...Symbolism; This is when an author uses any type of object to stand for and Idea. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee uses Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Jem Finch as human mockingbirds (The mockingbird is a symbol of innocence.) to contribute to the overall theme of innocence. First, Lee Uses Boo Radley as a mockingbird when he’s always accused of being crazy/creepy because he doesn’t come out of the house, also jem says “Boo Radley was about Six-and-A-Half feet tall, “Judging from his tracks” He dined on raw Squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained.” (13) Second, Lee Uses Tom Robinson as a mockingbird when he was shot 17 times and accused of raping Mayella Ewell because of his SKIN COLOR. “Atticus said,...
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...against rape charges. The story takes place in the 1930’s, in a very small town in Alabama, called Maycomb. Atticus Finch, a widower, raises his two children Scout and Jem Finch by himself. They live in a very close-knit town but one neighbor, Boo Radley, seems to puzzle the children because of the fact that he never leaves the house. At the beginning of the book, the children begin a long and obsessive quest to lure Boo outside. For three years, the children try countless different ideas to try to see Boo Radley, until they finally do when he saves them from death at the end of the book. During the three years that the children are committed to this mission, their father is the lawyer of Tom Robinson, a black man, who is being accused of raping and beating a white woman. Atticus, Scout, and Jem face lots of racial slurs and insults because of Atticus’ role in the trial. Tom ends up being convicted of rape, even though Atticus proves to the court that Tom could not have possibly committed the crime of which he was accused. Throughout the book, Lee is trying to teach a lesson about doing what you think is right versus what everybody else thinks is right, and also about judging people before you get to know them. This novel is filled with symbolism pertaining to mystery, fear, and innocence. Also, Lees’ use of moral lessons throughout the novel, leave the reader with a new understanding of prejudice. Lees’ main purposes of the novel is to teach the readers that you should always do...
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...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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...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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...Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird symbolism is present as a mockingbird, the multiple flowers mentioned, and a character himself, Boo Radley. Mockingbirds are a picture of innocence and beauty. The mockingbird is used as a symbol of innocence in the book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is telling Scout how it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Scout later asks Miss Maudie and Miss Maudie agrees by saying “Your father’s right…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.” They say it is a sin to kill one because they do not do anything to harm others. The only thing they do is bring music to their ears. Not only for innocence in general,...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird In the book “ To kill A Mockingbird” Author Harper Lee uses plenty of symbolism. Symbolism is a literary device where author uses an object to stand for an idea. The most famous symbol used in the book is “Mockingbird” the symbol of innocents. In her novel, “To KIll A Mockingbird” Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson , Boo Radley and Atticus Finch as human “Mockingbirds” to contribute the overall theme of innocents. First, Lee uses Tom Robinson as a mockingbird. Tom Robinson is a poor black man with a wife and 3 kids. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a young white woman by the name of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson was also shot 17 times and killed. Atticus said, “ Seventeen bullet holes in holes, they didn’t have to shoot him that much”(315) Tom Robinson was found guilty of all charges for the “raping” of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson’s story was that she asked him to come help get something out of the yard. Then she wanted him to fix a non broken door. After that she needed him to get a item on the shelf and she wrapped her arms around his waist and told him to kiss her. Atticus stated that Tom Robinson’s arm was badly messed up when he was younger by getting his hand caught in a cotton gin. He shows that statement because...
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...(Lee, 1960, p.99) This line is one of the most explicit references to a mockingbird in the novel. While bearing the title of the novel, this passage refers to the idea that a mockingbird is a thing of innocence, a harmless creature that should not be hurt by others. This statement directly mirrors the title of the novel. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are both characters that reflect the imagery of a mockingbird in the novel, with both characters being attacked during their time in the fictional town of Maycomb. The title To Kill a Mockingbird refers to the innocent people like Tom and Boo who only wish to bring a little happiness into their harsh surroundings. For their efforts they are chastised, shut away and, in Tom's case, killed. The title of the novel stirs interest. It title attracts potential readers, as well as the symbolism it infers. Throughout the novel the title becomes an important metaphor. Lee makes it clear to the reader throughout the narrative that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The mockingbird reflects the characters in the novel which the readers sympathise with, the ‘good guys’. Essentially, the title can be interpreted as saying that it is a sin to harm an innocent...
