How does Harper Lee Manage to Draw Together the Stories of Boo Radley
and Tom Robinson? Do you find her Way of doing this Effective?
There is a strong literary motif running through Harper Lee's novel
'To Kill a Mockingbird'. The stories of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson
are drawn together by the way they are both mockingbirds in their own
way. Both men are on the outskirts of society and are misunderstood by
the predominantly white population of Maycomb. In the first part of
the novel, there is a very important quote used:
"Shoot all the Bluejays you want if you can hit 'em, but remember it's
a sin to kill a mockingbird."
'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a novel about a young girl named Jean
Louise Finch or Scout growing up in a very prejudiced American town in
the 1930's. Her life is fairly normal until her father, a lawyer named
Atticus, is asked to defend a black man charged with the rape of a
white girl, Mayella Ewell. Atticus knows there is no chance he can win
because his defendant, Tom Robinson is black and therefore guilty but
as Atticus said himself:
"Just because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no
reason for us not to try to win."
The jury persecutes Tom Robinson in his trial. It would have been
impossible for him to abuse Mayella because he cannot use his left
arm. Mr Heck-Tate said that she had a black right eye, suggesting her
attacker was left-handed. Her father, Bob Ewell, was, suggesting that
he beat her up. Because Tom couldn't punch Mayella with his left fist,
it couldn't have been him. Tom Robinson is an admirable character and
very brave. He showed these qualities in the trial by speaking his
mind and saying the truth, but this still was not enough to sway the
ju...
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example he leaves two dolls carved out of soap in the likeness of Jem
and Scout. A lot of effort and thought would have gone into those
dolls, just to please the children. He has done nothing but try to
make the children happy but they are still unkind towards him.
Harper Lee's way of making both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson
mockingbirds is very effective. It gives the reader a parallel to
compare each two. Both men are on the outskirts of society and are
misunderstood by the predominantly white population of Maycomb. Harper
Lee draws the two stories together to give out a very powerful
message: you shouldn't judge people on the colour of their skin or
their lifestyle. You never know exactly how that person's feeling
until you climb inside their skin and walk around in it. This is
summarised in a quote made by Atticus:
"Were you ever a turtle huh?"
The theme of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird is the existence of racism and prejudice in the 1930 – 40's. Harper Lee succeeds in presenting the topic in a manner that is not overly simplistic and thus achieves the task of allowing the reader to fully appreciate the complex nature of unjust discrimination. Harper Lee's inclusion of characters such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and many others, aid the reader to grasp the concept of racism and its central role in the town of Maycomb.
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 as well.
According to To Kill a Mockingbird, two characters, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, share appealing connections with each other throughout the book. I was astonished to realize at the end of the book that Radley and Robinson both are misjudged by the town of Maycomb, Alabama, without any justifications or reasons. I also realized from analyzing and reading the two stories conveys similar connections to our own social lives and culture of how people like Radley or Robinson were misjudged by their appearance and status. In the text, Boo Radley was misjudged from conspiracies and rumors that the kids- Jem, Scout, and Dill mention. The kids actually believe about these rumors that Boo Radley or Arthur was a ghost figure who never coming out from his
not knowing which way to turn or who’s side to take, can put you under
A mockingbird is the innocence of a bird who only sings for others, bringing pleasure to those willing to listen. Tom is innocent, willing to help people, seeing the world as a positive place even if it was not what it seem. He is a gentleman whom was put down just because they are considered “different” in the society of maycomb. He was willing to help Mayella, a lonely, helpless girl, who needs his help because her father will not. He felt sorry for her, but yet in the end he was accused of a crime that he never commit. The blue jay is loud and arrogant; where else mockingbirds only sings other birds' songs. The people of Maycomb only knew Tom Robinson by what others said and accused about him, he did not have the chance to truly show them his real self. He did not have his own freedom, he does not have a "song", just like a mockingbird. Therefore, he was characterized by other people's viewpoints, not by him expressing his true self.
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.
