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
Whether the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" is depressing or optimistic
Hamza Anwar To Kill A Mockingbird Optimistic or Depressing? Discuss In this essay, I shall be discussing whether the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" is depressing or optimistic. I will also be considering four themes from the novel being courage, growing up, prejudice and symbolism. I shall do this essay in two parts; negative and then positive. Firstly, I shall talk about the pessimistic aspect of the novel. Harper Lee was born Monroeville, Alabama on April 28, 1926. She received her early education in the Monroeville public schools. Following this, she entered the University of Alabama to study law. She left there to spend a year in England as an exchange student. Returning to the university, she continued her studies, but left in 1950 without having completed the requirements for her law degree. She moved to New York and worked as an airline reservation clerk. Prejudice is the main theme in the play. The dictionary defines prejudice being a strong opinion on an individual who possess for or against someone without knowing all the facts about them. It can be passed down from generation to generation. In the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" there are numerous accounts of racism and prejudice. The novel is set in a time when racism was very prevalent. Anyone that is out of the ordinary from society is treated
"To Kill A Mokingbird" - Harper Lee points a word picture of a sweet affectionate portrait of growing up in the disappearing world of a small town
In the first half of the "To Kill A Mokingbird" Harper Lee points a word picture of a sweet affectionate portrait of growing up in the disappearing world of a small town, Alabama. In the second half of the book, Harper Lee, the author proceeds to expose a portrayal of small town manners. Lee reveals a rotten, rural underside with social lies, prejudice and ignorance. No one in Mokingbird is completely good or evil. Every character is human with flaws and weaknesses. The author reveals Atticus the upholder of mortality, as being weak, by making him an old and widowed man. No longer young and virile. Atticus is the father of Jem and Scout. He is a member of the Alabama state legislature and is Maycomb's leading attorney. Atticus is an upright, moral character. He teaches his children and his community how to stand up for one's beliefs in the face of prejudice and ignorance. As a widower Atticus develops himself to his children, although his family and neighbors think his children lack discipline and proper guidance. He stands as one of literature's most positive, father figures. He is the voice of reason in the town of Maycomb. He dispels the wisdom and logic that is the centre of the novel. He looks at everyone and tries to understand who they are and where they are coming from. He quietly passes on wisdom to his children about taboo subjects, like racism. He
"What insights into life in the southern state of America were suggested by the arrest, trial and death of Tom Robinson?" - 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by renowned novelist Harper Lee.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD English Advanced "What insights into life in the southern state of America were suggested by the arrest, trial and death of Tom Robinson?" 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by renowned novelist Harper Lee, is about how prejudice and ignorance come together into a very hateful force and how one man had courage to stand up against injustice when there was very little hope. The novel also shows how prejudice was so strong in the southern states of America that it was able to blind the judgement of individuals. The novel introduces many themes like racial segregation, racial myth, society pressure, ignorance due to misunderstanding, corruption, social destructive taboo, revenge fuelled by hate and prejudice. All these themes led up to the arrest, trial and subsequent death of Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white girl. It is very sad and disgusting to see that prejudice and racism are still very strong in today's society. We can find evidence of racism in the lynch scene, where an attempt is made to hang Tom Robinson before a democratic trial is held. It is a deliberate act of taking justice into ones own hand and passing judgement before a fair trial. Also you can observe traces of racist thought influencing the reasoning power of many individuals and also how hate could cloud ones mind of reasonable thought. In this crowd mentality the individuality
In the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee suggests that in certain situations people have the potential to show acts of courage
In our society it is generally believed that in order for someone to show courage, they must show it through physical acts of peril. The only type of courage that is ever heard of or praised is when someone nearly puts their life at risk to show their bravery. In the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee suggests that in certain situations people have the potential to show acts of courage, great or small. Lee proposes this through characterization, plot and outcome. Throughout the novel there are many characters who show that they have courage. Atticus Finch teaches his children many lessons, and one of the most significant ones is his lesson on courage. He tries to show his children what true courage is, and that it can be shown in many different ways. Atticus shows his own courage when he steps up to shoot the mad dog, and the children learn something they never knew about their father. Atticus, however, does not want his children to feel that what he did was an example of real courage. Perhaps the most courageous thing Atticus had to do was defending Tom Robinson. The lesson he teaches Scout is that real courage is shown when you know you're beat but you try anyway. "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win"(76). Atticus knows he will not win the case, but his morals tell him to try anyway. "...if
Hobsons choice-How did hobson lose control?
