To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

The intriguing novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is written by the prestigious author Harper Lee. Lee has utilised the lifestyle and attitudes towards ‘African-Americans" in the 1930's to create a novel which presents the reader with Lee's attitudes and values. The dominant reading of the novel is focused on the issues of racial prejudice, but there are also a number of other alternative and oppositional readings. Examples of this are the Marxist and feminist readings which can be applied to the text.

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (pg. 119.) Miss Maudie spoke the previous quote with deep thought going into each and every word. She wasn't just trying to teach Scout a lesson, but she wanted there to be a powerful meaning behind it. Miss Maudie's main purpose was to stress that you shouldn't kill something that is doing no harm. Everyday "mockingbirds" are killed, broke down, and mistreated by society.

Lee implies that people learn lessons through life experiences that school can ever teach. Throughout this novel, Atticus taught his kids many lessons that was hard for them to hear at times, but it later on helped them in the story. Or it helped them grow up and mature. On page 40 of To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus was explaining to Scout that Miss.Caroline was new and didn’t know anyone, and she especially didn’t know the Cunningham’s story, Atticus states, “Atticus said… but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it was an honest mistake on her part” (40). This quote by Atticus is meant to explain to Scout that Miss. Caroline just made an honest human mistake. He tried to get Scout to realize that if he put herself in Miss.Caroline’s shoes then she might better understand the confusion. Obviously you can’t really be in her shoes, but he said it figuratively to show her why it was important to give her another chance, or at least try to be nice and listen. Atticus taught this to Scout at home later on that night. At her school after that she tried to just get by in her class. Lee also shows mainly throughout that the school system doesn’t help when it comes to teaching children life lessons. As shown in the earlier quote Atticus, had told Scout to jump in Walter’s shoes, and walk around in it. This other quote shows how Scout actually takes into consideration of Atticus’ words, and chooses to not bother Jem because she tried to imagine what it had

As the famous American author, Nerburn, says,“It is much easier to become a father than to be one”(http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/fathers-quotes). Nerburn writes about how hard it is to be an eligible father .He proposes the question, “Do people think their father is the person who is able to provide them a lot of guidance or help? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout live with their father, Atticus, who is a lawyer, and regard him as an excellent example. However, Scout and Jem don’t value Atticus as a father with full diligence because he is elder than most of other students’ father and he is not able to do any sports. Due to the accident with the mad dog, atticus’s educations and the case of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout come to understand, respect, and finally admire their father.

The ambition of oneself to pursue justice and righteousness may result in prosecution. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, and movie "A Time to Kill" by Joel Schumacher, each demonstrate one’s open-mindedness and forward thinking leads to penalization through protagonists Atticus Finch and Jake Brigance. Both egalitarians take the position as an attorney for an African American and are prosecuted in the process.

In the first part of the book Scout returns home complaining about her new teacher, Miss Caroline, not knowing how to act in Maycomb and getting in trouble with her. Learning Miss Caroline recently moved to Maycomb trying but struggling to adjust to Maycomb, Atticus tells her, “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”(39) It's an important and occurring quote showing what Atticus sees of people. It also connects to the real life, since there are many times in life a person did not understand what the other feels from their perspective which stirs trouble in the future. The book continues telling the reader this specific quote is barely applied by the town’s citizens showing the result as an huge problem still never fully learned from.

“It's right hard to say," she said. "Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks' talk at home it'd be out of place, wouldn't it? Now what if I talked white-folks' talk at church, and with my neighbors? They'd think I was puttin' on airs to beat Moses, "But Cal, you know better," I said. “It's not necessary to tell all you know. It's not ladylike—in the second place, folks don't like to have somebody around knowing more than they do. It aggravates 'em. You're not gonna change

Even though this was an almost impossible task for one man, Atticus thrived at the challenge. For example, during the intense trial that pushed the limits of racism in Maycomb, Alabama Atticus always showed his respect towards others. Although in Scouts mind it was not well deserved because there was an ample amount of evidence that should have cleared Tom’s name. But, Atticus stuck to his morals and repeatedly considered things from other people’s perspectives. As he expressed one day while talking to Scout, “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” (30). Scout and Jem both thought Atticus’ statement was correct. “Atticus was right. You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them”. During the trial when Atticus would interrogate Mayella he always used the word Miss when referring to her. Even though this was an act of respect towards Mayella, she thought to it as an insult because she was an uneducated young southern woman. These lessons ended up being very useful to particularly Scout when she tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it so that she could see things from his point of

“It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered”...

While Atticus was raising and teaching his children to empathize with Tom Robinson; a black man on trial for raping a woman, Boo Radley; who stabbed his father, and the Cunningham’s who are poor farmers, the readers learned to view the situation in the others point of view. Atticus is a man of righteousness and rapport, as a credible lawyer and honest human being he is able to put aside color, and social status to teach people how to understand one another. Atticus told Scout “...you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of you...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (30). This saying from Atticus is supposed to be a trick that she can remember before she gets into another fight with somebody at school because of a disagreement.

Thinking about a situation from some else point a view, may make it easier to understand where they’re coming from and may accept their actions. A lot of people judge someone by how the person’s is dress or they rumors they heard about that person, but if they can walk in their shoes they can understand them which is what Atticus in To Kill A Mockingbird did. A character in To Kill a Mockingbird named Atticus was the only character that looks past someone’s skin colored or rumors but looks at their point a view and be able to help them at a difficult time and that’s why Atticus is important to the story. Throughout the story Atticus has being showing character traits such as being brave, understanding and kindhearted.

Lee uses this metaphor that Atticus tells to Scout, “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, (TKAM, 39). Atticus gives this significant piece of moral advice to Scout when she gets into trouble on her first day of school. This metaphor shows that Atticus is fair and looks at everything from several angles before judging. This is different than the typical advice to walk a mile in one’s shoes, but mean the same. Atticus is compassionate to any situation and does not judge one’s acts.

To Kill a Mockingbird Passage Analysis Essay People are not always what they seem. They might be better, or worse, or have restorative qualities if we look beyond the external. Compassion and forgiveness bring tolerance and understanding of others with differing views from one’s own. The subtheme and uncomplicated principle of how to govern one’s life through an understanding of differing points of views are imparted life lessons instilled through the wise words of Atticus Finch: “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” (30). Harper Lee’s

In the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus demonstrates his heroism with his wisdom and logic by not being violent and being truthful to the Maycomb society. An example of this is when Atticus is having a mature talk with Scout when he brings up, “ You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Lee 30 ). This illustrates how Atticus uses his wisdom to explain to his kids that you cannot jump to conclusions about a person because you do not truly understand them if you not in their shoes, you do not know what is on the mind. Therefore, this idea is important because he is teaching a lesson about judging book by its cover and it is not ethical since you have not seen the inside of them only

The story, in the eyes of two innocent children Scout and her brother Jem, of the discrimination and hypocrisy throughout the town. Maycomb County, Alabama, faces an African American’s injustice while the children learn valuable lessons from their father, Atticus and their housemaid Calpurnia, during the Great Depression. All the while, we are learning from it. To Kill a Mockingbird teaches us the lessons of morale, justice and equality.