...Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird symbolism is present as a mockingbird, the multiple flowers mentioned, and a character himself, Boo Radley. Mockingbirds are a picture of innocence and beauty. The mockingbird is used as a symbol of innocence in the book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is telling Scout how it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Scout later asks Miss Maudie and Miss Maudie agrees by saying “Your father’s right…Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy…but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” They say it is a sin to kill one because they do not do anything to harm others. The only thing they do is bring music to their ears. Not only for innocence in general,...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...“How Does Harper Lee Present Her Ideas About Childhood in the Novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’?” In the novel ‘‘‘To Kill a Mockingbird’’’ written by Harper Lee, childhood is expressed throughout the story. The narrator of ‘‘‘To Kill a Mockingbird’’’ is Scout, an adult when the book was written, but a child when the story was lived, with this narration Harper Lee, uses Scout to portray the events which, normally would have had a biased review by adults at the time, but because it is written by a child it has non-judgemental views. Therefore, because of the child narrator, and the other main characters being children, this shows that childhood in ‘‘‘To Kill a Mockingbird’’’ is important and crucial. In the chapters 1 to 12, childhood is presented by friendship, gullibility, pride, questioning and fear. The fear element, is a major part through ‘‘To Kill a Mockingbird’’, because at different stages of the novel at least one of the main characters is scared. The Finch children first experience real friendship in ‘‘‘To Kill a Mockingbird’’’, when they meet Charles Baker Harris – Dill. Before Dill has passed the ‘Jem test’, Dill boasts to Scout and Jem that he can read. Which was not usually common in Maycomb at the time, but Jem and Scout could both read, which meant that they thought Dill was showing off and they wouldn’t want to be friends with him. Also what makes Dill become an issue about friendship, is how he introduces himself. He recites his entire name, and makes fun of...
Words: 1258 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 453 - Pages: 2
...In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus teaches his children many lessons about life. Atticus teaches his children the importance of acceptance, how to avoid stereotyping, and lastly how racism shows the people of Maycomb’s true colours. To conclude Atticus makes it clear to his children that they should never judge a person before getting to know them. Firstly,stereotyping is the main thing in To Kill a Mockingbird.Scout and Jem learn from their mistakes or they learn from the people themselves. For example, Scout judged Mr.Dolphus Raymond because she thought he was a drunk and he had mulatto children from a black woman. She thought that it was wrong to speak to a drunkard and to even deal with someone that loves and lives with black people. But he confronts her and Dill, as a result he makes a simple point that he prefers blacks over his kind because they are uptight and are hypocrites. The white people have their views and judgemental ways against the black community. Mr.Dolphus Raymond tells them this so they can change their views on how they see people. "I try to give 'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason... folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskeythat's why he won't change his ways... that's why he lives the way he does." (Chapter 20)... I shouldn't be here listening to this sinful man who had mixed children and didn't care who knew it, but he was fascinating. (Chapter 20). People stereotype ...
Words: 1252 - Pages: 6
...Evelyn How Mr. Catrette Lit/Writ 1 15 May 2015 Defining a Mockingbird Life is like a pair of smudgy glasses. At first finding it difficult to see anything clearly, but once effort is rendered in, seeing everything clearly is a piece of cake. Looking into Maycomb, the glasses gives a virtuous understanding of prejudice. Knowing the neighbors do not exactly hold friendly relationships when there is a crazy man also known as Boo Radley living next door, those who care enough to clean their glasses, are not affected by prejudice, therefore do not believe the circulating rumors. “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee demonstrates the meaning of the mockingbird, innocence throughout the story, using Tom Robinson the black man, Boo...
Words: 956 - Pages: 4
...To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee about a small town in Alabama named Maycomb. The time period that this book takes place in is the late 1930s, the end of the Great Depression and prejudice is extremely prominent. The story is about a black male, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, and is defended by a white attorney, Atticus Finch. Atticus and his children, Scout and Jem, endure tough love from their community, but learn many things from the treatment they received. During the book, as the Harper Lee expresses the themes she uses symbols to interpret them. The major themes in the story are revealed within symbols, such as, a mockingbird, an oak tree, and geraniums. The mockingbird...
Words: 818 - Pages: 4
...novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, author Harper Lee implements an extensive array of symbolism that associates itself with many characters throughout the novel. While the title of the book itself may not mean much literally when trying to connect it to the plot of the story, it does in fact have a lot of symbolic weight to it. In the book Ms. Maudie explains why it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but . . . sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” In the novel, a mockingbird symbolically represents purity, and innocence. And to kill a mockingbird means to rid some one “mockingbirds”, one for example is Tom Robinson, in the novel it stated that he was an honest hard...
