To Kill a Mockingbird Essay
How is the character Atticus presented in Part 1 of "To kill a Mockingbird"? In the book "To Kill a Mockingbird", Atticus Finch is a lawyer and the father of the narrator Scout and her brother Jem. The book is set in the Deep South during the mid 20th century. In the first part of the book it is clear that Atticus is a very different character to most of the inhabitants of Maycomb (the town that the play is set). The author Harper Lee uses many techniques to try and show the difference between Atticus and the other characters and also portray his unique personality. This essay will analyse how Atticus is presented in the first part of the book. Firstly, Atticus is shown by Harper Lee to be very liberal in regards to the treatment of his children. In the time that the book is set, children are meant to be very respectful to their parents and were only to address them as "sir" or "ma'am" however Jem and Scout are very relaxed in the manner in which they call and speak with their father. "Atticus said so," this is a quotation said by Scout to Dill after she met him. She sees her father as Atticus and not only refers to him like that to other people but also in his presence. Compared to how every other parent is addressed by their children, Atticus is treated as an equal by Jem and Finch. When he wants them to learn from their mistakes he does not force them to blindly just
Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird
English Laterature To Kill a Mockingbird - Courage There are many themes in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee. However, one of the most important is courage. This theme is shown by almost all of the characters in the novel. Bravery is shown in the novel in different ways by different characters. Atticus is probably the most courageous character of the novel. Since Scout narrates the story and she admires her father, she describes with detail his qualities, many of which involve courage. According to Atticus, "courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what", courage is not a man with a gun in his hand, courage is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into his definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel. In chapter 10, Atticus showed his children that he was a courageous man when he stepped into the street to face down a rabid dog. But shooting something wasn't really Atticus' idea of courage. He viewed courage on a more intellectual level, as a moral thing, not as something that can be proved with a weapon. Atticus wanted Jem and Scout to know that he was not courageous for being able to shoot a crazy dog dead with one shot; but he is courageous for defending Tom Robinson. He teaches them that
To Kill A Mockingbird Essay: Powerful and Powerless
The concept of Powerful and Powerless is an integral part of our society, this idea is vividly explored in Harper Lee's 1960 novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (Arrow Books 1997). Set in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930's, Harper is able to explore intimately themes of prejudice, courage, community and innocence to perfectly embody the idea of powerfulness and in contrast powerlessness. This essay will further expand on these themes in their relation to characters such as Atticus, Mrs Dubose, Miss Gates and Boo Radley, and the way in which Lee is able to convey her assumptions in this engaging novel. Courage is clearly elucidated in the characters of both Atticus and Mrs Dubose to be a quality that empowers the individual. Atticus puts himself in the middle of a conflict between Tom Robinson and the Ewells, an act so courageous that his brother compares him to Christ. Harper Lee utilises the technique of allusion in the quote "let this cup pass from you, eh?" alluding to the night before Christs crucifixion where he prayed that he might avoid his fate. Uncle Jacks comment to Atticus calls upon this reference because he is aware that his brother was not looking forward to what was to become of him during his case defending Tom Robinson. This technique of allusion allows the audience to truly comprehend how courageous Atticus really was, by drawing a parallel to
How does Harper Lee build up tension throughout the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?
How does Harper Lee build up tension throughout the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'? Harper Lee includes many events in the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' to build up tension. In general, there is not so much tension in the first part of the novel, but it slowly builds up to the climax of when Bob Ewell tries to kill Scout and Jem. I am going to talk about the other events which lead up to this. The first thing that Scout talks about in the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is Boo Radley. The name "Boo" gives off quite a scary thought about who he is because Scout and Jem do not know how he is and are scared of him. They call him the "malevolent phantom" where malevolent means showing wish to do evil on others and phantom being a mysterious figure. This builds up tension as they are being prejudiced to someone they do not know much about and only through rumours. Additionally, Scout beats up Walter Cunningham because she gets into trouble since Walter does not have any lunch money and she stood up for her. Walter could represent Scout and Jem later in the novel where they got attacked for something that was not their fault by Bob Ewell. This foreshadows the later events and builds up more tension for the reader. Also, during one winter, they had the "coldest weather since 1885". Scout responded to this with "The world's endin'" which shows that there is going to be a change in
In this essay I will be exploring Jem and Scout's journey to maturity throughout the novel; To Kill a Mockingbird
How effectively does Harper Lee present the children and growing up in To Kill A Mockingbird? In this essay I will be exploring Jem and Scout's journey to maturity throughout the novel; To Kill a Mockingbird. I will look at the techniques Harper Lee use and how well they work in portraying their growth to maturity. I will also explore influences on the children and the tree main themes in this novel: education, bravery and prejudice. The main them is prejudice which will be looked at in more detail. Jem and Scout represent a typical youth, naivety and innocence. In the first chapter, page 8, Scout says: 'Thereafter the summer passed in routine contentment. Routine contentment was: improving our treehouse that rested between giant twin chinaberry trees in the backyard, fussing, running through our list of dramas based on the works of Oliver Optic, Victor Appleton and Edgar Rice Burroughs' They have no worries through the summer and have fun. The phrase 'routine contentment' is repeated in the passage which gives the effect that this is what they usually do in the summer and were satisfied with the events they do. These are all things people generally do in their childhood and in summer. Some of the things they do seem to be menial such as 'fussing' which also seems quite childish. The atmosphere of summer is created by what they do. In summer it is a time for relaxing; with
What Does 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Reveal About the 1930s American Society?
