...Innocents In the book To Kill A Mockingbird,by Harper Lee she uses a lot of symbolism throughout her story. Symbolism is a literary device where the author uses an object to stand for an idea. One of Lee’s famous symbol is an mockingbird.A mockingbird is a symbol of innocent. In her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Boo Radley as human “mockingbirds” to contribute to the overall theme of innocence. The first character Harper Lee uses is Tom Robinson.Tom Robinson is an poor black man with an wife and three children. He is 25 years old and is known as a respectable kind young man. His left hand was crippled and caught in a cotton gin when he was a young boy. In the begin, Lee uses Tom Robinson as a mockingbird because he was innocent man who was accused of raping a young woman named Mayella Ewell.And he was shot seventeen times.Atticus...
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...“Prejudice is the child of ignorance” (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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...I believe in the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, that Boo Radley symbolizes the Mockingbird mostly because he does nothing wrong but help people. For Example “A Mockingbird does nothing but sing its heart out for us to enjoy.” My first piece of evidence is Boo Radley gave them two carved dolls, a ball of twine, a spelling-bee medal, a broken pocket watch with an aluminum knife attached on a chain to it, two pieces of gum, and two pieces of gum. My quote to back up my first piece of evidence is, “I stood tiptoe, hastily looked around once more, reached in the hole, and withdrew two pieces of chewing gum minus the wrappers.” My second piece of evidence comes from when he puts the blanket around scout while it was freezing outside and Miss....
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...Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, published in 1960, is a novel about a little girl who experiences a trial. This novel takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. In the book, a mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. Children have innocence and when the ¨kill¨ their own innocence, they grow up. Scout is a little white girl who doesn't quite understand the world yet. In the book, She keeps her innocence but is later attacked. Tom Robinson is an African American man who was convicted of rape. A crime he did not commit, which he was sentenced to death for and killed for running away. Boo Radley is a man who was said to be a monster but in reality saved scout and her brother Jem. In the book,...
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...There are many animals in the world that are used to convey positive values. Mockingbirds are a species of birds that are emphasized for their positive values in To Kill A Mockingbird. Mockingbirds are symbolized as an example of peace and innocence in the story. “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy”(90). There are multiple characters in the story that have committed no crime but are still questioned for their actions. Two of these characters would include Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Boo Radley would be a good example of a mockingbird as he has shown peace and innocence throughout the story. Miss Maudie explains to Scout in the exposition of Chapter 5 that “ Arthur Radley just stays in the house, that’s all” (44). Therefore, Boo Radley must have stayed in the house to isolate himself from friends and family. Consequently, if he wasn’t in contact with anyone, it would be unlikely that he would be capable of destroying peace. Miss...
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...Analysis of Symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird Most people would think of love when they look at the symbol ‘heart’. A symbol is an important literacy feature that is used to represent larger or abstract ideas. Symbols are often used by authors to deepen and further extend themes. In Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, her effective use of symbols and their deep meanings contribute towards the development of some important themes. The uses of symbols, a mockingbird and blue jay, significantly develop the key theme that the coexistence of the good and evil always remain. A mockingbird and blue jay prove that the good and evil coexist by utilizing two characters, Bob Ewell and Boo Radley. First, Bob Ewell...
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...Development Essay In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” Jean Louise Finch or better known as Scout develops over the course of the book, her development is paralleled by her view and opinion on Boo Radley. Throughout the book she changes her views on Boo from an unsightly monster to a kindhearted gentle man. While scout starts to understand Boo over the course of the book, her maturity also develops and she starts growing into an adult. In the very beginning of the book when Scout and Jem first meet dill, Scout says this to Dill about the Radley residence, “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him” (Lee 7.) As the quote shows Scout views Boo Radley as a monster who has no care for anyone. At this point in the book Scout is six years old. When scout is at school she picks fights with teachers and other kids. One of the best examples of this in the beginning of the book is when Miss Caroline tries to give Walter Cunningham a quarter to buy lunch when he forgets his lunch. Scout tries to explain to Miss caroline that his family is poor and cannot pay her back. After Scout is punished she goes home and whines to Atticus about what happened. This situation is a representation of her immaturity at the beginning of the book. The rest of the year goes by, Scout and Jem both finish up their school year, but Scout’s developments in her maturity and her understanding of Boo Radley don't show until the summer. During the...
