To Kill A Mockingbird Diction

Discrimination and perspective are ideas thoroughly developed in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” through the use of language techniques, particularly the use of symbolism and descriptive language. Lee explores the nature of society itself and unflinchingly exposes the rampant institutionalised and societal racism prevalent the 1930’s American South. The fact that the novel was written during the 1950’s civil rights movement is significant. Lee warns the reader of the poisonous nature of unchecked prejudice and discrimination and its degrading nature of the progress of society itself. Lee uses descriptive language and its connotations through the novel to highlight the idea of discrimination. The introduction of Maycomb this is particularly significant. Maycomb is described as “a tired old town” with a courthouse that “sagged”. By using words with connotations of degeneracy lee implants into the reader's mind that Maycomb is degenerate and negative. The physical degeneracy highlights the degenerate ideas of prejudice and discrimination. Describing the courthouse as dilapidated is particularly significant as the courthouse is the main location of institutionalised racism of the judiciary system is largely expressed. This symbolism of physical degeneracy symbolising the degenerate ideas is reinforced throughout the novel, particularly by Atticus. Atticus believes Maycomb is being destroyed by its “usual disease”, which is racism. By using with similar connotations to describe both the physical degeneracy of Maycomb and the backward ideas that it contains, the two are linked in the reader's minds. This was used by Lee to reinforce the idea that discrimination was rampant by describing both people and the town itself with words with negative connotations. This use of descriptive language suggests to the reader that by continuing to follow out of date ideas, they will be left behind. Lee hints to the reader that in order to continue in the future, you must adapt and change ideas in order to not be left behind. Lee shows that the degenerate ideas and buildings are interrelated and to move towards a better society, the degenerate idea of racism and discrimination must be left behind. Boo Radley is used to shows

The final way Atticus defends Tom is by showing the jury that Tom’s word is being held against him by the Ewells. Atticus uses the diction, respectable (Lee 273), to show that Tom is a trustworthy man and that an incident like this is not something he would do. From this, the jury can see that the words from the witnesses hinder Tom’s innocence. Mayella and Mr. Ewell are making him seem like a treacherous person and since a Negro’s word is not believable, the jury favors their testimony. With him being shown as respectable, the jury can conclude that his statement was reliable and he is not at fault.

To Kill A Mockingbird is an iconic novel written to discuss the issues of racial injustices during the 1960’s. The book is written from the view of an optimistic six year old girl, scout, her innocence to the real world makes her blind to the problem of racism. During this time it was common for blacks to lose in lawsuits against whites, one of the most well known cases is Plessy vs Ferguson.

To begin, Lee uses diction to expose the theme of how prejudices are wrong. For example, Atticus said, “And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry’ for a white woman has put his word against two white peoples.”(273) This quote shows the authors extensive use of diction. The author uses Negro which shows that Atticus has respect for blacks and doesn’t have those prejudices that blacks are lesser than him due to their skin. Moreover, Atticus says that Tom has “unmitigated termitary” meaning that Tom was bold enough to act out and help others, which goes against the normal prejudices so he needed to get rid of. The racists acted out against him because he wasn’t the black man which lies, kills and rapes but instead caring and responsible so the whites acted out negatively. The author also speaks through Atticus again by having him say that all Negros aren’t criminals but that that’s “a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin.”(273) The author is using a play on words to make it visual of how bad those racist lies are. Atticus knows that because of those lies a man could die and is

To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, that offers a view of life through a young girl’s eyes. The novel is focused on two main themes which are racism and discrimination.

