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To kill a mockingbird literary analysis
Essay on to kill a mockingbird literary elements
To kill a mockingbird literary elements
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Character analysis
By
Ahmed Elhady
People can be treated differently because of stereotypes. There are different types of stereotypes especially in the black community. There is one character in To Kill a Mockingbird who does not see stereotypes like other people do; he treats everyone the same. The character by the name of Atticus Finch sees everyone in the world equally.
Atticus treats Calpurnia the housekeeper the same way he treats his kids. When Aunt Alexandra tried to fire Calpurnia from being Atticus’s housekeeper, Atticus said “Alexandra, Calpurnia's not leaving this house ... until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn't have got along without her all these years. She's a faithful member of this family and you'll
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simply have to accept things the way they are." Not only is Calpurnuia treated like family, but also Calpurnia is black,s and they are usually treated badly by other people. Also Atticus gives Calpurnia responsibilities as if she were his wife, he gives her responsibilities like raising the children. Therefore, this proves that Atticus sees everyone in world equally. Even at home, Atticus lets his kids call him by his first name.
This shows that he sees the kids the same way he sees adults and that everyone is on the same level. Meaning that no one is better than anyone else and that no one should have a different title of respect. This also shows that he sees the kid as his own friends. When Walter Cunningham came to eat at the Finch’s house, Atticus talked with Walter about adult things, and Walter is still a child. Also when Scout asked Atticus what rape is he told her rape is “carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent”, and when she asked Calpurnia, she did not answer her question because she felt she was too young to know. That shows that Atticus treats little kids like if they were mature adults. Therefore, Atticus treats everyone like if they were at the same level of …show more content…
maturity. Atticus sees black people the same way he sees white people. When Atticus is assigned to defend Tom Robinson, he did not reject the case, even though most people would have rejected the case. At the court Mr. Gilmer was treating Tom Robinson badly, even though he was treating him badly Atticus still continues to treat Mayella with respect. Also, Atticus wanted to appeal the case and continue fighting for Tom after he was found guilty. When Atticus is giving a speech at the court he said that Not all men are created equal, some are created with different opportunities, but the one place everyone is equal is at the court. When people like Mrs. Dubose was bothering Atticus about defending Tom Robinson, he did not let their negative remarks affect him. Not only did he ignore their comments, but he also continues to treat them the same way he has always treat them. Also when Calpurnia takes the kids to her church full of black people, Atticus does not mind it. Therefore, Atticus has the same respect for a white person as he does for a black person. In conclusion, stereotypes continue to affect people’s lives, but people like Atticus see everyone the same.
In To Kill a Mockingbird it said “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.” Meaning that he acts the same way at his house and outside of his house. Atticus does not see people by their skin color he sees everyone the same way. He has a housekeeper that is black, and most people would not accept to have a black housekeeper. He defended a black guy in court the same way he would have defended a white guy. He makes everyone call him by his first name. He even makes his own kids call him by his first name instead of them calling him “Dad” or “Father.” Atticus is a character that believes everyone is equal, and that no one should be treated differently in any way whether it is because of their skin color, age, having a disability, or stereotypes about him/her. If everyone treats others equally the world would be a better
place.
Atticus Finch is the most significant character, in To Kill a Mockingbird, who challenges racial prejudice as he does not follow the norms, in Maycomb, of being racially prejudice towards others. At first, Atticus Finch is reluctant to take on Tom Robinson’s case; however in the end, he willingly accepts. Unlike the majority of Maycomb residents, Atticus is not racist and makes no distinction upon race, he sees Negroes, just like Tom Robinson, as the same equality as any other person in the Maycomb community. For this reason, he believes they should be trea...
The characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are all different in their own way. Sometimes they can seem like the most infuriating people in the world, but then again they can be helpful, loving, and caring. The citizens of Maycomb County are stereotyped a lot throughout the book. They are labeled as many different things, but some of the stereotypes made aren’t entirely correct. A lot of people in To Kill a Mockingbird stereotype others by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. Two of the main characters in the book are stereotyped; Scout and Atticus Finch.
Atticus Finch is a character of stability in an unstable society. He is a balanced figure who is able to cope with the unreasonable and highly emotional town in which he lives. He can manage the prejudiced white masses and still deal justly with the underprivileged Negro population of Maycomb. He is one of the few people who understand the individual worth of a person regardless of the color of his/her skin. This enables him to defend Tom Robinson based solely on the concept of justice and equality. In his closing argument, Atticus explains that, “there is one place all men are created equal. That place is in a court room” (Lee 205). This justifies the fact that Atticus believes in equality in a society, the equality not only of race, but also of sex, class, and religion as well. His view of equality and justice is a symbol of his own psychological stability throughout the novel. Accordingly, in the final analysis of the story, Atticus represents the “justice” in the community of Maycomb. His stability throughout the book is one of the many characteristics that depict Atticus Finch as the novel’s core.
