“‘...Mockingbirds… don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us [anyone and everyone in Maycomb]. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird…’” (Lee 119). In the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 1961 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells the story of a young girl by the name of Jean Louise (Scout) Finch and her older brother Jeremy Atticus (Jem) Finch, and what their lives were like growing up in Maycomb, Alabama during 1933-35. Scout and her brother Jem are both children of the morally passionate lawyer, Atticus Finch, and both are exposed to the same experiences that shape their sense of right and wrong. Yet Scout and Jem come to dramatically different conclusions about good and evil and the essential nature of humankind. “‘... This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience…’” (Lee 139). Atticus always makes it a point to explain what’s happening in the world when Jem and Scout don’t understand. The knowledge that Atticus provides his children is the foundation of their morals. In accepting this case to defend Tom Robinson Atticus is teaching his kids that even though Tom is a colored man, he’s still someone worth remembering. Someone who if Atticus doesn’t defend him, and at least try to prove to the world he’s innocent, it will make Atticus no better than people like the Ewells, who were the ones that managed to get the Finch family into this dubious event in the first place. This is related to the sin of killing a
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has many ongoing themes such as Walking in Someone Else 's Shoes, Social Classes, Scout 's Maturity, and Boo Radley. These themes contribute to the story in many ways.
As we have all been told, we learn many lessons throughout the course of our lives. The two main characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Finch (Jem), learn many of these captivating lessons over the course of the story, especially lessons about the constantly changing environment they live in. The story is centered on Jem and Scout Finch whose journeys of growing up in the southern town of Maycomb teach them about everyday life in the 1920’s. It becomes clear that throughout the story, Harper Lee provides negative commentary on life in the South during the Great Depression, revealing the true deficiencies of society. Ultimately, throughout the story, Jem and Scout
The ability to learn a lesson is one of the most valuable capabilities a human being possesses. As Vernon Law once said; “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward”. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, the children learn extremely beneficial lessons through their experiences that are relevant throughout the course of the story. First of all, the children learn it is inappropriate to base an opinion on someone without taking the time to get to know them. Next, Jem and Scout are educated about the socio-economic situation, and the different types of wealth classes in Maycomb. Finally, the duo find out they should take caution when they complete an action, as all actions have a consequence. Through their interactions with others, the children learn valuable lessons that they relate to new experiences.
Imagine making 95 cents a week, and not even being able to use the bathroom that everyone else uses. At this time period black people were treated like dirt, and they were basically slaves that did whatever a white person said. Well this is exactly what
To learn how to empathise with others is a life lesson that many do not have the chance to fully understand. Having the ability to understand and share the feelings of another is a skill that Harper Lee explores in her novel ’To Kill A mockingbird’. She has written many compassionate and understanding characters into her novel, such as Atticus, Jem, Scout and Tom Robinson. Primarily Atticus shows empathy all throughout the novel along with Tom robinson who demonstrates an understanding of thin on a smaller scale. Although Scout and Jem do not manifest this attribute to begin with, they learn the ability to empathise through the course of the novel from their fathers lessons and experience.
Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Many believe that courage is the ability to do something that is challenging and requires lots of effort, but that is not all. According to Psychology Today, six attributes of courage include feeling fear yet choosing to act, following one’s own heart, persevering in the face of adversity, standing up for what is right, expanding one’s horizons, and facing suffering with dignity and faith. People in the real world can show unexpected and overlooked forms of courage, just like Atticus Finch does in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird. The setting takes place in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, where a young girl named Scout Finch learns to see the lively views of society. Maycomb society is characterized by racism hypocrisy, prejudice, and fear. Scout lives with his brother Jem and his father Atticus, who is a well-known lawyer in town. Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the loneliest girl in the whole town. After the jury debates over the verdict, Tom Robinson is guilty for what he has done and gets sentenced to prison. Mr. Bob Ewell, father of Mayella, wins the court case, and starts to go after the Finch kids with his pocket knife. Boo Radley, a neighbor who has not gone out for many years, notices this and peacefully saves the Finch kids from Mr. Ewell. Lee clearly demonstrates through
To Kill A Mockingbird follows Scout and Jem impacted by their father’s radical views in the 1930s. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an iconic story with a great deal of dialogue. The dialogue and dialect in this story helps to reveal who the characters are. Dialect and dialogue in life help to create an image of a person as it does in fiction. Harper Lee uses dialogue and dialect to help bring her characters to life. Miss Maudie is depicted as selfless and educated. The same method also brings Calpurnia to life with the traits as accepting and protective. It also explores Atticus as wise and understanding man.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, was published in 1960 and is read by ninth graders all across the country because of its Pulitzer-Prize-winning writing. To Kill a Mockingbird parallels Harper Lee’s life in the sense that like the main character, her father was a lawyer and she had a best friend similar to the one of her main characters. She used this real life experience to tell the fictional story of Scout, a young girl living in the prejudiced community of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout and her brother, Jem, encounter a young boy, Dill, and quickly befriend him. They become interested in the suspicious story of Boo Radley and his family. However, the story’s plot is centered around her father, Atticus, and his case to defend Tom
In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee not only does the reader experience a monumental story about a time period in which racial discrimination is a very important and visible issue, but the coming of age moment that every child experiences at some point in his lifetime. Although there are many coming of age examples throughout Lee’s novel, the most apparent and noticeable change is seen Scout whom mature’s greatly during just three summers.
Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird during a rough period in American history, also known as the Civil Rights Movement. This plot dives into the social issues faced by African-Americans in the south, like Tom Robinson. Lee felt that the unfair treatment towards blacks were persistent, not coming to an end any time in the foreseeable future. This dark movement drove her to publish this novel hopeful that it would encourage the society to realize that the harsh racism must stop. Lee effectively fashions her characters to help further drive this point to the reader. Atticus Finch, and his children, Jem and Scout, play a pivotal role in this story. Atticus makes a very honorable name for himself, while Jem and Scout 's innocence is exposed to the real world and unacceptable behavior there is throughout society. Harper Lee eloquently portrays a theme of good overcoming evil during the Civil Rights Movement in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, through the beliefs of Atticus ' honorable actions, Jem and Scout 's innocence, and Tom Robinson 's trial.
As a young woman in Alabama sat down to tell this tale of a sleepy Southern town based off her own home, little did she know that it would become a powerful and timeless novel, becoming renowned as a piece of classic literature. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird tells a story of a childhood in the deep South. Written in first person account, the story is told through the young eyes of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. It tells of the childly endeavors to lure the fascinating Boo Radley out of his solitary isolation to the trial of an African-American man named Tom Robinson, facing a court filled with prejudicial white men under the accusation that he raped a white woman.As the novel progresses, Scout learns of the inhumanity in her hometown. She gradually begins to know of the cruelty and prejudice faced by Boo, Tom, Atticus and many others.. Atticus tries to help Scout understand these complex concepts and continually works to helps her stay grounded throughout the crisis. He tells Scout of mockingbirds. A mockingbird is a grey and white, medium-sized bird that is most commonly known for it’s ability to mimic sounds and sing them almost endlessly. Atticus says that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are innocent creatures. He does not literally mean a mockingbird when saying this, rather its meaning is metaphorical and open to interpretation. Throughout the novel, many characters could been seen as a “mockingbird” but it seems that the symbol of the mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a story about a young girl named Louise “Scout” Finch and her older brother Jeremy (AKA Jem)’s life in the “tired old town” of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The story starts off by Scout explaining the events that lead to her brother, Jem, breaking his arm. Scout and Jem lived with their father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb County, and their cook Calpurnia. Scout’s mother died when she was two, so she didn’t have much memory of her.
In Harper Lee’s famous novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” she uses many elements of fiction to provide a clearer description for the readers to understand the themes better. The main theme of the novel is the distinction of good and evil in the morals of human nature. Lee uses the elements of setting, point of view, symbolism, and conflict to help her develop the storyline of the novel.
The text type of To Kill a Mockingbird is a fiction novel which deals with the racism the author observed as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee, who wrote her novel in a retrospective point of view. There were numerous aspects of historical, personal, cultural and social context in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee was born on the 28th of April, 1926, in Monroeville Alabama. Monroeville was a close-knit community that has many similarities with Maycomb, which is the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee’s father was a prominent lawyer, whom she drew inspiration for the protagonists father, Atticus Finch. Among Lee’s childhood friends was Truman Capote, from whom she drew inspiration to the character Dill. These personal details help portray Harper Lee’s own childhood home, where racism and segregation was highly evident. Another example of context which helped shape To Kill a Mockingbird were the events that occurred during Harper Lee’s childhood. In 1931, when Harper Lee was five years old, nine African-American men were accused of raping two white women near Scottsboro, Alabama. After a series of lengthy, highly publicised, and often bitter trials, five of the nine men were sentenced to long term imprisonment. Many prominent lawyers and various members of the general public saw the sentences as spurious and believed that it was motivated by racial prejudice.
“‘...This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience…’” (Lee 139). Atticus always makes it a point to explain what’s happening in the world when Jem and Scout don’t understand. The knowledge that Atticus provides his children is the foundation to their morals. In accepting this case to defend Tom Robinson Atticus is teaching his kids that even though Tom is a colored man he’s still someone worth remembering. Someone who if Atticus doesn’t defend him, and at least try to prove to the world he’s innocent, it will make Atticus no better than people like the Ewells, who were the ones that managed to get the Finch family into this dubious event in the first place. This is related to the sin of killing a mockingbird