Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
To kill a mockingbird moral development of jem and scout
Role of mrs dubose in killing a mockingbird
Jem finch to kill a mockingbird personal growth and moral development
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Miss Maudie is a Mockingbird because she exerts positivity through other's lives. Miss Maudie wants Jem and Scout to "Take it all"(88) when trying to build a Snowman. Miss Maudie is subconsciously improving Jem and Scout's lives by providing them with snow in order to build a snowman. Jem and Scout have never seen snow before so Miss Maudie is adding onto the experience that Jem and Scout are having. Mockingbirds are making life better just by being there, even in a not so positive event - "Miss Maudie looked around, and the shadow of her grin crossed her face. 'Always wanted a smaller house, Jem Finch. Gives me more yard. Just think, I'll have more room for my azaleas now!'"(96). This demonstrates Miss Maudie's exerting positivity in a time of despair, showing that she doesn't have to try to be a mockingbird to make the world better around her. …show more content…
Mockingbirds are effortlessly, constantly making life better for a cause without a reason to do it, which is exactly what Miss Maudie represents.
Leading off from this, we can tell she is not faking her positivity as she continues to stay optimistic - "Don't worry about me jean Louise finch...I'll build me a little house and... have the finest yard in Alabama"(97). This is important because she is reassuring scout that everything will be ok and telling Scout that there is nothing to worry about, even while being the person whose home literally burned down. Without even trying she is making scout feel better and not scared. She is also being happy and looking at the positive side of things. This positivity transfers from person to person in the town and keeps everyone happy and joyful. Overall, Miss Maudie is a perfect representation of a mockingbird because just by being there, she does nothing but good for the world around
her.
The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee gives insight to society's prejudice against age, gender and especially race and how it impacts communities and individuals in a destructive way. Lee establishes how women did not have the same rights as men when she writes, ""For one thing, Miss Maudie can't serve on a jury because she is a woman-" "You mean women in Alabama can't-?" I was indignant." The use of aposiopesis is effective in conveying how shocked Scout felt after hearing this discriminating rule. The hyphen also displays the way Scout precipitously interrupted Atticus in disbelief. This reveals how Scout knew if Miss Maudie could be on the jury, Tom might have been ruled fairly. It proves that gender prejudice made the difference
Miss Maudie says about the trail “ I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do unpleasant jobs for us, your fathers one of them” ( pg. 215). This quote is saying that not everyone is brave enough to step up for someone else, and also that only certain people like this have the courage to stop something that they know is wrong even if they wanted to. On the other hand Miss Maudie “ was sittin there on the porch last night, waiting I waited and waited to see you all come down the sidewalk and as I waited I thought Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win” (pg.216). This quote also shows that Miss Maudie is seeing what is going on but she doesn't want to step in despite of what could happen.
Frances O'Grady, the first woman to be General Secretary of the Trades Union of the UK once said "You just wish sometimes that people would treat you like a human being rather than seeing your gender first and who you are second." To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was about how evil human behavior can change people for the worse in many different cases for example Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Both were hurt by the evil doings of others around them. Boo by his own father and Tom by the Ewells and their supporters. Scout and Jem's father Atticus was a young black man named Tom Robinson's lawyer in the trial after he was falsely accused by the Ewells who said the he raped 19 year old Mayella Ewell. Sadly he was charged with rape and sentenced
“She had never told on us, had never played cat-and-mouse with us, she was not at all interested in our private lives. She was our friend.” (Lee 59) This was how Scout described Miss Maudie, Scout was explaining her perspective of herself and that she wants to be treated like an adult and that the only one to do so was Miss Maudie. Consequently, this helps the readers understand Scout. Also, Miss Maudie helps to develop Jem’s character by giving him a big cake when he’s supposed to have a small one like Scout and Dill. This shows that she doesn’t consider him a kid anymore which reflects Jem’s journey to adulthood throughout the book. “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.” (Lee 288) This quote was Miss Maudie’s way of explaining to Jem and Scout what their father’s job was, in other words, what his character’s job was. Miss Maudie’s quotes and actions were able to help the characterization of the main
Miss Maudie has lnown Atticus Finch, now she has helped to raise Jem and Scout. Miss Maudie has always been there for scout, “I spent most of the remaining twilights that summer sitting with Miss Maudie Atkinson in her front porch.”(Lee 55) Miss Maudie took time out of her day to spend time with Scout when Jem abandoned her in his games with Dill. Miss Maudie acts like a mother would checking on the child and finding something for them to do. Miss Maudie also acts like a parent when she is asked a question. “Why, one sprig of nut grass can ruin a whole yard. Look here. When it
Like a mockingbird, children are generally a joy for most people, free from committing the sins that come with growing up. Scout was a joy to Miss Maudie this is seen when scout says “She called us by our names … a gesture of cordiality that cemented our friendship”. This quote shows that she is like a mockingbird because she’s just good to be around even with an adult. Also, since she wasn’t raised as a racist during this time she was seen as an outcast, some kids challenged her ideals and the fact that her father was defending a black man. Scout is a harmless child who is just trying to understand why people are racist. The innocence Scout remains throughout the story, though they witness actions that are far from innocent; The Ewells accuse an innocent man of terrible
As a child grows, many people influence their development as a person. Some people impact more than others, and a select few really leave their mark. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” several characters play this role. Among them, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a woman who proves herself a strong character, prevails as the one who has the greatest impact on Scout Finch, the protagonist of this novel. As Scout matures and grows up, her views on the world around her change. Through subtle yet effective ways, Miss Maudie teaches Scout many life lessons about being humble, judging, and attitude, all of which ultimately have a great effect on the kind of person Scout develops into and her outlook on the world.
