To Kill a Mockingbird is the novel penned by an acclaimed author Harper Lee. It researches the matters of race and class in the 1930’s. Scout Finch who is the main character, shares her views on situations around her.
I enjoyed reading this fascinating novel. What I’ve discovered in this story is that sometimes you need to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Because what’s important about this book is that I couldn’t assemble about why it was named ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. This has a genuine meaning to it. When Atticus gives his children air rifles, quoted “Shoot all the Blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." It explains that mockingbirds are harmless, innocent creatures, and defeating them is incorrect, because they don't offend anyone. This was quoted by Scout’s Neighbour Ms. Maudie Atkinson “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to savour. They don't eat up people's gardens, nest in corncribs, but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Even though it is a sin To Kill a Mockingbird there is another metaphorical meaning to it. Anyone who is weaker or defenceless than you is taking advantage of somebody who is weaker than yourself.
Another interesting character in the book was Arthur “Boo” Radley who is Scout’s neighbour. The family that live across from Scouts home is the Radley Family. The kids in town nickname him Boo as a certain ghost. They even have a raw description of what he does and looks like. Scouts older brother Jem said "Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were blood-stained. There was a long jagged scar that...
... middle of paper ...
... am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you.” Atticus's reply shows how a calm and tolerant character he is. He accepts everyone, regardless of race, colour or creed. Those racist insults that are accumulated upon him don’t bother him, because he turns it into a compliment. Atticus is pointing out that such accusations merely reflect back unfavourably on the accusers, showing them to be prejudiced, ignorant and narrow-minded. This is the sense in which these people are 'poor'. They are mean, impoverished in spirit and wholly deficient in understanding. Their insults do nothing to hurt enlightened, fair-minded people like Atticus. I think this kind of behaviour in New Zealand should be well recommended to everyone
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is set in the depths of the Great Depression. A lawyer named Atticus Finch is called to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. The story is told from one of Atticus’s children, the mature Scout’s point of view. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch Family faces many struggles and difficulties.
one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it is a sin to
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a remarkable novel following the childhood of Jem and Scout, the son and daughter of Atticus Finch. Living in a small and drama filled town of Maycomb County they encounter a great deal of people who do not stand by their word. Hypocrisy occurs throughout this novel first by a man named Dolphus Raymond, then by two women Mrs. Merriweather and Miss Gates.
In Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" shows and teaches many lessons throughout the passage. Some characters that learn lessons in this passage are Scout, Jem, and Dill. Scout and Jems father Atticus, is taking a case that affects their lives in so many ways. They all learn new things throughout the story and it impacts their lives greatly. There are lots of things including the trial mostly that change the perspective of the world they live in. The kids are living in the Great Depression and it shows just how bad things really where. Scout, Jem, and Dill have experiences that force them to mature and gain new insight.
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that was prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a heroic tale of leadership and courage during racial times. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus, To, Jem and Scout are unfortunately exposed to a really racist and prejudice society and town. Which ends up causing them to lose a case and really confuse Jem and Scout when they are young. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird it uses characterization to help show a theme which is loss of innocence when people are exposed to surprising and unfair situations.
Boo Radley is thought to be a malevolent, soulless, deceitful person, but he proves to be a caring, good-natured person. In Chapter 1, Jem offers his perception of Boo Radley to Scout and Dill: " ‘Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time’ " (16). Jem perceives Boo Radley as being a “monster” instead of being a man. Jem comes to this conclusion despite having never even seen Boo Radley in person. Jem’s understanding of Boo Radley is based on the rumors that he has heard about him. In Chapter 8, after the fire at Miss Maudie’s house, Scout notices that she was wrapped in a blanket that she did not have with she left the house. Scout asks Atticus who was the person that put the blanket around her. Atticus tells Scout, "Boo Radley. You were so busy watching the fire you didn't know it when he...
