Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses mockingbirds to symbolize how the innocent are sometimes found at fault or harmed by others. Three examples of mockingbirds include Arthur Boo Radley and Tom Robinson in the novel, and Muslims in real

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

14 March 2007 Mockingbirds From the dawn of mankind, discrimination and prejudices have found innocent human beings guilty and have put the guiltless in harm's way. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses mockingbirds to symbolize how the innocent are sometimes found at fault or harmed by others. Three examples of "mockingbirds" include Arthur "Boo" Radley and Tom Robinson in the novel, and Muslims in real life. One of the major "mockingbirds" in the novel is the African-American, Tom Robinson. After a convincing testimony and circumstantial evidence, Tom Robinson is found guilty of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, a crime he did not commit. ...read more.

Middle

Another chief "mockingbird" in the novel is the recluse, Arthur "Boo" Radley. Arthur Radley lives down the street from the Finches with his brother and he hasn't come outside in fifteen years. As a result of the lack of seeing Arthur, many of the townspeople fabricate derogatory stories and rumors as to why he hasn't come out in society. Some of these rumors include Arthur stabbing his father in the leg with scissors, Arthur coming out only at night to consume cats and squirrels, and Arthur being locked in the courthouse basement. With these rumors in mind, Jem, Scout, and Dill pester Arthur to meet him and compose ghost stories and games regarding him. ...read more.

Conclusion

In Islam, like any other religion, causing unnecessary violence is a sin. Many feel the need to persecute "mockingbirds" because of the unease of variation. When the white man first met the black man, the white man believed that he was superior to the black man because of the difference of skin color. Members of the Islamic faith do not deserve this discrimination and persecution. The three "mockingbirds:" Tom Robinson, Arthur "Boo" Radley, and Muslims are all persecuted because of various reasons. Tom Robinson is found guilty and killed because he is an African-American, stories and rumors are fabricated about Arthur Radley because the town of Maycomb never sees him, and Muslims are persecuted against because they are believed to be terrorists. These people truly are innocent and they do not deserve the hardship, discrimination, and prejudice against them. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Harper Lee section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related GCSE Harper Lee essays

  1. Peer reviewed

    Examine the different kinds of prejudice and injustice which you have found in 'To ...

    4 star(s)

    Aunt Alexandra's missionary society hold 'circle' meetings to discuss, what they deem to be, matters of worldly importance. They believe that they are being supportive of people less fortunate than themselves but in reality they are just making unnecessary judgments.

  2. How effectively does Harper Lee convey her ideas about prejudice in her novel To ...

    The meeting seems a time to discuss and gossip. There is clear sexism between males and females, and this is shown in the characters roles. A prime example is a conversation about Miss. Maudie in the later chapters. Miss. Maudie could be deemed as Atticus' female counterpart due to her morals, her viewpoints even her relationship with Scout and Jem.

  1. To Kill A Mockingbird Full Summary

    Mrs. Dubose won, because she died beholden to nothing. Atticus calls her "the bravest woman I ever knew." Analysis Again, the events of this chapter help to underscore the severe racial intolerance of many of the townspeople, and the extreme ostracizing that the Finches underwent in the name of maintaining good conscience.

  2. Discuss the importance of Boo Radley in relation to the themes and plot of ...

    Raymond he is victimised in this situation because the town people are afraid of him, they are afraid of him because they do not know about him. No one likes him because he acts different, but if people knew him they would know that he was only pretending.

  1. How Harper Lee uses the Mockingbird motif.

    prejudiced and hypocritical (even the cream of Maycomb society, who discuss the help they must give to poor, persecuted black people outside Maycomb, only to go on to make thoroughly unsavoury comments about the black people living right under their noses - see page 236-240.)

  2. To Kill A Mockingbird - Prejudice has caused the pain and suffering of others ...

    Stories were made up about him and he felt it was best for him to stay inside. The people who chose to be different took a risk of being made outcasts of the majority of the society. The final group that was made to feel different was the group that defended and protected the minorities and the wrongfully treated people.

  1. To Kill a Mockingbird - In what sense are Tom Robinson and Boo Radley ...

    There are many other issues in the book as well. The use of child narration reflects on the innocence of Scout and the misunderstanding of more than one incident. The mockingbird is used as a symbol in this book. A mockingbird is a long tailed American songbird with greyish plumage, noted for mocking the calls of other birds.

  2. To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee mentions ...

    Atticus knows that he has to help Tom Robinson because he dislikes that whites would not favor him and the jury is all white. Also, Calpurnia had asked Atticus to help Tom Robinson since he was part of her community.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work