The author George Elliot once said “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Appearance can be very misleading, and you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. This philosophical idea has been included in many works of literature, including the timeless classic To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. The novel takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Many citizens of Maycomb tend to make judgements based on outward appearances alone. In the novel, Lee uses minor characters such as Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Tom Robinson to convey the book’s theme of prejudice.
Miss Maudie was not very religious like other people in the community. The Baptists believed she spent too much time in her garden and not enough time reading her Bible. Therefore, she would be going to hell when she died (Lee 49-50). Mockingbirds do no harm to anything, they just sing.
Characters in a book not only tell the story, but teach the reader a lesson. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that exhibits racism and gives the readers a taste of what it was like in the 1930’s. One of the several major characters of this book is Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout. She matured greatly because of women characters such as Miss Maudie, Calpurnia, and her Aunt Alexandra. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout teaches all readers the lesson of how it is important to have a motherly figure in your life; she does so through possessing the traits of being curious, tomboy, and hot tempered.
When Scout felt lonely and left out, Miss Maudie was always available, willing to set aside anything she was doing and focus on Scout’s problems. Like Christ, Miss Maudie was dependable. She never laughed at Jem and Scout for their ideas, never told them to go away, and never told them to figure out their own problems. Instead, she related to the children, deeply feeling their joys, sorrows, and frustrations. However, Miss Maudie’s most commendable attribute is her thoughtfulness. She taught the children not to value earthly things, not to tie your identity to any worldly item that could pass away. She imparted her love of God’s creation to Jem and Scout, and taught them to value it above all else. Miss Maudie’s strong Christ-like character traits shaped Scout and Jem’s worldview and forever impacted their
“‘You want to grow up to be a lady, don’t you?’ I said not particularly” (Lee). Jean Louise Finch is a tomboy growing up in a world where a girl is expected to become a lady. Submissive housewives and proper ladies were the expectations set for women in the time To Kill A Mockingbird took place. Scout Finch lived in a household that had a strong male influence; aside from Calpurnia, she had no real present example of what she was supposed to become. Because of this, Scout refused to conform to the ways of the rest of the women in Maycomb and the world (Lee 84).
He states, “Scout, you never really understand people until you consider things from their point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). This means how sometimes unless you are someone you can’t fully understand them and how they feeling and behaving. Atticus explains to Scout that caring about others will help Scout understand them more. It will help Scout further understand why something may be happening. Also, Miss Maudie also explains how the Mockingbirds in the trees help further understand life lessons. Miss Maudie states, “Mockingbirds don’t do nothing but make music for us to enjoy… they don’t do one thing but sing our hearts out for us” (119). This means how in life, people shouldn’t naturally hate someone or something. People need to be able to care and have empathy for others. People in the book become the characteristic of mockingbirds. For example, Boo Radley. Boo doesn’t do anything to annoy or harm people, but the children decide to
...if she has instances where scout is hurt or needing help she is always their to support her. Miss Maudie does not ridicule and Judge Scout like Alexandra does instead she creates a supportive environment for scout to thrive and become a modern women.
She asks Miss Maudie. why Atticus has said it is wrong and she replies with the explanation. Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't mess with corncribs, they don't do. one thing but sign their hearts out for us.