To Kill The Mockingbird was about a black guy named Tom Robinson who was accused of raping a young women by the name of Mayella Ewell. In the court, significant evidence was presented to the juror's that would prove that Tom Robinson was innocent. The evidence showed that a left handed male must have beat Mayella because the bruises were on the right side of her and Tom Robinsons left arm was disabled. Robinson could not have beat Ms. Ewell. Tom Robinson was still convicted and later on was shot at a prison fence while he was trying to run away. The juror's discriminated Mr. Robinson and was prejudice towards him because all though evidence was presented to them that would prove Tom innocent they ignored it because the guy was black and in the 30's discriminating blacks were heavily favored.
"I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want , if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." This is what Atticus Finch tells his children after they are given air-rifles for Christmas. Uniquely, the title of the classic novel by Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird, was taken from this passage. At first glance, one may wonder why Harper Lee decided to name her book after what seems to be a rather insignificant excerpt. After careful study, however, one begins to see that this is just another example of symbolism in the novel. Harper Lee uses symbolism rather extensively throughout this story, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism can be seen by studying various examples from the book. This includes the actions of the children, the racist whites, and the actions of Atticus Finch.
Nelle Harper Lee, the famous author of the worldwide bestseller To Kill a Mockingbird, was born April 28th, 1926, to Amasa Coleman (a lawyer) and Frances Lee. At the time, the family lived in Monroeville, Alabama. Harper’s family was somewhat wealthy, and they lived in upper middle class society most of their lives. Harper’s birth name, Nelle, was her grandmother’s spelled backwards (Ellen). However, in her publications, she took her middle name, Harper, to avoid being known as “Nellie”. But what numerous people have never heard - and many would be shocked to know - is that one windy, rainy night, Harper threw all her unpublished manuscripts of To Kill a Mockingbird out the window! Fortunately, she soon realized what she had done, and called over her editor, Tay Hohoff, to assist her. Hohoff sent her out in the snow and slush to retrieve her pages, which luckily had not fallen far away. But one would wonder: what would have happened if she had done the same on a slightly windier night?
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is an excellent story that gives a profound meaning to many essences in life. The story showcases many cases of great qualities such as fear and courage. Also this book contains characters with impressive personalities, but in contrast there are many characters with poor qualities and personalities. Back in the 30s, when a negro faced a white man in a courtroom, the white man will win whether he is lying or not. This would give many negros tons of fear. In addition to this book, there is a lot of mystery within the story. For example, there is a very mysterious character in the story. In the form of courage, there are many situations where characters defy odds and take huge chances for little reward. There will be 3 subjects about qualities or feelings of fear and courage. They are about the Radley family, Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson.
The author behind the influential and famous novel To Kill A Mockingbird is a woman by the name of Harper Lee. This ingenious woman made magic with only her inventive mind, creative imagination, past experiences and passion for kindness and equality. She was born and raised in a time of prejudice and racism but she always found a way to keep her goodness intact. She never let herself get corrupted or influenced by frivolous and uneducated people. Harper Lee’s influences as a child and views of society as an adult inspired her to fight against the world’s prejudice outlook on life by writing To Kill A Mockingbird, a novel that argues against society’s biased views toward racism.
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.
It is a sin to kill a mockingbird, mockingbirds are innocent birds that do not do one harm thing, but makes music for ones to enjoy. Tom Robinson is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds”, he is innocent but he was falsely convicted of rape and got killed. In a court, black man had never won over a white person. Tom Robinson, a black man was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Mr. Ewell’s daughter. Atticus defends Tom Robinson because he had been appointed to defend for him, but it is also because of his morals. “Mr. Finch, I tried. I tried to 'thout bein' ugly to her. I didn't wanta be ugly, I didn't wanta push her or nothing” (Lee 260). During...
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. You know Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was misperceived at first. All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names, but after he led Santa’s sleigh, they loved him. Misperceptions like this happen all throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. As you read the novel you see original judgments made about characters transform into new conceptions and new understandings. Some characters twist your views of them on purpose, others do it involuntarily. To Kill a Mockingbird shows this happening over and over again. All you have to do is look for it.
...Shoot all the blue jays you want but it is a sin to kill a mockingbird” I believe this quote relates to the theme of the novel because Tom is the symbol of the mockingbird he minded his own business, and was charged guilty even though he was proven innocent. And the racist people in the town are considered the mocking jays, because they are rebelling against a white man sticking up fro an African American. So I believe it means you can either do the good or the bad thing , it will only affect your future.,