The book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, and the song “Waiting on the World to Change”, sung by John Mayers, have many similarities. I have made six different connections between the song and the book. Most of these explain how Scout and Jem felt during this racial time period within the small span of their lives. I believe that because this book was written in a child’s perspective, it opens the door to new possibilities and experiences because of their unfiltered minds. Scout and Jem are not bias, unlike the fellow citizens of Maycomb County, Alabama. I can easily compare the lyrics in the song to Jem and Scout’s experiences.
Firstly, I noticed the line states “Now we see everything that is going wrong, with the world and those who lead it.” I think that this refers to Scout growing up through this entire book. Especially towards the end after Thomas Robinson has died, she finally sees the hatred in these people after being blind to it all for so long. Next, is the line “It’s hard to beat the system, when we’re standing at a
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distance.” The first thought I had was Scout and Jem’s age compared to everybody else’s in Maycomb County. Scout and Jem are trying to make the prejudice disappear and make everyone not bias hence the line “It’s hard to beat the system.” Also, the line “when we’re standing at a distance” means that because they are so young and insignificant to these issues everyone over looks them. They want to help, but they can’t really considering their age. They don’t have enough “experience” to handle such important things. Next, I automatically recognized these lines “It’s not that we don’t care, we just know that the fight ain’t fair” for one important reason. This clearly explains Atticus’ attitude towards this entire case throughout the book. Obviously, since Tom Robinson is African-American, more than likely he was going to lose to Mr. Bob Ewell. Tom did lose to him and was found guilty even though he was innocent according to the evidence collected by the officers in the local area. Atticus took the case knowing that Tom was going to lose because the fight between a Caucasian man and an African-American man in court during this time period was never fair. Similar to the case, the second verse of the song says “Cause’ when they own the information, oh they can bend it all they want.” I realized this indicated the chapters about Mr. Ewell and Mayella’s testimonies on the witness stand. They were the only witnesses other than the defendant in court; not including Mr. Heck Tate. Then, the line “We just feel like we don’t have the means, to rise above and beat it” thoroughly explains how Jem and Atticus felt after Tom received his sentence in court. Jem states that all the evidence points straight to innocent, and he gets really bothered by the fact that Tom was found guilty. Harper Lee writes a conversation between Jem and Atticus when Jem says “’Yessir, but the jury didn’t have to give him death- if they wanted to they could’ve gave him twenty years’” on page 251. He is protesting about the decision made by the jury. Atticus tried to defend him but the jury found the defendant guilty, he tried so hard but no matter how hard he tried he knew he was going to fail. Finally, the sixth and last comparison I found was in this “Me and all my friends, we’re all misunderstood.” This one is similar to the second paragraph because, Scout and Jem are misunderstood for their age. Most of the citizens never realize how important the youth is until someone shows the world. Scout did this to Mr. Cunningham in front of the jail that night when the group of men approached Atticus. Scout states this comment to Mr.
Cunningham on page “’ Well, Atticus, I was just sayin’ to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad an’ all that, but you said not to worry, it takes a long time sometimes…that you all’d ride it out together.’” Scout, not necessarily doesn’t mean to, and stands up for her father in the troubling situation.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird and the song “Waiting on the World to Change” share many comparisons through their similar perspectives. I was able to identify six comparisons that I found to be important because all of them involve the Thomas Robinson case in them. I think that this song was a great choice because of the information I was able to use in this essay. I also have further my understanding of the book, especially considering all of the information I explicitly said throughout my entire paper. I surely want to continue the great to story and read the sequel To Set a
Watchman.
At the end of the book, Scout learns to look at life through others perspective before judging them and believing the rumors. Scout succeeds to understand Boo Radley's perspective and fulfills atticus’s advice that ¨you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.¨ Despite all of the rumors, Scout learns to assume another person's perspective before jumping to
This shows how Scout was trying to protect Atticus, when Francis is speaking about how Atticus is a disgrace to the family for defending Tom Robinson.... ... middle of paper ... ... Any other kid in the town would be happy, but the Finch family is not.
While watching Atticus during the trial, Scout learned a lot about her father. She learned that he was more than just an ordinary man to the Negroes. He was defending Tom Robinson, which meant a lot to them, because not many white people in the county would do a thing like that. Very few, if any, white men would defend a black man in a trial in a segregated county during the 1930’s. Because of what Atticus did more people, both white and black, gained respect for him. Scout saw that to the neighborhood people, Atticus was a very wise man, and a very good man, also. While Scout was watching from he balcony, she saw her father do something she had never seen. He told Bob Ewell to write his name on a sheet of paper. Scout saw that Bob was left handed, so he couldn’t have beaten up Mayella, because her black eye was on the right side of her face.
