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How does to kill a mockingbird relate to society today
Literary analysis to kill a mocking bird
Literary analysis of how to kill a mockingbird
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A Book That Changed My Life
Growing up I never really had a passion for reading; I never had a passion for something that is forced upon me. I felt like reading was torture throughout my years in school. But one day everything seemed to change when “To Kill a Mockingbird” was assigned reading during my sophomore year at Fordson High school in Dearborn, MI. I was not going to read the book, but I was just bored out of my mind one day and decided to pick it up. I read the back cover and it seemed interesting. I opened the book and read the first page; little did I know time flew by and I was done with the whole book. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was really interesting and stood out to me. It opened up a world I did not know about; a world of injustice.
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When I read the whole book of “To Kill a Mockingbird” I felt lost; I lost hope in this world.
I saw the true face of this world. I never knew words such as racism and injustice existed back in the days. The book surrounds Atticus, a lawyer representing a black man falsely accused of raping and beating a white girl, and his defendant, a black man, Tom Robinson. Scout took this case even though he had little hope that justice would be given to a black man. Tom was just a simple pure guy yet was not believed due to the fact he was African American. As a black man living in a white world, he was doomed from the start. He had to face consequences for something he did not commit. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, portrays this case in such an intense way and showed us the true colors of the people during 1933-35 in Maycomb,
Alabama. Harper Lee also shows injustice African Americans faced throughout the book. This novel showed me the reality of things that happen around us and how we as human beings ignore situations like these. For example, in todays society many young black men are being innocently killed by cops and people are just trying to dismiss the issue. The movement Black lives matter was created by people who want to see change in a good way. The black lives movement wants to see the end of cops murdering innocent young black men. This relates to the novel because only few people are standing up with the innocent side. This book changed my life because it showed me that people aren’t always what they seem. It showed me that African Americans faced injustice due to stereotypes and lies about their race and/or culture, etc. I witnessed people in the book getting judged due to misconceptions about them. The novel made me see people differently because of their true intentions. Harper lee states that “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (42). This quote taught me that we should never judge people for what we think they are but for their actions. I look at situations like these and feel very blessed that I go to a high school surrounded with people of different ethnicity, mostly Arab, and not see an act of racism. I am surrounded with different kinds of people who fit so perfectly together. It truly shows how this world has slowly progressed throughout time. This book showed me how evil and cruel this world is but by comparing it to today’s world I think there might be hope for us after all. There are only certain things in this world capture your eye and for me the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” was one of them. It changed my life in an amusing way. It showed me how evil this world really was. Harper Lee taught me that there are more important situations in life that we should not ignore.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself
Shaw-Thornburg, Angela. “On Reading To Kill a Mockingbird: Fifty Years Later.” Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: New Essays. Meyer, Michael J. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2010. 113-127. Print.
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee sheds light upon the controversy of racism and justice in his classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The notion of equality in accordance with the law and the pursuit of justice are hindered by racial discrimination. The essence of human nature is pondered. Are we inclined to be good or in the wrath of evil? The novel reflects on the contrasting nature of appearance versus reality.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about all different kinds of stereotypes. It takes place during the 30’s in the depression. It uses a young girl’s perspective to show how these stereotypes were so abundant, and how terrible they were. The novel has many themes about racism and sexism, which the author portrays in creative ways. I believe that To Kill a Mockingbird is very much still relevant today.
In the 1930’s, many African American men were wrongly accused of rape and murder. The issue of racism is brought up in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” when Scout overhears her teacher saying that it’s a great thing that this is happening to Tom Robinson because the black men are getting too comfortable thinking that they’re mighty. Racism didn’t only affect Tom Robinson, but it also affected those who supported him. The lives of Scout and her family are changed when Scout's father, who is a lawyer, steps in and defends Tom Robinson. Atticus’ lawsuit affects Scout and his children in several ways.
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves for classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for their execution of style and the importance of their content.
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's only novel, is a fictional story of racial oppression, set in Maycomb, A.L. in 1925 to 1935, loosely based on the events of the Scottsboro trials. Unlike the story however, the racial discrimination and oppression in the novel very accurately portrays what it was like in the 1920's and 1930's in the south. Tom Robinson, the black man accused of raping a poor low class white girl of 19, never stood a chance of getting a fair trial. This can be supported by giving examples of racially discriminatory and oppressive events that actually took place in the south during the time period in which the novel is based. In addition to actual historical events, events and examples from the book that clearly illustrate the overpoweringly high levels of prejudice that were intertwined in the everyday thinking of the majority of the characters in the book supports the fact that Tom Robinson never stood a chance of getting a fair trial.
