To Kill a Mockingbird

1017 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: to kill a mockingbird lessons learned

When the movie To Kill a Mockingbird was released in 1962 no one not even Robert Mulligan the director could have imagined the huge success it would come to be. Who would have thought a movie about a depression-era southern girl would end up being number 25 of the best American films of all time. That is until you watch it you find out the reason why. The story has so much more behind it then just following the story of a little girl’s life as her father defends a black man being charged with raping a white woman. To kill a Mockingbird is actually about the most important lesson you learn as a child transitioning into adulthood. The lesson of how good and evil coexists in the world, and how if you don’t learn this valuable lesson it can destroy you.
At the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird the main characters Scout and her brother Jem represent what we all think of kids. They both are oblivious to the fact that there is both good and evil in the world because they have never had to experience evil. You notice this when Scout and Jem meet Dill for the first time. When Dill tells Scout and Jem he doesn’t have a farther the first thing Scout asks is if his father is dead. Dill tells them no but Scout ask how can he not have a father. Scout and Jem have only grown up with kids that have a both a father and mother and they only way they don’t have both is if one of them is dead. That being said Scout has never experienced a time when a child has a single mother, so she doesn’t understand it. Another way Scout and Jem’s innocents is demonstrated is how they believe everything they are told. For example they are told the Boo Radley is crazy and tried to kill his family by everyone on the street, so they develop this fear of Boo. Scout...

... middle of paper ...

...ve his I have a dream speech to the March on Washington. This was a good time to release To Kill a Mockingbird because it addressed the issue of segregation. The movie also gave insight on how black people didn’t get the same treatment when on trial. To Kill a Mockingbird’s theme was also relevant to the audience. During the civil rights movement people were discovering a lot more about how good and evil coexist in the world.
It is easy to see why To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic. It teaches us all a lesson we have to learn sometime in life. From Scouts and Jem’s innocent thought on Dills parents to how they view the world in the end we are able to see their transition into adulthood. Overall To Kill a Mockingbird is a movie everyone should watch sometime in their life. Whether it be for fun or the life lesson it comes with it will not disappoint you.

Show More
Related

  • To Kill A Mocking Bird

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird is the existence of racism and prejudice in the 1930 – 40's. Harper Lee succeeds in presenting the topic in a manner that is not overly simplistic and thus achieves the task of allowing the reader to fully appreciate the complex nature of unjust discrimination. Harper Lee's inclusion of characters such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and many others, aid the reader to grasp the concept of racism and its central role in the town of Maycomb.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Morality And Values In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    The life lessons and values taught in To Kill a Mockingbird is important as it teaches us many things. Through the protagonist, we are able to find the true meanings and actions of courage, how fairness and equality can create a better society, and to get to know someone before making a judgement. By learning from this novel, we can strengthen our values and morals to improve ourselves as

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mocking Bird

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I’d rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after the birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mocking bird.” Atticus Finch recites these lines to his two children, Jem and Scout after he gives them air-rifles for Christmas. Scout is curious, as this is the first time that she has ever heard her father refer to anything as a sin, Scout asks Miss Maude what Atticus meant by this. Miss Maude tells Scout that mocking birds don’t rip up people’s garden’s or annoy them in any way, all they do is play beautiful music for us to listen to.

    Read More

  • Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.

    Read More

  • to kill a mockingbird

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird is regarded as a classic, also due to the timeless moral values it holds dear. The words of others should not dictate personal values, using educated thought is crucial before acting and finally, statements should not always be acknowledged as truth until you are able to authenticate them for yourself.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is an ideal father, who sets a great example for his kids. A picture of Atticus is important to Scout because Atticus teaches Scout many important life lessons about life. Firstly, as Atticus talks to Scout about Miss. Stephanie, he states “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee,30). Scout realizes that one can never feel someone’s pain, happiness, or glory until she looks at their point of view of things; she learns to consider other people’s situation and feelings. She also understands that she will never know what goes in other people’s lives, and therefore she cannot judge anyone. Scout matures as she learns to apply Atticus’ wise advice to understand Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley, who are individuals that are misunderstood by the community. Furthermore, as Miss Maudie talks to Scout, she states “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 46). Miss Maudie knows about Atticus’ personality quite well. Miss Maudie explains to Scout Atticus is a man with moral principles, he does what he believes is right even if others are not there to praise him. Through Atticus’ exemplary role, Scout understands the importance of integrity, and strong moral values. Finally, when Scout questions her father about the possible outcome of the trial, Atticus states “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win” (Lee, 76). Atticus teaches Scout toleration, determination and moral courage. He already knows he is going to los...

