...“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
...Williams and William Faulkner wrote fiction, but the stories written had a lot of truth about the way communities in the American South lived like in the twentieth century. As a result, one cannot fail but notice that there is one recurring issue in almost every novel in contemporary Southern fiction; the issue of race. (Sundquist 1994) Authors usually write stories which are a reflection of the attitudes and the norms of their time and contemporary Southern fiction reflects this. The southern part of the United States has always had a large percentage of people of African descent living there. At the beginning of the twentieth century, two states actually had an African-American majority; South Carolina and Mississippi. However, the White community was, and still is the socially and economically dominant group and this can be seen in much of Southern contemporary. Several aspects of race were explored by various authors and they include: Racist words against blacks Contemporary Southern fiction frequently contained a lot of racist words, lines and dialogue. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird,...
Words: 2565 - Pages: 11
...THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY Study Guide for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee i Meet Harper Lee at the same university. In 1949, however, she withdrew and moved to New York City with the goal of becoming a writer. While working at other jobs, Lee submitted stories and essays to publishers. All were rejected. An agent, however, took an interest in one of her short stories and suggested she expand it into a novel. By 1957 she had finished a draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. A publisher to whom she sent the novel saw its potential but thought it needed reworking. With her editor, Lee spent two and a half more years revising the manuscript. By 1960 the novel was published. In a 1961 interview with Newsweek magazine, Lee commented: Writing is the hardest thing in the world, . . . but writing is the only thing that has made me completely happy. To Kill a Mockingbird was an immediate and widespread success. Within a year, the novel sold half a million copies and received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Within two years, it was turned into a highly acclaimed film. Readers admire the novel’s sensitive and probing treatment of race relations. But, equally, they enjoy its vivid account of childhood in a small rural town. Summing up the novel’s enduring impact in a 1974 review, R. A. Dave called To Kill a Mockingbird . . . a movingly human drama of the jostling worlds—of children and adults, of innocence and experience, of kindness and cruelty, of love and hatred, of humor...
Words: 4484 - Pages: 18
...Values of Heroism Phillip Zimbardo finds that twenty percent of people qualify as heroes (Zimbardo, np). Therefore it is no surprise that the protagonists of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are heroes. Of course Montag and Atticus Finch are two very contrasting people, but they both demonstrate strength in times of judgment, an important trait contributing to their heroism. By evaluating both characters from their novels, the reader can conclude that a hero must often possess strength in judgment. Within Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird lies various examples of strength and judgment for the purpose of teaching the importance of strength in the face judgment. Take the instance of Scout removing herself...
Words: 928 - Pages: 4
...Resisting Gender Roles “We've begun to raise daughters more like sons... but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.” Said Gloria Steinem. In Maycomb County a small fictional town, it shows a realistic reflection of 1930’s America. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Author Harper Lee introduces more complex characters by deconstructing stereotypical gender roles of the time period. This can be seen through a young tomboy named Scout, a feminized boy named Dill, and a respected housekeeper named Calpurnia. Scout is a very unusual little girl. While women are expected to be quiet and polite, Scout is quite the opposite. She doesn’t mind getting dirty or loud. And she will stop at nothing to make sure her voice is heard. "Scout, I'm tellin' you for the last time, shut your trap or go home—I declare to the Lord you're gettin' more like a girl every day!" (Lee42) When Scouts older brother Jem uses Scouts gender as an insult, the reader begins to feel conflict Scout is having with in...
Words: 433 - Pages: 2
...To Kill A Mockingbird is widely known and acknowledge for addressing themes of tolerance and justice, which directly contradict the racial climate in the South. Lee was one of a small amount of white writers, especially as a woman that would approach the subject of racism and segregation at a time where it was of great contention. The film was praised by the United Church Women association, who encouraged its members to see it, for it ‘handles very beautifully the whole area of race relations.’ Phillip Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times included reflections on the way racial relations are addressed in the film, stating that he believed that the prejudices that were featured in the film ‘made [us] more conscious of them, and perhaps more ashamed’. He also suspected that ‘even Southerners will take it, flinchingly or not, because they will understand it; after all, a Southerner wrote...
Words: 575 - Pages: 3
...Children and adults view the world in very different ways. When faced with situations that involve strangers for instance, adults react more defensively than children do because of their knowledge of dangerous people. Children on the other hand, know little of the darker parts of human character and tend to trust everyone. In the 20th century southern gothic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the dual perspectives of a younger Scout and her older counterpart to show how the innocence of children can hinder their ability to protect themselves against the dangers of the world. Innocence can create filters that protect children’s minds from a full understanding of the threatening aspects of life. Scout, as a child, is introduced...
