...To kill a mockingbird is a novel that that draws attention to the existence of social inequality. In to kill a mockingbird it tells a story about Scout Finch, her brother Jem and their father Atticus Finch in the town of Maycomb in Alabama, Maycomb is suffering through the great depression, atticus is a lawyer and his family is suitably better than the other families scattered across Maycomb, later in the novel atticus accepts the task to defend a black man named Tom robinson. During the trial tom robinson is accused of rape but atticus provides evidence that the defendants Bob Ewell and Mayella are lying and Mayella actually propositioned tom robinson then her father caught her and beat her but in court Mayella is just trying to hide the shame and guilt so she accuses tom robinson. Mr Ewell felt rage and swore revenge for atticus making a fool of him in court so Bob Ewell attacks jem and when that happens boo radley saves and stabs Bob Ewell and carries jem back to the finch house and in order to protect boo the sheriff insists that Bob Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After watching the kids boo once again disappears once again into the radley house. In the end Two themes that can be found throughout the story are the...
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...consider things from his point of view until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.’ (3: 85-87) To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAMB) written by Harper Lee focuses on the inequality of race throughout America in the early 1900’s. The building roman novel published in 1960 utilises literacy techniques including symbolism, first person and characterisation in order to explore key themes such as innocence, social inequality and gender stereotyping. The novel promotes an insightful, entertaining and morally educating perspective for all readers. Literacy techniques are a critical part of the storytelling. Symbolism is used in order to enhance the story; it expresses a deeper meaning towards...
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...TKAM Literary Analysis Inequality and prejudice plays what I believe is the most important role in the story To Kill a Mockingbird. Events such as Tom Robinsons trial emphasize this point. Also points such as the game Scout and Jem conjured up to be about Boo Radley’s life. Some points of the book where Aunt Alexandra talks about others as if they are less than them shows that she is basically the living embodiment of racial and social discrimination. These all show the strong tension between the people of Maycomb and those who they believe are different. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee emphasizes the theme of inequality and prejudice through metaphors, tone and characterization. My first piece of evidence to support the theme of prejudice in the town of Maycomb is when Aunt Alexandra was talking to scout about inviting Walter Cunningham (Jr.) over for dinner and Scout is complaining why Aunt Alexandra wont let her play with him and she says, “I’ll tell you why…Because—he—is—trash, that’s why you cant play with him.” This is an example of a metaphor used to describe that Walter is “Worse than them” essentially. This supports the theme of inequality by showing that Aunt Alexandra doesn’t want Scout playing with Walter because she believes they are in some sort of higher “social class”. For my second piece of evidence I have another quote from Aunt Alexandra. This time she is speaking with Atticus about getting rid of Calpurnia because she is black. The quote...
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...In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee social inequality is shown throughout the whole story from beginning to end. The chain of inequality starts at the top with the Finch’s hovering above everyone else than the average neighbors next, the Cunninghams, Ewells, and at the very bottom the negroes. This theme was shown roughly almost every single chapter with the key points of the Tom Robinson and his court trial against Bob Ewell. This happens in the real world today with terrorism and all sorts of other stuff. Social inequality is shown constantly through this novel. Social inequality is shown in many ways that we all encounter everyday. There are many people in poverty striving for food to feed and support their families similar to the Cunninghams in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”. They are near the bottom of the chain with no food, home, or maybe even a loss of friends and family. Some rich people have no respect for them so they don’t offer them any help or even money because they believe they should keep their money since they’re on top of the chain similar to the Finch’s but the Finch’s care for the people in poverty in the book. In chapter 19 Tom Robinson says “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr.Ewell seemed to help her none, and neither did the chillun, and I...
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...Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel centered around a few years in Jean Louise “Scout” Finch’s childhood, featuring her experiences and the lessons that she learns growing up in the 1930s. Scout and her brother, Jeremy “Jem” Finch, mature in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in a one-parent home. Their father and aunt, Atticus and Alexandra, raise them with help from Calpurnia, their African American maid. Harper Lee weaves several different themes throughout the novel, but some are more prominent than others. Lee develops the main themes of growth, protection of innocence, and perception throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, disguised in the form of lessons learned during the narrator’s childhood. Harper Lee reveals her theme of growth...
