Comparisons of childhood in To kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations

Comparisons of childhood in To kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations In to kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations there was a vast difference of the quality of life for the children. In Great Expectations, Pip (Philip Pirrip) had a torrid time in his childhood compared to the Finches. Pip grew up south of the river Thames in Kent. He lived in a small village and he was incredibly poor. He lived with his sister and her husband, who is a blacksmith, due to his parents had an unfortunate deaths. Pip presumed that he was also going to be a blacksmith in his older ages, whilst Jem and Scout lived in a quiet, hot and dusty town called Maycomb county, Alabama. They lived in the 1930's when the 'recession' took place causing a lot of people to live in poverty; although the Finches were a lot better off than most of the citizens in Maycomb. Jem and Scout lived with their father Atticus. A mild-mannered man who worked as a lawyer, he taught the children to respect adults, as they will respect you back. Calpurnia also looked after the children. Atticus hired her as a minder, but she acts like a surrogate mother to the children. Whilst back in Kent Pip's carers varied in style of looking after him. Pip's sister; Mrs Joe was a very old fashioned, strict disciplinarian, who was not very maternal. She was forced to look after him, as her mother and father died around the same

  • Word count: 736
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A short essay on childhood in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird"

A short essay on childhood in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" Within chapters one to eight in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Harper Lee truly pinpoints the essence of childhood between Scout and her ubiquitous childhood friends, Jem and Dill. Scout's (Jean Louise Finch) demeanour is that of a rebellious tomboy with a fierce attitude and an enquiring nature. She is extremely intelligent judging from the fact that she learned to read before starting school. However, her role as a girl does not seem to fit within Maycomb's prudish society as Atticus allows her to go round dressed in overalls and playing outside with the boys. Scout's freedom to be able to dress as she likes and act as children are intended to rather than being restricted to activities a "girl should do" has given her an open-mind and a free spirit which are some of the qualities she possesses. Her older brother Jem, (Jeremy Finch) on the other hand, possesses a more reserved attitude and is Scout's constant guide and support. Though as the novel progresses he undergoes the transition that is adolescence and spends more time away from Scout in order to have his space. The fact that Jem and Scout originate from a one-parent family does not appear to affect the children greatly as Atticus plays a wise and caring father who aims to bring up his children in the best possible way he can. However, Calpurnia does

  • Word count: 955
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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To Kill a Mockingbird

ENG 2D1 OCTOBER 11th, 2001 To Kill a Mockingbird ( Final Response ) The novel To Kill a Mockingbird had all the necessary characteristics of a well written piece of work. It contained suspense, action, and humour, which made the plot and story line so effective. There were changes made in the attitude, and maturity in each of the characters. The ending of the novel was also very sufficient, It made everything in the novel make sense. Author Harper Lee made the beginning and end of the novel attach in a circle of events. It was so effective that it also made me reflect on my own life, and personality. The ending of the novel did not need to be altered or changed in any way, it was a fantastic ending to a excellent novel. It just goes to show that the quote " Do onto others, as you want others to do onto you" is such an important guide, to a good life. While reading the novel I not only learned valuable life lessons but learned how important it is to be kind to others. The novel also made me think if there were any changes I would have to make in my life, in order to be more compassionate to others. The novel portrayed perspectives of both the adult and childhood life, so people of all ages would be able to relate and understand what author Harper Lee was

  • Word count: 821
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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To Kill A Mockingbird - Arthur

At the beginning of the novel, Scout is an innocent, good-hearted five-year-old child who has no experience with the evils of the world. As the novel progresses, Scout has her first contact with evil in the form of racial prejudice, and the basic development of her character is governed by the question of whether she will emerge from that contact with her conscience and optimism intact or whether she will be bruised, hurt, or destroyed like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Thanks to Atticus's wisdom, Scout learns that though humanity has a great capacity for evil, it also has a great capacity for good, and that the evil can often be mitigated if one approaches others with an outlook of sympathy and understanding. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man charged with raping a white woman, he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the white community. Arthur "Boo" Radley - A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportune moment to save the children. An intelligent child emotionally damaged by his cruel father, Boo provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness. He is one of the novel's "mockingbirds," a good person injured by the

  • Word count: 2714
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird By Haris Ahmed "...As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that man is trash." This is a key quotation, which demonstrates racial prejudice in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee. The author uses different techniques to make the theme of prejudice clear. The setting of "To Kill a Mockingbird" was in Alabama, in the fictional Maycomb County, in the 1930's. During this time black people suffered a great deal of discrimination from white people. This was the result of the American Civil War, which took place almost 100 years before. This caused a lot of racial tension and antagonism amongst black and white people. Despite the racial tension, there were no immediate signs of prejudice, until later on in the book. At the beginning, the author tries to give the impression Maycomb County is a peaceful and tranquil town, by creating a laid-back and slow-moving atmosphere. A quote which shows Maycomb County's atmosphere at the beginning of the book is: "People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but

  • Word count: 2825
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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To Kill a Mockingbird Theme Analysis

