What Are The Sounds Of Silence In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird , she recalls her experiences as a six-year-old child from an adult perspective. Scout describes the circumstances of her widowed father, Atticus, and his legal defense of Tom Robinson. Robinson was a local black man accused of raping a white woman, which arose many ethics between society. Throughout the three years surrounding the trial, Scout and Jem, witnessed the unjust consequences of prejudice and hate. Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird was published during the Civil Rights movement, and was used to implicate a Southern racist society by using rhetorical appeals and devices. Throughout the book , Harper Lee reveals her ideas concerning racial prejudice, faith in justice, and the goodness of

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is ever present toward blacks and the trial of Tom Robinson, an African American, clearly displays this. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman. The huge detail in this is that it was a white woman. Racial issues are really brought about because of that detail. People during this time would easily take a white man’s word over that of a black man, so nobody would ever trust Tom Robinson, especially since he was a black man being accused of a crime against a white woman. Tom Robinson really can’t do anything to help his case. The only person that can help him is Atticus. While Atticus does not believe that he will win the case, he knows that it is right to do everything he can to help Tom. He knows right from wrong and he will do everything in his power to help people see that, and to help Tom survive this case. Tom Robinson could also be described as a Mockingbird in this story. If proven innocent, he would be

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was an influential study of race relations in America in the mid 20th century. The development of the main character, Scout, is closely tied to what she learns from Atticus, her father, and what she learns from watching the unjust treatment of Tom Robinson, who is a black gentleman accused of rape that Atticus decides to defend in a court case. As Scout grows up, she is forced to deal with prejudice that every person living in Maycomb, Alabama seems to demonstrate in their everyday life. When Atticus agreed to represent Tom Robinson, he likely knew that many town people would resent any attempt to prove Tom Robinson was innocent. In this novel, Scout learns that there are right and wrong times when one should

The texts read throughout the entire year allowed me to find similarities between them and discover that a major theme depicted in the texts was the silence of one’s voice. In addition to the texts, through personal experiences I was able to derive that silence is a serious issue amongst us. I used To Kill a Mockingbird because the book clearly shows how someone who has been marginalized can lose their voice even in court where supposedly all men are equal. Tom Robinson, an African American who is accused of rape says to the prosecutor “were you so scared that she'd hurt you, you ran, a big buck like you? No suh, I's scared I'd be in court, just like I am now. Scared of arrest, scared you'd have to face up to what you did? No suh, scared I'd hafta face up to what I didn't do (Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird).” Tom Robinson is aware that he is an outcast in the town of Maycomb and he also understands his voice is worthless anywhere.

Harper Lee, in the realistic-fiction novel To Kill A Mockingbird, uses a variety of literary elements to aid in the overall development of the theme. All of the characters are going through some sort of coming of age experience or enhancing someone else's experience as well as their lives all the while being greatly impacted by the racial discrimination and injustices that occurred all around them. An event in the novel that expresses this is the court case of Tom Robinson, or more specifically, Atticus’s, Tom Robinson’s attorney, closing argument. During this Tom Robinson is wrongly accused of raping a white girl in their town of Maycomb, and Atticus decides to defend him as his attorney despite the town's clear racial biases and preconceived stereotypes on people of color; this greatly impacts Atticus’s daughter, Scout. To show this Harper Lee uses setting, plot and conflict to enhance the development of the novel and put forth the theme. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses these literary elements, plot, conflict and setting to develop the idea that the presence of racial inequality leading to the undermining of justice impacts the coming of age for Scout on a variety of levels.

In To Kill A Mockingbird depicts the story of a southern childhood. Though, this isn’t your typical childhood tale. The young girl and protagonist, Scout faces many different situations of racism and prejudice throughout the novel. This is similar to the racism and prejudice that came along with the making of Jim Crow Laws.

“The words ‘silent’ and ‘listen’ share the same letters for a reason: to truly listen... one must take the time, be approachable and be silent” (Shapiro). Silence is an important aspect to life. Some people think that quiet people aren’t powerful because their voice isn’t heard as much as others; however, quiet people are indeed one of the most important people in society. They are observant of their surroundings, they’re wise, giving good advice to others, and they’re good listener.

