...Ethical Influence Paper September 18th, 2015 Brandon McConnell To Kill A Mockingbird If you were to ask me about a book or a hero that was an ethical influence on me, I would tell you that both come from the same book/movie. It would be Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird, it is a classic example of heroism and doing the right thing and there is many readers who would agree with that statement. I read this book at the young age of 14 in middle school when I was still developing my feel for the ethics of right and wrong so it made a lasting impact on me growing up and developing as a person. Summarize the book or hero’s life in a few paragraphs; Everyone should know the story of To Kill A Mockingbird but if you don’t, let me share it with you. It happens in a little town of Maycomb, Alabama in the heat of all the racism in the South. In this little town everyone knows each other and everyone knows what happens. The main characters are the Finch family with Atticus, Scout, and Jem in their small house in the middle of Maycomb. Scout is a young girl who grew up with a lot of boys and acts that way in the way she deals with conflict. Jem is the older brother who isn’t really isn’t in the picture a lot but is in a crucial incident of the story with Scout. Atticus is a very well known coveted lawyer; everyone in town knows him and looks up to him as a person and a professional. That was short lived when Atticus did something he knew was right but society...
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...Racism has for a long time been a worldwide problem and does still exist to this very day. Although several protagonists of rights has accomplished a lot of success throughout the time by defending blacks, some people still think that the color of a man’s skin is connected to his status as a human being. But what happens when a white man stands up to defend a black man, in a society which is based on prejudices against blacks? And does moral even interfere? That is some of the question the author, Harper Lee, is answering in his novel "To kill a Mockingbird", published in the year of 1960. The story is about the siblings Scout and Jem Finch living in a small town called Maycomb. They have lost their mother but as a replacement they have their nanny, Calpurnia, to look after them. Their father, Atticus, does also take care of them while being one of the only lawyers in the county. One summer, the siblings become fascinated by their neighbor, Boo Radley, who never seems to leave the house. Scout and Jem spend most of the summer, in company of their friend Dill, trying to get a glimpse of their mysterious neighbor. After several attempts of getting near the house they must conclude that Boo Radley remains a puzzle as Jem and Scout goes back to school. The subsequent summer Atticus is struggling with a case, in which he is defending the black man Tom Robinson. Tom has been accused of raping the white girl Mayella Ewell. Atticus, as well as Jem and Scout, is assured that...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird A summary of the novel by Harper Lee Doris Griffin Colorado Technical University Online June 23, 2012 Author Note This paper was prepared for LITR240-1202B-09, Phase 5 IP, taught by Professor Daniel Lambert. Abstract Harper Lee wrote only one novel in her life. To Kill A Mockingbird, in a research done by the Book-Of-The-Month Club in 1991 ranked second to the Bible. The novel still draws a million new readers each year. The novel contains two stores, the innocence of childhood as told by Scout and the story of her father who was asked to defend a Negro who was accused of raping a white woman. (Shields, C., 2006) Two of the themes of the novel are justice and tolerance. The two are joined together when Atticus explains to Scout how to understand all kinds of people by walking around in their skin. (Shields, C., 2006) To Kill A Mockingbird is a story to learn a life’s lesson from. The innocence of a child is genuine and they are taught racism and hate by their elders. Children at a young age do not see black or white, rich or poor, or understand what racism means. They are just children who believe that everyone is good and they trust with all their hearts. To Kill a Mockingbird The story is set in and old town in Alabama, Maycomb. The town is described as a quiet and dull town in the 1930’s. Scout is one of the main characters in the story. She is naïve and innocent as children are. She has an older brother, Jem, that...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird was a great and unique novel about two children that were the main character and this essay is to explain why the point of view and the characters of To Kill a Mockingbird would affect the plot and overall structure of the novel. The point of view affects the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird because the characters are all different, they are of all ages, and the people of Maycomb all have different aspects of the Tom Robinson case. These two literary terms really effect the novel and the plot of the whole story especially because of how a lot of the people of Maycomb are intriguingly different. Children in the novel and adults are of all ages and that would really effect the plot of the novel. Many reasons would effect the novel and it could’ve had many outcomes but the people of Maycomb’s aspects on the Tom Robinson case was a big one....
