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Analysis of a mockingbird movie
Theme of character growth in to kill a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird social differences
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Social Justice
There are many responsibilities and duties that one should fulfill to rid the world of social injustices and inequalities but if no one doesn’t step in then how is issue supposed to be put to rest? In To Kill a Mockingbird the fictional town of Maycomb County isn’t a perfect little town but one that is filled with racist, critical, and judgmental people with no morals. On the other hand there are people like Atticus Finch who do what they believe is right. Atticus filled his responsibility to this issue by defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell. This was a pivotal moment in the book because Atticus took the case when no one else in Maycomb would because they are too afraid and racists to defend a man like Tom Robinson, an African American. This was also very courageous of Atticus because he was fulfilling his duty to mankind by fighting for the justice that everyman, no matter what race, deserves. Also in the book Dill started to cry because of the way that the prosecution lawyer was treating Tom Robinson. Dill is feeling empathetic and sympathetic because he has never felt the pain the Tom went through but he feels sorry for him because no one should be treated that way just because of their skin color. In a way Dill is a mockingbird because his childish innocence makes him feel hurt by prejudice hurting others. Everyone should feel the same way that Dill did in the book because you wouldn’t like it if others were treating you in such a vulgar way. Everyone regarding social justice should feel this way because we are all born with morals that allow us to feel bad when others are hurt, so we should act on that feeling that it is bad. As humans we need to act on these morals in order to ...
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...us want to teach his children?
• Honesty
• Think outside of the box
• Grow up doing their own things: “Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, he read to us, and he treated us with courteous detachment.”
• Also throughout the trial he taught Jem and Scout throughout the trial that race doesn’t matter in life
12. What is the meaning of the title To Kill a Mockingbird?
• “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go for birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
• Blue jays are annoying and pesky while mockingbirds are the opposite
• Atticus implies that it isn’t worth it to harm anyone unless it is worth it
• Also mockingbirds are peaceful (like Tom and Boo) and they mock what others do and don’t have their own song and are only seen by another’s view point
Mr. Tate was right.’ Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?’” (Lee 370)
“I’d rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after the birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mocking bird.” Atticus Finch recites these lines to his two children, Jem and Scout after he gives them air-rifles for Christmas. Scout is curious, as this is the first time that she has ever heard her father refer to anything as a sin, Scout asks Miss Maude what Atticus meant by this. Miss Maude tells Scout that mocking birds don’t rip up people’s garden’s or annoy them in any way, all they do is play beautiful music for us to listen to.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus tells Jem and Scout to, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird," he is referring to the notion that a mockingbird is a harmless creature and does nothing but sing and bring happiness to the world. Harper Lee takes the title for her novel from this passage because the imagery of the mockingbird is analogous to the characters of both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. These two characters are "harmless songbirds" who are sinfully destroyed.
For instance, when Scout and Jem are walking home from school, Mrs. Dubose will tell them “your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for” (Lee 105). On page 322, the book says “Tom’s death was considered typical of a black person, at least in Maycomb. The town thought it was typical of a nigger to cut and run” (Lee 322). In the book, Atticus Finch individually defends a black man because he realizes it’s the right thing to do. However, in the grand scheme of things, Atticus actually putting in an effort to defend a black man didn’t make a very large dent in the town’s overall attitude towards black people because he is, no matter what others thought of him, just one man. Practically every student recieving a public education in the United States today read that book. They realize where racism started and grow compassionate for Tom because of the social injustice he faced throughout the book. It’s important for kids to keep reading these kinds of books, so we don’t go backwards in our efforts to stop
Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
When Atticus set Jem as an example, he did not mean him personally but he mean...
