...To Kill a Mockingbird Seminar Essay Guiding Question 2 In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explains Scout’s coming of age story through a point of view lesson and a lesson about society. After Scout’s first day of school, Atticus justifies Miss Caroline’s extreme behavior regarding Scout’s early reading skills by claiming “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view(Lee 39)”. At this point in the novel, Scout thinks little of what Atticus says and refuses to believe any justification for how Miss Caroline treated her earlier in the day. However, Scout quickly becomes reminded of this lesson time and time again. At the climax of the novel, Atticus justifies Bob Ewell’s reaction of the court proceedings as “some kind of comeback(Lee 292)” when putting himself in Ewell’s shoes. Scout begins to relax, but is not reassured completely by Atticus’ explanation of Bob Ewell’s bland threats. Scout finally truly understands this coming of age lesson when putting herself in Boo Radley’s...
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...Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee discusses the effects of discrimination and the toll it takes on people. Through examples of sexism, prejudice, and racism, from the townsfolk of a small town in Alabama, she shows the readers the injustice of many. The victims of discrimination serve as the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story, as said by Atticus,“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Lee, 94). In essence, this story demonstrates the loss of innocence of many, especially Scout who is affected by sexism and racism most of all. By far, one of the most evident forms of discrimination present in To Kill a Mockingbird is racism. It impacts the actions of every single character in the book and formulates...
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...of his skin. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, a black man, was convicted without sufficient evidence of raping a white girl and sentenced to prison. While trying to escape, he was shot and killed by the prison guards. Tom Robinson’s trial was unfair and was heard by a biased jury. The question now is: Would Tom’s case have played out in a modern court like it did in the book? The answer is NO! It is true that minorities feel that prejudices and racism against them are still present in our modern justice system, which can be supported by the recent riots and the “Black Lives Matter” movement. However, Tom Robinson’s trial would not have had the same outcome in our modern judicial system as it did in To Kill A Mockingbird due to modern day defenders of Civil Rights for all....
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...Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson epitomize one of the three themes-justice, morality, and ethics- Harper Lee addresses in To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson displays in the book the actions he took to become ethical. Boo Radley shows us how he insures justice to the Finch children and Tom Robinson’s family. Atticus Finch’s morals are what holds the town intact. Each of these characters conveys his/her own theme. First, Boo Radley has been treated with such injustice from both the community and the Finch children that he separates himself from the real world. Despite all the trials they made Boo suffer through, irony occurs when Boo Radley is the one who establishes justice in the end. When Boo kills Bob Ewell, he not only saves the lives of the Finch children but also delivers justice to Tom...
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...In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, a character that shows true courage during the trial is Atticus Finch, lawyer and loving father to Jem and Scout. True courage is being able to defend and fight for something despite the circumstances.Numerous times Atticus shows courage in the story which all relates to the theme, having to be faced with the harsh reality of the world which ruins your innocence. Atticus Finch stays strong and practical during the trial, defending Tom Robinson with his life. Atticus’s effort during the trial shows his courage because, despite it being tricky to get the judge and people of the racist South to side with Tom Robinson, compared to Mayella, who claims to be the victim. Atticus does not give up and continues to fight for Tom Robinson’s justice. Atticus shows courage through logical...
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...are the similarities between that trial and the one of Tom Robinson in the novel? | | E3 | In a time in which racism and segregation were substantial two lawyers each very determined to help and stand by their clients and defend them in law to the best of their abilities in the face of danger. Both the Scottsboro boy Trials and the Tom Robinson trial in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” were very similar and “To kill a Mockingbird” definitely seemed as if it were influenced by the Scottsboro boy’s trial. | Samuel Leibowits was the lawyer who defended Charles Weems, Andy Wright, Olen Montgomery, Roy Wright, Willie Robertson, Eugene Williams, Ozzie Powell, Clarence Norris and Haywood Patterson also known as the Scottsboro Boys. What happen to them was that they were on a train and they were accused of rape by Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. All nine men were convicted soon after for rape. Atticus Finch defended Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" the story revolves around the trial and the life of Finch and his family before, during and after the trial of Tom Robinson. Atticus faced loads of criticism for defending a black man. The similarities that are shared between the trials of the Scottsboro Boys and that of Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird" are many. First of all they both take place in a racist and segregated state in the south; Alabama. Both Trials are defended by white lawyers who...
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...Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, published in 1960, is a novel about a little girl who experiences a trial. This novel takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. In the book, a mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. Children have innocence and when the ¨kill¨ their own innocence, they grow up. Scout is a little white girl who doesn't quite understand the world yet. In the book, She keeps her innocence but is later attacked. Tom Robinson is an African American man who was convicted of rape. A crime he did not commit, which he was sentenced to death for and killed for running away. Boo Radley is a man who was said to be a monster but in reality saved scout and her brother Jem. In the book,...
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...Dorothy Day admits, "The legal battle against segregation is won, but the community battle goes on." This quote relates to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee because the idea of segregation is portrayed throughout this book by showing the inequality between races of people. Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem, he is also the lawyer who fights for Tom Robinson’s freedom. Tom Robinson is said to be guilty for raping Mayella Ewell who is considered “white trash” in Maycomb county. Mayella is a young girl who reports the case because she knows her skin color will keep her from being proven guilty by the jury. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, justice is depicted through Atticus' opinions, the ruling of Tom Robinson's trial, and Bob Ewell's death....
