To Kill A Mockingbird: A Fictional Narrative

To kill a mockingbird can mean many things. It’s the title of a book that has been bought 40 million times. But, it also has a definition. To kill a mockingbird means to destroy innocence. The theme of my literary analysis is mockingbirds. Mockingbirds in TKAM are innocent things tainted by the skewed society of Maycomb. Some of these mockingbirds are Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and the children. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book set in a small Alabama town in the 1930’s. The main character and narrator is Jean Louise Finch, but is almost always called by her nickname, Scout. Scout, her brother, and her summer friend Dill get into all kinds of mischief while living in the racist society of a 1930’s Alabama town. Scout’s dad, Atticus, is a prominent lawyer in Maycomb and is appointed to a controversial case, and is defending a black man. Scout and her brother, Jem go through many troubles and learn many lessons from the days leading up to, and during the trial. The trail makes their family some friends and a lot of enemies. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a story of courage and despair. Throughout TKAM, mockingbirds are used as an example of something innocent being tainted by the skewed society of TKAM. Some great examples of these are Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and the children.

Veering sharply to the right, a large flock of birds neatly avoids a high wall.

Throughout most novels, characters encounter obstacles or events that once faced change their lives for the better or worse. In this book, that obstacle is racism. This is evident in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird when ... ____________________. Due to... ____________________. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Dolphus Raymond, Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell each encounter racism in different ways; however, they all suffer as a result.

In 'To Kill a Mockingbird' many morals about the themes in the novel are portrayed through different issues and events. The major themes are appearance vs. reality courage, maturity and prejudice. Each of these themes has an event in the novel that help the reader understand its message.

Yet Perry’s childhood bliss was taken from him, somehow creating his current disposition, the true purpose is the falling of unity from inside the people of Holcomb, therefore; pinning every person against another. A dark curtain that falls over the children, parents, farmhands, hunting regulars, and police officials. A curtain that keeps them apart from one another because they are lost in the infinite blackness that surrounds them, an evil they let seep into their minds and imaginations.

I grew up in a home where my parents taught us to serve our country, community and those around us. They taught me through example, my father was a scout leader when I was a child. He often took me camping and to merit badge Pow Wow’s. As a boy I began to dream about becoming a boy scout. When I became old enough I joined the cub scouts. While in Cub scouts I learned about being part of the pack, about working together to accomplish large projects, to work together to accomplish a larger goal. Then when I was older I was able to join the boy scouts they taught me about being a citizen in the community, about being a good neighbor. They taught me about doing a good turn daily, and being prepared. When I was 13, I became a life scout. Being a life scout is not anything special, other than I was able to start working on my eagle project.

On August 9, 2014,a young man by the name of Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer. It is little known why the shooting occurred, but the boy was unarmed.This could be one of many cases of modern day racism and segregation. In 1930, “even after the abolishment of slavery in 1865, blacks were still almost powerless(BBC 2)”.Blacks were heavily segregated and had almost no rights.Many cases of segregation in the 1930s caused a lot of current day racial tension in the united states.

“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”. Discuss this quote from Atticus in relation to 3 characters from the novel.

There are many different types of symbols in our world today; in English literature as well as all around us on a day-to-day basis. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird we follow a little girl, Scout, as she faces the truth about the world and its injustice. The central and most obvious symbol of this novel, as well as the title of the book, is the mockingbird. It represents the innocence and injustice in this story, represented by Tom Robinson and the events surrounding the trial, but also sets the theme of racial prejudice.

Coming-of-age does not just involve cakes, parties, and grandparents, it is something much more exciting than that. Coming-of-age is the time when children gain new perspectives that will forever change their life. These perspectives may come from a great teacher, a mission trip, or even a disease. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an excellent example of gaining perspectives. To Kill a Mockingbird is not only an intense book about a young girl’s adventure, but it also has a deeply philosophical meaning. David Dobb’s “Beautiful Brains” is also a good example of how coming-of-age involves gaining new perspectives. “Beautiful Brains” explains the science behind why coming-of-age involves gaining new perspectives. To Kill a Mockingbird’s

The valuable lessons that Atticus teaches and demonstrates to his children (Jem and Scout) in the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird are very crucial. Atticus teaches Jem and Scout to put themselves into other people’s skin before they pre-judge a person. Atticus also teaches the two children compassion and forgiveness. The children learn an important lesson not to kill a mocking bird during the novel from Atticus. Throughout the novel several incidents happen where Atticus teaches Scout and Jem these very valuable lessons.

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird a major theme is the loss of innocence. Whether from emotional abuse, racial prejudice or learning, Boo, Tom, and Scout all lose their innocence in one sense or another. The prejudice that each character endures leads to their loss. Through the responses of Boo, Tom, and Scout, Harper Lee shows how each character responded differently to their loss of innocence.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays the white citizens of Maycomb with a desire to continue the evils of discrimination, prejudice, and unjust beliefs and to ignore the truth of innocence as symbolized by the Mockingbird. This story is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. As was common to small towns in the South, Maycomb is a racially and socially segregated society. The people of Maycomb base their general statements and ideas from the accepted norms that their group in society believes rather than the truth. This is demonstrated through the character of “Boo” who was perceived to be almost a monster when the reality was that he came to represent the good in people through his

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.

Satire is commonly discussed and understood as the use of humor in literature and media to bring about an increase of awareness and change in society. While this definition is correct, it is not all encompassing. Satire can certainly employ humor (found in Horation-type satire) but it can also be effective without the use of laughter and amusement (known as Juvenalian satire). Through combining these different uses and the purposes of each type, a more encompassing definition may include the methods to bring about change in human institutions that are found as absurd, foolish, or full of vice or error. While often found in the lives of individuals, satire must be studied and have its components identified to be able to fully understand and comprehend the purpose of the issue being satirized.