...To Kill a Mockingbird is packed with famous and helpful life quotes. On of the greater quotes is “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” said by Atticus. The quote has a deep meaning and is a good moral to live by. Atticus and Miss Maudie say that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because they don’t do anything but sing for us. They don’t tear up gardens or nest in corncribs, they just sing(119), but there’s a deeper meaning than that. Atticus and Miss Maudie don’t mean just mockingbirds, they mean real people, too. Take Atticus for example: he could be considered a mockingbird because he’s nice, helpful, never done anything wrong. Just like a mockingbird, he doesn’t do anything but help people. Maycomb was a racist town, but Atticus was one of the few wholesome people. He didn’t care if someone was white or black, rich or poor, he saw everyone the same. Those qualities were very useful for his career as a lawyer, because he wasn’t biased. He even says “ but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal. (274) He’s saying that the court makes everyone equal and a black man has an equal chance of winning against a white man. Even though he has his...
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...there is unfairness in Maycomb. The book To Kill A Mockingbird, the mockingbird symbolizes three individual people. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the three characters that symbolize the mockingbird are Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, And Boo Radley. The character Tom Robinson was a black man who was poor and ended up being a victim of prejudice and racism. Heck Tate was on Atticus's front porch . Heck Tate said “There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead…(Lee317)” Tom Robinson is dead for being accused for rape and Boo Ewell was responsible and he is now dead. Tom Robinson was a black, innocent man who did not deserve to die for a false accusation....
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...and walk around in it." (Lee 30) In this quote, Atticus Finch explains to Scout Finch how everyone has a different opinion on subjects, and that the only way to understand a person’s opinion is to see the world from his or her perspective. The illustrious Harper Lee challenged racial stereotypes and explored the rough side of life through the eyes of young Scout Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. Scout, supported by her older brother Jem and father, Atticus, matured from a bigmouthed, boisterous little girl to a compassionate and caring person. Along the way, she pushed the limits of her curiosity with Boo Radley and learned...
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...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 reads, “You’ve got to do something about her…You’ve let...
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...Is Atticus Finch a great man or is he just respected because of his race? Many great traits makeup his personality, and well being. Atticus is courageous, caring, and stubborn. Atticus Finch stands up for an African American man in the 1930’s. The 1930’s were a time when some people were treated unfairly because of their skin color. Atticus Finch is courageous because he represented an African American in the time of racism and segregation. Atticus defended Tom Robinson for the rape of Mayella Ewell which was dangerous because he risked his career and the safety of him and his family. Atticus was one of the towns favorites before he defended Tom. After he defended Tom, many white people were furious with him, though blacks praised him...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird If there was a book that easily tackles topics and a must-read for young readers then To Kill A Mockingbird would fit it. Harper Lee created To Kill A Mockingbird in the 1960s, The book is set in the 1930s in the Great Depression through the eyes of a child. The book has a lot of themes throughout the story using literary elements but how the author uses these literary elements like juxtaposition, motifs, and imagery to prove themes like humbleness, innocent of people and how unjust the society is will be explained. Harper Lee is great using literary elements to make themes like using juxtaposition to build a theme of humbleness. In chapter 12, after Calpurnia brings them to her church she says how “folks don’t like to have somebody around known more than they do, It aggravates’em” (Lee 167). Even after the fact she one of four people in her church who are literate Calpurnia knows being modest is better than bragging about it. Someone who isn’t would be Aunt Alexandra. In chapter 13, it talks about Aunt Alexandra and how “she never let a chance escape...
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...mature mentally, in order to be ready for the real world around them. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout Finch, is described as maturing greatly throughout the novel, physically and mentally. With the help of three essential people, she learns to release the bonds of childhood, and to think of the world around her in a different way, to fight with her head and not her fists, and to meet the demands of society and become a true lady as she grows up and matures, instead of her current tom-boy self. There are many...
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...than what reaches the surface. You never fully comprehend a person or all of their unique diversity. When I read this quote in To Kill a Mockingbird, it inaugurated the start of a fascination to know more about people. Traveling through life, I have always just seen what people wanted me to - I have never been bothered with looking any deeper than that. I barely scraped the surface of loved ones diversities, however, things were now rapidly changing. Noticing the little quirks were easy and simple to find and the larger aspects were more difficult. Eventually, I was not only noticing aspects about others but about myself also. As I walked into the classroom, the first thing I heard was, “ You look cute today,” by a friend. I, of course, said thank you and made my way to my seat. The compliment was genuine, yet there was something bothering me. The whole class period I pondered about it until I realized, that friend was just like me, barely scraping the surface of who I truly am. Although they meant it as a simple compliment, it was more than just that to me. For me, that simple, little compliment was a turning point. It made me realize that, like everyone else, there is a lot more than what is just on the surface. I am not just pretty nor will I ever be just pretty. I am beautiful, intelligent, caring, funny, passionate, and much more. Comparable to Atticus Finch, there is life in me and whether people know that or not is not my problem. What is important, is that I know my...
