The Title of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
In the novel 'to kill a mockingbird' Harper lee uses a metaphorical
mockingbird to symbolise the different characters and actions within
her book and to symbolise why people get the treatment they do and how
they don't deserve it. The reader begins to understand the meaning of
the title of the book through the personified mockingbird being used
numerous times throughout the novel.
The use of the Mockingbird is used throughout the novel but is 1st
mentioned when Atticus is telling his children how to use their
shotguns but tells them 'it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird' this
statement from Atticus is used as the moral of the novel. The
mockingbird is used to symbolise the people in the world who only help
other people and are still discriminated for no fault of their own. A
mockingbird is used because it is a type of finch, a small, plain bird
with beautiful song, which 'mocks' or mimics other birds song. There
are different sorts of the species of bird, which some are endangered
but the species are known for their habits to differ according to
their adaptation to their environment. Mockingbirds are known for
their innocence in nature as Miss Maudie describes them in the novel
as 'they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us' this
shows that the mockingbirds do no wrong in nature and just ensure
other people can listen to their song. These characteristics of the
mockingbird are also shown in quite a few of the main pivotal
characters in the novel who are known as the mockingbirds of the
novel.
One of which is 'Atticus Finch' as he is shown as one of the main
charact...
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...ty when he would have faced his opposition. Before the
shot happened the atmosphere was described as 'deadly and 'the
mockingbirds were silent' the atmosphere reacted was of such that was
also described later when scout and Jem got pounced on by Bob Ewell.
The atmosphere at that point was portrayed like just before the dog
got shot as the 'stillness before a thunderstorm' and also on the way
to the pageant 'even the mockingbird is silent'.
Harper lee showed the readers of her book that she didn't agree with
the way people can be stereotyped in the world and how prejudice can
stop people living the life they should. This was the reason why she
chose to use the metaphorical symbolism the way she has as she has
effectively shared all her views about that time and the way people
live through a simple minded 'mockingbird'
Scout learned a number of things in the book, but most of them all refer back to a statement that Atticus and Calpurnia said, which goes, “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is sing their hearts our for us.” (Lee, pg. 90). Scout learned that about people, too. She learned that some people don’t do anything to you, so it would be a sin to do something mean in return. Over the course of the story Scout becomes more mature and learns the most important facts of life. She was living through a very difficult time and most of that helped her get through.
One of the principal aims of To Kill a Mockingbird is to subject the narrator to a series of
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.
Racial discrimination, although not the main focus of To Kill a Mockingbird, plays a large role throughout the novel. Many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird are affected by racial discrimination, whether they are the cause or not. Throughout the novel, three characters stand out as being affected by racial discrimination the most. These characters are Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson.
Irony is the opposite of what is and what seems to be. Harper Lee uses irony in
In the book, To Kill a Mockeningbird by Harper lee, Charles Baker Harris, also known as Dill, is one of the most important character. He’s curious, wants attention, and he can be dishonest.
Helen Keller, a deaf and blind writer and lecturer describes life as “a succession of
The story, To Kill a Mockingbird is a very fine novel which exemplifies the life in the south and the human rights and values given to everybody. The book especially took the case of prejudice to a serious extreme. From the title, a mockingbird through the eyes of Harper Lee, is a person who has fallen victim to vicious stereotypes. The title To Kill a Mockingbird explains itself quite clearly in the end of the novel when Tom Robinson, one of the mockingbirds, is killed due to the stereotypes dumped upon him. Often, the use of stereotypes just breaks down the real truth of a person.
group in his society. In the quote ." . . If I didn't take this case
Scout Finch is not the stereotypical girl from the 1930’s. Agents the wishes of everyone around her, she grows up in overalls instead of dresses. Scout plays in the dirt and sand, instead of in the kitchen. In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, Scout is the wild spirited narrator, growing up in the small town of Maycomb. As she gets older, she learns mostly from her father Atticus how to interact with people. Scout learns to show dignity and respect to everyone, under any circumstances.
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.
In the opening chapters of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Harper Lee introduces several subtle instances of racism. However, when Jem and Scout are welcomed into Cal’s Church in chapter 12, the reader really gets to travel behind the false disguise of Maycomb County’s white society to see the harsh realities of the injustices suffered by the blacks. The black community is completely separate from the whites -- in fact, Cal lives in a totally different part of town!
The Significance of the Title To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee In this novel, the most significant symbol is the mocking bird. A mocking bird is a type of Finch: a small, discrete bird with a. beautiful song, which mocks or imitates the other birds' song. One of the most explicit references made about mocking birds is that in chapter 10. Atticus is telling Scout and Jem how to use their shotguns for the first time, he says, 'Shoot all the bluejays you.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters: Atticus, Scout and Jem were faced with many losing battles such as Tom Robinson's case, the "mad dog incident" and Mrs. Dubose's addiction to morphine. This builds on the theme of there are things in life that won't go your way. The book takes place in the 1930's or 1940's in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb. The novel takes us through the life and perils that the main characters undergo and teach us about growing up and being mature.
The Significance of the Title of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The title of this novel is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and throughout the book the word mockingbird appears several times. The mockingbird is the most significant symbol in the novel. The motif of the story is the innocent creature of the mockingbird. What is a mockingbird? A mockingbird is a type of finch.