In To Kill A Mockingbird courage, parenting, and racism was interpreted. Harper Lee objective was to send a simple message to her readers. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee has connected the character to her life. The book is about the narrator, Scout. Scout has a brother named Jem and a father named Atticus. Jem is full of courage, and is very protective. He likes to act like a leader to his sibling. Scout can be described as a young brave girl, who admires her dad. She can also be referred to as the tom boy, considering she is surrounded around boys. Dill was there friend who came down for the Sumer. Dill is very adventurous, and devious. The children grew up not being used to the racism that they encountered, but Atticus was there to teach them. Atticus was an attorney who played a major role in representing a Negro named Tom. Tom was falsely accused of raping a white woman. Tom was declared not guilty, …show more content…
She wanted to advocate the importance of equality in the society. Ever since the 1960 release, Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird has been highly praised, studied and modified into a film and play. The play gained popularity for its true representation of Lee’s Pulitzer Award winning novel.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is displayed in many different ways. Two main characters that symbolized courage throughout the book were Atticus and Scout Finch. Scout looked up to her father, Atticus, as a role model. Atticus taught his children to defend themselves.
One example of this includes that Scout uses courage by standing up for her father in front of the jail. According to Murray, Scout physically defends Jem against an unidentified "burly man" who "nearly yanked Jem off his feet”. (Murray 152) Scout yelled, “Don’t you touch him! ' and she kicked the man, thinking, "Barefooted, I was surprised to see him fall back in real pain. I intended to kick his shin, but aimed too high" (Lee
Many people believe that to have courage, you must conquer something physically challenging. Courage is a quality in which the mind is able to confront any difficulty, whether that be fear, danger or even pain. Scout and her older brother Jem are both influenced by
Harper Lee takes inspiration for her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, from her own life experiences. The story tells about the lives of Jean Louise Finch and Jem Finch, the two children of a talented lawyer, who introduces them to racism and bigotry at a very young age. The Tom Robinson trial, similar to the Scottsboro trial, causes Jem and Scout to recognize the distinctly different types of people living in Maycomb. Man’s inhumanity to man compels Harper Lee to uncover the shameful acts of society; these injustices, especially those of the Tom Robinson trial, open Scout and Jem’s eyes to the defective perspectives held by society; reading To Kill A Mockingbird, leads me to wonder how far our society has truly come.
Courage is valued in many ways. It is measured by bravery, heroism, physical strength, and morally correct behavior. The world mostly defines courage as having physical strength and being brave. Atticus, Scout, and Jem show many acts of courage through the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. They all have different views and opinions on courage. The novel is told from the point of view of Scout. She, and her brother Jem, live with their widowed father in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. Their father, Atticus, is also a lawyer who defends his black client, Tom Robinson, who is innocent of rape. The title To Kill A Mockingbird explains that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” because they “make music for us to enjoy” (Lee 119). In other words, the mockingbirds are harmless and have never done anything wrong. It would be considered a sin to kill a harmless and peaceful mockingbird. Similarly, accusing an innocent and
To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in Alabama, and is narrator by the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise ‘’Scout Finch’’. Her father Atticus Finch is a Lawyer with high moral standards. Scout her brother Jem, and their friend Dill are intrigued by the local rumors about a man named Boo Radley, who lives in their neighborhood but never leaves his house.
Scout Finch, the youngest child of Atticus Finch, narrates the story. It is summer and her cousin Dill and brother Jem are her companions and playmates. They play all summer long until Dill has to go back home to Maridian and Scout and her brother start school. The Atticus’ maid, a black woman by the name of Calpurnia, is like a mother to the children. While playing, Scout and Jem discover small trinkets in a knothole in an old oak tree on the Radley property. Summer rolls around again and Dill comes back to visit. A sence of discrimination develops towards the Radley’s because of their race. Scout forms a friendship with her neighbor Miss Maudie, whose house is later burnt down. She tells Scout to respect Boo Radley and treat him like a person. Treasures keep appearing in the knothole until it is filled with cement to prevent decay. As winter comes it snows for the first time in a century. Boo gives scout a blanket and she finally understands her father’s and Miss Maudie’s point of view and treats him respectfully. Scout and Jem receive air guns for Christmas, and promise Atticus never to shoot a mockingbird, for they are peaceful and don’t deserve to die in that manner. Atticus then takes a case defending a black man accused of rape. He knows that such a case will bring trouble for his family but he takes it anyways. This is the sense of courage he tries to instill in his son Jem.
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place during the 1930’s in the fictional and quiet town of Maycomb, located in Maycomb County, Alabama. The town of Maycomb is described as a tired old town that moves very slowly and its residents have nothing to fear but fear itself. Being in set in the South during the 1930’s the story does tackle racism and inequality for African Americans as racism was becoming more and more prominent in the 1930’s. The fact that the story takes place in a backwater county in Alabama makes the the injustice even more prevalent. The story goes through the early years of the main characters Jem and Scout so the exact time is always changing, however, the more important and intense parts of the story takes place
...e addiction on her deathbed. Atticus Finch, while adhering to strong moral convictions as well as his personal beliefs, defends a black man in the South at the risk of his own well being. Boo Radley overcomes his fear of the outside world and leaves his home to save the lives of two innocent children from certain death. Through their experiences, Scout and Jem learn the true meaning of courage and the importance of its influence in their community. Courage is not necessarily performing great feats of strength, but rather having the unwavering determination to pursue a goal, overcoming personal obstacles, or simply adhering to high moral standards in everyday life. Ultimately, the evolution of the true meaning of courage has a profound effect on the characters, their development, and their perspectives, which will continue to influence them throughout their lives.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an emblem of racial jurisdiction. All throughout the book it shows how the law applies to blacks as opposed to whites. Lee shows how unjust the treatment of blacks is and the disregard for their human rights. Though through the actions of the characters in the book; it can be said that their actions show a glimmer of hope for this very prejudiced society.
