To Kill A Mockingbird Today

Because of offensive language and ideas that are represented in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, it has been banned in many school libraries and lessons. One of the main reasons that it was banned in school is because of offensive words like the n-word and also because of the fact that the plot is centered around rape. One of the school board members, Kenny Holloway, said, “We can teach the same lessons with other books.” Many people agree with Holloway’s opinion, saying that the same ideas that are represented in To Kill A Mockingbird could be taught with a less controversial book. However, other people say that students are tough enough to handle the story. While many people don’t think that this book is appropriate for school, some people

Characterize Miss Maudie Atkinson (characterization = personality traits, actions, thoughts/feelings, other people’s points of view). How typical is she of Maycomb’s women? What do the children think of her?

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee should be read and taught in school considering the facts that it teaches the important message of learning to stand in other’s shoes, and that the reader can see the wide range of diversity such as socioeconomic status and race. In the real world, we will come across many different people with different backgrounds and views. It is easy to look at those people and think, “they are strange,” or “they don’t understand anything.” I admit, before reading this book I was insensitive to this and didn’t even realize when I looked at people and made those assumptions. This book has helped me be not so judgmental and be able to see from other people’s point of view. While some may say this book shouldn’t be taught because it is “racist” or

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, readers are able to see the ways in which Scout, Jem, and Dill learn valuable life lessons as they progress throughout the story. The book is narrated by Scout, a twelve-year old girl, who takes part in many adventures with her older brother Jem ranging from games at the house of their neighbor, “Boo” Radley, to witnessing her father, Atticus Finch, defend a black man, Tom Robinson, from being wrongfully accused of rape. While many may argue that To Kill a Mockingbird should not be taught in class, the values taught by the characters help to argue that it should be taught to classes.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird events and conflicts take place causing changes in characters. Some of the characters that are changed include Mrs. Dubose, Jem, Scout, and even Mr. Arthur Radley. Each of these events has a background to help change the characters. Mrs. Dubose is helped to change her charter in the novel by Jem reading to her, Aunt Alexandra comes to live with Atticus, Jem, and Scout changing Scout’s character, and Arthur Radley’s character is changed by the event of Jem and Scout being attacked by Bob Ewell.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, has been challenged dozens of times because it has been claimed it does not benefit the public, but in reality, the book benefits the public more than they think. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are very valuable lessons that are taught, but parents are too afraid to let their children learn the truth. The book still relates to today’s events and causes us to realize how similar they are. To continue, while book may have some negative points, there are more influential positive messages, and it still relates to current events.

The tiny, sleepy, worn-out, dingy, slow-moving town of Maycomb, Alabama is where the novel takes place. The novel takes place in the early 1930s, during the Great Depression.

Most the story in To Kill a Mockingbird is about a trial about a black man, Tom Robinson, being accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. There was not any evidence that Tom actually raped Mayella but since he was caught running away from the “crime scene” and he was black he was accused of rape. Mayella was not actually raped by anybody but beaten by her father when he found out that she wanted to be with a black man. Learning about the racism during the time period of the novel can help the students get a better feel for what it was like during the 1930s. Being educated about racism is important to teens because they are going to see it throughout their lives and by making them aware they are about the mistakes of the past, to not make the same mistakes in the future. Racism is a hard concept for most teens and people and by exposing teens to it early they are able fully understand the effects it has. This book is also relevant to society today because society still experiences racism and when teens are educated about it in high school they are more capable of making rational decisions about how to handle it. Racism is a touchy subject and by learning about it early in life teens will be able to get a full grasp of the effects it has on

"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" (Lee 30). Atticus Finch says these words to his daughter, Scout, after he elucidates to her why it is important to not be quick to judge a book by its cover . In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mocking Bird, the main conflicts are centered around prejudice. In the tiny town of Maycomb, everybody is set on tradition and there is no room for oddity. Atticus Finch breaks down the walls that everybody else builds up about first and lasting impressions, slowly but surely. Atticus Finch is a discreet example of practicing equality because he espouses the outcasts of Maycomb.

Atticus Finch belongs to a very, very small minority. He is one of the very few human beings who does not hate Hitler. Of course, he does not like the universally hated historical figure, but merely dislikes him. This is a major theme of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird. One can never, without exception, hate a man. Harper Lee promotes the idea that hatred is never acceptable by creating situations with literary devices like characters, settings, and plots that demand empathy.

“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel about people in the 30’s who show a number of different themes. Firstly, maturity is shown a lot near the end of the novel and during Tom Robinson’s trial. Secondly, racism is a huge part of this novel because a lot of people were judgemental and didn’t approve other races. Lastly, loyalty appears throughout the novel, especially during the trial. Many people in have really grown to be much better people as a result in these challenging times.

Today’s high schoolers need to be taught of topics like discrimination, racism, cruelty, and America’s past. The knowledge of these topics is a crucial thing to learn in life and very beneficial. It allows someone to understand why we as a society are the way we are, the proper things to do when facing these issues, and to not be prejudiced. Many writers attempt to capture these themes in their writing, but many fail to achieve it in an impactful way. One author has managed to capture these themes through the childhood and loss of innocence of the some of the protagonist of the story.

I believe that To Kill a Mockingbird is still relevant in today's day in age. Some of the reasons why it is still suitable in the 21st generation is the recurrence of stereotyping and racism. The treatment between races other wise known as inequality. Also, prejudice is seen every day so we can determine what that person is like. All of these things are seen very frequently in the as they are seen in today’s era, even though the book was written around sixty years ago. This is also a sign that there is no slowing down of all of these situations.

Even though a novel may have been written years ago, it could still be considered relevant to present day. In the case of To Kill a Mockingbird, some teachers still believe it is relevant and teach it to their students. A former teacher at Ames High School in Iowa has stated that he continued to teach To Kill a Mockingbird for his 38 years of teaching because he felt that the book was still relevant through the way it portrayed the love, respect, and courage. He also believed it encouraged students to engage students deep into the story as well as use their imagination (Rhinehart). Another teacher at the same high school also chooses to teach the novel because she believes students can relate the themes of the book such as stereotypes back

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become a mainstay in American high-schools. This is a classic novel that has inspired many people of all ages. It had a big impact on how people viewed and treated each other. This is a story that teaches everyone about the value of honesty, love, friendship and trust. Every word written in this book has a truly deep meaning to it. The time period that the book was written in was during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. This setting was in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama with people who did not get along. During this time there was a lot of segregation within America and different races. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a family who believes in doing the right thing and being honest. There was a