'To Kill a Mockingbird' evaluation of themes.
'To Kill a Mockingbird' evaluation of themes by Amy Naumann 'Naw Jem. I think theirs just one kind of folks. Folks.' It took Scout a long time to realise this, in a society where racism and prejudice are every-day occurrences. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee is set in the !930's deep South of America. In this essay I intend to show how the author uses various literary techniques to convey to the readers the main themes which are still important today - misunderstanding, racism, innocence and religious fundamentalism. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is about two white children, Scout and Jem, who live with their moral lawyer father Atticus and black housekeeper Calpurnia in a small town called Maycomb. It is told by Scout looking back on her childhood, so we read everything from a child's point of view. In the first part of the book we hear all about the children trying to make contact with Boo Radley, their infamous neighbour rumoured to be a complete maniac. But he is soon forgotten when everyone starts talking about someone else. Scout first overhears it from a schoolmate - 'Scout Finch's daddy defends niggers'. This is the turning point of the novel as everything after this is concerned with the trial of Tom Robinson, who has been framed to of raped a white woman Mayella Ewell by her racist father Bob Ewell. Although he is found guilty Atticus's defence
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Critical Evaluation Lauren Baird 4.1 Task: In"To Kill a Mockingbird," many themes are present in the novel, e.g. prejudice; sexist; poverty; relationships; childhood. Choose one or two of these themes and say how the author's handling of these theme(s) within the story made your understanding of the story much wider. The story of To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Alabama, and is narrated by the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise Finch, but known as Scout. Her respected father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer with high moral standards. The main plot concerns the trial of an unjustly accused black man who is steadfastly defended by Scout's father. Covering a period of one year during Scout's childhood in Alabama, the story reflects the details of small-town life in the South and examines the painfully unjust consequences of ignorance, prejudice, and hate, as well as the values of courage, honour, and decency. In this essay I am first of all going to discuss the sexism present in the novel surrounding the main character Scout. The south represents a region of the United States which demonstrates relatively traditional values. For example, southern societies suggest men act like gentlemen, and women act in a polite manner and wear dresses. Such characteristics mainly emerge in small southern towns because they remain unaffected
To Kill a Mockingbird
Question: What aspects of Small town life does Harper Lee show which influence the behaviour of its inhabitants? The novel of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is set in the heart of Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 1930's, at the end of the world economic depression. As is seen in the novel, many of white people in Maycomb have joined pressure groups to try and ensure white supremacy over the black community. Maycomb is described by Harper Lee as if it was a character; it is described as being old, worn out, unkept, slow-moving, insular, poor and conservative, but it is also described with hope 'vague optimism' . This influences the behaviour of the inhabitants as the people of the town take on these characteristics as is seen in the novel. Many of the citizens in Maycomb show these characteristics alter their behaviour in different ways. Some like Mrs. Dubose show it in their attitude and physical appearance, as she has lived in Maycomb all of her life and she is old, worn out and slow moving. Others show these characteristics with there mental attitude. Examples of this is Atticus and the case of Tom Robinson, by the end of the trial Atticus is mentally worn-out and tired but he still uses hope and at the trial he hopes that they will believe him by saying 'in the name of God, do your duty'. Atticus still keeps hope and so does Mrs. Dubose even when she is dying. The novel
To Kill a Mockingbird Essay
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ESSAY To Kill a Mockingbird is an astounding portrayal of Southern tradition and human dignity, a novel whose themes and lessons transcends time and place. Throughout the novel there is a battle between justice and prejudice. In the end, good conquers evil in that the reader and the characters learn life lessons about how discrimination is present in the world today and how one can take a stand to stop it. Throughout the novel, it is apparent that the prejudiced sense of integrity is very strong in the town of Maycomb. After Nathan Radley shoots at an unknown figure in his backyard, he says, "got another barrel waiting for the next sound I hear in that patch.... be it dog or nigger." By denying Negro's humanity, and neglecting the rights all humans should possess, Mr. Radley draws a strong line between blacks and whites. The white society of Maycomb constructs a caste system, which has a degrading effect to the community. To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates that a prejudiced society strongly oppresses individuals who are affiliated with Negro's. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the community of Maycomb continuously antagonizes Atticus, because he gives a Negro the same rights as whites. "Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for." By classifying Negroes as "trash", and placing Atticus in the class with Negroes, Mrs. Dubose
To Kill a Mockingbird - prejudice
The novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee is a didactic novel which explores the issue of prejudice at different levels. It tells the story of two isolated members of Maycomb County - Tom Robinson and Boo Radley - who are subject to racial, individual and class prejudice from the community. The exploration of the theme of prejudice successfully evokes sympathy from the reader and also prompts the reader to consider the theme in a wider context outwith the microcosm of Maycomb. The mockingbird motif is arguably the most significant symbol in the novel - its key image of an innocent creature and its repeated image make it a very effective motif in conveying the theme of prejudice. Essentially, the mockingbird mainly symbolises Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, both innocent and isolated from society. Mockingbirds themselves do not have their own songs; instead they are heard through other bird's calls - the Maycomb County saw Boo and Tom through prejudice, gossip and racism within the community. The mockingbird symbol is employed by Lee to emphasise that, at the period of time in which the novel is set, the innocent people in society - the black community - were isolated and also that it is a sin to harm an innocent: 'Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em. But remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' In influencing the title of the novel, the
