Honors Literary Analysis : The Time Periods, Geographical Location, Historical / Social Context )

She is very prejudiced and racist, and she is not a good influence on the children. Scout is a tom-boy. While this is not widely accepted in Maycomb, it is the way that Atticus chose to raise Scout and Jem. Atticus is a honest and kind man, and he does not like to lie to his children or deprive them of any information. He also does not believe in family heritage. He does not believe in it because his family was cotton farmers, but he chose to take his own path and become a lawyer. He is not very fond of family honor, and he finds it to be unnecessary and absurd. Aunt Alexandra talks to Scout about this, but Scout does not appreciate the Aunt Alexandra’s views. Family and hereditary is important, but Aunt Alexandra finds it to be overly important, as where Scout and Jem were raised to not be influenced or care about any of the nonsense of family history. Because of this, she judges very often, which is not a good thing. Because of people’s backgrounds, she chooses to judge them. Although it is possible to judge someone by their heritage, it is not the sole thing that one should be judged by, as shown by Atticus. Heritage and family history is important, but Aunt Alexandra uses it and puts a negative twist on it, using it to judge, acting as a negative influence on Jem and

The Finch family is of the highest social standing in Maycomb County. They are white, which back then, was a very important factor in what social class you belonged in. Atticus Finch, is also a lawyer, and a very good one at that. This makes him very respected in the community. The Finch’s, Atticus especially, have a lot of friends in their community. They are very well educated, loved, and respected by most of their neighbors, and they do not have many enemies. They are also very kind to the black community. Although, you do not have to be kind to the Negroes to be in the highest class. In fact, most were not kind to them. People like Aunt Alexandra were “the perfect example of what a southern lady should act like.” In other words, they despised blacks. They wanted nothing to do with them.

a) Atticus Finch is a wise, single father. He is a qualified, intelligent and distinguished lawyer practising in the south of Alabama in a rural town named Maycomb. Atticus has a high moral integrity and is bred from an upper-class background. He has a brother named Jack Finch and a sister named Alexandra. Atticus has two children named Jean-Louise Finch and Jem Finch. Jem is a quiet, studious boy who loves reading and football. Scout (Jean) is a tomboyish, confident girl who loves rolling in mud in her overalls and reading any book she can get her hands on. Maycomb is a close knit, old and

The neighbors bake Aunt Alexandra cakes and have her join them in drinking coffee. Aunt Alexandra is very proud of her ancestry and in being a Finch. She tells Atticcus to lecture his children in having the same pride of their last name that she has. Atticus does lecture them, but it only makes jean cry.

Atticus Finch is a model father created by Harper Lee in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird. He is an important figure in the Maycomb, Alabama Community. He raises his children, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) with wide sets of morals, disciplines them, and is a true role model. Atticus allows his children to be individuals and does not try to change who they are. He teaches them fairness and equality among many different types of people in Maycomb. He is always teaching his children about how their actions may affect others, then, as a result, devices punishments to teach Scout and Jem valued life lessons. In many situations, Atticus can chastise his children, but he allows them mature and notice their own mistakes

1. Atticus and his sister disagree on many things, mostly the treatment of colored people and how important the reputation of the finch family is. Alexandra believe that she is above colored people, especially Calpurnia and that Atticus shouldn’t let his children go to church her because it’s a disgrace to their family. Atticus believe that colored people deserve the same amount of respect as white people and that Calpurnia is a member of the finch family and should be treated like one.

This story is set in the year 1930, in Maycomb County, Alabama, and even though racism was abolished, the people still believed that colored people were bad people. Without racism still existing then, many things wouldn’t have happened. Since there was racism, a man was accused to be guilty for a crime he didn’t commit because he was black. Which allowed the actual guilty and dangerous person out on the loose, which gave him the chance to try to kill two kids. But without racism, the the guilty man would be put in jail and the whole story would be over.