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...Our world is shaped by our actions and views and what we choose to do with our lives and it is ever changing. Literature helps to express different versions of our world and the author’s views on certain inevitable events, which in some cases are still ingrained into society today. Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, which had a different context to our present time, and due to this context of the novel, it gives us an insight of the events that shaped our world. This fictional novel conveys both social and cultural context as the main ideas and morals that are portrayed throughout the book are similar to these ideas and morals of a small American country town in the 1930s. To Kill a Mockingbird explores the themes of racial discrimination...
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...The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee in 1960, explores the values and attitudes of America in the 1930's through the portrayal of relationships. Mockingbird was written to portray the period of the Great Depression, the Emancipation Proclamation, Jim Crow Laws and the abolishment of slavery. This is reflected in the text through the representation of individual, social and political relationships, which can be highlighted through further analysis of the morals and values associated with social class, racial inequality and familial bonds within these relationships. Lee's characterisation, themes and setting serves to demonstrate how literature can be used to effectively reflect a particular context in a way that conveys a message or moral. Morals and values are a substantial influence in the relationships that were established in American society in the 1930's. Mockingbird allows us to understand the relationship between parents and children during this period and the associated morals and values. An example of this lies in the relationship based on the values of respect and trust between Atticus and his children. Lee displays this when Atticus reprimands Jem for harassing Boo Radley. He uses direct language, such as "Tell me, to question Jem, to which Jem replies obediently and honestly, "Yes, sir. Atticus uses a tone of authority towards Jem and Jem responds submissively. This dialogue conveys the personal relationships between parents and children in...
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...Racial Inequality Have you ever been accused of something you did not do? Well back in the era of the 30’s Racial Inequality was a big problem where people would be treated differently, just because of their skin color. It is not nearly as big of a problem now, but it can still show up sometimes. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird this novel shows how much social inequality was a factor in daily life, and how people were treated differently in the era of segregation. A major point of this novel that ties it all together is that an African American man named Tom Robinson that was accused of rape by Mayella Ewell. Tom was treated very differently than all of the caucasians throughout the whole story, only because he was African American....
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...Racism, Social Class, and Gender Issues: A Look Into 1930s Maycomb, Alabama. The film, To Kill A Mockingbird directed by Robert Mulligan, portrays a message of racism, social class, and gender issues faced by southern towns post Civil War era. The 1962 film adaptation of the classic book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was masterfully captured being placed on the American Film Institute’s list of greatest American movies of all time and taking home many countless awards. The black and white portrayal from text to film is exquisitely captured turning pages to picture while reveling a heartbreaking reality. Through camera, lighting, and sound Robert Mulligan creates a mood to communicate the vision of Harper Lee. The film takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Robert Mulligan illustrates the story of the lives of Scout and Jem, children growing up in this small town with their friend Dill who stays for the summer. The youngsters become infatuated with getting a glimpse of Boo Radley the unseen hermit of a neighbor. This summer also entails issues facing, their attorney father, Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson, an African American man falsely accused of raping a white woman from town, Mayella Ewell. The children catch wind of the trial and for the first time witness evil realities of the world. Jem and Scout, Atticus’s children become the targets of Bob Ewell, the father of Mayella Ewell. Bob Ewell tries to kill them one Halloween...
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...The Man in the Moon (1991) Review/Film; A New Boy In Town Captures Her Heart Everything about "The Man in the Moon," Robert Mulligan's effortlessly old-fashioned family drama set in a small Southern town, has a rosy glow. It's a reminder that Mr. Mulligan, a seasoned film maker whose credits include "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Summer of '42" and "The Other," can direct with real tenderness and without fake emotion. His latest film unfolds gently and gracefully, in a climate where the warmth isn't merely a matter of weather. Until its final reel, when it strains badly to accommodate an almost biblical stroke of retribution, "The Man in the Moon" is a small, fond film that achieves a kind of quiet perfection. The story concerns two sisters, and Mr. Mulligan can find something evocative even in the way the elder braids the younger one's hair. The latter, 14-year-old Dani (Reese Witherspoon), is just on the verge of real beauty, while the slightly older Maureen (Emily Warfield) has already gotten there. The girls' family, which is beautifully evoked, exists at all different stages of development, from their toddler sister to their pregnant mother (Tess Harper) and the father (Sam Waterston) who is wary of his daughters' prospective suitors. In his or her own way, each member of this family longs for a boy. When one arrives, in the form of a handsome teen-age neighbor named Court (Jason London), he affects the girls' family in powerful ways. The coltish Dani becomes smitten with...
