...“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.”-Maya Angelou In chapter 10 of the Southern Gothic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character, Scout, assimilates memorable concepts from Mrs. Maudie and Atticus Finch about social prejudices that take different forms. For instance, in the end of chapter 10, Atticus summons enough courage to shoot a mad dog that has been limping through the streets resulting in the people of Maycomb to panic. The symbolism of the mad dog, mockingbird, and even the bluejays, that are expressed throughout chapter 10, contribute to the the that rumors and social prejudices are spreading through the town of Maycomb similarly to that of a disease. In the beginning of chapter 10, when Scout and her brother, Jem, are given air rifles, Atticus informs them about the types of birds they can and cannot shoot. For example, he reminds them them to “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but...
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...Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most renowned books of all time, centering around young Scout and her family (her brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus,) as both Scout and her older brother mature through the events that occur in Maycomb county along the three years the novel spans. The aforementioned events include: the wrongful conviction of a black man (who Atticus defended brilliantly in court) for no other reason than the racism the Maycomb citizens harbored in their hearts, the death of this man by seventeen gunshot wounds when he attempted to escape prison, the attempted murder of Scout and Jem, the appearance of a neighborhood recluse for the first time in years, the slow death of a morphine addict who...
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...Every day, innocent people are convicted of crimes they did not commit. They face unjustified punishment and prejudice. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the mockingbird is repetitively used as a symbol of innocence. Scout and Jem Finch, the young protagonists of the novel are told that "It's a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119) because mockingbirds are peaceful creatures who cause no harm. Some characters in the story can be perceived as “mockingbirds” due to their acts of kindness and nonviolence. The three characters who symbolize the mockingbird are Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson because they are all innocent men who are discriminated against and punished for doing what is right. Tom Robinson was an innocent man who faced prejudice because he was African American. Tom displayed many respectable traits. He provided free help to his white neighbor, despite the fact he had only one arm. When asked why he did these selfless acts, Tom responded: " I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-" (264). Later, Tom was accused of raping and beating up young Mayella Ewell, the eldest child in the infamous Ewell family, and the same girl he had assisted. Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell,was a racist man, who knew that he could get away with wrongfully accusing Tom simply because Tom was black. When brought to court, evidence proved Tom not-guilty, yet he...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee about a small town in Alabama named Maycomb. The time period that this book takes place in is the late 1930s, the end of the Great Depression and prejudice is extremely prominent. The story is about a black male, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, and is defended by a white attorney, Atticus Finch. Atticus and his children, Scout and Jem, endure tough love from their community, but learn many things from the treatment they received. During the book, as the Harper Lee expresses the themes she uses symbols to interpret them. The major themes in the story are revealed within symbols, such as, a mockingbird, an oak tree, and geraniums. The mockingbird...
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...Birds of Innocence Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an exceptional story of cowardice and courage, of prejudice and acceptance. Most obviously, it is a story of maturity and innocence. In the novel, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are all metaphorically portrayed as mockingbirds because of their observable innocence with others in their community and their evident kindness. While each character has noticeably different storylines and symbolic references to the mockingbird, all three have their inculpability in common. Atticus Finch is depicted as a mockingbird, not only because of his incorruption, but also because of his fatherly instincts and his unmistakable courage. In chapter twenty-nine and thirty we see Atticus’s righteousness in full light. As they sauntered home from the school pageant, Jem and Scout were attacked. Atticus, knowing that Bob Ewell has threatened him and what he loves, does not outright blame Bob for his children’s wounds and injuries. Mockingbirds are extremely territorial and protective of their young. In chapter ten we see Atticus’s shooting skills as he protects his children from a rabid dog. Another trait shown by mockingbirds is their courage when defending their...
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...(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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...Catrette Lit/Writ 1 15 May 2015 Defining a Mockingbird Life is like a pair of smudgy glasses. At first finding it difficult to see anything clearly, but once effort is rendered in, seeing everything clearly is a piece of cake. Looking into Maycomb, the glasses gives a virtuous understanding of prejudice. Knowing the neighbors do not exactly hold friendly relationships when there is a crazy man also known as Boo Radley living next door, those who care enough to clean their glasses, are not affected by prejudice, therefore do not believe the circulating rumors. “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee demonstrates the meaning of the mockingbird, innocence throughout the story, using Tom Robinson the black man, Boo...
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...universal scholars and philosophers, this idea does not fail to become a real motif in some of the greatest discussed literature known to humanity. Moreover, among these exceptional classics, stands a prominent example of to kill a mockingbird, an “unforgettable novel of childhood in a sleepy southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it” (Lee 282). This “[c]ompassionate, dramatic and deeply moving” classic of American Literature by Harper Lee not only portrays society as a whole, however, it also accomplishes the task through the use of countless dynamic characters, symbols and allegories (Lee 282). Among...
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...There are many examples of evil, hypocrisy, and injustice in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and even throughout the world. These examples include Tom Robinson’s death, Bob Ewell’s attempt on the children’s life, the ministry circle, the class discussion in Miss Gates class, Tom Robinson’s trial, the treatment of Boo Radley, and the mass rape spree that recently happened in Germany. These are all examples of evil, hypocrisy, and injustice in “To Kill A Mockingbird”, and our world today. The examples of evil that the kids saw in To Kill A Mockingbird are the treatment of the African-American community of Maycomb and the actions of Bob Ewell. The African-American community of Maycomb is not treated fairly in many ways. One way is that they are pushed to the worst part of the town near the dump and do not have any opportunities in Maycomb. An example of this is that no one in colored community could read because they were never taught unlike the white community. Also, most of the people in Maycomb county are racist towards the colored community, just like many other southern places during this time. The other example is Bob Ewell’s actions. The first reason for this is that he followed Mrs. Robinson and harassed and threatened her....