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird portrayed an era of extreme prejudice and ignorance. Throughout the novel, these specific characteristics were noticed in the behavior of Maycomb’s residents, especially during the trial of Tom Robinson – a highly publicized court case involving a black man convicted of raping a white girl from a despicable family. Although it became obvious throughout the trial that Robinson was innocent, and the girl’s father was the real culprit, Tom Robinson was convicted mainly due to social prejudice toward his race. The unjust result of this trial deeply disturbed the main characters of the novel: Scout and Jem, the children of the defense attorney of the trial, Atticus Finch. Since the story took place in the 1930s, racism was still widely accepted in society, and most of the residents in Maycomb openly professed their derogatory views on people of a different race or social standard. Growing up in a family that believed in egalitarianism, Scout and Jem faced backlash from the community since their father was fighting for a black man in the Tom Robinson trial. Amid these two highly conflicting environments, Scout and Jem had many unanswered questions and no support in the community during these tough times. Additionally, the Maycomb community was plagued with injustice due to discrimination and racism. However, there was one character in the novel who remained open-minded and unprejudiced even in the face of tradition and communal ignorance. A close neighbor of the Finch’s, who shared the same moral views as Atticus, Miss Maudie served as a mother figure to young Scout and Jem, who were going through a tough time in the community. Although Miss Maudie may not have had enough power to change the prejudice...
The author explains the sinfulness of killing a mockingbird, because of its true innocence. Tom Robinson’s so-called “guilt” was determined, implied by the book, because he was black. Atticus had strong points for his defense and innocence, yet somehow, that factor of evil within human nature overcomes the all-white jury. This is important to acknowledge. This part, and many other situations that occur, captures the racism of the novel.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a great way to show how actions of people can change the face of a community. It wasn’t just the trial, but the actions of the people everywhere; from whites going to church with the blacks, to a black woman like Calpurnia caring for two white kids. These actions define the book, and start the dawn of a new era.
In a desperate attempt to save his client, Tom Robinson, from death, Atticus Finch boldly declares, “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white” (Lee 271). The gross amounts of lurid racial inequality in the early 20th century South is unfathomable to the everyday modern person. African-Americans received absolutely no equality anywhere, especially not in American court rooms. After reading accounts of the trials of nine young men accused of raping two white women, novelist Harper Lee took up her pen and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, a blistering exposition of tragic inequalities suffered by African Americans told from the point of view of a young girl. Though there are a few trivial differences between the events of the Scottsboro trials and the trial of Tom Robinson portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as the accusers’ attitudes towards attention, the two cases share a superabundance of similarities. Among these are the preservation of idealist views regarding southern womanhood and excessive brutality utilized by police.
The life lessons and values taught in To Kill a Mockingbird is important as it teaches us many things. Through the protagonist, we are able to find the true meanings and actions of courage, how fairness and equality can create a better society, and to get to know someone before making a judgement. By learning from this novel, we can strengthen our values and morals to improve ourselves as
To Kill A Mockingbird has allowed me as a reader to look back and realize how history really was. For example, many Maycomb citizens were racist towards colored people and many readers should feel how to live in a segregated neighborhood. The scene was when Scout was describing the courthouse and all the African Americans had to sit on top: “ The colored balcony ran along 3 walls..” (219) Also this scene impacted my feeling towards colored people when Scout became aware that all the courthouse members were white. Like many high school students who are reader this book, many of them think the word racism is a joke and don’t use it as it’s
To Kill a Mockingbird is not all about racism and mature themes. It is a story about the innocence of the world, pictured by a child’s eye. It is a modern-day tale of how prejudice must be met, fought and overcome. To Kill a Mockingbird is simply a masterpiece because it deals with the innocence of a young child and how that purity is sullied by the real world. Her innocence is gradually being chipped away although she tries to hang on (Tulsa World, 2016). As P&C members, teachers and parents, I want you to empathize on the needs of students. Therefore, it is my opinion that To Kill a Mockingbird is an appropriate resource to use in year 12
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells a story through the eyes of a young girl, Scout. Scouts father, Atticus Finch took on a trial case that defended a black man Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white women. The town was against Atticus for taking on this trial because Atticus was a white man and Tom was black. That was a big deal because back then in the 1930s segregation was a big thing. Now in today's society racism has slowly been decreasing in some places while it increases in others.