Henry Horatio Hobson is one of the principal characters of the play and his conflict with his daughters, particularly Maggie, provides the basis of the story line. Hobson is a 55-year-old middle-class man very old fashioned values.This causes the reader to instantly dislike Hobson thanks to the language Brighouse uses when exposing Hobson's mannerisms to the audience for the first time. He is a 'single parent' since his wife's death and although in a different situation this could have been seen as quite heroic, instead he is shown to be quite the opposite, in the way that he constantly reminds his daughters that he considers them to be uppish, and that they have,"grown bumptious at a time when they lack a mother's hand." Throughout the play Hobson is portrayed as a character who wants to be dominant, from as early as act one Hobson can be seen addressing his daughters so called "uppishness". "I'm talking now, and your listening....Girls grow bumptious, and must have someone to rule, but I tell you this, you'll none rule me." This shows that Hobson thinks he understands his daughters actions, and thinks that their actions are normal, but the reality is that his daughters are tired of Hobson's way's , and want Hobson to allow them some independence. Hobson is portrayed as his daughters oppressor in the way that he describes the way that Alice and Vickey dress (who are avid
to kill a mocking birdHow is the mockingbird a symbol for the innocence in the novel?
TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD Q - How is the mockingbird a symbol for the innocence in the novel? 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
oral speech on funny themeOnce upon a time there was a young boy named Tom
Task: write a short speech to illustrate a funny theme G.C.S.E English ( Miss Jones) Rosalyn Khan Once upon a time there was a young boy named Tom. Tom was twelve years old and lived in Fydale, texas . While walking home from school one day, a green rabbit jumped out from behind a sofa and tackled Tom to the ground. But just when he was about to let out a scream for help, Tom realized that the green rabbit was only licking his face, not trying to bite it off. At that moment, Tom decided to keep the green rabbit as a pet. And on the way home he decided to name his pet green rabbit ''Micheal.'' When Tom and his new pet finally got home, guess who was standing on the front porch? That's right, it was Tom's mother, Susan. And boy was she surprised to see a green rabbit following Tom into the yard! ''What in world is that?'' shouted Susan. ''It's a green rabbit,'' answered Tom. ''Dah, I can see that, Tom, but what on earth is it doing here?'' said Susan. ''It's my new pet!'' answered Tom. ''Oh you think so do you?'' remarked Susan. ''I wouldn't get your hopes up. You know how your father hates green rabbits. But, well, I suppose you can keep him until your father comes home.'' And with that Tom grabbed Micheal by the scruff of the neck and led his new pet into the house--even though he knew his father was probably going to disapprove. Once in the house,
To Kill a Mockingbird Metaphor Analysis
Metaphor Analysis Mockingbird: The mockingbird represents innocence. Like hunters who kill mockingbirds for sport, people kill innocence, or other people who are innocent, without thinking about what they are doing. Atticus stands firm in his defense of innocence and urges his children not to shoot mockingbirds both literally and figuratively. The mockingbird motif arises four times during To Kill a Mockingbird. First, when Atticus gives Jem and Scout air guns for Christmas and instructs them not to kill mockingbirds. Second, when B.B. Underwood writes about Tom Robinson's death in his column. Third, a mockingbird sings right before Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout. Finally, Scout agrees with Atticus that prosecuting Boo for Ewell's murder would be like killing a mockingbird. Boo Radley: Boo Radley represents fear. Small town folks fear that if they act eccentric and fail to adhere to social rules they too will end up like Boo, isolated and remembered as a grotesque monster. It is this fear that supports the social status quo and keeps individuals from standing up for that which they believe. Until people can understand and accept Boo, as Scout does at the end of the book, they will always be stuck in a world filled with fear, lies, and ignorance. Guns : Guns represent false strength. According to Atticus, guns do not prove manhood or bravery. Manhood and bravery come from
To Kill A Mockingbird Imagery and Symbolism
English Literature - Assignment A Section 1: prose Question 1 Make a list of the things that scout learns as she grows up during the novel. Support each point with reference to a specific incident. There are many things that Scout learns during the course of the novel: The first thing that Scout learns when she grows up is that Jem is changing and becoming a young man. She learns that Jem gets to an age where he is growing up, and doesn't want to spend time with her; "His appetite was appalling, and he told me so many times to stop pestering him." Chapter 12 (pg 127). Now Jem is growing up he doesn't want to play with his sister so much and wants to be alone more. She has learnt that things don't always stay the same and change is a part of growing up. Scout notices that Jem is growing up and becoming more brotherly, by watching over her and taking responsibilities, such as when she cries and he cuddles her in; "He caught me by the shoulders, put his arm around me, and led me sobbing in fury to his bedroom." Chapter 23 (pg 248) He's being responsible for his sister. She learns that some families support each other and is trying to make her feel safe by hugging her. It is similar the way that her father is defending Tom Robinson and treating him like a brother. Another sign of the change is that Jem is being called Mister Jem; "Don't you fret too much over mister Jem".