As the United States “progresses” in economic, educational and technological advancements we still are fighting for racial equality. With more than 50 years since the brown vs. board of education case there is still incidents like Ferguson, Baton Rouge, and Phiando Castile where many questions are still unanswered. However, Harper Lee dealt with these same problems in 1960 when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee created an emotionally confronting story. Lee writes through the eyes of “Scout” a lawyer’s daughter in a small sleepy town of Maycomb in Alabama during the great depression. Throughout the book “Scout” learns coming of age lessons from Atticus and her own experiences. But when Atticus takes on a case defending a black man (Tom Robinson) convicted for rapping a white woman (Mayella Ewell) and is found guilty. “Scout” her brother Jem begin to understand the effects of the prejudices in society. Therefore, Lee applies the literary concepts of diction and tone to revel the truth that prejudices in society negatively affect the way people treat each other in To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Harper Lee's ‘To kill a Mockingbird’ explores the prejudicial issues which plague over the town Maycomb. Harper Lee uses the trial of Tom Robinson a black man accused of rape on a young white girl, Mayella as a central theme to portray the prominence of racial discrimination in Maycomb. The racial prejudice is also widely shown through the characterisation of Atticus. Having Scout as the narrator allows Harper Lee to highlight the gender inequity through a youthful unbiased perspective. The chauvinistic attitudes and prejudiced views of most of the town’s folk leaves Maycombs social hierarchy in an unfair order, victimising many of the town’s people due to their socially non-conforming habits some ‘socially unaccepted people’ including Boo

Quietness is not to be mistaken as shyness. In fact the exact definition of quiet is to make no noise or sound, especially no disturbing sound (Dictionary.com). While shyness is defined as, being reserved or having or showing nervousness, timidity in the company of other people (Encyclopedia.com). You cannot group the shy within the quiet. Nicholas Christenfeld, a psychology professor at the University of California, San Diego stated, "There are people who wish to talk, but are too timid to do so" as well, there are those who,"simply choose not to say much (Weeks).

The novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird” is based in the fictional small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. When slavery and the Civil War were still present in the people’s way of living and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s are far from close. The novel focuses on the Finches: Scout, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, and the trial of Tom Robinson and how it affected them and the town. Witnessing the injustice of Tom Robinson’s trial changed Scout Finch in many ways. Scout learns that there is more than one type of courage, she learns about race and its complexity, and she also changes how she views the people around her by putting herself

“Nigger”, “Colored-folks”, “Dinge”, racial slurs used in the South in the 1900s-1960s. The disgusting souls who discriminated, judged, hated, and segregated blacks. “White men rule”. Women, their voices, barely able to say as much as a sentence. The blacks, their voices, unable to say as much as even a word, and the children, innocent and curious, saw nothing and said nothing. Harper Lee represented the horrendous acts and judgments of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird. Maycomb, Alabama, 1930s, a small town with a big story. Tom Robinson, discriminated and unequal, was seen as “just another nigger” in Maycomb. “Nigger”, “Chocolate”, “Colored”, racial slurs that began long ago, and are still used to this day. The White

Throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird Lee discusses the effects of ignorance and the toll it takes on people such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Scout herself, and many more. Through her examples of sexism, prejudice, and racism, from the populist of poverty stricken Southerners, she shows the readers the injustice of many. The victims of ignorance are the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story. A good example of this injustice is the trial of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white girl and is found guilty. The book is from the point of view Scout, a child, who has an advantage over most kids due to her having a lawyer as a dad, to see the other side of the story. Her father tells her in the story, “you never really know a man until

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee depicts themes of discrimination, profanity, rape, and violence through the eyes of a six year old girl named Scout. From the novel, “Report and be damned to ye! Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c’n make me do nothin’!” (Lee 37). This quote is an accurate representation of the harsh discrimination in Maycomb, Alabama and how people 's harsh language could be seen as controversial. Also, “Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail--” (Lee 164). Lee uses themes of rape in the novel, an action that was unfortunately known to be very common during that time, but is disturbing to officials that have challenged the book. Scout, a lawyer’s daughter, witnesses a trial that does not end in justice. Scout sees the discrimination and prejudice around her and matures as a

In the beginning of the novel, Scout witnesses many forms of social injustice and discrimination that she doesn’t yet understand. Scout’s father, Atticus, is put on a case to defend a black man named Tom Robinson against Bob Ewell. However, trying to get an African American to win is unheard of in the town of Maycomb. Scout’s schoolmate Cecil Jacobs taunts Scout because her father is helping a black man. Cecil meets scout in the playground and boasts, “My folks said that your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water-tank!” (76) The fact that people call Atticus a “disgrace” for defending a black man is indicative to Scout how the town is very segregated. The cruel language shown here introduces to Scout that some people are very brutal to other races