To kill a mockingbird themes
To kill a mockingbird themes One of the major themes of To Kill A Mockingbird is the existence of the many forms of prejudice in everyday life. Several different things contribute to its presence. Those who are prejudiced against others are often motivated by greed, pride, or fear. Ignorance often comes into play as well. In the novel, the effects of prejudice are widespread and sometimes result in devastating consequences. A mention of prejudice is on the very first page of the book. It occurred when Scout was describing her family history. Her ancestor, Simon Finch, fled England due to '"'the persecution of those who called themselves Methodists.'"' (3). This is an example of a prejudice caused by ignorance. The Christian groups who disapproved of the Methodists"'" conservative views did not bother to try and understand the reasons behind them. Though the book did not mention what the effects of the persecution were, one can naturally assume that they were unpleasant. Boo Radley is another character that is a victim of prejudice. Boo had been driven into seclusion by his abusive father and brother. Years went by, and the pitiable figure slowly became an object of fear and ridicule in the town of Maycomb. The townspeople were prejudiced against him because they were afraid of him. He was commonly viewed as a freak or a monster and became associated with unexplained
To kill a mockingbird.
To kill a mockingbird The widely known novel To Kill A Mockingbird there are two families that are very diverse and are text book examples of complete opposites on the moral ladder of success. The Cunninghams and the Ewells have two very distinct and opposite reputations. The Cunninghams which are very respected while the Ewells very much despised. The Ewells are given the privilege to hunt out of season, so that the residents of the small town of Maycomb would not have to tolerate their continuous begging twenty-four hours a day for seven days a week. These two families show the respectability of hard workers or, in the Ewells case, can fill their peers with sorrow. The Cunninghams have pride, as for the Ewells, they have a natural like anarchist nature that will eventually haunt them and hurt others because of their lurid like attitude. The Cunningham's are very respected by the citizen's of Maycomb county. The Cunninghams took nothing, unless they could pay it back. Walter the youngest in the Cunningham clan was in the same class at school as Scout Finch the daughter of Atticus Finch. While in school, a fresh young new school teacher known as Miss Caroline did not know the reputations of the predecessors of these two children. In what looked like a good day for the rookie teacher quickly turned into complete disarray and a total adversity
Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird
Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird A mockingbird is a harmless bird that makes the world more pleasant. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the mockingbird symbolizes Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, who were both peaceful people who never did any harm. To kill or harm them would be a sin. Scout's father, Atticus, tells Scout and Jem, "I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."(p.69) The mockingbird symbolizes these two characters because it does not have its own song. Whereas, the blue jay is loud and obnoxious, the mockingbird only sings other birds' songs. Therefore, the mockingbird is seen through the other birds. The people of Maycomb only knew Boo Radley and Tom Robinson by what others said about them. Both of these characters do not really have their own "song" in a sense, and therefore, are characterized by other people's viewpoints. Boo Radley went through his life never wanting to hurt a fly. He left gum, pennies, and wax dolls for Scout and Jem. He sewed Jem's pants and left them on the fence so he could get them easily. He also saved Scout's and Jem's lives while risking his own. Boo was a fragile and gentle person. Throughout the novel, Scout, Jem, and Dill are curious about the "mysterious" Boo Radley because he never
To kill a mockingbird
How Scout Changes and Develops in To Kill A Mockingbird Scout changes and develops during the course of 'To kill a mockingbird' and one of the main progresses is Scout's growing up and the lessons she learns. There are many things that Scout discovers as she grows up through the novel. Her character and maturity develop during the book. Some of what she gains is quite important. Scout is taught to see things from the other person's point of view. When Atticus advises her in the second chapter that, 'you never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it', Scout does not take much notice. Later on in the novel she starts to see things from Boo's perspective because she says, 'I don't think it would be nice to bother him,' when Jem and Dill try to send a letter to Boo. She argues, 'how would we like it if Atticus barged in on us without knocking, when we were in our rooms at night?' Towards the end of the book her understanding becomes clearer when she is standing on the Radley's front porch after walking Boo home. She realises that 'she had never really seen the neighbourhood from this angle'. With an enhanced understanding, she comes to recognise that Boo is entitled to his privacy. Scout also learns what 'a compromise' is about. When she begins to dislike Miss. Caroline's way of teaching, she immediately decides that she wants to stay
To Kill a Mockingbird.