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...In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem. Throughout the novel, Atticus teaches the readers many different lessons that can be applied to everyday life. Without Atticus, the story would not be the same. Atticus is a well known man in Maycomb County. Many people look up to Atticus and many have respect for him and his decisions. Atticus is an loving and caring father of Scout and Jem. The readers discover this when Scout states, “We were far too old to settle an argument with a fist-fight, so we consulted Atticus. Our father said we were both right” (Lee 3). Along with this quote, readers can see that Atticus does not necessarily take sides with anyone; instead, he decides things by what he...
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...Atticus the Hero When you think of heroes most people think about Batman or Captain America, but there are many other people who would qualify as heroes. Heroes do not have to wear masks or uniforms, they don’t have to have secret identities or cool names. A hero can be someone you see everyday. My hero is my mom, someone who has influenced me and helped mold me into the person I am today. My mom is considerate and loving and kind. Like my mom is to me, Atticus was a hero. Atticus was smart and kind and caring. He was a single dad who worked full time, he cared about his kids more than anything and wanted to teach them to be respectful and to have good values, but he also wanted to let them learn some things by themselves which meant that they were going to make mistakes and hopefully would learn from them. Atticus was a great dad who, even when it was hard, did the right...
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...Could you ever live with yourself if you accused someone who was innocent? A novel called To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about two kids Jem and Scout who have to deal with their town’s controversial beliefs. These two begin to realize how their society can treat different people so unfair and horrible. Throughout the novel you will see how one of characters Bob Ewell can be so detestable. One of the examples how Mr. Ewell is detestable was when Mayella was being questioned. During her testimony she almost let out a confidential secret, Mayella had said “He is tollable,’cept when ---” the author added that quote to let us know that Bob treats her horrendously. As a matter a fact Atticus asked her “When he’s----riled, has he ever beaten...
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...In this essay I will be exploring the relationship between Jem and Scout in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Throughout the prose we, as readers see Jem and Scout mature and grow. They live in the Southern American town of Maycomb “ladies bathed before noon, after their three o’clock naps, and by nightfall they were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum”. This quotation portrays Maycomb as luxurious but also boring especially for the two main protagonists Scout and her brother Jem. Lee lived in Alabama as a child in a town called Monroeville, her father was also a lawyer with this in mind I helps the reader to view the novel as realistic. Throughout the prose Lee presents that Jem’s moods and emotions change and fluctuate “Jem stayed moody and silent for a week.. So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him.” This quotation presents Jem as temperamental. In addition Lee highlights Scout as mature and polite as she respects Jem’s privacy and sees it right to leave him as it will cause them to argue. Lee uses this lexis so Scout and the reader can reflect on how bored Scout was and how much she needs Jem in her daily life. The context of the quotation presents Scout as being older than her years as many ten year olds would annoy their brothers to spite him. Whereas she does not showing that she has an abundance of respect and love for her older brother. Lee presents the relationship between Jem and Scout in many different ways including...
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...versus Ethics ......................................................................................................................... 5 Responsibility and Culpability ............................................................................................................. 6 Atonement .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Law and Legality .................................................................................................................................... 10 Race and Ethnicity................................................................................................................................. 11 To Kill a Mockingbird...
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...ENGLISH HANDBOOK -“Welcome to my evil lair…” -Mr. Braiman Brooklyn High School of the Arts www.mrbraiman.com http://handbook.mrbraiman.com “EVIL” Welcome to my evil classroom lair. In order to become full-fledged evil “minions,” you need to read this handbook carefully. It explains everything you need to know. “English,” as you may know, is shorthand for “English Language Arts.” Being that we are in an Arts school, but one where academics must and always do come first, it is important that we approach the subject as what it is: an art form. How does one study the arts? What exactly do we do when we study drawing, sculpture, music, or dance? Well, anyone who has studied the arts will tell you that studying the arts essentially involves two things: • Learning about, and developing an awareness of and appreciation for, existing works of art in that particular form; • Developing the skills and techniques associated with the art form, in order to create our own works. In the case of language arts, much like any other art form, we will be studying existing works of art (i.e., reading books, stories and poems), and developing the skills to produce our own (i.e., writing). That’s what English Language Arts is. We will also be preparing ourselves for New York State’s Regents Comprehensive Examination in English, which we’ll all be taking in June. This two-day, six-hour, four-part exam requires no specific knowledge or content, but it does require the skills to listen, read,...
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...Lee, Harper—To Kill a Mockingbird 1960 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee DEDICATION for Mr. Lee and Alice in consideration of Love & Affection Lawyers, I suppose, were children once. Charles Lamb PART ONE 1 When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn’t have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt. When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out. I said if he wanted to take a broad view of the thing, it really began with Andrew Jackson. If General Jackson hadn’t run the Creeks up the creek, Simon Finch would never have paddled up the Alabama, and where would we be if he hadn’t? We were far too old to settle an argument with a fist-fight, so we consulted Atticus. Our father said we were both right. Being Southerners, it was a source of shame to some members of the family that we had no recorded ancestors on either side of the Battle of Hastings...
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