Imagine being in a countryside and it is spring time. There are lush green trees on both sides of the road and space between them is filled with different kinds of bushes. There are pathways from the road, leading to the houses where the bushes have been cleared. The air is fresh and calm. No mobiles, no vehicles, just the sound of wind in your ears. You are a 6-year-old girl, full of energy running without any reason. You are thinking about nothing in particular and looking curiously everywhere. That’s what “To Kill a Mockingbird” is, it is a beautiful summer in a book.
Ladies and Gentlemen, P&C members and Teachers, I would like to utilise this time I have, to present my conscience and my thoughts for whether the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is appropriate or not for students to study in year 12. I am here to speak on the behalf of the students about why the book should not be banned and the vital role it plays in our lives. Atticus Finch, father of the narrator, Scout Finch says “When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. But don’t make a production of it.” (pg. 97) He said that when a child asks you something, answer him. You do not get any answers by banning the book. To get the answer, you have to explore the book.
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What teachers have to do is to avoid the production of the answers by allowing students to utilise the resources. As Atticus Finch says, “… children can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em.” (pg. 97) By banning the book and evading the students to learn, teachers are not providing us with the best they can. On what basis, is a book censored by the board? Does censoring a book really mean that the book and similar content cannot be accessed by the students in this internet era? If every book can be read on the internet, is there any benefit in banning books? Censorship is not just the removal of books from the shelves in the library, it is not just the rejection of unsuitable material for students, it is the denial of the opportunity for students to illuminate their lives. Judy Place, author of the book, Places I Never Meant to be, says, “What I worry about most is the loss to young people. If no one speaks out for them, if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the blandest books available. And instead of finding the novels that illuminate their life, they will find only those materials to which nobody could possibly object.” (ncte.org, 2016). She argues about the loss to students and young people by censoring the books that they need to study or read to become the responsible citizens and good humans. To kill a mockingbird is one of these novels, which guide us in our life. Relating to “To Kill a Mockingbird”, should a book be banned that exposes students to the truth of life in 1930s in America? Our society is filled with goodness and kindness, but there is also great deal of evil and unkindness in the human nature. To Kill a Mockingbird explores both aspects of humanity from racism to the moral character of Atticus. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee touches on many social questions. Foremost among these is the problem of racism in the southern states of America in the mid-1930s. I would like you to compare the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” to books such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved containing crime scenes and Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood banned because of racism and violence. It is clear that a school would not want to promote the books that simply contain too overt and direct materials. By contrast, I would argue that To Kill a Mockingbird is unflinching in its condemnation of racial prejudice in a way that no other book can more effectively than To Kill a Mockingbird. “To Kill a Mockingbird is a work of art that not only clearly states the problem of racism but also confronts it. The highest result of education is teaching tolerance” says Byron Wise cup in response to a parent’s question of the book (Tolerance.org, 2016). My purpose of this speech to the P&C discussion is, therefore, to convey that the decision of whether to not ban the book is crystal clear doesn’t make sense. Either you find the racism articulated in the book so profound, that it overcomes Harper Lee’s clear intention of defining those situations, as they are or you recognize the intrinsic goodness and honest representation of humanity and life in the book’s heart. I would even argue that as the book is written by a child, Scout’s perspective, it allows readers to see the grown ups’ actions as they are without adult prejudices. Therefore, banning To Kill a Mockingbird would be unfair and unjustified. As I finish, I would like you to examine your own morality.
To Kill a Mockingbird is not all about racism and mature themes. It is a story about the innocence of the world, pictured by a child’s eye. It is a modern-day tale of how prejudice must be met, fought and overcome. To Kill a Mockingbird is simply a masterpiece because it deals with the innocence of a young child and how that purity is sullied by the real world. Her innocence is gradually being chipped away although she tries to hang on (Tulsa World, 2016). As P&C members, teachers and parents, I want you to empathize on the needs of students. Therefore, it is my opinion that To Kill a Mockingbird is an appropriate resource to use in year 12
classrooms.
First of all, I’d like to say sorry for all the things that Scout and I have done. We behaved badly by trying to make you come out of the house. Such as when we gave you a letter to let you know that we want you to go out of your house, even if you do not want to, but Atticus caught us, when I’m going to slip the paper in your window he took it from me and read it. He told me to stop bothering you because Atticus thought that we’re making fun of you, but we’re not, we just want you to go out and have fun with us.
Famous author Stephen King said in his book On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft that “ Every book you pick up has its life lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (King 145), but unfortunately not everyone agrees. In today's world, people are becoming more and more easily offended by simple things like the subjects in classic literature, for example To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and are even trying to ban it in a classroom setting. However, To Kill a Mockingbird should continue to be taught in schools because it positively affects society by changing the way people think about the world, through a very historically accurate setting, and by teaching its readers valuable lessons.
