...Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird Whether it is in literature or even shown in pictures, when people use things to represent something with a deeper meaning, it is called symbolism. By doing this, the reader is able to obtain a better and deeper sense of what a writer is trying to convey. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, different symbols are used that are reflective throughout the book relating to equality either directly or indirectly. Often, the symbols that she uses are tied to the ultimate theme of the book, which is being able to understand someone from his or her point of view. The most apparent reoccurring theme is equality that is symbolized through the people, the birds, and even the inanimate objects that...
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...the event stays with them forever, and it affects them In the future. The emotion by our childhood sometimes gets in our way of making our choices. in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Helen Keller tells us a story about a five year old girl named Scout dealing with problems during her childhood and how the events that happen to her make her understand what problems that she may have in the future. The whole situation happen with Boo Radley, in Maycomb there was many rumors of horrible things he ever did and at the end there were all lies. It also happened with Tom Robinson but it was worst since he was an African American and back in 1930’s many people were racist and with one little bad situation they got in they got sent to jail. Tom and Boo are both of them both experience situations that people may believe they did and yet the still judged. Helen shows the symbol of the mockingbird with Tom and Boo Radley they don't bother anyone and yet they still judge them. When Atticus Tells Scout it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird she didn't understand why and when she asked Miss Maudie she tells her “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people’s gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”[Lee 90] Scout whatever rumor she hears she believes everything they say, but when Atticus sees what Scout believes is truth he tells her,” You never really understand...
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...In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters represent mockingbirds, one symbolic mockingbird is Scout Finch.In this case, a symbolic mockingbird is a person or thing that has done nothing to be harmed, yet is harmed. This book takes place in the 1930’s when racism was a huge issue and women had certain standards from a young age. Scout’s father (Atticus) was an attorney appointed to cover Tom Robinson (an African American), who was convicted of rape, to insure he had a fair trial.Several times in the novel Scout was put in situations that show she represented a mockingbird such as being picked on by other children,being attacked by Bob Ewell, and being shamed for attending a African American church. Early on in the...
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...birds they want, but they may not shoot mockingbirds because they do nothing but good. Miss Maudie tries to explain this to Jem and Scout by saying: “Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Therefore if a character does nothing but good, he is considered a mockingbird. And if that character is harmed, it is considered a sin. Tom Robinson and Arthur (Boo) Radley are considered mockingbird symbols in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom is a mockingbird symbol who helps Mayella Ewell whenever she asks him to when he passes her house because he feels sorry for her and her situation. Mayella raises her siblings all by herself and is abused...
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...title remains a significant feature. When examining the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader can see that the mockingbird is a metaphorical symbolization of the theme of innocence, or the loss of. Published in 1960 by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird has become a literary classic. This essay will explore the significance of the title “To Kill a Mockingbird” and will endeavor to explain to the reader why Harper Lee’s novel is called To Kill a Mockingbird while also touching on some of the themes that are connected to the title, such as the loss of innocence and injustice. Revolving...
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...“Prejudice is the child of ignorance” (William Hazlitt). Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird people judge others before they truly have a right to judge. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama many individuals make judgements about Boo Radley and Tom Robinson before they know the truth. Scout Finch is a rare breed in this time, with her father defending Tom Robinson and her brother Jem and her interested in finding more about Boo Radley she constantly gets a chance to make unprejudiced judgements on people. Harper Lee helps the reader better understand prejudice using symbolism , imagery, and metaphors throughout the story. Prejudice was common throughout the story To Kill a Mockingbird, this could be seen through symbolism. It is a sin to kill a mockingbird, this is explained when Miss Maudie says “they don’t do one thing...
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...The repetition in question connected with the bird occurs when Miss Maudie is explaining, to Scout, her father’s words. She repeats Atticus exact words ‘it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’, and she repeats ‘mockingbirds don’t do one thing but…’. Miss Maudie explains to her that mockingbirds do not do anything harmful, but only ‘sing their hearts out for us’, so they are a symbol of innocence. The repetition of those words emphasise the innocence and purity of mockingbirds. This alludes to the novel’s title To Kill a Mockingbird, which foreshadows that harming an innocent is an injustice, as with Tom Robinson’s case. Here Scout is not completely aware of that yet, but she is introduced to the idea that to kill a mockingbird is to destroy its innocence and purity and so it is considered a sin. Thanks to this reference, one understands how Atticus teach good moral values to his kids, and tries to protect good innocent...
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...‘You never really understand a person until you 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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...The highly praised novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a story about racism and stereotypes in the deep south told from the perspective of a little girl named Scout. Harper Lee, the author of the novel, uses symbolism to show a character's personality or to relate to an event in the story. Some symbols used in the story include a roly-poly, a rabid dog, and a mockingbird. These things, if looked into deeply, give the novel depth and meaning. Harper Lee uses a roly-poly as a symbol in her novel. The roly-poly is understood to symbolize letting your guard down ,as we see in the story: “ I lay on my stomach, reached down and poked him. He rolled up. Then, feeling safe ,I suppose, slowly unrolled” (Lee 272). Another piece of evidence that explains this symbol is near the same area of the story: “When you touch them, they roll themselves into a tight gray ball” (Lee 272), which means that ,at first, it is...