Words: 295 - Pages: 2
...What is Art? One man’s trash may be another man’s treasure, but does this same rule apply to art? Among other things, art entices beauty through visual appeal, depth, technique and intent, and as no one person is guaranteed to see the same things as another, this can make it difficult to discern what is art, and what is not. Art is personal, but what separates the average man’s stick figure from world-renowned works comes from the artist’s intent and technique, ultimately leaving a lasting impression on its viewers, and my definition. Art: A creation that through technique and intent leaves a lasting impression on its viewers. First of all, the artist must have intent, a vision, and not just a superficial vision, but one that strives to inspire viewers and prompt questions. This comes from inspiration, and the creator’s drive to create something more than just an “object”. The Piss Christ, for instance, prompted uproar due to its content. At first glance, the picture is visually appealing, but upon further evaluation, it would seem that Jesus Christ is engulfed in what would appear to be urine, prompting questions as to the intent of artist Andres Serrano. What was he trying to say by his depiction? Was it that he is associating religion, and the idea of Christ with urine? Or was it a pessimistic world view in that we are dishonoring Christ’s sacrifice, hence the urine? Without the creator’s own take own his creation, it would appear that both could be viable explanations...
Words: 1171 - Pages: 5
...HSM 250 Entire Course For more course tutorials visit www.hsm250.com HSM 250 week 1 Checkpoint Human Services Vocabulary Hunt HSM 250 Week 1 Written Assignment My Cultural Identity HSM 250 week 2 Checkpoint Character Case Study HSM 250 week 2 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 3 CheckPointCollaborative Discussion and Reflection on Perceptions HSM 250 Week 3 Written Assignment Developing Ethnicity HSM 250 Week 4 CheckPoint Gender Role Development HSM 250 week 4 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 5 CheckPoint Sexual Orientation Identity Theory HSM 250 Week 5 Written Assignment Sexual Orientation Case Study HSM 250 Week 6 CheckPoint Influences on Family Structure HSM 250 week 6 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 7 CheckPointAbleist Beliefs HSM 250 Week 7 Written Assignment Care Plan HSM 250 Week 8 CheckPoint Religion and Human Service Organizations HSM 250 week 8 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 9 Capstone CheckPoint HSM 250 Week 9 Final Written Assignment Character Profile ******************************************************* HSM 250 week 1 Checkpoint Human Services Vocabulary Hunt For more course tutorials visit www.hsm250.com CheckPoint: Human Service Vocabulary Hunt Due Date: Day 4 [post to the Individual forum] Use the reputable online resources to define each of the following vocabulary terms: Enculturation Acculturation Assimilation Encapsulation Collectivism Individualism Write an original definition for each term and provide an APA reference...
Words: 826 - Pages: 4
...Not Your Average Child Scout, the main character in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, , is not a typical six year old girl. Throughout the story, she somehow manages to find trouble, even when she is not looking for it. Her brain, which is always bursting with ideas, causes her a surpassing amount of obstacles. Yet, she manages to triumph over one troublesome adventure after another. However, her carefree personality still held some understandings that many adults did not have possession of. Her inquisitive nature, loyalty, and insight all make up the complicated personality of Scout Finch. One trait that stands out in Scout's nature, is her ability to ask questions that others would keep to themselves. In the scene before the trial, Scout, Jem, and Dill spend their time observing the various individuals who arrived in Maycomb. Jem then pointed out a biracial child in the crowd, and he described their plight to Scout and Dill. After seeing the child, Dill inquires as to how Jem can tell the child apart from the other black children. Jem explains how, but Scout shows her dissatisfaction when she says, "But how can you tell?" I asked. (216) Scout is not satisfied with an uncomplicated answer, she requires a detailed...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...Harper Lee dedicates 17 pages to Scout’s first day at school to help introduce many of Maycomb’s families and their backgrounds, through representatives in Scout’s class. She uses the teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher, to highlight the naivety and prejudice of many adults in the town of Maycomb. The author does not approve of the American education or the ‘Dewey Decimal System’, which she was forced to experience in her childhood, and uses the 17 pages of Scout’s first day at school to share her views on this. Harper Lee is critical of the education system, she shows us through Scout’s reading and writing ability that it does not allow you to excel as it does not take into account ability or need: ‘Miss Caroline caught me writing and told me to tell my father to stop teaching me’. Here, in effect Miss Caroline is telling Scout to forget everything she has learnt before school and learn to read and write again in the ‘correct manor’ of the ‘Dewey Decimal System’. At the beginning of the extract, Harper Lee emphasises Scout’s excitement on going to school, ‘I never looked forward more to anything in my life’. Harper Lee does this so that we empathize with Scout when she is disappointed with the way she is treated by Miss Caroline and turns upon a dramatic change: ‘If I didn’t have to stay, I’d leave’. The adult Scout looks back on episodes with her old teacher with satire, as she mocks her younger self’s naivety and Miss Caroline’s ridiculous teaching regime, where Scout is looked...