Abhishek Gupta To Kill a Mockingbird Essay "To kill a mocking bird" is one of the few books that have the theme incorporated in its title. The obvious theme of the novel is "to kill a mockingbird". This theme is the most significant aspect of the novel. Throughout the book we get many indications and suggestions of its existence. The theme derives from the age-old idiom: "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". Two characters of this book directly represent the 'mockingbirds' of this idiom. These two characters are none other than Arthur "Boo" Radley and Tom Robinson. They are mockingbirds because of very dissimilar reasons. The composition that follows seeks to analyze these two characters and describe their fates. Arthur (Boo) Radley was the first mockingbird that we came across in the book. The information that we receive about him is mainly through secondary resources. Therefore, it is very hard to distinguish between fact and fiction. In part one, the book contains vivid descriptions of Boo Radley. All of these descriptions are inaccurate and erroneous. In the first chapter he is called a "malevolent phantom" (Lee 8). He is also often described as a "ghost"; one example of this is on page 11. Such expressions are seldom used to portray human beings which indicate that there are a host of imaginary talks going on about him. We are also told he has a "head like a skull",

  • Word count: 959
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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To Kill A Mockingbird

Write about the ways that Lee shows the significance of the title in 'To Kill A Mockingbird' In part one of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' (Mockingbird) Atticus tells Jem and Scout that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." The word "sin" suggests that it's a crime against God and alerts the reader to the importance of what Atticus is saying. It is Miss Maudie's further explanation, however, which enables us to link the mockingbird motif to 2 characters in the novel. According to Miss Maudie, mockingbirds "don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us." They simply make beautiful music for people to enjoy. They are innocent of wrongdoing (such as eating "up people's gardens"). Reading on through the novel, it therefore becomes obvious that the mockingbird is used asan analogy for Tom Robinson and for Boo Radley. Tom Robinson is a victim of racial prejudice; he ends up in court, fighting for his life, because he is accused of rape by Mayella Ewell. Twice during the court case, Lee makes it very specific that he is like a mockingbird. During his testimony, we hear about how often Tom Robinson tried to help Mayella with her chores. When asked why he was "so anxious to do that woman's chores", Tom replies, "Looked like she didn't have nobody to help her". Tom feels compassion for Mayella, he realises that she gets no help from her father or from the children. Like a

  • Word count: 869
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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To Kill a Mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird This novel brings about issues and themes which are still a problem in today's society such as race and morality.The novel is surrounded upon two main plots.The first plot is the adventures of Jem and Scout,especially their interaction with Boo Radley.This plot also consists of episodes between the kids and their relatives and neighbors.These were primarily used to introduce us to the characters and get to know them better,which is also important in the other plot,the trial of Tom Robinson.It is by getting to know these neighbours that we understand how they can convict an innocent man . The novel is written from the point of view of Scout Finch's ,the daughter of Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is a well-know lawyer in Maycomb County,in the south,in the 1930's.We are introduced to the narrator,Scout Finch,who describes her family background and the town which she lives in . She and her brother,Jem Finch, are also introduced to Dill, and the children share stories and fantasies about Boo Radley,the mystery man who lives near by.The reader learns that Scout has problems early on,but she learns a lesson in manners when Walter Cunningham comes to lunch and a lesson in compromise from her father, Atticus. As time goes by, Scout and Jem find some mysterious presents in the hole of and old tree near the Radley residence ,further adding to their curiousity with

  • Word count: 1328
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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To kill a mockingbird - Title's Importance

To Kill A Mockingbird? The title of the book means nothing at first. A mockingbird is just a species of birds but after reading the book, you find out it is a metaphor for innocent people who don't do one thing but are destroyed by evil people. This tells us the book is about innocent people and how their lives get ruined by other people. Throughout the book many people represent Mockingbirds, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Dolphus Raymond. The title is first explained when Atticus buys Jem and Scout Air Rifles and tells them they could "shoot all the bluejays you want, if you could hit 'em, but remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." The bluejays represent the bad people and the mockingbirds are the innocent good people. Miss Maudie later explains why mockingbirds are innocent. "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Boo Radley is the prefect example of what Miss Maudie said about what a mockingbird is. The children tormented Boo and created horrific stories about him without ever knowing any facts or seeing him. But Boo was the one who secretly gave gifts to them at the tree, put a blanket around Scout when she was cold, sewed up Jem's pants when he was trying to see Boo and saved their lives. The structure of the story is reflective as Scout is looking back at her childhood and the

  • Word count: 773
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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To Kill a Mockingbird - Review.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ESSAY The story was about Scout (Jean-Louise Finch) and her brother Jem who try to understand the real idea of sin in the little town 'Maycomb' in America. Their father (Atticus) became very unpopular when he tried to defend a Negro (Tom Robinson) who was wrongly accused. Jem and Scout learned from the case that evil comes in many shapes and sometimes things are not as straight forward as they think. They also learn how people react when they are forced to choose between their prejudice and what they know is right. Scout and Jem lived with their father Atticus and their cook Calpurnia in 'Maycomb' which is an inward-looking town in Alabama, USA. Maycomb was a small, isolated and old town. Scout's incomprehension of Maycomb and it's goings-on add an element of humour to the novel. For example, when Maycomb is described in the first paragraphs. Scout conveys the idea to the reader that she did not want to grow up like 'soft teacakes' which is what other ladies are like in Maycomb and she thinks it's unnecessary to conform to society that she must behave like a 'lady' and wear a 'skirt'. Atticus was a lawyer, who was a kind man that was willing and in a position to help people who had done no wrong. Atticus wanted to help Tom Robinson who was accused of the rape of Mayella Ewell for which he was being unjustly accused. The image of the Mockingbird

  • Word count: 1288
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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