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird Coursework Do you think To Kill a Mockingbird is a depressing or an optimistic novel? "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow." This is how the novel written by Harper Lee in the 1930s starts, this awkward beginning grabs our attention before introducing us to the horrendous conditions in the 1930s. Lee offers us an awkward beginning introducing a first person narrator and other main character of the novel. If we were only to judge the novel by its first sentence, we would think that the novel narrates an adventure that Scout and Jem experience throughout the time narrated. However, as the novel and time progresses we can see how both depressing and optimistic events are narrated through Lee's use of Scout as the narrator of the story in the first person. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee presents different depressing events including not only the trial, but many other events which I will also analyse. Poverty in southern USA in the 1930s was very common. This poverty is display in the novel by the use of lower class citizens such as the Ewell. In the trail, the reader sees the Ewell social class and they realize how poor they were. Jem also call them trash when explaining to Scout how there are four types of folks. The fact that Harper Lee exhibits this poverty in the novel, and the fact that she uses Mayella
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is set in the mid-1930s in Maycomb, a very prejudiced and inward looking town. Discuss the ways in which Atticus stands up as a man of reason and courage within this very traditional and backward looking environment. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is written by Harper Lee. The novel is set in the 1930s in Maycomb, a 'tired old town' in Alabama. Maycomb is said to be traditional. People know their place and their family history dictates what they do. They have a routine way of life. People are pre-judged on their class and race. Class prejudice is based on your wealth and your family background. Black people are thought to be below any other class and therefore they are segregated from the whites. There is one shining light in Maycomb- Atticus Finch. He is a white lawyer and he chooses not to perpetuate the social injustice. He treats his family just like he treats anyone else. He is 'the same in his house as he is on the public streets'. He has his own belief system; the belief that you should treat people with respect, courtesy and, most importantly, equally. Maycomb is a very traditional and people's way of life is dictated by their history. In American history, black people were slaves and were treated with little respect. There is still a similar attitude in Maycomb and the white people put themselves above the blacks. The Finchs
To Kill A Mockingbird Essay
In the 1960's American classic, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, the issue of racism is explored through the eyes of a young, white girl, struggling to understand the racist behaviours of society. Set in the 1930's, during the Great Depression, in Maycomb, a country town in southern United States, the author has cleverly positioned the audience to empathise with the indignities suffered by African Americans. It may seem that the novel brings to light some of the failings of the human race, though it also conveys a message of hope, and inspiration into the good of human nature. Despite being freed from slavery for over seventy years, there are those in the town of Maycomb refusing to let the African Americans live down their history, such as the likes of Bob Ewell, while there are others, like Atticus Finch, who are fighting for their equality within the hearts of people who refuse to let go of the past. Society's beliefs and morals are tested as an African American man, Tom Robinson, is trailed for raping a white girl, despite evidence that clearly suggest the accusations to be false. Via further analysis of these three characters the issue of racism, and its involvement within the novel will be better defined, allowing for greater understanding, and appreciation of this issue, as well as the consequences which accompany it. Bob Ewell's involvement throughout
To Kill a Mockingbird Lit Review
To Kill A Mockingbird Literature Review Table of Contents I. Main Characters ................................................................................... Page 3 II. Minor Characters .................................................................................. Page 6 III. Setting ................................................................................................ Page 9 IV. Theme ................................................................................................ Page 9 . V. Point of View ....................................................................................... Page 10 VI. Plot .................................................................................................... Page 11 VII. Memorable lines .................................................................................... Page 13 I. Main Characters Jean Louise (Scout) Finch a) "Scout yonder's been readin' ever since she was born, and she ain't even started to school yet."(7). Not even six years old, Scout was already literate. This quote showed that Scout was very intelligent compared to other children. "'Yes sir, I understand,' I reassured him. 'Mr. Tate was right.' Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. 'What do you mean?' 'Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?'"(276). This quote shows that people give Scout
To Kill A Mockingbird.
To Kill A Mockingbird The story To Kill a Mocking Bird is set in about the 1900s, and like now there were many different types of families, some of which had stereotypes due to appearance and history. Some families did not care and still do not about what other people think about what they do, but about if it seems right to them. These families also did not try to behave in a way that was socially accepted, and instead stuck to their own morals. The opposite stereotype is that which act upon the socially accepted standards and morals. Another family stereotype in the novel is the sort that does the best with what they have even if it is nor much and people look down upon them. In the story these three types of stereotypes seem well portrayed in the Finches, Ewells, and Cunninghams. The Finch family within the story, with Atticus as a single parent, portrays a family based upon social acceptance, a good historical background and chivalry. Atticus Finch raises two children on his own due to his wife dying outside of the story, this means that his two children Jem and Scout do not remember their mother very well and Scout does not remember her at all. They were both brought up to respect Atticus beliefs and requests of them unless they believe in what else in they do. "Don't go to him, he might not like it. He's all right, lets go home. I just wanted to see where he was."