Words: 687 - Pages: 3
...Teacher and Author: Teaching Middle and High School Using Literature Sandra Coleman Grand Canyon University RGD 545 Professor Karen Foster February 27, 2008 Teaching Middle and High School Student Using Literature Outline: I. Short Stories a) Activating Prior Knowledge b) Responding to the Selection c) Short Story Selections 1. Suggested Activities to use with Various Groups II. Oral Tradition Literature – Tall Tales and Folktales a) Analyze characteristics and plots of Folktales and Tall Tales b) Understanding Hyperbole c) Writing a Tall Tale d) Selections of Oral Tradition Literature III. Novel Studies a) Previewing the novel b) Defining and Understanding Elements of c) Character Analysis d) Problems and Solutions of the story IV. Historical Fiction a) Activating background/prior knowledge b) Setting a purpose for reading c) Writing about historical fiction V. Realistic Fiction a) Evaluating Realistic Fiction b) Responding to the selection c) Distinguishing between Fact and Opinion d) Summarizing the Story Chapter 1 – Short Stories: A short story is, like the name...
Words: 7115 - Pages: 29
...Research papers made me stop liking writing because they had a lot of requirements and I don’t like doing research. I also use to like reading too but I find research boring so that also made me stop liking reading. I did not find any interest in reading or writing about research topics because history is my least favorite class. Every year of high school so far is a different type of writing in every english class. It started out in 6th grade with creative stories, 7th grade with holocaust research essay, 8th grade essays, 9th grade reading stories, 10th grade I had AP english so we did reflection essays over the book we had to read every quarter and that was very hard to me and made english my worst subject. Although, now that I’m in 11th grade english, I am starting to like english a little. I like how we have our own choice of books we want to read and the 10 minutes of reading everyday. I prefer free writing, like we get a topic and go from there, but doing research and having to have a lot of pages and all those requirements, is what i don’t...
Words: 999 - Pages: 4
...The story under analysis is the excerpt from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, that’s why it has not a special title. The title of the whole book is thought-provoking and idiomatic; it makes the reader wonder what a Mockingbird is and who is supposed to kill it. The subject matter of the story is racial discrimination, corruption of the court system in the American world of prejudice. This extract depicts a trial of Tom Robinson, a Negro, who is in the criminal dock on a capital charge of assaulting a white girl. His defending counsel Atticus Finch is an experienced lawyer and progressive minded man. It is the Atticus’s speech to the jury that takes the best part of the text, so as far as contextual style is concerned; it presents a vivid example of oratorical style. Thus the main part of the text presents the main character’s monologue with bits of the story-teller’s commentary and dialogues. As for the type of narration, it is the first person narration the story-teller being the observer of the events. It is chosen to convey the atmosphere of the court-room. The story is told by the Atticus’s daughter, Jean Louise, and her description makes the story more convincing, vivid, real and emotional. Now I would like to dwell upon the compositional analysis of the text. The story has neither introduction nor conclusion. It can be explained that the text is only an extract from the novel, so there are big parts of the novel which both precede and follow the given...
Words: 2401 - Pages: 10
...activities of notable greats like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spearheading the March on Washington, supporting the sit-ins at lunch counters in demanding an end to racial discrimination among many other acts of civil disobedience caused a huge uproar in the country. President Kennedy was assassinated and so was Dr. King in very short time span to each other. The discord in the country sowed the seeds to the hippie movement where young people also called “flower children” embraced cultural differences that they reflected in their dress, music and liberal use of drugs. This was a period of affluence. Most of the U.S. population was young. They were the baby boomers who were coming of age. Color tv was born. Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird. The Beatles music was played everywhere. The first man landed on the moon. The 1970s gave women’s rights a huge boost so women started entering the workforce in droves. This was the time of the bell-bottom pants and disco music in the dancehalls. Atari released its first video game. People questioned government actions. The 1980s saw the greatest explosion of illegal drugs. The crack-cocaine epidemic decimated the minority communities as many of the young male users ended up in prison on long sentences. The 1990s saw a period of hope and smaller government with President Reagan. The Berlin Wall came down. “They laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh at them because they’re all the same” - a quote from the late lead singer...
Words: 1396 - Pages: 6