What Does 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Reveal About the 1930s American Society? To Kill a Mockingbird reveals much about the American society in the 1930s which are the main themes that are brought up in the book. The book was written in the 1960s, it was Harper Lee's first book. It is based on the 1930s in the deep south of North America about a small Alabama town named Maycomb. After the civil war in the 1861-1865, former slaves suffered widespread racial discrimination, especially in the South. This discrimination led to other later effects the Jimmy Crow laws, first developed in a few states later spreading. A major theme is prejudice against certain groups of people like the lower white class and the black community. The segregation between the different communities is caused by ignorance about the unknown and differences between communities which can cause racism. One of the strongest themes of the book is prejudice because there are many strong examples throughout the whole book. Prejudice, strictly defined, a learned, preformed, and unsubstantiated judgment or opinion about an individual or a group, either favorable or unfavorable in nature. However, nowadays the word means a dislike to a group of people because they belong to different group or category of people. Prejudice is based on racism or generalization about a group of people; the best examples of these are ones
Discuss Harper Lee's portrayal of the black community in To Kill A Mockingbird
Discuss Harper Lee's portrayal of the black community in To Kill A Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird is set in the nineteen thirties, a time when racism was very common and, in America, the Ku Klux Klan were operating, having been reactivated in nineteen fifteen. At that time, despite their loss of the civil war and acceptance (though unwilling) of the Thirteenth Amendment, the Southern states were continuing to practice racism. Many Southern landowners were determined to keep cheap black labour. However, they were not the worst off, as the Southern whites, who were at the bottom of the heap, were threatened by the rising place of black people and became the least respected of people. In the novel, the black community is portrayed very positively, as they are shown as reacting in an absolutely non-violent way to the racist abuse that they suffer, behaving passively and even still helping white people. In this way, they are portrayed as 'heroes'. Despite some dispute over just how realistic this view was, this was undoubtedly Harper Lee's intention as to what we are meant to think of the black community. The novel is about a white man defending a black man in court, something considered "wrong" at the time and something that would have made the lawyer a public enemy. It is narrated by a little girl and this gives the novel an interesting take on racism, as she does not
Explore how Harper Lee presents the theme of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird.(TM)
Explore how Harper Lee presents the theme of prejudice in 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Harper Lee's book 'To Kill a Mockingbird' has many themes but a very large one of these is prejudice. Her book is focused around America in the 1930's and what people's attitudes were back then. Her book is written to influence people about the ways of prejudice, especially in the time it was written. She brings in to the book many different characters all with contrasting opinions. Through these characters he shows us how people see each other and the problems that it causes. This book tells us of the American state Alabama and a county with in it called Maycomb. Harper Lee tells us this story through the eyes of a child, Scout. She uses this technique because a child has so many different opinions on life. It also shows the reader the innocence of a child at many times, especially involving the topic of prejudice. The character of Scout is developed through out the book as she faces many situations and there consequences. We meet many characters from all different races, her father (white), her housekeeper (black), her aunty (white.) A character who is introduced to us as one of the key role models in Scout's life is Atticus. He is portrayed as one person who is against prejudice and shows respect to every person. 'You'll get along better with all kinds of folk,' is something he says
To Kill a Mockingbird: How Harper Lee presents the character of Atticus Finch
To Kill a Mockingbird was a book written in 1960 to portray the corruption in the USA's southern states specifically the state of Alabama. The book is a microcosm reflecting a wider range of thought in America in the 1960's. The book is a 'Bildungsroman', it follows a girl called Scout Finch who tells us about growing up in Maycomb county, a fictional county in Alabama. A 'Bildungsroman' is usually a book written in an autobiographical style and follows a specific characters rite of passage. The book is told in circular narrative the author Lee uses this to emphasise certain themes throughout the book. The book is told from a mature Scout's perspective describing her life's events. In this essay I will further discuss how Lee represents Maycomb County and discuss the methods and techniques used by Harper Lee to present the character of Atticus Finch. Arguably the most important aspect of Atticus is his maxim. His maxim is that if you attempt to stand in another's shoes you will be able to understand their point of view, this eventually leads on to appreciation and tolerance rather than prejudice and discrimination. "Atticus, when they finally saw him... he was real nice."This quote shows that Scout realises when you get to know people without judging them beforehand they are nice people. This is also shown when the children discover Arthur Radley is a normal person the
Examine the different kinds of prejudice and injustice which you have found in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. How does Harper Lee convey these to the reader?
Examine the different kinds of prejudice and injustice which you have found in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. How does Harper Lee convey these to the reader? 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was written by Harper Lee in 1960. Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama, a city of about 7,000 people. She studied law at the University of Alabama and one year at Oxford University. After giving up working as a clerk for an airline she moved into a cold-water apartment in New York to concentrate on writing. She first handed this book to a publisher in 1957 but it was rejected so she took two further years to rework it before it was published as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in 1960. The book tells a story very similar to Lee's own childhood. The town in which it is set is a small southern town just like her own with the characters matching friends and associates from her youth. It is set in the thirties and is a highly significant statement and important to that era. It was written at the time of the civil rights movement, which guaranteed basic civil rights for all Americans, regardless of race. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was set thirty years before Lee wrote it, meaning she could use hindsight to give the story authenticity. Lee helped move the civil rights movement forward by reminding the population of the prejudice they had and showing them that something had to be done.