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...a great description of the time period the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee took place. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about a young girl growing up in a small town in Alabama. Throughout the book, there are many historical references including the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the Scottsboro trials. One of the very first historical references in To Kill A Mockingbird is the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were a set of laws that were made to separate Blacks and Whites (Pilgrim). They separated colored people from white people and made a mindset among people that white people were better than Blacks (Pilgrim)....
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...Lee demonstrates the racism of South in the 30's. Tom Robinson's trial represents the racist atmosphere of Maycomb's society. The racial bias of the people of Maycomb makes them blind to see the fact of Tom's innocence and this brings about his murder. Tom's murder echoes Aimé Césaire sarcastic statement in his Et les chiens se taisent, that "in the whole world no poor devil is lynched, no wretch is tortured, in whom I too am not degraded and murdered" (qtd in Black Skin, White Masks 61). Darren Felty in "An Overview of To Kill a Mockingbird", states: "Lee wants to make explicit the consequences of racism. She accomplishes this goal by employing Tom Robinson's trial to allude to different historical events such as the famous 'Scottsboro Boys' trials of the 1930s". According to Felty, in these trials nine black men were accused of raping two white women. Despite a lack of evidence, the men were sentenced to death by the white jury. Unlike Tom, they finally escaped death after a long time (2). Tom Robinson's trial mirrors these historical events to illustrate the racial binarity and segregation that the black people suffered throughout the colonial history. Racial binarity is prevalent in the novel. The narrow-minded people of Maycomb are in favor of segregation in their society and they consider sexual relationship as a threat to their segregation. According to Adam Smykowski in "Symbolism and Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird", For example, "the red geraniums that Mayella Ewell...
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...The Great Depression was a period in the 1930’s where poverty had reached an all time high after the stock market crash in 1929 (McCabe). The novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during this time, and faces many challenges related to The Great Depression. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, used inspiration from these real-life historical events to hook into her novel. Some of these significant historical events include the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the Scottsboro trials in conjunction with racism. One of the first known influence on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were a collection of unrelenting anti-black laws (Pilgrim). These laws weren’t just simply a set list of rules,...
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...Analysis of “To kill a mockingbird” Saryuna Rinchino, gr. 02193 The story under analysis is an extract from a novel “To kill a mockingbird”. The book was written by Harper Lee in 1960. Harper Lee was born in 1926 in the state of Alabama. In 1945-1949 she studied law at the University of Alabama. “To kill a mockingbird” is her first novel and after being published it was highly acclaimed and even was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, one of the most important awards in literature. The book became an international bestseller and was adapted into screen in 1962. The events of the novel “To kill a mockingbird” take place during a difficult time in the South. At that time black people were treated as people of lower level than white ones. Racial Discrimination was running high in the South as a whole, especially in Alabama. Many details of “To kill a mockingbird”are apparently autobiographical but Harper Lee insisted that the novel is fully a work of fiction. The events of the extract take place in the court of Maycomb County. Two small children secretly came to the trial and was sitting there the whole trial. A Negro, Tom Robison by name, was falsely accused in rapping a white woman. But Atticus, a defender and the two children’s father, was absolutely sure in his innocence and tried to give all necessary facts to persuade the jury. Actually it was the white woman’s father, Bob Ewell, who had bitten her as he had seen her kissing Tom Robinson. And also it was Mayella Ewell who...
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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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...Historical Influences on To Kill a Mockingbird During the 1930’s America’s worst depression was in effect (McCabe 12). This inspired Harper Lee to write her most famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Many real life events were used to inspire Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Some of the events she used are the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the Scottsboro trials. The first influence on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws are a set of laws that were racist and focused mainly towards Blacks (Pilgrim). The laws were most enforced in the south in 1877 through the 1960’s (Pilgrim). Most people made these laws were created because mindset of the creators was that they were superior to all Blacks (Pilgrim). Some of the punishments for committing a crime against these laws were severe including lynching, taking their jobs, or taking their homes (Pilgrim). Jim Crow laws can be seen in To Kill a...
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...The text under consideration is taken from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, an American author. The text belongs to the fiction. The peculiarity of this very extract is the inclination of oratory speech which is the feature of publicistic style. It is difficult to speak about genre, because we deal with only an extract from the book, but we know that it is novel. It is difficult to understand the function of the title from only an extract. But in my opinion the author wanted to stress on that fact that in the story they pretend to have equal court system, but it’s not equal. And the author tries to “kill a mockingbird” that means to show this unequalness. The text shows us a vivid picture of a court, the arid atmosphere of a trial on an example of one case. The theme of the story is relationship between people within the society. I believe that author’s message is to show us a good example of conformism, when the majority do the same things. The other message is that prejudice wins people’s common sense so they can even discriminate against innocent person. The events of the extract take place in the court of Maycomb County. Two small children secretly came to the trial and were sitting there the whole trial. A Negro, Tom Robison by name, was falsely accused in rapping a white woman. But Atticus, a defender and the two children’s father, was absolutely sure in his innocence and tried to give all necessary facts to persuade the jury. Actually it was...
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