...universal scholars and philosophers, this idea does not fail to become a real motif in some of the greatest discussed literature known to humanity. Moreover, among these exceptional classics, stands a prominent example of to kill a mockingbird, an “unforgettable novel of childhood in a sleepy southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it” (Lee 282). This “[c]ompassionate, dramatic and deeply moving” classic of American Literature by Harper Lee not only portrays society as a whole, however, it also accomplishes the task through the use of countless dynamic characters, symbols and allegories (Lee 282). Among...
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...The story To Kill A Mockingbird has many different messages and lessons. For example, throughout the story Scout and Jem learn many things about their town, it’s citizens, and the talk that goes around. Through the process of them learning, they experience situations that end up teaching them lessons. Whether the lesson or message is easy to find in the story or more difficult, there is something that some people don’t bother to pay attention to.Why To Kill A Mockingbird is the title of this story. There isn’t just one way to identify the title, it can be interpreted in different ways. Many characters in the story are compared to helpless mockingbirds that have been injured or destroyed with evil, the reference of mockingbird shows the...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a critically acclaimed novel narrated by Scout FInch, following an important three years in her life. This novel became an instant best seller, an Academy Award-winning film, and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. This book in some states are part of the English curriculum to be taught in high schools, while in other states it is banned from school libraries. This book arises much controversy because it is based around white supremacy in the South, and how African Americans were harshly treated. It reveals the ugly truth on how society handled cases in the court and the biased verdicts as the result. It also reveals the existence of good and evil in a small town, and how some adults...
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...what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” This quote, from To Kill a Mockingbird was said to represent heroism. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Arthur Radley, also known as Boo, shows an act of heroism. Although Arthur’s parents had isolated him from the outside world, he still liked to help and socialize with other people when he had the chance. The isolation and how they treated him would have been enough to cause Boo to give up on life and give up on caring about other human beings, but he didn't. He continued to care for people and cared deeply for them. Arthur Radley shows all the characteristics of a hero. A hero is someone who is fearless, dedicated and humble, and as a result, makes an impact on others. In the book, Boo shows no fear in what he does. Although he has no fear, Arthur Radley is seen by Jem and Scout as a big and scary looking man. Boo starts filling up the little gifts in the tree even though his brother told him specifically not to do it. He continued to leave gifts for the children to keep, even though he...
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...Scout’s Development Essay In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” Jean Louise Finch or better known as Scout develops over the course of the book, her development is paralleled by her view and opinion on Boo Radley. Throughout the book she changes her views on Boo from an unsightly monster to a kindhearted gentle man. While scout starts to understand Boo over the course of the book, her maturity also develops and she starts growing into an adult. In the very beginning of the book when Scout and Jem first meet dill, Scout says this to Dill about the Radley residence, “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him” (Lee 7.) As the quote shows Scout views Boo Radley as a monster who has no care for anyone. At this point in the book Scout is six years old. When scout is at school she picks fights with teachers and other kids. One of the best examples of this in the beginning of the book is when Miss Caroline tries to give Walter Cunningham a quarter to buy lunch when he forgets his lunch. Scout tries to explain to Miss caroline that his family is poor and cannot pay her back. After Scout is punished she goes home and whines to Atticus about what happened. This situation is a representation of her immaturity at the beginning of the book. The rest of the year goes by, Scout and Jem both finish up their school year, but Scout’s developments in her maturity and her understanding of Boo Radley don't show until the summer. During...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird: Overview Vanessa Vigneau English 400 March 20, 2015 Cultural and Literary Significance To Kill A Mockingbird was written during the most critical time periods of racial discrimination, the 1930s. During this time racial prejudice was already an issue, especially in the southern states, but during the Great Depression it escalated even more and the imagery in To Kill A Mockingbird allows the reader to fully understand the impact prejudice had on children and adults. To further explore the cultural significance it is important to also realize that the story time period closely related to the time period in which it was published, 1960. During this time, many were trying to fight Jim Crow laws of segregation and were in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. (2007) This story would seem obvious to some as a coming of age story involving the main character and narrator, Scout, but it was much more involved than a little girl growing up and learning to see things from another’s point of view. This story involves the cultural significance of how people lived in the south in the 1930s and how children and adults were affected by the on-going, ugly, violent prejudice. In the story Scout and Jem are taught by their father lessons about courage and tolerance as it is becoming clear to Atticus, he can no longer shield his children from what is happening in their town. He teaches them to stand in someone else’s shoes and consider the world from that perspective...
