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Symbolism and Allegory in To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee uses symbolism extensively throughout To Kill a Mockingbird,, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism and allegory can be seen by studying various examples from the book, namely the actions of the children, of the racist whites, and of Atticus Finch. One of the more effective allegories in the novel is the building of a snowman by Jem and Scout. There was not enough snow to make a snowman entirely out of snow, so Jem made a foundation out of dirt and then covered it with what snow they had. If the snowman was made completely out of snow, Jem's action would not be so significant. Scout is very surprised when she sees the brown snowman and she exclaims: "Jem, I ain't never heard of a nigger snowman." (72), and to this Jem replies: "He won't be black long." (72). Scout's words indicate the strange nature of the snowman which is half-black, half-white. Jem, however did not find it peculiar and he "scooped up some snow and began plastering it on". Gradually Mr. Avery turned white? (73). The symbol of the snowman, like every other symbol in literature, may have various interpretations depending on the reading of the individual. In the specific case the snowman can be seen in two ways. Firstly, this alteration from black to white can be considered as a merging of the two races into one, without any differences between them to separate them, an equality of black and white people. The change of colour (black to white) suggests the superficiality of the colour of the skin, which should not be a criterion for judging people and dividing them into categories. Atticus's... ... middle of paper ... ...r the two victims of human malice suggests the power Harper Lee sees in symbolism, which carries the message better than words. At this point she seems to agree with J.B.S. Haldane, a British Scientist, who stated: "In fact, words are well adapted for description and the arousing of emotion, but for many kinds of precise thought other symbols are much better" (Tripp). Perhaps this is the reason Harper Lee chooses to declare her rejection of prejudice and racism through the use of symbols; because they are more effective than words. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. 1960. New York: Warner Books, 1982. Tripp, Rhoda Thomas. The International Thesaurus of Quotations. New York: Harper and Row, 1990. "To Kill a Mockingbird." Sparknotes LLC. 2003. Barnes & Noble Learning Network. 2 Nov. 2003 .
The black women’s interaction with her oppressive environment during Revolutionary period or the antebellum America was the only way of her survival. Playing her role, and being part of her community that is not always pleasant takes a lot of courage, and optimism for better tomorrow. The autonomy of a slave women still existed even if most of her natural rights were taken. As opposed to her counterparts
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is based during the era of racism and prejudice. This era is commonly referred to as The Great Depression and is during the mid-late 30’s. The novel is set in a small town and county called Maycomb, Alabama. The novel follows the story of the Finch’s and their struggle before, during, and after a rape trial that is set against an African American by a white woman and her father. To Kill A Mockingbird has many symbols that have a thematic significance. Flowers and “Mockingbird” type characters are the main types of symbols.
A symbol in literature is an object that stands for a word, cause, belief, or another object. A metaphor is a figure of speech where a word of phrase is applied to something but it should not be taken literally. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird symbolizes innocence. The mockingbird is innocent, singing for people to hear its music. In the book Atticus says to Scout, “Remember it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” When Scout asked Miss Maudie about it, Miss Maudie tells her, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but they sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Killing something so innocent would be a sin because it had never done anything to hurt you.
The actions of the children in this novel certainly do have their share of symbolism. For instance, the building of a snowman by Jem and Scout one winter is very symbolic. There was not enough snow to make a snowman entirely out of snow, so Jem made a foundation out of dirt, and then covered it with what snow they had. One could interpret this in two different ways. First of all, the creation of the snowman by Jem can be seen as being symbolic of Jem trying to cover up the black man and showing that he is the same as the white man, that all human beings are virtually the same. Approval of these views is shown by Atticus when he tells Jem, "I didn't know how you were going to do it, but from now on I'll never worry about what'll become of you, son, you'll always have an idea." The fire that night that engulfed Miss Maudie Atkinson's house can be seen as the prejudice of Maycomb County, as the fire melted the snow from the snowman, and left nothing but a clump of mud. The fire depicts the prejudice people of the county saying that blacks and whites are, certainly, not the same. Another way of looking at the symbolism of the snowman would be to say that Jem's combination of mud and snow signifies miscegenation, marriage or sexual relations between persons of different races.
The case of Mississippi Burning dealt with the incident of three Mississippi Summer Project Volunteers disappearance: Andrew Goodman, 20, Michael Schwerner, 24, also called “Goatee” or “Jew-Boy “by the KKK, , and James Chaney, 21. These young men were shot and killed on a road in Neshoba County because of their active involvement in fighting for African American civil rights and their voting rights. Neshoba County of Longdale had a reputation for “being hard on the blacks” (www.core-online.org). Lawrence Rainey, Neshoba County Sheriff, and his deputy, Cecil Price, were both members of the KKK. They initiated Plan 4 to do away with Michael Schwerner on Memorial Day and any other activists, so along with thirty men armed with shotguns they showed up to Mount Zion Church to kill him. They were unsuccessful as they did ...