There 's a point in everyone 's life when people are forced to wear a mask to hide their true selves. People want to fit into what they think is normal. Most of the time, the individual behind the mask is very different from what they are being perceived as. They can be evil and wicked, or they can be smart, loving, and caring. Characters in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee live through the Great Depression and Segregation. They all have qualities that make them unique in their own ways. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama, citizens are put under stereotypes all throughout the novel. Characters get assigned labels that aren 't entirely correct. Dolphus Raymond, Mayella Ewell, and Boo Radley are all products of what it looks
Atticus’s character reflects true integrity and this integrity makes him the most accepting and equal character. First, Atticus accepts a very controversial role as Tom Robinson’s lawyer, and this shows how he doesn’t care that Tom is black. Even with a majority of the town against him, he tried his best to win the case. They may have lost, but he fought a tough battle that no other lawyer would have. Second, Atticus views the world through other peoples standpoint. Mrs. Dubose was a major aspect in this viewpoint. She may have been cruel at times to the finches, but she was very ill and was expected to pass soon. He treated Mrs. Du...
Scout's perception of prejudice is evolved through countless experiences in Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird. Written in the nineteen thirties, To Kill a Mockingbird promotes the understanding of self-discovery through Scout, an intelligent and outspoken child living with respectable family in Maycomb County, Alabama. Throughout various encounters in the novel, Harper Lee causes Scout's perspective to change and develop from innocence to awareness and eventually towards understanding.
Atticus is non judgmental; he treats blacks and everyone equally. He puts himself in someone else’s shoes and respects their thoughts and opinions. He is a very responsible father, while managing his lawyer cases he still made time to teach his children Jem and Scout the lessons they need to become honest and dignified people later in life. Atticus demonstrates responsibility when he takes time to explain to Scout “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view” (39).
“To Kill A Mockingbird” is marvelous and unforgettable novel. Not only show how dramatic, sad in and old town – Maycomb be like, but through her unique writings, some big conflicts about politics and critical is going on through this tired old Southern town. Not just in general like education, friendship, neighbors but also pacific in individuals like family and the people’s characteristics themselves. In one book yet can covered with such many problems, Harper Lee must have been experienced a lot and deeply understanding that time. That is why the book lives, becoming literature and get the love from the audiences a lot. One of the problem and mostly run along with the story and interest me is racism between white people and black people socially.
Over the past decades the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee has been taught to American students anywhere from seventh grade to twelfth, credited as a story with themes such as coming of age, discrimination and justice, all of which might appeal to young adults. However, the teachings of the Lee’s recently second published book, Go Set A Watchman seem to be daunting many within the English profession. Some reasons why there is hesitation to incorporate the new novel into curriculum is because it contains incest, racism, and the reconstruction of the heroic Atticus Finch. In order to prevent misinterpretations of characters like those of Jean Louise and Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird should not be taught unless it is alongside with Go Set a Watchman.
The novel To Kill A Mockingbird, written by renowned author Harper Lee, was published on July 11, 1960. Her novel received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and has become a modern-day American classic novel. The book’s setting is in Alabama and occurs when widespread racism and discrimination are high in the South. The name of the book arises from the common belief and saying that, ’It is a sin to kill a mockingbird’. To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated by Scout Finch, about her father, Atticus Finch, a well-known lawyer who fights to prove the innocence of a black man (Tom Robinson), who is unjustly accused of rape, and about Boo Radley, her mysterious neighbor who saves both her and her brother Jem from being killed.
Atticus considers himself and his children as equals. For example, Scout asks Atticus why he defends a Negro: “... If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to mind me again” (100). Atticus is portraying to Scout that if he did not act righteously by defending Tom Robinson he would be ashamed of himself, and he could not hold authority to his children. Atticus treats his children as if they were his peers, which illustrates how he values equality. Furthermore, Atticus wants to provide an egalitarian lifestyle for his children. For instance, Atticus explains to Mr. Tate why he does not want to cover up the truth for Jem if he had killed Mr. Ewell: “... Sometimes I think I'm a total failure as a parent, but I'm all they've got. Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I've tried to live so I can look squarely back at him… if I connived at something like this, frankly I couldn’t meet his eye, and they day I can't do that I'll know I've lost him. I don't want to lose him and Scout, because they're all I've got” (366). Atticus knows since Scout and Jem had to grow up without a mother, his children look up to him immensely. Atticus wants to live an honest life so his children can look at him with pride, and to do that he treats his children as his equals. In brief, Atticus is not only egalitarian by not having racial prejudice but also by his parenting
The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.
'Democracy,' she said. 'Does anybody have a definition?' ... 'Equal rights for all, special privileges for none' (Lee 248).
“They’d been sewed up. Not like a lady sewed ’em, like somethin’ I’d try to do. All crooked” (Lee 58). The book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee has many different stereotypes that play into it. A stereotype, by Merriam-Webster definition is “an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.” To Kill a Mockingbird is about three children named Scout, Jem, and Dill and is set during the Great Depression. Theses children are best friends and throughout the book they try to see a mysterious character named Boo Radley. He has many mysteries about himself that are constantly told by Maycomb’s adults. Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem’s daughter, has to defend a black man
Though racism seems to be a thing of the past, there is still room for progression in the United States. Having been a country that was widely accepting of the enslavement of African Americans over a century ago, many Americans have not evolved nor turned the page on the subject. Despite the many movements, trials, and acts developed by our society to ensure civil rights to all African Americans, America remains a principally racist country. The only effective way to defeat racism is to not practice or teach what was once taught one hundred years ago. Author Alex Haley is quoted, “Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics.” If we do not teach our youth of prejudice or hatred towards human beings for something as trivial as differing skin color I believe racism, not only concentrated in the United States, but globally, will diminish.