Throughout the novel Atticus and his family are judged and condemned for defending a black man, for example the constant comments directed to the children by Mrs Dubose ‘…Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the court-house lawing for niggers!’ This shows that the public disapprove of their actions but they are not alone. Because they grew up in Maycomb and didn’t grow as a person like Atticus we see his own family attack and condemn Atticus, ‘I can’t say I approve of everything he does.’ This quotes shows that even living with Atticus and seeing why he does what he does without being raised by him Alexandra still shows he intolerant views but she is less stern than she was at the beginning of the book ‘’ so we assume she is starting to come and see his ways we know she was fully against him as her own son

I had to.” (Lee 252). He doesn’t mean that he’s literally killed her, but rather killed her childhood, so to say. As a child, and for most of her life, Jean Louise has idealized Atticus and has relied on her father’s beliefs rather than her own. When Jean Louise confronts Atticus in chapter eighteen, Atticus, for the most part, asks questions rather than stating his beliefs, which allows his daugher to make assumptions about what he believes in. Atticus’ rationale for doing this is to partly shatter Jean Louise’s idealistic views of him and to allow her to finally see him as what he is, a flawed human. Near the novel’s end, Jean Louise comes to realize that, while everyone around her is changing, she has been reluctant to change. Jean Louise has lived believing what she has always believed as a kid and this has caused a naivete in her that she only notices at the novel’s

One of the more “accepted” sorts of racism in the 1930’s was in the home. Many families had African American housekeepers, and the Finch’s were one of those families. When Aunt Alexandra moved in, she created some turbulence with Calpurnia. When Atticus was talking about how a man despised

         This story is set in a small town, Greenwood, Mississippi in 1964 during the Freedom Summer when people from the North were going down to the South to help register black voters. Mississippi is the perfect setting to tackle the subject of segregation because they were one of the main supporters of segregation, we can see this at an event in the story. When a young black boy named Raymond walked into a "white" movie theatre the people attacked him sending the crowd into a frenzy. After that a protest with signs that said, “KEEP GREENWOOD SEGREGATED! DEFEND STATES” RIGHTS! DO NOT CROSS PICKET LINE! DO NOT PATRONIZE LEFLORE THEATRE! OWNERS ARE COMMUNISTS! … COONS GO TO THIS THEATER” p. 363-364. As we can see segregation was running rampant during this time.

Aunt Alexandra has moved in with the Finches to have more of a girly influence on Scout. Aunt Alexandra is very judgemental and is putting the people of Maycomb into there own little category, almost like social classifying them. She takes a lot of pride in the social class of the Finch family in Maycomb. She does tell the kids about their family history a bit and since the kid have no idea what she is talking about she makes Atticus tell them the entire family tree. Since the family tree is so long this takes a long time. Scout believe that there is a strange difference in atticus and she becomes sad over it.

With the criticism of her Aunt Alexandra and the wise advice by Uncle Jack, they gave Jean Louise a deeper meaning behind Atticus’s

Perhaps the greatest hint of Atticus Finch’s moral constitution comes from Finch’s relationship with his two children. Uncommonly, the children are on a first-name basis with their father, yet by no means is this a gesture of contempt. In fact, Finch’s relationship with his children is predicated upon the highest order of respect—the respect that one shows another person by listening to and respecting their reasons, even

One thing they are is a happy family. This is all that matters in life, to be happy because it can be taken from you with the snap of the fingers. The Finch’s, in Aunt Alexandra’s book, are not a fine family. Someone would say that Atticus, letting Scout run around with the boys , and wear overalls and such is dishonorable. Yes, at one point we all need to grow up, but they are kids. Happiness only comes around once in awhile and they should grab while they can. Scout is different, but isn’t everyone. These are the things that makes us unique. This goes to show that Aunt Alexandra gets what she wants no matter the consequences. This doesn’t make her a good influence on Scout or Jem because they need to look up to someone who cares about others and what’s going on around them. Atticus does this by taking the Tom Robinson case. He cares about what influence he has on his kids. He knew it wouldn't be right to just let this man die for a crime he mostly likely didn’t commit. Even though this case isn’t an easy one and will most likely lose he takes it. Something people might also say is that back in the old days a women would get nowhere without acting like a part of society. Scout’s life would be much easier if she put on a dress and acted how a girl should back then, but she doesn’t and because of that a difference is being made. Society evolves because of change without it we would be no where. Scout is just the start of people going against all the feminism. She can wear overalls and still be treated with respect. She’s a good person and deserves to dress and act like she wants to. Aunt Alexandra doesn’t understand that change can be good. That you don’t have to act like someone you're not. Family name and importance is not as important as making your family happy. Aunt Alexandra isn’t a good influence because she doesn’t care about what Jem and Scout