When most people were against him and are trying to convince him not to, Atticus was determined to continue defending Tom Robinson (an African American who was accused of raping a white lady name Mayella Ewell - Mr. Ewell's daughter). (Make it active voice ?) Due to his good morals, Atticus felt like he needs to help Tom Robinson “This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience --- Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man” (108). As addressed in To Kill a Mockingbird, Jim Crow laws manipulated individuals ethics to think that blaming African Americans is fine since all they do is not good (change the wordings). This type of discrimination made African American victims of jails and crimes that they did not even consider doing but were thought of doing because of racial segregation enforcement (popularity?) within the Southern society of the US. However, Atticus was different and believed that Tom robinson is innocent since he understood (understands?) how people discriminate others and was aware (is aware) of different types of prejudice (in that time period). So, due to Atticus’ good morals and values, he was willing to try his best to support the truth (who was right or something) and help Tom Robinson which makes him a great parent because (he is a person of morals?) of his good morals and values (delete morals and values?). Atticus (atticus’s ?) belief (of noting using one’s power to hurt each other … ?) that people should not harm each other should be admired. For instance, Miss Maudie (Atticus neighbour) was confirming to Scout that what Atticus said about Mockingbirds is right “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They
you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it' "(Lee 30). In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus was one of the few people in Maycomb County who understood this concept. Not only did he take this into consideration, but applied it to his life. Atticus risked his life to defend Tom Robinson, a colored man, in court for a rape case. Atticus felt that Tom was being segregated, but Atticus knew he was innocent. Unfortunately, Atticus's children, Jem and Scout, didn't inherit his trait of equality. Just like the rest of the town, Jem and Scout mistaken Boo Radley. Many believe he was
When Jem and Scout Finch receive their first, longed-for air rifles, their instinctive desire to shoot birds is taken for granted. Their father refuses to teach them to shoot, but warns them that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird--the only time his children heard him call something a sin, reflecting how strongly he, and Lee, feel about this. After this order that they avoid their natural inclination towards shooting the colorless, brown mockingbird, Atticus tells his children that they may shoot as many blue jays as they like. These orders were certainly in opposition to...
"Any ordinary favour we do for someone or any compassionate reaching out may seem to be going nowhere at first, but may be planting a seed we can 't see right now. Sometimes we need to just do the best we can and then trust in an unfolding we can 't design or ordain." - Sharon Salzberg. To Kill A Mockingbird embodies those very words in every aspect and exemplifies them through its three main characters: Atticus, Scout, Jem. Yet, with racism and discrimination seemingly making its way back into the twenty first century with increased shootings of African American males and Donald trump making an effort to export all Muslims out of America etc..., the
“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final farming of a persons character lies in there own hands” (Frank, Anne). The book, To Killing A Mockingbird, contains a lot of parental influences, which consist of either good influences or bad ones. Influences can come in various forms such as through examples or through direct kinds where the parent is directly telling their child what to do. The two children will learn to express empathy before judging someone as well as learn not to be prejudice towards others. Lastly, in the end of the book the reader can notice the children to be growing up from their father’s advice. Essentially, To Killing A Mockingbird supports that parents are highly influential on their children.
The first “mockingbird” that is featured in the novel is a man named Atticus Finch. Not only is Atticus Finch the sole representative of Maycomb in the legislature, but also he is a brilliant lawyer. In addition, he has a good reputation in both Maycomb’s black and white communities because of his exceptional character. However, his reputation is soon shattered when he is faced with a case in court that affects him personally: he must defend an African American man in court in Maycomb’s segregated society. If Atticus chooses to try defending the man, he will lose his good status in town, since his racist American neighbors will soon disrespect him for treating the African Americans as equal to the Americans, which is highly unacceptable in the United States during the 1930s. However, Atticus still accepted the case believing that if he does not, he w...
“Mockingbirds do nothing for us but sing all day. That’s why it’s a sin to kill one” (103). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells of a small town life, disrupted by an unfair trial of a black man accused of rape.It has many underlying points, like the children trying to meet Boo Radley and new friends in the summer. As named in the title, the mockingbird is used several times to symbolize innocence destroyed by evil, the mockingbird is an innocent animal doing nothing but singing, while the one who shoots it down is the evil one destroying all innocence. The mockingbird represents certain characters throughout the story who have been metaphorically “shot down”.
As Jem and Scout are shooting, Atticus says: “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want. but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird” (90). With this said, mockingbirds are put in a new category of respect and can even be seen as sacred since it is a sin to kill them. This moral law that Atticus presents gives protection to the beautiful creatures.
Throughout time society has been tested many a time. The tests of society are those which show the development of a society’s culture, morals and value system. The recent events of Maycomb have shown it has not developed or flourished but that with the death of my dear husband, Tom, it has failed miserably. Justice, although bittersweet, is the pie that society has been given the duty to serve. The once-solid pillars of fairness and humanity upon which our society was built are crumbling. The trials and tribulations of Tom Robinson have not only led me to lose faith in justice, fairness and humanity but removed my veil of ignorance and shown me the ignorant “whites” have the power to kill even the sweetest of mockingbirds.