Self-Perception In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

Jem and Scout, throughout “To Kill A Mockingbird,” learn to consider things from other people’s perspectives. Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father, says “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” (Lee 39). They learn this through experiences with their neighbor Boo Radley as they mature beyond their years. At the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout make fun of Boo and assume that all of the rumors going around about him are true. However, later on in the story the children grow an admiration for Boo and learn to understand him. As they matured, Jem and Scout naturally learned many life lessons of appreciation, respect, and courage

The connections I anticipate my group members will make as a result of this question is to experiences that they have underestimated people by how the look, not how they truly are. They might think that someone is incapable of a task until they're proven wrong. This can also relate to the quote “Never judge a book by its cover”. It means to never make something or someone feel smaller or less important than they actually are, as in this saying it is the book. You never know how the book really is, by just looking at the cover. Additionally, connections I foresee my group will create based on the critical thinking question made is to the book “Cue for Treason” by Geoffrey Trease since all group members were in that group. In the book, underestimation was one of the several themes represented. This is to the character Burbage. Burbage thought that Kit was ten

During the 1930's prejudice and racism was spread through the U.S. For example in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, the small town of Maycomb struggles with these aspects. Each character of the novel has a strong personality. Scout Finch is tough, always has an opinion, and is a tomboy. On the other hand Boo Radley stays hidden most of the time, but we all know he is actually a friend to Jem and Scout. Then there is Tom Robinson, a hardworking, strong, and innocent man. But what do all these characters have in common? They can all be analyzed as "mockingbirds". Throughout the novel each of their innocence is destroyed in some way. In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird several of these characters become a symbolic mockingbird including

inferences and judgements about people and sometimes forget that it is our own viewpoint that

Part one of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird is set in the fictional town called Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression and the civil rights movement. The novel is a flashback of Scout, the narrator of the book, and her childhood. Scouts childhood trials and tribulations, her family and other members of the community in which she lives with her brother Jem. Atticus their father is a lawyer who is widowed. In the flash back Scout talks about her brother, her and Dill getting curious about what Arthur “Boo” Radley looks like since they have only heard rumors. To the children Boo is a very mysterious character.

An important part of gaining understanding of other perceptions is acknowledging that what a person takes away from a particular event can be different from another’s view of the same event. People make judgements of others based on the past and if past instances are negative then present situations and the people involved will be judged in a negative light.

Before reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink I knew that we judged other individuals around us based off of personal criticism. It has become an adapted instinct of our lives that we may not even be aware of, but we do it all the time. I used to think that we judged people because of the way our mind reacts in an instant second of meeting somebody new. However, after reading this book I learned that our reactions are not only quick based on instinct, but based on personal experience in something that has already existed in our lives.

How we view an individual makes a huge difference in life because people tend to judge without any knowledge, which will lead to regret in the future, therefore; making judgments towards a person, based on their actions or feelings is perverse.

The self doubt among the farmers in the jury is a common feeling throughout the white community in Maycomb. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee shows us the different types of perspectives seen and felt throughout the community of maycomb during the trial.To Kill a Mockingbird is incredibly realistic in how it shows the emotions and opinions of people within the town. These characters are magnificent examples of realistic people with flaws and growth. The people within this small town have differing opinions and feelings about the Tom Robinson case, though a majority of the town still shows a sense of humanity. Three common emotions within maycomb are self doubt, grief, and forgiveness.

A reader's perception of a character can greatly influence the way that’s story is told. Perception can change due to the passage of time between when the work was written and when it its being read, or by the way that an author reveals new information. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee gives her reader's perspective about other characters through the medium of narration provided by an older and more worldly-wise Scout, this is especially true for Boo Radley, Mrs.DeBow and Dill. Each character is given a chance to grow with in the story and the reader’s perception of them if subject to change. The most obvious example is Boo Radley, the apparently monstrous son of the Finches neighbors.

Twenty-seven years in prison could not shake his resolve to transform laws in South Africa. Innocent people shot down in front of him did not scare him away. After his death, NBC News reports that “…Mandela was a figure of enormous moral influence—a symbol of revolution, resistance, and triumph over racial segregation” (Connor). Similarly, Harper Lee shows us in To Kill a Mockingbird that one person standing alone has the power to influence the minds of people and challenge them to make sensible decisions. There will be many obstacles to overcome but one person can change society’s actions by taking courage to stand up for what’s right and urge other people to view situations differently.

​In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch, and her brother Jem, learn the importance of seeing things through other people's eyes. At the beginning of the story, the people living in Maycomb County, can be considered "mockingbirds" because they are innocent. Their father, Atticus, leads as a strong example while defending Tom Robinson, a black man convicted for rape. The residents of Maycomb (besides the Finches) fail to see situations through other people's eyes. For example, when the trial takes place, most people do not have empathy toward Tom Robinson, resulting in some of those "mockingbirds" becoming killed. Trying to see situations through other people's eyes can keep someone from hurting somebody who is innocent.

Self-determination is something which can definitely harm anybody. In today’s world there are many people who like the idea of just aiming for the conclusion and who don’t even think of what the consequences might be, they never even think of how the thing that they are doing might affect others. This can usually occur in many places like high schools. Students say stuff about their friends(rumors) which might usually hurt somebody else. These people are always dodging the reality and are never even thinking about the future. Making such sort of decisions about someone is ridiculous. “Point of View” is something which should be taken into account. Without knowing anyone and assuming who they are is not only wrong but is also hurtful. It’s like assuming someone's race or assuming how much they earn or simply just accusing someone of being a criminal without even knowing the reality. The idea is not to harm anybody and that's what leaders like Gandhi or Mother Teresa do, they are people with a very clear point of view. One should never just self-determine anything because having a fixed determination kills anybody who has one.

Courage is the quality of mind that enables one to face danger with confidence, resolution, and gain a firm control of oneself. Many of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird showed courage in their own way. Courage can come in many different forms: physical, mental, emotional and moral. Courage is not the only main theme displayed in To Kill a Mockingbird; prejudice and education are also very important themes exhibited throughout the progression of the novel. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, a bright, sensitive and intelligent little girl, these themes of the novel are explored in great depth.

Critical Review of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the 1930's in a small, isolated