspective to understand their true feelings (p.36). Several characters, such as Scout, Jem, and their father, Atticus, apply this lesson to the way they understand the world.

Completed in accordance with the Georgia Military College Honor Code with states: I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do. Submitted to: Daniel R. Simpson, MPA Introduction to American Government November 16, 2014 Introduction “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for” is a quote from the book and movie To Kill a Mockingbird which accurately describes the main idea present throughout the story with only a few piercing words. The novel was written in 1960 by author Harper Lee. It was later made into a movie based on the book in 1962. The story focuses on an Alabama family and the issues they encounter during that time.

The oscillation between morality and immorality “The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.” ― C.G. Jung. The mind chooses what makes sense and what does not, not right and wrong. For some people, their perception of what makes sense and nonsense may differ. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the setting to show how the characters behave and interact with/towards each other.

The excerpt opens with Atticus telling Scout: “If you learn a simple trick you’ll get along better with all kinds of people.” Which he then follows up with: “You shoulds always consider things from other people’s point of view.” This is Atticus’s opening lesson to Scout in order to teach her that respecting the views of others gives you an advantage when socializing. Atticus himself is a lawyer, therefore, this must be an extremely crucial skill in his trade. He refers to this technique as a “trick” implying that it will be beneficial to Scout. She understands, but she does not grasp the entirety of what he is teaching her.

Authors use novels to highlight issues in society that are current in the time period and are universally applicable. Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird during a time of segregation in the 1960’s. The peak of the depression and the segregation of African Americans in a small southern town in the 1930s set the scene for the novel and opened the eyes of those especially in the south during the 1960’s and beyond. The story follows a tomboy named Scout trying to find herself during a time when her father is defending a black man in court. Her father is a constant source of wisdom and grounds the family when they are faced with judgement from the people of the town.

To Kill a Mockingbird, being both abstruse and touching, lures you into the Maycomb County. Acutely criticizing social inequality and narrating through the voice of a young girl, this peculiar and interesting book has been loved for a long time. With ample attractions dwelling in this book, you will soon be preoccupied with it. The growth of the children, Scout and Jem, is one of the key points of this book that you should consider.

Firstly, the confinements moral thought put on human expressions and sciences are basically focused on the use of learning as opposed to their techniques for generation. Like morals, workmanship is created through individual decision, holding the underlying reason for mirroring nature (Mimetic hypothesis) while being utilized to express passionate perfect to trigger feelings of the focused on group of onlookers; in any case, it stops to comply with a general standard of which angle conflicts with the widespread good codes of morals. As a result of this influential capacity in rendering feeling through masterfulness, numerous writers, painters, artists, artists, and movie producers get themselves stuck in a net of restricting their work with good commitments set by the social standard of their time.

The issues presented were Jean Lousie’s grandmother has passed and to make things worse. Her family sold the estate to a local hunting club and nobody has told her anything. Thus, Jean Louise is ever more upset because her world is changing without anyone telling her. But what upsets her more might be the fact that her world hasn't changed; it never was what she thought it was. Her foundation is shaken, when she finds a racist pamphlet in her father's office, and hears her Aunt defending racist beliefs. This opens up Atticus and Henry eyes as they both attend the Maycomb Citizens' Council meeting. Moreover, these issues of not knowing what is going on is happen right now. Our public is blinded by social media, and because of that shows our