To Kill a Mocking Bird is a novel that explores prejudice in a small American town in the Deep South. It is set during the depression. One of the main features that the novel explores is the theme of racial prejudice. In the novel Tom Robinson is being persecuted for the rape of a white woman, which he never committed. He is purely being prosecuted for being black but when Atticus who is a white lawyer is defending him in court he becomes somewhat outlawed in the white community. Atticus ignores the comments made by the white

To Kill a Mockingbird is an immensely popular novel by Harper Lee, which was published in 1960. It went on to become a classic of modern American literature after winning the Pulitzer Prize. Cited as ‘an astonishing phenomenon’ by many critics, this novel is partially autobiographical in nature. The plot and characters are apparently based on Lee’s observations of her own family and neighbors. Although it deals with a number of serious issues like rape, social and racial inequality, readers visit it again and again because of its warmth and humor. To Kill a Mockingbird is considered as the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and Atticus Finch is considered the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism.

Author Harper Lee once said, “Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith, a clean one, have something in common: they both begin where reason ends.”In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, written by author Harper Lee speaks about the social injustice and the racism segregation of the black people in the south. The genres associated with To A Kill Mockingbird are Southern Gothic, Coming-of-Age Fiction, Bildungsroman.To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel narrated by a young girl in the 1930’s who lived in Southern Alabama. In this novel she tells little stories and events that had happened throughout her life. During the 1930’s it was a very common thing to have race segregation. To Kill a Mockingbird contains a countless number of themes;many in which readers can relate. One Prominent theme is discrimination comes in many forms. The constraining theme is revealed through the protagonists, antagonists and through conflict throughout the novel.

To kill a mockingbird is an extremely powerful book highlighting the horrors of racial discrimination in the “Deep South” of the United States of America. Discuss. To kill a mockingbird is an extremely powerful book highlighting the horrors of racial discrimination in the “Deep South” of the United States of America. It focuses on the racial issues concerning a staunch, typically “white” country town in the “Deep South.” This essay however deals with the various trials and tribulations endured by a young girl during her schooling years.

To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is about Civil Rights and racism in Alabama around the 1930s, but all in the eyes of a little girl, Scout Finch. This book contains 288 pages filled with mystery and life lessons. It’s an old classic book published in 1960 by J.B. Lippincott in New York City.

The novel to kill a mockingbird is a book that basically summarizes the huge event in american history of what racism can do to affect the live of women, men and children. This book goes deep into detail of what and how things happen when people are hated upon the skin color or race that they possess.The following explains the 2 themes that i have chose to summarize the events in the book To kill a mockingbird and to connect it with the today's world and how its similar.

To kill a Mockingbird is a novel that was published on the 11th of July in 1960. The novel explores the racism and prejudice of a small American town called Maycomb in the 1930s. the story is told through the innocent eyes of Scout Finch, daughter of Atticus Finch who is a lawyer and well respected member of Maycomb’ society. The novel is written in two parts with the second focusing on the trial of Tom Robinson, a Black man who was falsely accused of falling for and raping a white woman called Mayella Ewell. The fact that Tom Robinson lost the case purely based on the colour of his skin shows us that Maycomb is a town built on structured racism and prejudice.

Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird presents racism throughout the whole novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about racism and prejudice against black folk in the 1930’s, it is told by a six year old little girl and how her perspective of everything that is going on. Even though this is what the United States was like in the 1930s, the readers knows that racism was mostly bestowed upon Tom Robinson. While this is just how society, Tom Robinson was a victim of racism because the black people are treated differently than the white community, there are no black people on the jury, and everyone will believe a white woman over a black man.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee portrays the effects of a broken justice system. Written in 1960, the book captures the effects of racism and how it effects so many innocent lives every day.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that depicts how unfairly African Americans were treated and looked upon during the 1930s. When she wrote the book and got it published it did well very quickly. Through the words of Harper lee we read of the horrific treatment of African Americans in southern communities and how whites could easily control the entire life of a black by accusing and using them as scape goats. In the book an African American is accused of a crime he didn't commit and has a very unfair trial as all the jury members are white and automatically assume he's guilty. Everyone in the town is prejudice and both races are segregated from each other. Whites rarely interact with blacks and it is very evidently. In Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird she shows social prejudice and injustice towards African Americans.