Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

Throughout this novel, Scout gains insight into herself by learning to cope with racism. Scout first discovers that her father is defending Tom Robinson, an African American in the Maycomb community after she gets into a brawl with Cecil Jacobs when he calls her father a “nigger-lover”. “Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting anymore … the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be”(Pg. 74). This quote shows how Scout has to cope with different ways to deal with the racism directed toward her father for defending a black man. Moreover, Scout learns to refrain from showing belligerence to those who insult her family and, instead turns to ignoring them and not giving them a reaction. When Scout acts out and harms those who are racist toward her family, it shows how she finds racism morally incorrect. Though she does not know what the term nigger-lover means, she still acts out because she is aware that it is an offensive term. Scout believes that people should not be discriminated against and her bursts of anger support this concept. Racism provides maturing children insight into themselves because whilst Scout

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.

Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is set in a small, southern town, Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The story is told through the eyes of a girl named Scout about her father, Atticus, an attorney who strives to prove the innocence of a black man named Tom Robinson, who was accused of rape and Boo Radley, an enigmatic neighbor who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed. Atticus does his job in proving there was no way that Tom Robinson was guilty during his trial, but despite Tom Robinson’s obvious innocence, he is convicted of rape as it is his word against a white woman’s. Believing a “black man’s word” seemed absurd as segregation was a very integrated part of life in the south. The social hierarchy must be maintained at all costs and if something in the system should testify the innocence of a black man against a white woman’s word and win then what might happen next? Along with the prejudice amongst blacks and whites, the story also showed how people could be misunderstood for who they truly are such as Boo Radley. Without ever seeing Boo, Jem and the townsfolk made wild assumptions on what Boo does or looks like. Even so, while “To Kill a Mockingbird” shows the ugliness that can come from judging others, its ultimate message is that great good can result when one defers judgement until considering things from another person’s view. Walter Cunningham, Mrs. Dubose, and Boo Radley are all examples of how looking at things

George Washington once said, “I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality”. While America has yet to reach an era where injustice is nearly or completely eradicated, we have most definitely progressed from the Great Depression in the 1930s and World War II. In World War II there was a black American fighter pilot group, named the Tuskegee Airmen, who suffered the racial prejudices of America despite fighting for America. Similarly, injustice is widespread in Maycomb County, a fictional town set in the Great Depression of the 1930s. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird characters, like Scout and Atticus, face injustices that they must overcome. Similarly, in the Achieve 3000 article “America Says

Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird says, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). Atticus is the best example of what courage is this book for three major reasons. First, he is a single parent, secondly he defended Tom Robinson, and finally because he was willing to spare Mr. Arthur suffering by allowing his son, Jem, to take the responsibility of Mr. Bob Ewell’s Death.

It makes sense for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson, even if others thinks it 's stupid just because of Tom’s color. Harper Lee was the Author of the number one book in America, To Kill A Mockingbird. The book starts off with Scout talking about her family, Jem and Atticus. Then Scout talks about someone named Dill, who comes only during summer. When Dill did come over, Jem, Scout, and Dill would try to get Boo Radley to come out of his house. The kids were afraid of Boo; and when Scout told Atticus that they were trying to get Boo out of his house, Atticus told them to stop because they didn 't know how he feels and that “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 it” (Lee 30). This made Scout understand how Boo Radley felt and became less scared of him and wanted to become his friend more than anything else. But what Atticus said also ties in with his case with Tom Robinson, who is a black man being accused of rape. But, people in the book think it doesn 't make sense for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson; because of Tom’s color. It makes sense to me for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson because if Tom was white, he wouldn 't have to deal with all this, along with Atticus. Since Tom is black, they are going to give him a hard time.