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...Journal 1: There’s a part at the beginning of chapter fourth goes like this “don’t eat things you find, scout” “it wasn't on the ground it was on the tree.” says scout. That part really reminded me of my childhood and when I used to not really grab stuff off the ground out of curiosity to see how it tasted but at the same time I would get caught by like my mom and or brother and they would tell me to not do that again because it’s gross and unhealthy. journal 2: There’s a part in the book where Atticus said: “you’re not afraid of the crowd are you?”. That made me think of a time I had at school where me and a group of people had to present a slide show to the whole classroom and while we were in front of all the students my friend that was...
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...It’s A Sin To Kill A Mockingbird Life isn’t fair. Everyone has heard this phrase at least one time, and most absolutely agree. Our world is far from perfect, it always has and always will. Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, is a great example of this. This is an amazing story of a small-town girl named Scout Finch back in the 1930’s. She lives with her older brother (Jem), her father (Atticus), and her black maid (Calpurnia). Atticus is a well known and respected lawyer, who is appointed to a case he takes personally. A black man named Tom Robinson is accused of rape. A white racist man named Bob Ewell claims he raped his daughter. The case has gotten the whole town’s attention, and the Finch’s who are one of the most respected families...
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...1 Brief summary of the book This book tells the story of two children, brother and sister (Jem and Scout) and what they encounter in their childhood. They live in Alabama, together with their father, who is a lawyer. And every summer Dill Harris comes around. The three are inseparable and one summer, they were wondering what happened with the Radley’s place and who lived there. They decide to try to communicate with the Radley’s, namely Boo Radley (Bogeyman) but Mr Nathan (his brother) put a stop to it and they never spoke again. When winter came there was a fire across the street from their house. All neighbours were outside, even Jem and Scout in their pyjama’s. Scout as freezing and without noticing she was given a blanket by Boo Radley, that was the first time in month they had their encounter with the Radley’s. After this event, everything changes. Jem and Scout are growing up, Dill run away from home and Atticus had his big trial, Tom Robinsons. He was...
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...and unity… TEXT COMPARISON Are we always champions of tolerance, courage and receptiveness to others? By the very definition of humanity, we must be. Humanity: benevolence, understanding and kindness towards other people. It is, arguably, our very human nature to feel compassion, courage, understanding, unity and empathy towards our fellow man. Unfortunately, prejudice and judgement also cling to the human condition like tumorous stains – traits which society still finds hard to surmount. Despite the efforts of governments, groups and individuals, humankind still finds it difficult to trust based on the soul of a person; we are more comfortable making judgements based on skin colour. Nelle Harper Lee through her 1960 novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and Boaz Yakin through his 2000 film, ‘Remember the Titans,’ are text composers who tackle the ill-defined paradigms of ‘prejudice, courage and unity’ by painting a picture of the confronting face of racism. Prejudice, courage and unity are notions that are dealt with differently by both composers and, through their use of structural and linguistic features, each composer presents this concept in a manner which connects (or weakens a connection)...
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...My Synopsis The story of To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator, six-year-old named Scout Finch, lives with her older brother Jem and their widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer. Jem and Scout become friends with a boy named Dill who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt for the summer. The three children are afraid of their neighbor "Boo" Radley. The adults of Maycomb don’t like to talk about Boo and for many years, few have seen him. The children feed each other's imaginations with rumors about his appearance and reasons for remaining hidden, and they fantasize about how to get him out of his house. After two summers of being friends with Dill, Scout and Jem find out someone is leaving them small gifts in a tree outside the Radley house. Boo makes gestures to the children but is never seen in person. Atticus is assigned to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Although many of Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom. Atticus discovers that the accusers—Mayella and her father, Bob Ewell, the town drunk—are lying. It also becomes clear that the friendless Mayella was making sexual advances towards Tom and her father caught her in the act. Even with convincing evidence of Tom's innocence, the jury convicts him. Tom is soon shot and killed while trying to escape from prison...