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...In To Kill a Mockingbird,Harper Lee suggests courage means doing something difficult to defend or to protect others through Boo radley saving the children and Atticus finch defending Tom Robinson. Arthur Radley or Boo proves what courage is because he saved the kids from getting attacked by Bob Ewell,”His arms were like steel. He slowly squeezed the breath out of me. I could not breathe suddenly, he was jerked backwards and flung on the ground”(Lee 351). This quote suggest courage because Bob Ewell was trying to choke Scout to death until Boo flung him to the ground to protect or save scout from dying by Bob Ewell. Finally Boo saves the kids with a devastating blow to Bob in order to protect these kids from ever getting harmed again.”Bob Ewell's lyin’ on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife...
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...To kill a Mockingbird Journal entry #1 “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop…” Pg: 5 This quotation on chapter one is Scout’s introductory description of Maycomb. Scout emphasizes the slow pace, Alabama heat, and old fashioned values of the town. She writes of time when she “first knew” Maycomb, indicating that she embarks upon this recollection of her childhood much later in life, as an adult. It makes reference to the widespread poverty of the town, implying that Maycomb is in the midst of the great depression. As stated in the quote “There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with.” As been specified above Maycomb county was a ghost town. In the text on page six it clarifies how mysterious it was, “Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.” To kill a Mockingbird Journal entry #2 “I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” Pg: 20 On chapter two scout talks about how she takes reading for granted. Losing it would be devastating to her. Scout compares it to not breathing anymore, reading, for little kids, is not a priority in Maycomb. Scout, however, has Atticus her father teach the incredible joy of reading to his children. This applies to the second sentence about breathing. Although she does not think to herself ‘I love breathing’ for there she does not realize...
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...this joy, there’s so much hate and prejudice. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout learns about cruelty and courage. Most importantly, compassion. In this book, Atticus, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley show most compassionate to me. They seem to really care about people, even if they’re not good at showing it. This famous quote reminds me of their actions throughout the story. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion,” said Dalai Lama, monk of the Gelug. The first example of compassion is Atticus Finch. He is, by far, the most compassionate character in the whole book. “If you can learn a simple trick,...
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...the course of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the recurring lesson of empathy is learned through the experiences of characters, good and bad alike. Most specifically, Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch embarks on a journey throughout the story in which she gains the ability to do just this. Living in the 1930’s town of Maycomb, she witnesses the harsh racism towards those of color, and experiences other strict societal norms that the time period entails, such as gender roles, which she doesn’t seem to abide by. As a risk-taking child, growing up under the influence of her older brother Jem, the two children attempt a fairly...
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...Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summers day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum." Page 5 Analysis The descriptive detail paints a vivid picture of the town of Maycomb, which provides some insight on Scout's feelings about Maycomb. In addition, the narrator provides the setting for the story and sets the mood for a quiet and somewhat dull town, which sets the stage for the conflict of Tom's trial. Chapter 2 Quotation "'Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now.' I mumbled that I was sorry and retired meditating upon my crime." Page 17 Analysis Scout's first grade teacher makes her feel bad about being able to read, when she should feel proud that she can read and write at such a young age. Scout even apologizes and referred to her ability as a crime. This exchange demonstrates how many people in Maycomb are very small minded in their views. Chapter 3 Quotation "'First of all,' he said, 'If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with...