It is almost equivalent to a sin to be a woman. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Scout is conditioned to think that being a woman is the absolute worst you could ever be, and that having female characteristics is an abomination. Scout is told things such as “Shut your trap or go home—I declare to the Lord you’re getting’ more and more like a girl every day!” (Lee 58) and “Come on scout, don’t pay no attention to her, just hold your head high and be a gentleman” (Lee 117). Lee demonstrates how Scout was taught to glorify and establish male characteristics and traits to receive respect and acceptance. This is also demonstrated by the shock Scout experienced when she realized what it takes to be a woman, “She seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen, and by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl” (Lee 132). Scout had always believed a woman was the worst thing to be, being a woman meant you were weak, annoying, incapable, untrustworthy, and fragile. But throughout the book, Scout realizes the truth, which being a woman and doing “girl things” is no easier than being a man and doing “boy things”.

In the book it says “He had announced in the schoolyard the day before Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers” (Lee 20). Atticus failed to open up to Scout, by Atticus isolating himself and not telling his own children of what he is doing and what are the possible outcomes can be are having Scout get in trouble. But also by Scout isolating herself from Atticus and not wanting to talk about what Francis is saying is just getting her into trouble Cecil Jobs said an offensive thing to Scout that got her really mad. He said this because he is racist and does not agree with African Americans being as equal as white people and that it is a joke when you have anything to do with a person of color. This relates to my theme because of Atticus’s isolation and not mentioning anything to the kids really affected the way Scout reacted to this

As a child, there are many moments that contribute to growing up and losing innocence. Some of these moments help define a person and enrich their personalities as adults. These can be as little as meeting a new person or as large as moving across the world. Being a child in a new environment exposes them to many new opportunities they may not have had prior. This can be very important when it comes to growing up. Every experience and conflict an adolescent has to overcome makes them lose a portion of their innocence and become more of an adult. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch experiences many things such as starting school, playing with her neighbor Boo Radley, witnessing a rape trial, and living with her aunt Alexandra.

When Scout asked Atticus if he defended “niggers”, he responded with “Of course I do. Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.”(Lee 99) Atticus demonstrates his thoughts about racism through how he responds to his daughter, Scout. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays life in Maycomb County in the 1930s through the eyes of a six year old. Atticus struggles to protect his children, Scout and Jem, from the evils of racism that abide within everyone around them. His values are put to the test when he is appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of rapeing a white woman. This novel portrays themes of change versus tradition, whether family is a blessing or a curse, and loss of innocence through Atticus Finch and

Atticus is generally different from many fathers. He is a man who believes in justice and equality. He is not only Jem and Scout 's role model but Maycomb County 's as well. Harper Lee 's To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers back in time to the 1930 's where they experienced what southern America was like during “The Great Depression.” Jem and Scout went through events that changed their lives forever. In this novel, Atticus was a lawyer who was appointed to a case where he had to defend a black man who goes by the name of Tom Robinson. Atticus tolerated the individuals around him; he did not use violence and used honesty with children whenever curiosity took place, which made him a principal role model of Maycomb County.

Being an 9 year girl living in the year of 1930 along with being said that your father is a “Nigger lover” How would that make a child feel? In Harper Lee’s Novel,To Kill a Mockingbird, Two young children from Maycomb county in the late 1930’s experience trail which in involves their father defending an African American in an injustice court.Throughout theses events the children interact with society.Society displays these universal themes.Harper Lee’s Novel explores the 3 most important themes to kill a MockingBird: Evils of racism, females roles and growing up-pain or pleasures.

1. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch—the narrator—lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed lawyer of a father, Atticus, in Maycomb, Alabama. On one summer, the siblings befriend a boy named Charles Baker Harris (Dill) (who has visited for the summer), and the three soon begin to spark a fascination with the Radley Place—a cryptic and eerie house which is inhabited by a man named Arthur, although he is dubbed Boo—and begin to test Boo, even going into the yard, which leads Scout to believe that Boo is inhuman; for example, during the winter, Boo gives Scout a blanket without her noticing. Later, at the surprise to Maycomb’s racist community, Atticus agrees to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who

All through America 's history, individuals have confronted numerous issues. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows a portion of the issues that America managed in the 1930 's. J.B. Lippincott published the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960. Harper Lee splendidly shows the issues of good training, social disparities, and prejudice in this 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.