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Social criticisms about society in to kill a mockingbird
The journey of maturation in kill a mockingbird
Complex themes of racism in to kill a mockingbird
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Jason Teh
Mr. Lander
9th Grade La Pd6
11 December 2014
America’s Idols
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
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Scout and Jem still are unable to accept her and are detached from her strong traditional southern views. As a result Atticus receives many criticism the way he brought up his children and is forced to act. 'Our Father was actually fidgeting. "No, I just want to explain to you that--your Aunt Alexandra asked me...son you know you 're a Finch, don 't you?" (177) However Jem and Scout notices this and become resentful towards the changed Atticus. As Atticus struggles with the Tom Robinson case, Aunt Alexandra plays the role of their mother since they only have Atticus “I know what he was trying to do, but Atticus was only a man. It takes a woman to do that kind of work." (170) however she also knows that instilling manners and acting as the motherly figure was the role of a woman, during that time period. Throughout the book, Atticus has struggled with the job of filling both the father and the mother. No matter how hard he tries, the roll of the mother can never be filled by Atticus. His character does not have the same personality traits that a mother would. All Scout needs is a loving mother, but when Aunt Alexandra comes, she does not nearly fill that role. She is even harsher and the spot still remains vacant. "...you 've got to do something about her," Aunty was saying. "You 've let things go on too long Atticus, too long” (36).This quote shows how Aunt Alexandra is demanding and looks as if she is trying to be the stricter side, which I dont think Scout needs "Atticus, it 's all right to be soft-hearted, you 're an easy man, but you have a daughter to think of." (136-137)I think Alexandra is totally wrong here. Scout does not like to listen to a demanding person telling her what to do. Instead of listening, she will simply do the opposite. A less harsh and caring mother would give Scout something more to mature. Alexandra is really into
When Aunt Alexandra first arrived at the Finch house, she took over as if she had been living there her whole life. When arriving home, Jem and Scout found her, “sitting in a rocking chair exactly as if she had sat there every day of her life.”(p. 168). From the very beginning, Aunt Alexandra felt she should be completely in charge. The first thing she said was, “‘Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia,’” (p. 169). Aunt Alexandra treated Calpurnia as if Calpurnia was her servant. Aunt Alexandra was a strong influence within the Finches home, from the beginning. It did not do much of anything in the end, yet Jem and Scout saw a different side of their father, Atticus. “Atticus suddenly grew serious. In his lawyer’s voice, without a shade of affection, he said: ‘Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon [Jem] and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations’ gentle breeding−’”(p. 177). This may have been one of the first times that the children...
When Aunt Alexandra says, "Your father and I decided it was time I came to stay with you for a while,'" Scout and Jem know that she will make new rules and run the house her way. "Aunt Alexandra fitted into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove, but never into the world of Jem and me." Aunt Alexandra has very different ideas than Atticus about how to raise children, especially girls, and Scout knows that she will have to change to please her aunt.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Aunt Alexandra is the aunt of Jem and Scout, and the sister of Atticus. Aunt Alexandra portrays the themes of racism and ignorance throughout the novel. Jem and Scout do not like Aunt Alexandra. “… Aunt Alexandra would have been analogous to Mount Everest: throughout my early life, she was cold and there.” (Lee 103). Aunt Alexandra is from the old south and she expects people to act formally and maturely. Aunt Alexandra lives with Scout and impacts Scout’s life by telling Scout how to act. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. When I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.” (108). Aunt Alexandra also displays
Aunt Alexandra is Atticus' sister. She moves to live with Scout and Jem because she wants to teach them the right way of growing up since their mom is dead. As she watches them grow up, she grows up mentally also. “People up there set them free, but you don't see them setting at the table with them. At least we don't have the deceit to say to them ‘yes, you are as good as we are but stay away from us’ said Mrs.
