An author finds their character’s struggles and successes in the people from every generation. Inspirations from lifelong events create not only great works of literature, but also books that become highly notable works of art. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is told by young girl, Scout, along with her brother, Jem, and friend, Dill. The novel tells the story of Atticus Finch, a white lawyer, and Tom Robinson, a black worker, accused of raping a white woman. Finch defends Robinson, however, the judge and jury believe the woman’s story and allowed Robinson to be killed. Harper Lee had influences in her life which affected her writing. These influences included growing up in a small town in Alabama, the people in her life, and the hardship of living during the time of the Great Depression. One influence on Harper Lee’s life …show more content…
This also impacted Lee’s writing. “In 1960, when To Kill a Mockingbird was published, much of white America viewed the coming together of the races as immoral, dangerous, even ungodly” (Levy). The novel took place during the Great Depression, where unemployment was common, families were poor, and black people were always accused of being guilty even when they were not. One example of how black people were always guilty was the trial of Tom Robinson. “A white woman would never admit to doing what the Mockingbird character Mayella Ewell does, breaking a “time-honored code” by kissing Tom Robinson, a black man. And after being caught, she seeks to save herself from the scorn of society by accusing Robinson of raping her” (Levy). This example shows how even if a white woman lies about a black man raping her, the colored men will only be punished and the whites will get off easy. Racial discrimination was very troublesome during this time, and that is why Harper Lee included the trial of Tom Robinson in To Kill a
To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses memorable characters to illustrate racism in the segregated Southern United States in the 1930s. The novel is told through the eyes of Scout Finch, you learn about Atticus Finch, her father, an attorney who hopelessly perseveres to prove the innocence of a black man cruelly accused of rape.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. It is a story that tells of two children, Jem and Scout, growing up in the times of discrimination, depression, and racism. All throughout the novel, Scout tells about her father Atticus Finch, an attorney, defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. The semi-autobiographical novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee uses the characterization of Atticus to show equality and reveals that no one should judge people without knowing their story.
To Kill a Mockingbird, written in 1960 by Harper Lee, is a classical tale of how racism and prejudice affected the lives of African-Americans in a small Alabama community in the early 1900s. Racism affects multiple events throughout the book. If racism could have been overcome, many people in Maycomb could have had a different life. During the book, racism played an important role in three major events. These events included Helen Robinson not being able to get a job, Tom Robinson’s conviction, and Miss Merriweather explaining her feelings toward black people.
To Kill a Mockingbird took place during the 1930s, a period shortly after the American civil war in Maycomb County, Alabama, the deep south where black people suffered from racism and discrimination. In this book, Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman, which was something that he’s never done, even though all the evidence proved that he did not violate that white woman, Tom was judged guilty because he was a black man. Racism is presented throughout the entire book especially when Scout got teased by her family about Atticus taking Tom’s case, and the townspeople's perception about Atticus, as well as during the trial of Tom Robinson.
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.
Harper Lee is well known for her great contributions towards modern society through her astounding book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is read world-wide, in high schools and colleges because of its in-depth look at the social classes in the south during the 1930's. The book was influenced by society, in particular the social order of the south during her childhood. Lee grew up during this time of controversy which is why she writes so passionately about the topic. Lee wrote the novel to make a point about race while basing much of the plot off a trial from her young age, her own father, and the society she grew up in.
Bruce Cockburn, a well known Canadian jazz and folk artist, sang in “Lovers in a
Harper Lee is a famous author who wrote the award winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She grew up in the heart of Alabama and tied in many aspects of her southern childhood into the novel. There are historical and biological influences in the book To Kill a Mockingbird that reflect Lee’s life and the society around her during the 1930s.
Throughout history, there has been an overarching theme that writers write about. Great authors write about what they know. They write about what they see. They write about what they hear. They write about personal experiences and incorporate details from their lives into their literature. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a classical work that reflects the Civil Rights and Women’s Movement of the 1950’s-1960’s through her depiction of the relationship between blacks and whites and her portrayal of female characters.
Harper Lee, best known for her book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was born on April 28, 1926. After reading the book as well as her biography, I feel “To Kill a Mockingbird” was roughly based on Lee’s own life. For instance, just like the character Atticus Finch, lees father was a lawyer as well. In 1919, lee’s father defended two black men accused of murder, a cases ultimately lost due to racial injustice. The novel may have also been influenced by the Scottsboro Trials of the 1930s, where two white women accused nine black men of rape. A similar case which Scout's father defends in the book. Other similarities such as family, friends, upbringing and the resemblance of scout’s personality to her own helped develop the characters as well as a storyline for her book. I felt the purpose of writing this novel was to highlight the injustice due to racial discrimination that existed in the late 1930’s.
Inequality and the clear segregation between black and white man is powerfully portrayed in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. During the trial, when Tom Robinson is explaining what really happened, it is revealed that Mayella Ewell kissed Tom Robinson and is accusing him of raping her as a cover-up story out of the shame she is feeling. She used her authority as a white woman to accuse an innocent black man and everyone believed her, simply based off the fact that Tom Robinson was a black man. It was as if this kind of behavior and crime was expected out of him. Sadly, it is a true statement to say that “Tom was a dead
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is about the experiences of two siblings growing up in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Scout and her brother, Jem Finch, over several years, learn valuable lessons about life and society. The main themes of the story are the loss of cherubic innocence and the rift of inequality in society. The novel is largely influenced when it was written by the author’s own experiences, Civil Rights, and the Great Depression. The Great Depression is referenced many times in the novel since the Great Depression plays an important part influencing the story’s setting, plot, and characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are signs that the Great Depression is present and that certain characters are affected more by it than others, and the Great Depression is shown in the story’s families and their lives.
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.
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.
Harper Lee uses her novel to teach us important lessons from the characters presented in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus, a fair and moral character, whose parenting style is unique, lined with honest and example, teaches us to follow his ways. Scout, an innocent girl who teaches us what’s important in life. Tom Robinson, someone who is ostracized for being African American, can teach us the importance of equal treatment and awakens us to our surrounding society. Lee’s construction of characters gives us perspective to issues in our society today, how they still matter and what we can learn from the novel such as compassion, justice and understanding.