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...To Kill A Mocking Bird BY HARPER LEE Novel Analysis I.BACKGROUND IN FORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nelle Harper Lee (born April 28, 1926) is an American author known for her 1960 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. Despite being Lee's only published book, it led to Lee being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.Lee has also been the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, but has always declined to make a speech. Other significant contributions of Lee include assisting her close friend, Truman Capote, in his research for the book In Cold Blood. II.INFORMATION ABOUT THE NOVEL Classification- To Kill a Mockingbird is embodied by Atticus Finch, who is virtually unique in the novel in that he has experienced and understood evil without losing his faith in the human capacity for goodness. Atticus understands that, rather than being simply creatures of good or creatures of evil, most people have both good and bad qualities. The important thing is to appreciate the good qualities and understand the bad qualities by treating others with sympathy and trying to see life from their perspective. He tries to teach this ultimate moral lesson to Jem and Scout to show them that it is possible to live with conscience without losing hope or becoming cynical. In this way, Atticus is...
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...In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, an idea which is still relevant to people in today’s society is prejudice. The idea of prejudice was shown throughout the novel, most prominently by Tom Robinson’s trial, and the character Arthur “Boo” Radley. Tom’s trial highlighted the idea of racial prejudice and the character Boo Radley, who is a victim of speculation and rumours, helped us better understand social prejudice. Racial and social prejudice are still prevalent and are experienced in our society today despite our seemingly enlightened and tolerant mind-set. Prejudice and the negative mind-set that it induces is influenced by our surrounding family, friends and media. Even though all humans are born with a strong moral conscience, we are bombarded with pictures and people that influence our first impressions of people and make us judgemental, unconsciously or not. The dictionary defines prejudice as a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience, which is clearly the case in Alabama in the 1930’s. The 1930’s was the time of the Great Depression and was before the Black Civil Rights movement took place. People of colour or a different race suffered majorly due to discrimination and prejudice against them. People in small towns during this time period were often prejudiced against those who had a lower social status, and in Southern states of America, the ‘Blacks’ were the lowest of the low. Tom Robinson's trial and Boo Radley give the...
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...THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY Study Guide for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee i Meet Harper Lee at the same university. In 1949, however, she withdrew and moved to New York City with the goal of becoming a writer. While working at other jobs, Lee submitted stories and essays to publishers. All were rejected. An agent, however, took an interest in one of her short stories and suggested she expand it into a novel. By 1957 she had finished a draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. A publisher to whom she sent the novel saw its potential but thought it needed reworking. With her editor, Lee spent two and a half more years revising the manuscript. By 1960 the novel was published. In a 1961 interview with Newsweek magazine, Lee commented: Writing is the hardest thing in the world, . . . but writing is the only thing that has made me completely happy. To Kill a Mockingbird was an immediate and widespread success. Within a year, the novel sold half a million copies and received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Within two years, it was turned into a highly acclaimed film. Readers admire the novel’s sensitive and probing treatment of race relations. But, equally, they enjoy its vivid account of childhood in a small rural town. Summing up the novel’s enduring impact in a 1974 review, R. A. Dave called To Kill a Mockingbird . . . a movingly human drama of the jostling worlds—of children and adults, of innocence and experience, of kindness and cruelty, of love and hatred, of humor...
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...English IV To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee This novel was written by Harper Lee. This was written in the mid 1950s in New York City and was first published in the year 1960. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch is the narrator and lead character of the story. Her father is Atticus and her brother is Jem. She is intelligent; she learned to read at an early age which was taught by Atticus. She changed, with her perspectives about Boo and all the things about life as she experienced it, by means of Atticus, as Atticus explained it briefly. She also improved her personality as well; at the end. Atticus Finch is Scout and Jem’s father. He is also a lawyer. He defended Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella, a white woman. With his strong will and empathy, he fought for justice that made his family vulnerable of immoral hearsays and of seeing that justice doesn’t always prevail. He is a good teacher to his children. And he was able to put his self in the same situation, which makes him a great teacher. Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch is Scout’s brother. He is four years older than Scout and he remains as a close companion and protector of Scout throughout the story. Jem finds himself in an unstable situation with his traumatic experience at Tom Robinson’s trial. His disappointment upon seeing that justice does not always prevail led to his confusion, but what Atticus instilled in him dominates and guided him to the right path. Arthur “Boo” Radley is a loner...
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