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How To Tell The Truth In To Kill A Mockingbird

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When putting together a two hour film based on a novel, film directors come across innumerable obstacles that include cutting essential themes and leaving out important characters. Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by author Harper Lee, published in 1960 and two years later, released as a movie. To Kill a Mockingbird occurs during the Great Depression in Maycomb, Alabama, a city of which was heavy on prejudice and racism of those lowest of social status. Main characters Scout and Jem, raised by Atticus Finch, absorb crucial lessons over their childhood, such as: assimilate the viewpoint from others’ perspectives, proper etiquette, and the truth about how the population of Maycomb treats those lower than themselves. Film director Robert Mulligan, although directed a sublime movie, had to discard important …show more content…

When in a courtroom, people must take a vow to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By repeating this vow, the courtroom must have certainty that the people will honor their trust. Through dishonesty and stubbornness however, that honor and trust has been removed. Honor is crucial no matter the situation, so to compress the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird by eliminating scenes that encourage honor, discards a valuable principle for viewers to grasp. Atticus explains to Scout the reason as to why he must fight for Robinson is due to the fact that if he chose not to accept this case, his purpose for being who he is in this town would be meaningless. From the moment Atticus accepts Robinson 's case, he knew he would have a slim chance of winning the court 's vote, yet if Atticus decided to not defend Robinson, all the times he told Scout and Jem to do the right thing would have been prodigal. By taking on this case, Atticus is honoring his morals to persuade as much as he can to get the jury on the right side, instead of what feels right to them. This action is essential for viewers to

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