In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there is a metaphor that reminisces throughout the whole book about why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. I believe there is a very clear meaning behind this metaphor. A moral is shown during the story about the importance of protecting the innocent and not causing harm to those who don’t cause harm themselves. Following this, I believe the mockingbird represents innocence, purity, and vulnerability. These characteristics make me think of three main characters. To start, I believe that Tom Robinson is a prime example of what the mockingbird represents. He is a black male who was falsely accused of raping a white woman, known as Mayella Ewell. Tom was taken to court and had Atticus Finch as his defendant. Tom was eventually …show more content…
This shows his innocent kindness, like a mockingbird. Secondly, Boo Radley was a character that stuck out to me, especially after hearing the metaphor. Boo connects well with the metaphor because in Maycomb he is known as mysterious, and makes the people feel uneasy. But grows and progresses to be someone who is caring and wants to be able to help others. This is shown after Scout says “Atticus, he was real nice.” (32). Scout says this about Boo because he had saved her and Jem's life from Bob Ewell who had tried to stab them. Boo, saving them despite the town's misconceptions, shows his kind heart, like a mockingbird. Lastly, I believe Scout Finch is one of the novel's characters who connects with the metaphor. She doesn’t quite show and experience the metaphor like Boo and Tom. Scout shows her representation by learning and understanding the meaning behind the metaphor. Scout is only eight years old and by the end of the novel, he is starting to understand empathy and compassion. She shows this understanding when she says, “Well it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”
The symbolism of the mockingbird plays a huge role in the development of the theme in the novel. The mockingbird symbolizes innocence. In the book, it is believed that it is a sin to kill a man mockingbird because they bring about no harm, only beautiful music to enjoy. In the same sense, killing a mockingbird would be the equivalent of evil defeating good. This is represented multiple times in the novel through characters like Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. All of whom try to bring about the good in people rather than focus on the evil in the community.
What does it mean to be a good parent? The most common definition of a good parent is one who makes their children feel valued and loved, by teaching them the difference between right and wrong. At the end of the day, the most essential thing is to create a nurturing environment where your children feel like they can mature into confident, independent, and caring adults. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird defines what a true parent really is thought hardships and struggles throughout the book. The story is set in the Depression era of a little town in southern Alabama that is struggling with thick prejudice on a colored rape case. The story is told through a character
In the novel, the mockingbird represents several different characters in various ways. For example, Boo Radley is portrayed as losing his innocence in society. He has proven that he is nothing but kind and generous by helping Jem and Scout in various occasions, but him being distant from society has allowed them, especially Jem and Scout, to make up stories about his doings causing him to look like a psychopath and obtaining a negative reputation amongst society. Jem also loses his innocence as well; this occurs when Tom Robinson is found guilty. Jem is well aware of the racial segregation that exists, but he believed that all the prejudice towards blacks did not exist in the courtroom. Jem is almost one-hundred percent sure that Tom will be found innocent because of the evidence his father Atticus has shown to the jury, but when he is declared guilty Jem has a realization that a white man will always win against a black one. In this point is where Jem loses his innocence and goes from a child mindset to an adult mindset where he now understands that prejudice exists everywhere. Another character that is portrayed as a mockingbird and is surely the most important out of the whole novel is Tom Robinson. Tom is an extremely vulnerable character since he is a cripple and black. His experience was different from Boos and Jems experience. The title of the book “To kill a
Throughout the books Huckleberry Finn, Othello, and To Kill a Mockingbird certain characters challenge what the status quo was at that time. They go against what the norm was and go against what other characters think. This causes controversy and is a major part of the plot in all three books. The main way that these 3 books challenge the status quo for that time is through race. Many of the characters are against what is viewed as normal and have views that were known as radical at that time. The main way their views are different is certain white characters view black people in the books in a positive way and are willing to associate themselves with them even though that is against what most people thought was right. Throughout each
“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. That’s why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 94). This quote, delivered in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, introduces the mockingbird which is incorporated symbolically throughout the novel. The mockingbird, in presenting its gifts of music and beauty, is the symbol of Atticus’s practice of altruism because he believes in society’s responsibility to protect those who are vulnerable and innocent.
Francis tells Scout, “Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he’s turned out to be a nigger-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin‘ the family, that’s what he’s doin’.” (110) Atticus knows that his children will endure harsh treatment, but he always tells his them, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Atticus, without a doubt, symbolizes honorable morals and logical thinking. While the Mockingbird evidently depicts innocence and justice, there are several characters used to represent the Mockingbird.
The mockingbird symbolizes the innocence of people who are accused wrongfully. It is a harmless bird that makes the world more pleasant, but it sings the songs of other birds, so it is subject to the image of others. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are mockingbirds, innocent souls that are judged based on the discrimination and intolerance of the townspeople. The citizens of Maycomb judge Tom Robinson based on the color of his skin and refuse to listen to the truth of his innocence. Boo Radley never does harm to anyone, yet the town criticizes him for his wrong doings. These men are destroyed by the perceptions of the people around them. Tom and Boo embody all that the mockingbird represents and consequently demonstrate how the opinions of others can alter the lives of the innocent.