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...Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird “Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born prejudiced; you’re taught it.” -Charles R Swindoll. The town of Maycomb is a close locale full of kindness and courtesy, but also one of hatred and prejudice. Scout and Jem are growing up and learning from the adults in their community, meaning that they are not only learning kindness- they are also learning judgement. Chapter one of To Kill a Mockingbird sets the scene of the town specter, Arthur “Boo” Radley. Scout, Jem, and Dill sit in awe of the Radley household, reflecting over Boo’s story- and the conspiracies surrounding him. The passage that begins the subplot surrounding Boo Radley shows that prejudice can happen within close communities. Jem, Scout, and Dill’s childish fears toward Boo Radley symbolize the town’s feelings toward the Radley family. The passage that symbolizes this is as follows: “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night and when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them, Any stealthy small crimes committed in...
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...The book To Kill A Mockingbird, the mockingbird symbolizes three individual people. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the three characters that symbolize the mockingbird are Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, And Boo Radley. The character Tom Robinson was a black man who was poor and ended up being a victim of prejudice and racism. Heck Tate was on Atticus's front porch . Heck Tate said “There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead…(Lee317)” Tom Robinson is dead for being accused for rape and Boo Ewell was responsible and he is now dead. Tom Robinson was a black, innocent man who did not deserve to die for a false accusation....
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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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...such would be Arthur (Boo) Radley in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. Boo Radley is a secluded mysterious figure who never comes out of his house. Scout and Jem (who are young children) are fascinated with the stories and rumors of Boo radley and hope to meet him one day. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee represents the theme that rumors do not define a person through Arthur (Boo) Radley and his relationship with Atticus’s children (Scout and Jem) and how their relationship changes from the beginning to the end of the book. An example of Harper Lee using this theme would be at the beginning of the book. During the summer, in a small town called Maycomb, Scout and Jem meet a new...
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...“To kill a mockingbird” by Harper Lee is based on the central idea that is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Atticus tells Scout this when he gives them guns. After, Atticus tells her it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. She goes to ask Miss Maudie why it’s a sin. Miss Maudie explains it’s a sin because they don’t do anything but sing their hearts out focus. This refers to the thesis statement because it deals with Miss Maudie, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson. Miss Maudie is true friend and she has good moral as Atticus. Miss Maudie implies “Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. Then she did and waited. ‘I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in...
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...shouldn’t know how to read and write yet. Scout works through her problems and adapts to her new teaching ways. Chapter 3: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.” Pg.30 Reason: I liked this passage because this is when Scout learns that you have to give people chances. You can’t judge someone by what’ s on the outside, but by what is in the inside. Chapter 4: “It was the kind of box wedding rings came in, purple velvet with a minute catch. Jem flicked open the tiny catch. Inside were two scrubbed and polished pennies , one on top of another. Indian Heads.” Pg.34 Reason: I picked this quote because I liked how they described what they found. The Indian Heads were one of the things that they found in the Radley tree. Chapter 5: “There are some kind of men who - who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one , and and you can look down the street and see the results.” Pg. 45 Reason: This...
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...Independent Study Project Othello, the Invisible Wound, To Kill a Mockingbird July 30th 2014 By Eileen Harford Everyone has had a time in their life when they have misjudged a situation. Whether it was assuming someone took your pencil when it is actually in behind you ear, or assuming which character is the killer in our favorite movie, we all have misjudgements all the time in our lives. When was the last time you have mistaken a situation? The theme of false judgement demonstrated in the play “Othello” by Shakespeare, the short story “The Invisible Wound” by Karoly Kisfaludi, and the film “To Kill a Mockingbird”. In these three storylines, the author exhibits the theme of false judgment through a character of innocence that is poorly misjudged and ends tragically for them. Othello accuses his wife, Desdemona of adultery, while the unnamed protagonist in “The Invisible Wound” also inaccurately assumes his wife is cheating. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the jury accuses Tom Robinson of a crime that he did not commit all because of the colour of his skin. Given the above, it is clear that these three story lines hold the same theme of an error in judgement occurring. Throughout the play, “Othello” by William Shakespeare, a few of the characters are condemned on untruthful information. Desdemona and Cassio are victims of poor judgement. Accusations towards Desdemona seem to be the most prominent to any reader – which all begin when Othello falls to Iago’s manipulation that...
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...“Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery” (Dictionary.com). Courage appears all around us in all different types, such as in tv shows, movies, books, and in real life. For example, there are many controversial types of courage shown in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird is about the people who live in an imaginary town in Alabama, called Maycomb, during the Great Depression. When racism and justice collide head on in Atticus’s courtroom, it is important to be courageous and brave no matter what the circumstances. Three examples of courage from the book are, when Jem stands up to save Atticus at the jailhouse, Boo Radley secretly laying the blanket over Scout, and Mrs. Dubose quitting her morphine addiction. The first...
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