There has always been a strong intuition like belief, that Harper Lee used true accounts from her own childhood as an inspiration to create her credible award-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee retells the events that she encountered during this time of prejudice through the eyes of an innocent child, Scout Finch. Lee uses her childhood and the events surrounding her juvenile years to construct many aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird: primarily, the main character, Scout Finch, Tom Robinson’s unfair trial, and the racism occurring in the Southern states.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is an exquisite example of the impact of prejudice and discrimination on a small Southern town post-Depression. On Harper Lee's novel, Telgen states, "Comprising the main portion of the book's examination of racism and its effects are the underlying themes of prejudice vs. tolerance: how people feel about and respond to differences in others" (292). The motif of discrimination in this story is strongly supported by numerous examples, events, and seemingly unimportant anecdotes described throughout the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird expounds upon the ideas, thoughts, and interpretations of Jean Louise Finch (also known as Scout) and her older brother Jeremy "Jem" Finch. As the siblings live out many adventures and mature, both in years and in experience, they start to learn and recognize the prejudices occurring in their town. While they were brought up by Atticus Finch, their father- a man who strongly believes in the equality of all- others in the town of Maycomb do not have these same views. These differences lead to many problems throughout Scout's narration. This best-seller greatly expresses the repercussions of discrimination and prejudice of gender, race, and class.
...ating themes. The difference between justice, fairness and righteousness seen in the social ladder and in court to combat the prejudices to black citizens but the novel told the struggle a small family faced breaking those prejudices. “You’ll see white men cheat black men everyday in your life. but...no matter who he is...or how fine a family he comes from, he is trash” and through Atticus we can see the societal rift he is overstepping. These boundaries, placed by yourself and your social prejudices, are demonstrated in To Kill a Mockingbird through the power of numbers and the necessity of the brave to break them. By using her childhood life as a backdrop and telling the story though a recalling narration, Lee achieved her goal in creating a love story that tells the life long lesson in doing what you feel is right, whether just or fair, to create a better world.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the author depicts courage in terms of doing that which serves as right, even when there exists little chance of success. As Atticus explains to Jem, real courage does not occur in the ability to fight or use a gun; rather, “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it thro...
Atticus lives by this, and strives to instill the same values in his kids. When the whole town turns against him for taking Tom Robinson’s case, he refuses to give up. Even his sister tells him to drop the case, but to no avail. Even when everyone is against his decision, he still stands up for what he believes in, saying “...if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the legislate, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” showing his steadfastness when it comes to his morals and basic principles. Atticus demonstrates this same perseverance in fighting for Tom, even though it is quite clear he will lose. It is obvious that Tom didn’t rape Mayella, but the townspeople will side against, simply because he is black, something Atticus is well aware of. Despite that he continues trying his hardest to do what he knows is right, to help those who need it, and he does so calmly and respectfully. This is something Scout regularly struggles with, she is prone to fits of anger and stubbornness while defending her beliefs. There are several instances where Scout faces ignorance and hate, especially regarding her father’s decision. However, instead of agreeing with society, she takes a stand, which although often violent, shows that she too is capable of persevering in the face of
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. You know Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was misperceived at first. All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names, but after he led Santa’s sleigh, they loved him. Misperceptions like this happen all throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. As you read the novel you see original judgments made about characters transform into new conceptions and new understandings. Some characters twist your views of them on purpose, others do it involuntarily. To Kill a Mockingbird shows this happening over and over again. All you have to do is look for it.
Harper Lee, otherwise known as Nelle Harper Lee was born in Alabama, which is also the setting for her novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird". Many of Lee's childhood experiences, influence the basis of this book. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is narrated from the fist person view of a young girl named Scout Finch, as she recants the tale of her family and their experiences during the trial of Tom Robinson, an African-American man who is being charged with rape. This story is centered around the theme of throwing away prejudice not only towards African-Americans, or specific races but towards any people. This theme is directly expressed in the book, when Atticus Finch, Scout's father, tells her and her brother "in order to fully understand someone, you need to climb into his skin and walk around it." This theme of social prejudice is demonstrated in many parts throughout the book such as when Tim Robinson is jailed and later killed without a fair trial because all of the townspeople presumed him guilty due to his ethnicity. Another example of this prejudice and discrimination is shown in the way that Scout Finch views of not only the Finches neighbors Boo Radley, but of other families in the town of Maycomb such as the Ewells and the Cunninghams. The depth of the novel continues to develop as we delve further into the lives of the Finches as a family as well as as Boo Radley and Tok Robinson and all the struggles that they face throughout. It is through this depth, character development, and explosive themes, that Harper Lee was able to make her book, "To Kill a Mockingbird" such an influential novel that not only affected Amer...