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (p.90) Miss. Maudie, one of the main protagonists in To Kill a Mockingbird, warns the young girl Scout that mockingbirds should not to be killed or hunted down because they represent those who are kind and innocent. So, on a broader spectrum, the term “to kill a mockingbird” symbolizes cruel and improper behavior towards people with good hearts and intentions. In the town of Maycomb, unethical behaviors, such as prejudice and gossip, are most commonly used against the “mockingbirds”. Three of those “mockingbirds” that are featured in this novel are Arthur “Boo” Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch. Due to the depiction of the mockingbird symbol in the novel, the reader understands the consequences that immoral attitudes have towards those who are innocent and kindhearted.
In Harper Lee’s bestselling novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee investigates issues pertaining to justice and prejudice employing the symbolism of the ‘mockingbird’. TKAM is set in an unfortunate time of injustice and inequality, and tells the story of the unjust persecution of Macomb County’s greatest citizens. Maycomb’s unjust legends victimize Boo Radley, forcing him to live in exile in his home. The people ridicule Atticus Finch for his morals and decency. Tom Robinson is unjustly persecuted for the rape of Mayella Ewell. Although the title of TKAM is elusive in meaning and its references are few and far between, the mockingbird carries a great symbolic weight throughout the book and is personified in these three characters, among others.
In this world, everyone has an equal right; however, many people are getting falsely accused of acts they did not commit even though they are innocent. Mockingbirds, one of the most innocent birds, sing their heart out for people to enjoy, however, they getting killed every day. In this novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many racial prejudices going on. Finches stand near the top of the social hierarchy, with Cunningham and Ewells underneath. Black community in Maycomb is even below the Ewells, even if they were a hard worker; they were not treated equally. The “mockingbirds” represents the idea of innocence, so killing a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Throughout the book, many characters are considered a mockingbird. Three examples are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Those three characters are innocent; they are kind and were never harmful to others. However, they were destroyed through contact of evil. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the mockingbirds symbolizes the idea of innocence, and Tom, Boo, and Mr. Raymond are considered one of it.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird has many themes. One theme, innocence and its coexistence with evil, manifests itself in the symbol of a mockingbird throughout the novel. There are many characters in the story that are used to portray the characteristics of a mockingbird, but two in particular stand out as great examples of this theme. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and his father, Atticus, exemplify symbolic mockingbirds because of their innocence, capacity to bring joy to others, and being frequent targets of undeserved violence.
Robinson And The Mockingbird In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the concept of the mockingbird serves as a powerful metaphor for innocence and vulnerability. Throughout the novel, there are multiple characters that embody the qualities of a mockingbird. The one that sticks out the most in the text is Tom Robinson. In the novel Robinson is falsely accused of rape and is then proven guilty by the jury even though Robinson had an overwhelming amount of evidence proving his innocence. He was guilty just because it was a white man’s word against a black man’s word.
Mikaela Lopez Ms. Matthews ELA 8 5/31 The Hate of Maycomb “Mockingbirds don’t do anything but make music for us to enjoy. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,”(Lee 103). This statement is important in To Kill a Mockingbird because we can see many characters symbolized as a mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird follows a young girl named Scout navigating her childhood life. This includes odd interactions with her mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley, who her town strongly disapproves of, and it includes the repercussions of her father Atticus representing a man named Tom Robinson, who is colored, in court.
Scout Finch, the youngest child of Atticus Finch, narrates the story. It is summer and her cousin Dill and brother Jem are her companions and playmates. They play all summer long until Dill has to go back home to Maridian and Scout and her brother start school. The Atticus’ maid, a black woman by the name of Calpurnia, is like a mother to the children. While playing, Scout and Jem discover small trinkets in a knothole in an old oak tree on the Radley property. Summer rolls around again and Dill comes back to visit. A sence of discrimination develops towards the Radley’s because of their race. Scout forms a friendship with her neighbor Miss Maudie, whose house is later burnt down. She tells Scout to respect Boo Radley and treat him like a person. Treasures keep appearing in the knothole until it is filled with cement to prevent decay. As winter comes it snows for the first time in a century. Boo gives scout a blanket and she finally understands her father’s and Miss Maudie’s point of view and treats him respectfully. Scout and Jem receive air guns for Christmas, and promise Atticus never to shoot a mockingbird, for they are peaceful and don’t deserve to die in that manner. Atticus then takes a case defending a black man accused of rape. He knows that such a case will bring trouble for his family but he takes it anyways. This is the sense of courage he tries to instill in his son Jem.
McFarland, USA is essentially about Jim White, an Anglo-Saxon high school coach, whom is fired after he accidentally injures his captain football player. He is then forced to relocate to a small town named McFarland, as it was the only school that would hire him, due to the prior incident he had. McFarland is predominantly dominated with Mexican Americans. White eventually creates a cross-country team as he learns of the amazing, physical abilities his students have. With all the odds against them, the team are deemed as underdogs, but eventually come out on top as champions.