Aunt Alexandra challenges the demeanors of Jem and Scout wanting them to behave in a different way. “ ‘She [Aunt Alexandra] asked me to tell you you must try to behave like the little lady and gentleman that you are’ ”. Both Jem and Scout express confusion to their fathers words. They do not understand why their father is asking them to do such a thing. Jem and Scout were raised by Atticus to treat everyone with respect and honesty. The children are understandably in a state of shock when Atticus tells them to change how they act. Atticus then tells the children “ ‘I don’t want you to remember it. Forget it.’ ”. He then leaves the room, presumably to talk with Aunt Alexandra. Atticus realizes that he would rather have his children be themselves then force upon the behaviors Aunt Alexandra desires. Atticus shows courage by willing to possibly tarnish the Finch name and go against his sister if it means that his children are
Atticus Finch is a single parent, and faces most of the troubles and challenges a single parent today must deal with. Unlike other parents though, Atticus is more allowing and open to letting his kids, Jem and Scout, do as they please. His personality may contribute a lot to this. Atticus is kind, easygoing, and shows respect for all human beings. He treats everyone with equal respect, as well as his kids. Atticus allows his daughter Scout to be herself. Scout is the youngest out of the siblings, and fits more into the ‘tomboy’ personality. Aunt Alexandra, Atticus’s sister, believes
“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.
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 tone that was created by the author in paragraphs 10-12 was a sardonic tone. The lawyer informed the judge that he was late because he was planting bushels of corn in his field that he had just boiled. He was making fun of the innkeeper because he made the farmer aware, “ if those had hatched, I would have had ten chickens. They, too, would have laid eggs, and so on” (paragraph 3). The judge asks the lawyer if he really thinks that cooked corn will grow. He replied, “if scrambled eggs can turn into chicks, then why not” (paragraph 12). this shows how the author created the sardonic tone by the lawyer mocking the witless innkeeper.
The middle section of the book shows many different sides to the relationship between Atticus and Jem. Atticus does not like to tell his children how to behave. This quote shows how Alexandra is making him tell Jem and Scout how to behave. The tension is shown easily. "Before bedtime, I was in Jem's room trying to borrow a book, when Atticus knocked and entered. He sat on the side of the bed, looked at us soberly, then he grinned. `Er-h'rm,' he said. He was beginning to preface some things he said with a throaty noise, and I thought he must at last be getting old, but he looked the same. ` I don't exactly know how to say this,' he began. `Well just say it,' said Jem. `Have we done something?' Our father was actually fidgeting. `No I just want to explain to you that-your Aunt Alexandra asked me... son, you that you're a Finch, don't you?' `That's what I've been told.' Jem looked out of the corners of his eyes.
Response To Literature- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Is this lesson so significant that it's worth putting it on the cover of the book? It is. This quote is an essential expression of the theme of To Kill A Mockingbird.
After reading and studying Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird, I have concluded that Harper Lee used semantics and symbolism to develop the consistent theme of racism throughout the novel. While analysing different critic’s opinions and views of symbolism and semantics in To Kill a Mockingbird, I found many ideas that aligned with my hypothesis. The three critics and time periods were Mary D. Esselman (1990), Adam Smykowski (1996) and Annie Kasper (2006). The three critics were in agreement that Harper Lee uses this technique to enable the reader to understand society, in particular racism in the Southern American states in the
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.
In this day and age almost everything we know is an argument about something. Everything from the clothes you wear to the music you listen to conveys some argument on a subject. Books often have more apparent arguments about them. Authors often have a specific message to deliver on a subject when writing the book, but sometimes there is even more to a book than the author intends. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” there are many subsequent themes but the main argument is “can good and evil coexist peacefully?”-
Throughout literature, and even in our own lives, we are poisoned by the false narratives and stories that corrupt our minds and control our decisions. This is the driving force in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Our protagonist, Scout Finch, makes decisions and forms opinions based on stories she hears that simply aren't’t true. This is prevalent among various other major and minor characters in the novel as well. Whether they’ve separated children from reality, caused undeserved hatred and prejudice, or have been used to avoid the truth, false narratives are a very powerful and potentially dangerous force.