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...Branching Out In Silence In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s use of the Radley's tree as a symbol shows the communication Boo Radley had with Maycomb county and its citizens. One way Lee symbolizes the communication Boo has with the coFunty is by the spreading of the trees’s roots. When Scout is describing the scenery she says, “Two live oaks stood at the edge of the Radley log; their roots reached out into the side-road and made it bumpy” (Lee 33). In this quotation when Scout says that “the roots reach out into the side-road”, this expresses Boo Radley’s want to reach out to the community because he feels isolated. The fact that the tree roots are showing proves that the children are more in contact with Boo Radley. This also...
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...Harper lee is a famous writer that made the amazing novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In this great book she uses symbolism. Symbolism is when something has one meaning but it also has a different meaning. The Mockingbird in to Kill a Mockingbird stands for someone's innocence. This means someone who is a mockingbird is innocent. Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley as mockingbirds in her novel. First Lee uses Tom Robinson as a mockingbird. Tom Robinson is an African American male who was accused of raping a white female by the name of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson ran away and wanted to escape the inevitable. Tom Robinson knew that he was going to be found guilty in court because the government is not bias. “ they shot him seventeen times in the chest. They didn’t...
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...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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...raised in that environment, and it is all she knows. Her father Atticus, has a more liberal standpoint on this whole issue. After Scout came home from school one day, offended by one of her peers calling Atticus a “nigger lover”, she asks her father about it. Atticus replies that of course he is, and that he tries to love everyone. He explains to her that just because the boy who called him that name meant it in a negative way, that in actuality it does not make you a bad person. He reminded Scout multiple times “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 39). This important lesson Scout fully learns at the end of the book standing on Boo Radley’s porch. This lesson is important for many people to learn so that they can have a deeper understanding and gain more compassion to...
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...every day life in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Narrated and based around Scout (Jean Louise) Finch and the many ordeals she and her brother (Jem) face in the years of their growing up; out of the childhood innocence they once possessed to realise the true evils of their community and shed false pretences surrounding the innocence of two such characters as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson for which the community of Maycomb had long labelled and ridiculed for either their colour or peculiar behavioural patterns. Lee incorporates several different symbols within the text that assist in developing the ideas and beliefs held by both Scout and Jem such as; the Mockingbird, Mrs Dubose’ Camellias and Mayella Ewell’s red Geraniums all of which pl... ... middle of paper ... ... weather that be the counties resident Mockingbirds Boo Radley and Tom Robinson who continue to sing their songs of purity and innocence even in death (in Tom’s case), Mrs Dubose who’s underlying courage was able to shine through her Camellias and rub of on Jem or Mayella Ewell who’s backyard is proven to be populated by beautiful Geraniums; symbolism has played huge role on their ideas and beliefs and those of the people around them most notably the narrator Scout Finch who’s entire outlook on life is changed through the use of such...
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...than Just Birds - 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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...Boo grew up in a home with its windows shut all the time and never left the house because of a mistake he made growing up. His family was religious extremist who did not believe in enjoying anything to life, also known as foot washers. Boo had many rumors made up about him that spread throughout the town. No one ever knew if Boo was crazy, kind, mean, etc. because no one had ever interacted with him. Jem and Scout took interest into Boo, because of the many false rumors they had heard about him. During one of their summers, they tried their best to see Boo, but their attempts always failed. One day as they passed the Radley house, they encountered the oak tree in the front yard and they saw items sticking out. The next day, the tree hole is covered in cement by Mr. Radley, Boo’s father. The oak tree stood for Boo’s only connection to the anything and the bareness that ached within him that separated him from the outside world. The theme that the oak tree represents is courage, because Boo has been locked up for such a long time and he had the courage to even take the chance of putting the gifts in the knothole and actually opening up to the kids by doing...
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...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 teaches Jem a valuable lesson, and other challenges and experiences the two face as they reach toward young adulthood. By the end, both of the children reach a new understanding of other people, and of themselves. A reason this novel is considered such a classic (other than its interesting and dynamic plot and subplots) is its literary constructs, including symbolism. One of the main points of symbolism Lee incorporates is the mockingbird, which was reflected onto some of the main characters. The mockingbird is seen as purely innocent, and as something that it is a sin to kill, because they "don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy…they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us." (Lee 99) THESIS STATEMENT Atticus Finch, the father of Jem and Scout, was portrayed as a mockingbird through his actions and words as well as other citizens of Maycomb’s perceptions and opinions of him. One example of his likeness to a mockingbird’s goodness and perfection would be when he willfully takes the job of defending that no other attorney wanted, the case of Tom Robinson, who everyone knew would be convicted no...
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