One of the principal aims of To Kill a Mockingbird is to subject the narrator to a series of learning experiences and then observe how much she profits from her experiences. There is rarely a chapter that does not teach Scout something new or does not build toward a new learning experience. So, one rewarding approach to the novel is through an examination of these experiences. In the largest view, Scout learns about (1) justice and injustice through the Tom Robinson trial; (2) prejustice and its effects on the processes of the law and society; (3) courage as manifested in ways others act; and (4) respect for individuality of the human being. On a smaller scale, Scout learns numerous things about numerous people; she becomes aware of the difficulty of being a lady, particularly when under dressed; and she learns when to fight and not to fight.
Most would argue that Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is an uplifting story about hope and youth. In reality, it is a sad story about two children, Jem and Scout, losing their innocence through treacherous life experience. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story about childhood in the deep south during the great depression. It speaks about the concepts of racism, innocence and justice as the protagonists, Scout and Jem, struggle with coming of age. The Finch children lose their innocence throughout the book in many ways, such as being involved with the trial, the lynch mob, and Bob Ewell's death. At it’s core, TKAM is a story about youth, and the loss thereof. When Scout and Jem are involved in the lynch mob, they lose their
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Alabama in the 1930s, and concerns itself primarily with the interrelated themes of prejudice and empathy. These themes are explored as the story follows Scout Finch as she learns lessons in empathy, ultimately rejecting prejudice. While all characters in Lee’s novel learn from their experiences, not all are able to grow in the same manner as Scout. The idea of a positive role model, typified by the character of Atticus Finch, and the ramifications of its absence, is a concept that Lee places much emphasis on. The isolated setting is also pivotal in the development of characters. Lee uses the contrast between characters that learn lessons in empathy and compassion, and characters that cling to the ideals of a small town, to explore factors that nurture or diminish prejudice.
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.
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
Walt Whitman’s 1859 poem “Out of the Cradle Rocking Endlessly” depicts the mockingbird as a symbol of innocence that chants or sings of fond memories from the past. By contrast, Harper Lee’s famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, written almost a century after Whitman’s poem, portrays the mockingbird as innocent but as a fragile creature with horrific memories – memories of discrimination, isolation, and violence. Harper Lee wrote her novel, which is rooted in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the Deep South, during a time of segregation and discrimination, social issues which can be seen not only in the novel but were witnessed by Harper Lee in her own life. While Lee does insert bits and pieces of her own life into the novel, this fictional story is told by the character Jean Louise Finch, better known as “Scout.” She tells a horrific yet heroic story about a time in the 1930’s from a childhood perspective. The title of Lee’s book is not at first as apparent as it would seem. In fact, the only literal reference to the mockingbird appears only once in the novel. The reader, then, must probe deeply into the characters and events of the book to uncover the significance of the mockingbird. After seeing the treatment and the unyielding courage of Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch, the reader can easily identify these three as mockingbirds.
The author George Elliot once said “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Appearance can be very misleading, and you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. This philosophical idea has been included in many works of literature, including the timeless classic To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. The novel takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Many citizens of Maycomb tend to make judgements based on outward appearances alone. In the novel, Lee uses minor characters such as Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Tom Robinson to convey the book’s theme of prejudice.
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves of classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for its execution of style and the importance of its content.
“Am I wrong for saying that I choose another way…Don’t let them control your life. That’s just how I feel. Fight for yours and don’t let them go. Don’t let them compare you, no.” This song by Nico and Vinz means that you should take your own path and if someone is judging you, you shouldn’t let them “control your life.” When Nico sings this he is also saying that you should “fight” or stand up for what you think is right even if no one follows or agrees with you. These two themes about judging others and standing up for what you believe in come up many times in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird and in Jem and Scout’s life. The children learn from these lessons and can use it to understand the world better. Although opponents might say that
As a result, this dramatic and deeply moving novel takes us into the world of Jem and Scout, in a journey that teaches both the characters and the readers about lessons in life that we witness everyday and learn from, growing and maturing, day by day. The main problems that were faced in the book were of: prejudice and hate, people judging others, and the inequality between the treatment of men and women. These are problems that are faced in places by people, everyday, even today, and together we must work to overcome these problems and unite, every person equal to any other.
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.
For this assignment, I decided to do my film review on To Kill a Mockingbird (Mulligan, R., & Pakula, A. (Directors). (1962). To Kill a Mockingbird[Motion picture on VHS]. United States of America.) I have a personal connection to this film because it is one of my most beloved novels by Harper Lee. I have never watched the film so it was a nice experience to see the characters I have loved for years come to life just before my eyes. The film particularly focuses on a white family living in the South of the United States in the 1930s. The two siblings, Jem and Scout Finch, undergo major changes while experiencing evil and injustice in their small town of Maycomb. Jem and Scout’s father is named Atticus and he is a well-respected man in the town as well as being a lawyer.