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...Loss of Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird Children are born innately innocent and optimistic of the world around them. As they age they often come to recognize the injustice and corruption that occurs day to day. “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a novel that shows the discrimination, social inequality and preconceived opinions of others. A key theme is the Loss of Innocence. Jean Louis Finch “Scout” is the narrator and protagonist of the story. The story is told through the eyes of Scout as an adult however takes place when she's aged six to nine. At the beginning of the novel Scout see’s the world from this childhood perspective because she has not yet seen the evil and prejudice in Maycomb as the novel progresses she learns that the world is not as it seems. As a child Scout has always believed that everyone is good and kind and everyone is good and kind to one another although she has grown to realize that this is untrue. Scouts loss of innocence is partly due to her teacher Miss Caroline Fisher and attending school. (“I never looked forward more to anything more in my life” (Lee 20), she has been nothing but excited for school but once she finally enrols she has realized that she's nothing but disappointed. Miss Caroline is not pleased that Scout is above her level in reading and insists that her father Atticus stops teaching her. "You tell him I'll take over from here and try to undo the damage— (Lee 23) She is very poor with the students and this upsets Scout...
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...“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, is an immensely heart-wrenching and thought-provoking novel. The novel is narrated by “Scout” Finch, and includes stories about her life with her brother Jem and friend Dill. Through the eyes of these children, we learn about profound topics such as racism, justice, prejudice and social inequality. I loved this book. Although it was agonizing to learn about justice and equality, it was important to learn how the implementation of these themes had a massive correlation to the colour of someone’s skin. However, this book directly states that although many people during the 1930’s perceived individuals through the colour of their skin, that there were many people such as Atticus Finch; who fought against...
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...Inequality is an issue that has raged through the world, showing itself in many different forms and sizes. May it be sexism, different religions, homophobia, or racism, almost every country has experienced a wave of inequality of some kind, many more severe than others. One of the most powerful and long lasting could arguably be the idea of racism. Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. Racism is something that has been present in many countries, between all races under the sun. Most cases tend to simmer down after some time, and America is no different. After thousands of years of racial prejudice and inequality, African...
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...Through Mayella Ewell’s race inequality, socioeconomic status, and the lack of education author Harper Lee develops the theme of inequality in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Mayella was a character that made the small town of Macomb think about racism in a different way. Mayella was so interesting that she showed that if you screamed rape in a small town it will affect everyone. She was discriminated against and never had a chance to be herself. Body Paragraph- Socioeconomic Mayella Ewell had a very low socioeconomic status. She was treated as though she was a poor black person. The Ewell family was closer to a Negro family then a white family. “...That made him any better than his nearest neighbor was, that is scrubbed with lye soap in very hot water his skin was white”(Lee 229). The only place the Ewells could live was near the Negro settlement. ”Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin” (Lee 227). The Ewell family lived in extreme poverty. “No economical fluctuations changed their status- people like the Ewells lived as guests of the county in prosperity as well as in depths of depression,” (Lee 227). Mayella Ewell and the Ewell family probably...
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...Daniela Castro 12 October 2011 Literature: A Mirror of Life Phase 2 Individual Project Professor J. Szymanski Time & Place: Maycomb, Alabama during To Kill A Mockingbird is during the Great Depression and is an old town. Everything seemed to be routine as described in the book. People moved slow and took their time doing everything, so much that the day seemed longer than 24 hours. Racism occurred Blacks and Whites stuck within their race but Atticus was different. He was a lawyer that represented a black man accused of rape of a white woman. In small town everyone knows everybody and their business so it’s hard to be private. Either you fit in or you’re out. Kind of like the groups and cliques we have in society today. Themes: The Coexistence of Good and Evil The most important theme is how the book’s explores of the moral nature of human beings. The question is whether people are essentially good or essentially evil. In the beginning novel shows the innocent of the children they think that people are good because they haven’t experienced any evil. The older they become the more their eyes open to how evil people around them can be a lot of them resulting from their father’s choice to represent Tom Robinson. From an adult perspective most of them have experienced evil and incorporates it into their understanding of the world. As Scout and Jem gets older the transition from innocence to experiencing what people and the world are really...
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