To Kill A Mockingbird Tradition Analysis

For my paper I have chosen to analyze the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This movie is based on the novel – by the same name – written by Harper Lee. The story has two major plotlines. One follows Jem, Scout, and Dill as they try to uncover the secrets behind the infamous “Boo” Radley. It’s only at the end of the movie that we learn “Boo’s” real name to be Arthur, and that we discover he actually tries to protect people, as he saved Jem and Scout’s lives. The other major plotline, and the one more relevant to this class, follows Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout’s father, as he tries to represent Tom Robinson. Mr. Robinson is an African American man who has been charged with raping Mayella Ewell. The movie then

“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

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.

Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird details the life of young Scout Finch and brother Jem Finch, who is growing up in a time of racial uniqueness. Jem and Scout Finch are what most would call a typical family growing up in the small Alabama town of Maycomb. They encounter many different obstacles during their childhood missions with many characters making the novel an interesting read. Throughout the book, Lee is showing Jem and Scout grow up and become mature young adults. This novel, written by Harper Lee, demonstrates the themes of growing up, Innocence and most importantly, racism.

Mockingbirds will only sing their hearts, not cause any damage or give their lives to pleasing others. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird great examples are shown of different types of mockingbirds. Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Arthur (Boo) Radley are great examples of representing a mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee, 1960), an insightful and gripping novel composed by Harper Lee in 1960. Originating in Alabama South America, based during The Great Depression. This didactic novel highlights the controversy of racism, dominant discourses and social inequality through the storyline of young ‘Scout’ who has grown up with these prominent social issues in her everyday life. Scout finds herself having to find a new perspective as her father takes on the risky case of defending a wrongly accused African American man of rape.

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Jem, Scout, and Dill to help the reader view certain aspects of society in a different way by using social class, being a woman, and racism. Children are more open minded than adults, so they view the world in a distinct way compared to them. Most of society is stuck in their ways and are only able to see the world in one perspective, while the kids are are trying to develop their own view of the world . The kids morals are unlike many people’s in the town, so this gives the reader a different perspective of Maycomb/society.

“Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee pg. 90). The bird, mentioned nearly twice, seems to show little importance to the story. Nonetheless, it resembles the perception of some characters. The one time Scout had ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do anything was when referring to the mockingbird. He advised his children when hunting to never shoot a mockingbird. Miss Maudie followed with further detail by explaining that “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” (Lee pg.90).

“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”...

“Its a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 103). This familiar statement expresses the meaning of the word mockingbird that is in the title of the novel. Arousingly touching the hearts of others, Harper Lee displays the innocence of a mockingbird and people who compare to a mockingbird. Maycomb county, a fictional setting in the book where innocent people were accused of wrongdoings and sometimes punished for crimes they did not commit or things they could not help. In To Kill a Mocking, Harper Lee used symbolism to compare Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem Finch to a mockingbird.

Mayella Ewell is an abused young woman in Maycomb, Alabama who accused an African American man Tom Robinson of rape during the Great Depression in the early 1930’s. Mayella took advantage of the Jim Crow laws so she could end the mental and physical abuse her father caused. Since Mayella is white and female, she has power. Although she lives behind a dumpster this still provides a significant amount of power for her. In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” Harper Lee shows Mayella’s power for class during the trial.

Many people get accused for the wrong crimes that they have never committed. For many years people have been accused for the wrong crimes. Some examples include: skin color, religion, sexual orientation, gender roles, etc. Someone being accused of a crime that they didn’t commit was during the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson, from “To Kill a Mockingbird”. That people should not be treated differently based on their races, racism, and unreliable sources.

The first of three secretly important themes is the power of tradition. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Birmingham Alabama in the 1930’s. Alabama has historically had its share of unusual racial incidents in their history. The 1930’s was also a very tough time for many Americans, as the great depression spanned the majority of the decade. In this quaint small town, it was usual that a white man was seen as superior to a black man, almost like tradition. Tradition was that the whites and blacks would coexist separately, and that the blacks would behave to the whites if they did not want their life ruined. “Well, Dill, after all he’s just a Negro.”(Lee 266 ). This is a quote coming from a young six year old girl named Scout. She was trying to calm down Dill as he was upset with

The book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, takes place in a small town in Alabama. This is a story of the childhood of Jean Louise, also known as Scout. When Dill returns the three of them start acting out the story of Boo Radley, a recluse who never goes out of his house. In Chapters #1-7 she tells us a little about the town, its inhabitants, and her family. She also explains how Jem and her came to know Dill. She also talks about her new school. Based on what I read in the book I believe the main idea is to not judge someone by their cover.

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.