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...Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird symbolism is present as a mockingbird, the multiple flowers mentioned, and a character himself, Boo Radley. Mockingbirds are a picture of innocence and beauty. The mockingbird is used as a symbol of innocence in the book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is telling Scout how it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Scout later asks Miss Maudie and Miss Maudie agrees by saying “Your father’s right…Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy…but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” They say it is a sin to kill one because they do not do anything to harm others. The only thing they do is bring music to their ears. Not only for innocence in general,...
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...Figurative Language The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, has quite a bit of figurative language, which contributes to its popularity. Examples include figures of speech, symbolism, allusions, imagery, similes, metaphors, personification and hyperboles. These elements are of my group’s interest. The first figurative language example I’d like to explain is the figure of speech. Lee uses many figures of speech throughout the book. One example which captured my interest was on when Atticus finds the flaw in Mayella’s account of the Tom Robinson case. “Somehow, Atticus had hit her hard in a way that was not clear to me, but it gave him no pleasure to do so” (188). Here, Atticus discovers the hole in Mayella’s testimony, and proves that...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird In the book “ To kill A Mockingbird” Author Harper Lee uses plenty of symbolism. Symbolism is a literary device where author uses an object to stand for an idea. The most famous symbol used in the book is “Mockingbird” the symbol of innocents. In her novel, “To KIll A Mockingbird” Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson , Boo Radley and Atticus Finch as human “Mockingbirds” to contribute the overall theme of innocents. First, Lee uses Tom Robinson as a mockingbird. Tom Robinson is a poor black man with a wife and 3 kids. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a young white woman by the name of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson was also shot 17 times and killed. Atticus said, “ Seventeen bullet holes in holes, they didn’t have to shoot him that much”(315) Tom Robinson was found guilty of all charges for the “raping” of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson’s story was that she asked him to come help get something out of the yard. Then she wanted him to fix a non broken door. After that she needed him to get a item on the shelf and she wrapped her arms around his waist and told him to kiss her. Atticus stated that Tom Robinson’s arm was badly messed up when he was younger by getting his hand caught in a cotton gin. He shows that statement because...
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...Innocents In the book To Kill A Mockingbird,by Harper Lee she uses a lot of symbolism throughout her story. Symbolism is a literary device where the author uses an object to stand for an idea. One of Lee’s famous symbol is an mockingbird.A mockingbird is a symbol of innocent. In her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Boo Radley as human “mockingbirds” to contribute to the overall theme of innocence. The first character Harper Lee uses is Tom Robinson.Tom Robinson is an poor black man with an wife and three children. He is 25 years old and is known as a respectable kind young man. His left hand was crippled and caught in a cotton gin when he was a young boy. In the begin, Lee uses Tom Robinson as a mockingbird because he was innocent man who was accused of raping a young woman named Mayella Ewell.And he was shot seventeen times.Atticus...
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...How symbolism can help you better understand To Kill a Mockingbird In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee uses symbolism to reveal an overall theme of human dignity. Maycomb County is a typical sleepy southern town that is blinded by the disease of racism. An innocent black man becomes a victim of the disease when he is accused of rapeing a white woman. Firstly the symbols Jem’s pants and the rolly-polly show the important theme of maturation. Furthermore the symbols Tim Johnson and the snowman highlight a theme of destroying racism. Lastly one-shot Finch and the perfect white waxy camellia symbolize true courage. Harper Lee uses Jem’s pants and the rolly-polly as symbols to convey a theme of maturation. Jem and Scout where in the Radley’s backyard trying to get a look at Boo Radley when Jem see’s a shadow the children immediately flee form the house. As the children were running through the collards as they hear the roar of a shotgun. As Jem and Scout are fleeing the scene Jem’s pants gets caught in the fence and he has to leave it in their backyard if he wants to survive. Later that night he says how he needs to go back and retrieve his pants not for him but for Atticus, “‘Atticus ain’t never whipped me ever since I can remember, and I wanta keep it that way.’” (Lee 75). He goes back to get his pants to keep his relation shit with Atticus. There is a evident theme maturation in Jem at this point, from when he thought turtles could not feel, too now when he is showing...
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...Harper Lees’ novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is an inspiring, lesson filled story of two children who spend their free time spying on a very reclusive and mysterious neighbor, while their father defends a black man against rape charges. The story takes place in the 1930’s, in a very small town in Alabama, called Maycomb. Atticus Finch, a widower, raises his two children Scout and Jem Finch by himself. They live in a very close-knit town but one neighbor, Boo Radley, seems to puzzle the children because of the fact that he never leaves the house. At the beginning of the book, the children begin a long and obsessive quest to lure Boo outside. For three years, the children try countless different ideas to try to see Boo Radley, until they finally do when he saves them from death at the end of the book. During the three years that the children are committed to this mission, their father is the lawyer of Tom Robinson, a black man, who is being accused of raping and beating a white woman. Atticus, Scout, and Jem face lots of racial slurs and insults because of Atticus’ role in the trial. Tom ends up being convicted of rape, even though Atticus proves to the court that Tom could not have possibly committed the crime of which he was accused. Throughout the book, Lee is trying to teach a lesson about doing what you think is right versus what everybody else thinks is right, and also about judging people before you get to know them. This novel is filled with symbolism pertaining to mystery...
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