The grandson of a slave, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia; he was the youngest of five children. Jackie grew up very poor, but little did he know that his athletic ability would open the doors for his future. After his father deserted the family when Jackie was six months old, his mother, Mallie Robinson, moved the family to California in search of work. California also subjected blacks to segregation at that time, but to less of a degree than in the Deep South. The young Jackie defused his anger over this prejudice by immersing himself in sports. He displayed extraordinary athletic skills in high school, excelling at football, basketball, baseball, and track. After helping Pasadena Junior College win the Junior College Football Championship, Robinson took his athletic ability to the University of California at Los Angeles and became a top collegiate running back in 1939.
A small African-American boy sees his friend in the park, but can't spend time with him because they are not the same skin color. Maybe his parents did not want everyone in the town knowing that they were letting their child play with white folk, or he was afraid of what his parents would say if they were getting along, regardless of what the rest of the town thinks. Little did this boy know that he would soon be accused of a crime he never committed. This was the life of those with a different skin color in the 1930s. In To Kill a Mockingbird and the Scottsboro trials, racism not only affected those involved, but also the town of where it was held. It would even affect the chances of those accused, which led them to try escape from a penitentiary during this time.
In short, “when it was profitable to exploit slave women as if they were men, they were regarded, in effect, as genderless, but when they could be exploited, punished and repressed in ways suited only for women, they were locked into their exclusively female roles” This not only effect African American women but as well as white women. It was at this time in the nineteenth century that differentiated gender roles emerged. “Many middle-class nineteenth century white Americans became convinced that men and women were so different that their duties, obligations, and responsibilities actually constituted “separate spheres” Women were limited to many things because they had to keep up with their womanly duties such as: caring for their children and husband and keep the appearance of their homes up to par. This continued well into the twentieth century. This horrible atmosphere and reputation of women sparked Ruby Doris Smith Robinson to speak on behalf of women and their womanhood. She gained power from SNCC. Her co-worker ...
Jackie Robinson realized that he was an athlete at a young age. His motivation was his older brother Mathew Robinson. Jackie’s older brother Mathew was in the 1936 Olympics...
Jackie Robison was grown up by his mother and didn’t have much help being taught a sport. He learned almost everything on his own. He was the first African-American player to ever get 4 varsity letters in UCLA College. Jackie played four different sports. Jackie played baseball, basketball, football, and track. In 1949 Jackie was All-American on his football team. He had many difficulties playing sports; He was forced to join the U.S. Army. After of serving two years in the military he eventually left the service with honorable discharge.
The Mississippi burnings were nothing but an old fashioned lynching. Hidden and disguised by the help of county officials, this case was overlooked and un-trialed. Nothing was done and three innocent men lost their lives.
The cruel nature and intentions of people can either hurt or harm individuals or it can bring about resilience and determination. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee revealed that humans often have other motives in life; some are born to be evil in nature, some are naturally innocent and then there are some that are born to protect the innocent. Lee utilized a variety of symbols and themes that correlated with each other and thus had the ability to create questions in the minds of the readers. Are humans calculatedly cruel or is there some moral good in each of us? The impiety of a few can create a movement, imprison the innocent or reveal the sincerity of others.
The purpose of writing this paper is to inform one of the struggles African American women had to endure not only from the Europeans, but from their own people. The lifestyle of African American women in the Black community will be described in detail. Not only will this paper examine the struggle for equality, it will show how gender roles played a...
The eighteenth century is widely reputed to have been the Age of Theatre in France. A unique form of entertainment and mass communication, theatrical productions brought together representatives from all degrees of social and economic status in one building to share a common experience. Despite an attitude that emphasized the glorification of French culture, the government viewed the theatre primarily as a form of entertainment and sought to prevent any deviation from this main emphasis. Although plays were monitored through censorship of scripts, the agents of authority made little attempt to shape popular views on specific political issues through drama. In contrast, practitioners of bourgeois drama aimed at converting the theatre into a schoolhouse for moral values and virtue in social interaction. Parisian audiences, especially those standing in the open parterre area in front of the stage, often used the theatre as a forum for voicing their own opinions on political issues. Far from being mindlessly molded by any agenda of the French playwrights or royal patrons, the spectators claimed for themselves the capacity to pass judgment on the plays presented on the stage. The Crown's formal regulation, the playwrights' didactic intention, and the spectators' vocal reactions created an interaction of control, manipulation, and political articulation in eighteenth-century Parisian theatre.
The article also explained how this style of classroom can aide in strengthening other areas of a child's development. As stated earlier in the article, they said that by allowing children to help prepare foods children will gain math, science and literary skills. My mind already began imaging ways that I could use a cooking activity to enforce counting or using the lunch menu as a way of talking about colors and alphabets. I have a Tree Study coming up in my classroom , and , because of this article, I plan on linking some of the fruit that is served during lunch with the lessons that are