Tom Robinson, a victim of his time, is at the mercy of the men on a jury stand, defended only by the eloquence of Atticus Finch, his lawyer. Atticus’ statement to the jury is a solemn appeal to their morality; employing antithesis and anaphora as his primary tools, his argument focuses less on the defendant than it does on the people deciding his future, the men of the jury. From the first word, Atticus refers to the jurors as ¨gentlemen, ¨ a title which he repeats throughout his speech. Addressing them in this way, he grants them a level of moral superiority, scrutinizing them from a finer lense, and imposing on them an obligation to uphold their title. In his conclusion, Atticus entrusts them with a burden to abandon society’s conditioning, and concede the innocence of Tom, a black man.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a heartbreaking, timeless novel that examines stereotyping and its consequences. The novel shadows Atticus Finch, a small-town lawyer, as he defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman in racist Maycomb, Alabama. Frequently, To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned for use in many schools because of the racial content in it. In the novel, racial tension and slurs are used frequently. Although the novel does contain these things, To Kill a Mockingbird should definitely be taught in schools because it represents accurately what it was like before blacks received their civil right, it teaches valuable life lessons, and it shows how novels like To Kill a Mockingbird helped the civil rights movement.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper lee in 1960. The novel tells the story of Atticus Finch, a white lawyer, and Tom Robinson, a black servant, accused of raping a white female. Finch defends Robinson in court arguing lack of evidence as his main point. However, the judge and jury still believe the woman’s testimony and orders Robinson to be killed. The novel has been praised for its outstanding literature since its publication. However, it remains a banned book by the American Library Association for its use of racial slurs and profanity. Due to it being banned, many high schools have reconsidered the notion of teaching it to their students. Two prominent authors wrote articles pertaining to this piece of literature: Angela Shaw-Thornburg wrote an article on her re-reading of the novel and her opinions on it; while Malcom Gladwell wrote an article comparing Atticus Finch to a state governor liberalist, James Folsom, and the restraints of liberalism in the south. In addition, Rebecca Best contributes her thought on how the novel should be taught by introducing the idea of “the other.” Regardless of the modern day political arguments surrounding this piece of literature, this novel contains a large insight into the time period of the 1960s which is an influential topic that should be taught to young high school students.
---. Understanding To Kill A Mockingbird: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994
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
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.
Liberal humanist and astounding lawyer, Atticus Finch, composed a breathtaking summation speech to address the varying facts and opinions of Tom Robinson’s controversial court case. Atticus’ intentions for comprising such a speech is to persuade the jury and spectators to find Robinson “not guilty.” However, Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, included Atticus’ speech to subliminally alter the reader’s perception on prejudice and racism during the 1930’s. Atticus adopts a dignified tone when delivering his summation speech to convey the misconduct of Southerners to the jury and the people of Maycomb through the usage of relatability and the advocation for natural rights.
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.
Level Headed- It has been a few days since poor Tom’s trial, and I had an encounter with Mr. Ewell today. I was leaving the post office when he approached me. He was really mad and he started cursing at me, he then proceeded to spit on me, and then he threatened to kill me. I just sat there and took it, he needed to get his anger out somehow, so why not let him. I understand why he was angry, who wouldn't be in his situation.
When things don’t go peoples way they react very badly, acting in violence to hurt or kill the person. Especially in political circumstances when a president is elected that someone doesn’t like they try to assassinate the person. Don’t try to fix things that are beyond your reach because it will always end badly. But, also when things don’t go your way you fight as hard as you can to try and fix then, but if you fail you accept what has happened and move on no matter how flawed or corrupt it is. In TKAM Atticus tried as hard as he could to help Tom Robinson but lost the trial and was very upset, but he didn’t go and harm or kill any of the people involved, especially the jury.
To Kill a Mockingbird is based during a time period of challenges being faced in education. The children, Jem and Scout, attend school and tell the stories from their point of view, describing how teachers treat children and how education is controlled. Public education should focus on the quality of education instead of regulations and rules within the schools.
To Kill A Mockingbird has allowed me as a reader to look back and realize how history really was. For example, many Maycomb citizens were racist towards colored people and many readers should feel how to live in a segregated neighborhood. The scene was when Scout was describing the courthouse and all the African Americans had to sit on top: “ The colored balcony ran along 3 walls..” (219) Also this scene impacted my feeling towards colored people when Scout became aware that all the courthouse members were white. Like many high school students who are reader this book, many of them think the word racism is a joke and don’t use it as it’s
We stood and watched as the dark figures got out of the dusty cars and moved towards Atticus and Tom Robinson’s cell. I had a theory of what they were trying to do: kill the accused. It’s not common for a group of men to be going to the jail in the middle of the night dressed in such a way. I was sure that they wanted to commit an act of lynching when they put the sheriff into this. The men wanted Atticus to draw back, but I knew he isn’t that kind of person.