Words: 478 - Pages: 2
...such would be Arthur (Boo) Radley in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. Boo Radley is a secluded mysterious figure who never comes out of his house. Scout and Jem (who are young children) are fascinated with the stories and rumors of Boo radley and hope to meet him one day. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee represents the theme that rumors do not define a person through Arthur (Boo) Radley and his relationship with Atticus’s children (Scout and Jem) and how their relationship changes from the beginning to the end of the book. An example of Harper Lee using this theme would be at the beginning of the book. During the summer, in a small town called Maycomb, Scout and Jem meet a new...
Words: 792 - Pages: 4
...The character, Atticus Finch, in “To Kill a Mockingbird” demonstrates diverse emotions of how society works; as the trial goes on, Atticus’ point of view shift. Atticus thinks that he has the same beliefs as the people in Maycomb, later he realizes he doesn’t and follows his own beliefs. He sees two sides of people. He thought they were something they were’t. As the story goes on he learns the truth about people. To begin with Atticus believes that he can only defend a white person and that black people are guilty, later on in the story he started to follow his own feelings with Tom Robison. Atticus was worried about what the people of Maycomb would think of him when he decided to defend Tom Robinson. As Atticus learned Tom’s story he didn’t care what people thought. Atticus states, “You’ll never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”(33). During this time I would...
Words: 640 - Pages: 3
...must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years…Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her. But she said he took advantage of her, and when she stood up she looked at him as if he was dirt beneath her feet....
Words: 1521 - Pages: 7
...She also agrees with this definition by demonstrating courage in these ways throughout the novel. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the three characters that demonstrate outstanding courage are Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Boo Radley demonstrates noteworthy courage by making himself vulnerable to save Scout and Jem from Mr. Ewell’s attack. He makes himself physically vulnerable since he could have also been attacked, but exposes himself to save the children. He does not want to be seen or known, but briefly overcomes that fear when he hears the cries of trouble. This makes him feel emotionally vulnerable. He also indicates his courageousness by staying in the Finch house after the attack. He feels insecure around people but stays to ensure Jem’s safety. Finally, Boo expresses courage by admitting he was uncomfortable...
Words: 835 - Pages: 4
...stories. (Thesis) In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, metaphorical blindness is very evident in many characters which causes many people around them to suffer, including themselves.(Outline of supporting arguments )Some of the many characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” that show metaphorical blindness are Bob Ewell, Miss Stephanie Crawford, and Miss Caroline Fisher. Paragraph Two: Argument...
Words: 934 - Pages: 4
...To Kill a Mockingbird, by Nelle Haper Lee was published in 1960, after the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education and during a time of increasing civil rights unrest (Johnson). It was also a time of great social change in the United States, and a novel about the racial injustices of 1930s Alabama carried a powerful message to its readers. After the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, literature and literacy were used to expose and educate on racial injustice (Prendergrast 2). The dominant theme of the novel is prejudice and ultimately the courage needed to overcome prejudice. There are three main types of prejudice that are explored in the novel; racial prejudice, social prejudice and fear of the unknown. Racial prejudice is present throughout the novel in the people of Maycomb’s everyday life, as it is a novel set in the ‘deep south’ of America in the 1930’s. This period is not so long after the American civil war, so slavery’s abolishment had occurred not all that long ago, and the horror of slavery was still on the mind of many black people at the time (Brundage 86). Because of this, most people’s attitudes towards black people had not changed very much. The situation that shows the best examples of racial prejudice is the trial of Tom Robinson. In his trial, Tom Robinson is misjudged and mistreated because he is black. One of the clearest examples of this is the way in which Mr. Gilmer, Tom’s prosecutor, calls Tom “boy.” He uses a tone of voice towards...
Words: 1526 - Pages: 7
...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...
Words: 2841 - Pages: 12
...“To Kill a Mockingbird” Analysis Harper Lee published “To Kill a Mockingbird “ in 1960, a time buzzing with racial segregation and irrational injustice. She based the book on various events that were all to real, only fifty years ago. Throughout the book, the author captures these horrendous inequalities and is able to explore these subjects through various situations and characters. However, it is not always just the color of one’s skin as to the reason of why they are treated differently. Lee is able to display examples of prejudice based on class and status of a person, rather than race alone, through the use of abstract symbols through the use of characters. Harper Lee use birds to symbolize traits in various characters throughout the book. Although it is not just mockingbirds used as the only bird example. When Jem and Scout receive guns to shoot for fun, Atticus warns them against shooting mockingbirds. However, he states that they may shoot all the blue jays they desire. Blue jays are the nuance bird; this connects to Bob Ewell due to the fact that he is the perfect display of a blue jay. The blue jays represent the prejudiced citizens of Maycomb; they are ever present and continue to taunt others. Atticus goes on to tell the kids that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The mockingbird is the innocent bird and therefore sums up Tom Robinson the most clearly. As being an innocent man that is only being tried due to his race, he embodies the mockingbird perfectly. Throughout...
Words: 1714 - Pages: 7