To Kill a Mockingbird Classic, a term one uses to describe many things, such as a defining moment or an object such as a book. When used in this context, such as describing a book, it persuades the reader to examine the novel further to discover what makes this piece of literature so memorable to people who have read it. One such novel is Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. One may describe this novel as a classic because the messages described in the novel can be perceived on so many different levels that any reader, no matter the level, can observe these messages. The prime messages observed in this novel are that of racism, how the actions of a community, not just a parent, can affect a child, and how rumours and invalidated facts can destroy anyone's reputation. Racism is mentioned throughout the second part of the novel. It is the prime and most mentioned part of this section of the novel. This message is displayed on many levels so even the lowest level reader can visibly ask oneself why this is occurring. The easiest way to observe this may be the town's actions toward Tom Robinson, the negro on trial. The townspeople, for the most part, dismissed the entire trial on the basis on that it does not matter what Atticus can do, Mr. Robinson is automatically guilty. This message can also be seen in a severely symbolic manner, Tom Robinson's death. The manner in which he
Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird
Discuss how Lee has utilised symbolism in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and how this offers meanings to readers. One of the language techniques used in novels is that of symbols and motifs. A symbol is something that represents something else by association, resemblance or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible. In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, the use of symbols plays an important role in the development of the main themes and central ideas of the novel. The novel explores the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of North America in the thirties as well as the themes of courage, acceptance and personal integrity, through the eyes of the young narrator, Scout Finch. Lee uses symbolism extensively throughout the novel. This essay will present one of those symbols and examine how it is used to represent a number of ideas within the novel. One of the major symbols that emerges in the novel is that of the mockingbird. The mockingbird is used by Lee to represent a number of ideas. One of those ideas is the loss of innocence, which is one of the major themes of the novel. This idea of innocence is introduced when Atticus Finch gives his children rifles as presents but warns them '...shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' Miss
"To Kill A Mockingbird" - review
"To Kill A Mockingbird" Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" made a significant impact on me as it made me aware of the necessity to offer tolerance and understanding to other people. "To Kill A Mockingbird" is set in Alabama, South America 1933-1935. 6-year-old Scout, a young girl living in the old tired town of Maycomb, narrates the novel. Using a young girl enables Harper Lee to explore the issue of racial prejudices in a humorous manner. The novel is about a series of events experienced by Scout as she matures over the two-year period concentrating mainly on the trial of Tom Robinson. By the end of the novel the message of the novel that it is important to always show tolerance and understanding to other people is conveyed to the reader and understood by Scout. Throughout my essay I intend to discuss the extent to which I find Atticus an admirable character. Harper Lee constantly portrays Atticus Finch, Scout's father as an admirable character. One of the ways in which Atticus' commendable personality is conveyed is through his role as a single parent. It is clear that Scout and Jem have nothing but respect, trust and love for their father. Atticus appears to be a very loving father as demonstrated by the many examples of Scout "climbing onto her fathers knee" simply for reassurance and security. Atticus consistently provides his children with stability and security
To Kill a Mockingbird Critical Essay
To Kill a Mockingbird Critical Essay A book which I have studied recently in class is "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. In this essay I am going to write about how Harper Lee explores the main themes of the novel and which characters illustrate which theme. I will also write about the novels central message. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story of Scout Finch and her brother Jem, in 1930's Alabama. The summer when Scout was six and Jem was ten, they met Dill. Dill and Jem become obsessed with the idea of making Boo Radley, the neighbourhood recluse, come out of his home. Scout and Jem's father, Atticus, is a respected lawyer in Maycomb County. When he takes on a case of a young black innocent man, Tom Robinson against two dishonest white people, Atticus knows that he will lose, but he has to defend the man because he feels he is obliged to. The case is the biggest thing to hit Maycomb County in years and it turns the whole town against Atticus. The children have to face insults and slurs against their father. Tom Robinson is sent to a work prison to await another trial, but before Atticus can get him to court again, Tom is shot for trying to escape the prison. The case is finally over and everything returns to normal until one Halloween night. On the way home from a pageant Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout in the dark. Boo Radley rescues Scout and her brother.
To Kill a Mockingbird.
To Kill a Mockingbird "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" Harper Lee , the author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for the novel "To kill a mocking bird". Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, in the south west of Alabama. She is the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. Harper Lee attended Huntingdon College 1944-45, studied law at University of Alabama 1945-49, and studied one year at Oxford University. Her fathers occupation was law. This relates to "To kill a mocking bird" since scout's father, Atticus Finch, was also a lawyer. It creates an effect of a fictional autobiography because it contains elements of fiction and autobiography. She was the youngest in her family this is also part of putting elements of her life into a book. The book was written in 1957 and published in 1961. This was at the time of the Martin Luther King and Malcolm X movement who were fighting for racial equality. The novel has no fixed genre, this is what makes it such an interesting and refreshing novel, since it keeps changing it's genre. In the 1930's the state of Alabama, racism was still present in large numbers. There was a segregation between
To Kill a Mockingbird minor characters
To Kill a Mockingbird Task: Examine the role of the minor characters in "To Kill a Mockingbird" Many readers think the only importance when reading a book is to concentrate on the main characters, but actually this is untrue. Often the minor characters symbolize something and sometimes they are supposed to show the reader the story from a different point of view. A synonym for minor is "accessory" and I think that this word explains this wonderfully well. People wear accessories to make themselves more valuable and to seem more creative or stylish. This is what an author actually tries to do with his minor characters. Bob Ewell is the drunken head of Maycomb's poorest family. He lives on the dump with his daughter Mayella and a unknown number of sons. He has no job and for the reason of laziness and he has has no intentions of getting one. Instead he drinks, goes hunting out of season and his daughter has to take care of their house and children. In his knowingly wrongful accusation that Tom Robinson raped his daughter, Bob Ewell represents the dark side of the South: ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice. His daughter, Mayella Ewell, deserves a more blessed life. She is (sexually-) abused by her father, lonely and unhappy. For that reason she falls in love with Tom Robinson, who helps her and shows her some kindness. Mayella thinks that Tom