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...To Kill a Mockingbird, by Nelle Haper Lee was published in 1960, after the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education and during a time of increasing civil rights unrest (Johnson). It was also a time of great social change in the United States, and a novel about the racial injustices of 1930s Alabama carried a powerful message to its readers. After the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, literature and literacy were used to expose and educate on racial injustice (Prendergrast 2). The dominant theme of the novel is prejudice and ultimately the courage needed to overcome prejudice. There are three main types of prejudice that are explored in the novel; racial prejudice, social prejudice and fear of the unknown. Racial prejudice is present throughout the novel in the people of Maycomb’s everyday life, as it is a novel set in the ‘deep south’ of America in the 1930’s. This period is not so long after the American civil war, so slavery’s abolishment had occurred not all that long ago, and the horror of slavery was still on the mind of many black people at the time (Brundage 86). Because of this, most people’s attitudes towards black people had not changed very much. The situation that shows the best examples of racial prejudice is the trial of Tom Robinson. In his trial, Tom Robinson is misjudged and mistreated because he is black. One of the clearest examples of this is the way in which Mr. Gilmer, Tom’s prosecutor, calls Tom “boy.” He uses a tone of voice towards...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird Essay The story To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb Alabama in the 1930’s. The Great Depression was in effect so not a lot of people had any money. However, this was not the only thing they had to worry about. There was a lot of Racism, class prejudice, and sexism that all lead up to not only the kids, but also adults facing the destruction of innocence. One example, is the mockingbird. This represented innocence because Atticus stated it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds never do anything but sing beautiful music for us to listen to. They are peaceful animals that don’t hurt you. Innocence was taken away from Tom Robinson. He was accused for raping a white girl Mayella because he was black. Tom was innocent until they made him guilty. He tried to help her but it backfired. She told him to come inside and tried to have sex with him but her dad came in and Mayella blamed Tom. This was taken to trial and Tom was announced guilty because of destruction of innocence. Another example, is Boo Radley. Just like Tom the town made him seem like the bad guy from rumors and town gossip. Boo was locked inside his house most of his life and everyone thought he was scary and shouldn’t trust him. In reality he...
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...Empathy is how a person feels and expresses their feelings about something. There are several displays of empathy throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird that show the reader true insight into what the characters feel. Several articles in the StudySync series do a great job of showing the reader examples of empathy by giving the reader insight on people’s lives who were discriminated against or couldn’t use their voice. However, To Kill A Mockingbird does a better job of displaying empathy for those that cannot speak up for themselves by using characters like Mayella Ewell and Boo Radley as examples for Scout to express her empathy. They allow her to show empathy because they are people that she interacts with and she understands that with all of the trouble in their lives, they are not able to use their voice and speak for themselves when they need to. This is how the book connects to a reader on a deeper level than the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson. Both To Kill A Mockingbird and Studysync focus on empathy. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, develops Scouts empathy by making her understand other people’s lives and their troubles, which makes her more sympathetic towards...
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...novel To Kill A Mockingbird is rumours. The hole town of Maycomb is buzzing with different kinds of rumours. Some true and some false, their origins not many know. But they do know every inch of the made up tale. As the story progress the rumours get more and more violent. Causing characters in the novel emotional and some times physical pain. In this essay the difference between the way Atticus and Dill perceive rumours will be discussed. A rumour that seems to repeat itself throughout the novel is the rumour about Author Radley or more commonly known as Boo. In the rumours he is usually portrayed as some kind of lunatic child. “any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work” (Jem,9). Boo is blamed for any small crime done in the town, even though every time the crime was proved to be someone else, most of the town clings to this idea. Dill is intrigued by the Boo Radley rumors they drew him to go closer to the Radley house “but drew him no nearer than the light-pole on the corner” (Scout,9). Oppositely Atticus took no interest in the Boo Radley rumors brushing them off “Atticus's only answer was for him to mind his own business” (Scout,11). This rumor points out the difference in Dill and Atticus of age and maturity. Dill letting his imagination run wild, while Atticus had his own work to care about. Another rumor that shaped the lives of the two protagonists Jem and Scout is the rumor that Atticus Finch was a nigger lover. Although this rumor is in fact...
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...“Mockingbirds don't do one thing but...sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” What is a mockingbird, Is it an animal that means no harm, or a name someone will base you on because of your actions? A mockingbird is known for being friendly, humble, and natural contributors. In a small town in Alabama called Maycomb the characters Jean finch and her older brother Jem go to visit there aunt for the summer like they have been doing for the past couple of years, but are later terrified by the rumors they hear about there outcasted neighbor Boo Radley. Tom Robinson a civil and kind african american and Arthur “Boo” Radley a very kind and good person injured by the evil of mankind and those around him are considered...
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...To Kill A Tom Robinson, an Atticus, and a Boo Radley Prejudice is a rather large theme in To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee. It is felt by many characters in the book. Atticus, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson are three very different people. They all experience prejudice in one way or another. All of them can be considered “Mockingbirds”. In the book Atticus tells Scout that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie later gets asked by Scout why did Atticus say that. She responds with ““Your father's right,” she said. “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.” A mockingbird has done nothing wrong. That's why it is wrong to...
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