The novel of To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the timeline and era of the 1930s which was synonymous for the renowned Great Depression. A tragedy in which social and economic change was urgently required yet old traditional beliefs and racial hierarchies including the Jim Crow laws were kept firm in position. These beliefs along with other aspects including behavior are clearly represented in the novel which leads the reader to infer that the time and setting of To Kill a Mockingbird is the 1930s. There are various methods and pieces of evidence that we draw upon that leads to the conclusion that the setting of the novel takes place in the
From the rumors they have heard about him, he seems like a mysteriously strange human being. They want to get to know him as he leaves them surprises in the tree, and even saves Jem’s life (Best). Finally, Scout decided to put herself in Boo Radley’s shoes. She began to see the outlook on his side. Kasper says, “Scout at last begins to see Boo Radley as a human being.” (Kasper).
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by a beloved author, Harper Lee. Despite dealing with serious issues of rape and racial inequality, this novel is renowned for its moral in the value of friendship and family. Lee writes about a young girl, Jean Louise Finch, who is also acknowledged as Scout. Scout grows up in the small fictional town of Maycomb County in the 1930s. She lives with her older brother Jem, their housekeeper Calpurnia, and her widowed father who is an attorney that is faithful to racial equality and later on defends Tom Robinson, a black man charged with raping a white woman. Scout has a basic faith in her community that they are good people but then throughout the novel especially during Tom Robinson's case her faith is tried-and-trued by the hatred and prejudice that looms in the hearts of the people in her community and her perception of the world is changed forever.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become a mainstay in American high-schools. This is a classic novel that has inspired many people of all ages. It had a big impact on how people viewed and treated each other. This is a story that teaches everyone about the value of honesty, love, friendship and trust. Every word written in this book has a truly deep meaning to it. The time period that the book was written in was during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. This setting was in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama with people who did not get along. During this time there was a lot of segregation within America and different races. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a family who believes in doing the right thing and being honest. There was a court case that had gone viral about a black man who raped a white woman. A white lawyer named Atticus Finch gave his all to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. There was no evidence that showed that Tom raped Mayella Ewell and he was convicted guilty because of his color. When a black folk was accused of something they are immediately accused guilty. To Kill a Mockingbird should be taught in American high-schools because it teaches students about segregation/racism, right from wrong, and courage.
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place during the 1930’s in the fictional and quiet town of Maycomb, located in Maycomb County, Alabama. The town of Maycomb is described as a tired old town that moves very slowly and its residents have nothing to fear but fear itself. Being in set in the South during the 1930’s the story does tackle racism and inequality for African Americans as racism was becoming more and more prominent in the 1930’s. The fact that the story takes place in a backwater county in Alabama makes the the injustice even more prevalent. The story goes through the early years of the main characters Jem and Scout so the exact time is always changing, however, the more important and intense parts of the story takes place
The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It is set in the 1930s, a time when racism was very prominent. Harper Lee emphasizes the themes of prejudice and tolerance in her novel through the use of her characters and their interactions within the Maycomb community. The narrator of the story, Scout, comes across many people and situations with prejudice and tolerance, as her father defends a black man.
“Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people’s gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. Thats why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119). In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the first mention of a mockingbird appears when Jem and Scout are learning how to use their new air rifles. Atticus doesn’t want to teach them how to shoot the air rifles, but he gives them one rule to follow: do not kill mockingbirds. Later Scout, the main character, is told by Miss Maudie about how it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are innocent and they don't do anything to anyone. Throughout this story, there are several characters who are portrayed as mockingbird figures. Jem, Scout, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley all fit the symbol of a mockingbird because they all start off innocent but are later changed dramatically by the brokenness of the world.
Intriguing. That is the word that comes to mind when reading Harper Lee's novel “To kill a Mockingbird”. The novel is filled with so many different view points, attitudes, feelings, etc. all in which, bring to mind a wide range of feelings. In particular, in reading chapters 8-14 of this novel, you really get an extra bit of insight into the “intriguing” sense of the characters. To be specific, in the following chapters, we get to know more about each character a little more. One person, in particular, who these chapters are seem to focus on, is Atticus Finch. Atticus is one of the main characters, father of Jem and Scout Finch, and is the main inspiration to my idea of being intriguing. In chapters 8-14 of this book, there are so many interesting and mind-boggling passages that it is hard to decide which ones really get your hair standing up most. For example, A passage that was pretty interesting was “...nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebodys favoring negroes over and above themselves” (Lee 68). It has