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...“Sometimes the moments that challenge us the most, define us.” Deena Kastor. This quote relates to everyone, especially the Finch Family. Challenging moments in one’s life result in a lesson learned. Even if times are hard, just always know that it is worth it in the long run. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Maycomb County is where the Finch family has lived for countless years, their family name is honored in the small community. Scout Finch, Atticus’ young daughter is just entering school, and her older brother Jem is there to help her. But, Jem and Scout begin to encounter difficult experiences that are much different than their usual games in the backyard. The Finch family develops and grows throughout the book from the experiences they encounter together. Scout if first introduced as a young innocent tomboy type of girl who is her father’s little girl, but over time she grows through her experiences. Scout’s father, Atticus, is all about teaching his children morals, and one moral he has taught Scout is to never do harm to someone or something that does no harm to you. Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed...
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...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 all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-' 'Sir?' '-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.'" Page 30 Analysis This passage exemplifies the special bond between Atticus and his daughter, Scout....
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...Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a historical and nonfiction book which contains 276 pages, and it was written in 1991 by Mildred D. Taylor. The book starts off slow, but it gets better later. The plot is engaging, so you will not put the book down until you are finished reading it. There is a movie version to this book, and it is similar to the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I choose this book because I enjoy reading historical books with a good plot line. This book is about a young black girl named Cassie Logan who lives in Rural, Mississippi in 1933. During this time, people were racist towards black people. She lives on four hundred acres of land with her mom, dad, grandma,...
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...William Faulkner, Harper Lee, and Eudora Welty. William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily”, Eudora Welty’s story “A Worn Path”, and Harper Lee's book To Kill A Mockingbird are three southern gothic books that show southern gothic writing. In “A Worn Path”, “A Rose for Emily”, and To Kill A Mockingbird the authors use the element of horror to scare and surprise the reader. Without a doubt there are many ways to make someone think of what you want them to think of just by using words. Eudora Welty makes you think that someone is going to get killed and that the story will end sad. In “A Worn Path” the main character Phoenix goes on this journey to get her grandson’s medication. Phoenix is an old negro woman, she has hallucinations on her journey and isn’t afraid of anything. This story shows horror being used because on her journey she runs into a young white hunter and his dog. When she is walking, she hears a dog and turns around. The dog then jumps up and pushes her into a ditch. The dog’s owner comes along and helps her up. However,when he finds out where she is going,(into town), he tells her to go home because it is too far. When she refuses to go home he points his gun at her. She just stood there and stared at the gun. He said “Doesn't the gun scare you?” She replied, “No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I have done” You would think that she was going to get killed and that she would...
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...Che Bob 12/11/10 English 1b Ms. Jeffcoat The character in the book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ that I think has the most in common with me is Jem. There are a lot of things that connect me and Jem to the same person. Some of those things are being protective over our younger sibling, taking advice from our fathers, standing up for what’s right, exploring new things, and getting a little emotional when things don’t go as planned. In some of the chapters you might have realized how Jem gave some type of hint in regards of protecting his sister. An important event that happened in chapter 30 that reflected his protections was when Bob Ewell tried to attack his sister and he pulled him off of her and then began to fight him. He and I both take care of our sister and love them. Most of the brother and sisterly love was at a younger age. So as we grew up I grew apart from my sister as well as Jem grew apart from Scout. I and Jem still love our sisters and will protect them at any cost. I talk to my father as often as Jem talks to his. We both take advice from our fathers and use in our everyday life. Most of the time when I am struggling I often seek my father for advice of just comfort. He can always tell when I am not felling well or I am just angry at something. Jem’s father has the same kind of powers if you will. In chapter 24 Jem is felling sorry for Tom Robinson and is sluggish all day. So his father test him with a football magazine. Jem flips through it a couple times...
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...essence, empathy is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” During 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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