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mocking Bird

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Twelve Angry men by Reginald Rose and The Scottsboro Trial are all about unfair trials containing discrimination towards different people and people being prejudice .The peoples action towards the defendants affected them for the rest of their life. Many of the people that came into the court brought in their own social problems and that influenced the verdict.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird: A Timeless Classic

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves for classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for their execution of style and the importance of their content.

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a fictional story in which a black man is accused of a crime against the daughter of one of the most hateful, racist men in all of Maycomb, Alabama. Though the book is considered fictional, it couldn’t be any more real. Nine black men were “hoboing” a train and ended up being accused of a crime against two white women and known as vial criminals throughout the south. This incident became known as the Scottsboro trial. Although the book To Kill a Mockingbird and the Scottsboro trial are very similar, they are also quite different.

    Read More

  • To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee

    515 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mood helps in creating an atmosphere in a literary work by means of setting, theme, diction and tone. Throughout the book To kill a mockingbird the author wanted the mood to be sorrowful or vexed or just fret about how the people are acting because seeing how things were being treated or how people acted would be enough to make you feel angry or sad or worried for the people who were in the book. You always wanted to know what was going to come next or how something would end. Vex was a very prominent mood in this story and is definitely the most relevant.

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nelle Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird has been considered one of the classic works of American literature. To Kill A Mockingbird is the work ever published by Nelle Harper Lee, and it brought her great fame. However, Nelle Harper Lee has published several other articles in popular magazines. Nelle Harper Lee is not an individual who desires to be in the light and little is known about her personal life. At the time it is believed she is possible working on her memoirs. The fictional work of To Kill A Mockingbird plots many elements close to real events in America’s struggle over civil rights.

    Read More

  • to kill a mocking bird

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gender roles in society have greatly changed throughout the years of America from puritan women who thought that showing skin was undoubtedly a sin from the flapper era in american history that welcomed the idea of women showing more of their sexuality. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird which depict the events that occur when a white man who defends an african american man during the era of the great depression and what results from the story. Gender roles are a prevalent theme in the story. Through the characters dialogue and Scout's narration, Miss Maudie is characterized as a modern women while aunt Alexandra is characterized by her adherence to tradition.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Jem Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most would argue that Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is an uplifting story about hope and youth. In reality, it is a sad story about two children, Jem and Scout, losing their innocence through treacherous life experience. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story about childhood in the deep south during the great depression. It speaks about the concepts of racism, innocence and justice as the protagonists, Scout and Jem, struggle with coming of age. The Finch children lose their innocence throughout the book in many ways, such as being involved with the trial, the lynch mob, and Bob Ewell's death. At it’s core, TKAM is a story about youth, and the loss thereof. When Scout and Jem are involved in the lynch mob, they lose their

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird and How it is Relevant Today

    507 Words  | 2 Pages

    An important reason why To Kill a Mockingbird is relevant today is the ever growing resurgence of racism throughout the country. Events such as the ones in Jena, Louisiana, seem to become more common each day. Recently, a black professor at Columbia University had a noose placed on her door. The novel, which was an attempt to spread knowledge of the racism in the south, was trying to stop the very things that happen everyday now. As racism becomes more and more prevalent, this novel will be a good tool to help teach the next generation about racism, and about how it is wrong.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Compassion In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird embodies those very words in every aspect and exemplifies them through its three main characters: Atticus, Scout, and Jem. Yet, with racism and discrimination seemingly making its way back into the twenty first century with increased shootings of African American males and Donald Trump making an effort to export all Muslims out of America etc., the lessons of compassion, understanding and forgiveness shown in To Kill A Mockingbird could be of great use in today’s society. To Kill A Mockingbird demonstrates the value of compassion and understanding through one, Atticus and his taking of Tom Robinson's trial, two, Atticus and his relationship with Scout, and finally, with Atticus and Mrs. Dubose. To start, for most people, the second they learned of Tom Robinson’s accused crime, they knew his fate had most likely already been decided, jail it would be for Mr Robinson, yet Atticus Finch embraced the challenge and took on his case.

    Read More

More about To Kill a Mockingbird

Open Document