Everybody could say the same thing, but each person could mean something totally different by it. It is the same way with a song or work of writing can mean many different things. Sometimes, the different meanings are intentional, but others, it is something discovered by an outsider. For example, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird uses the mockingbird to symbolize innocence. The ‘mockingbird’ of the story symbolizes several different types of innocence through different characters.
One of the ‘mockingbird’ innocence types is displayed by Tom Robinson. During the closing statements in the courtroom (232), Atticus states that “the defendant is not guilty, but someone in this courtroom is.” The quote shows that Tom’s ‘mockingbird’ innocence is the innocence of not being guilty. Tom did not commit the crime that he was charged with. This is illustrated by the account of Heck Tate (192), Atticus’s cross-examination of Mr. Ewell (202) and Tom’s handicap (212). Mr. Tate tells the court that Mayella was mostly beat up on the right side
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When Scout tries to see things from her point of view (33), she says that “we could not expect her to learn all Maycomb’s ways in one day, and we could not hold her responsible when she knew no better.” Miss Caroline did not yet understand the ways of Maycomb when she tried to give Walter Cunningham money for lunch. Her innocence is her lack of knowledge; She did not know that Walter could not afford to pay her back. Miss Caroline’s type of innocence can lead to all sorts of problems. She made an assumption, just like Mayella, that people were trying to mess with her when Scout tryed to help (21). She was frustrated and confused, so she punished Scout. Her ‘mockingbird’ innocence was the innocence through lack of information. This innocence through lack of information could be good, but, in the case of Miss Caroline, it just led to confusion when she gained the
The mockingbird represents true goodness and innocence that should always be protected. Another character who shows loss of innocence is Tom Robinson. He is accused of raping Mayella Ewell but because of obvious evidence, he is innocent. In effect, he gets shot to death for being a kindhearted man who saw a girl in need of help and helped her with daily fixing’s around the house. He was an innocent man who had a family and a life, but that was destroyed because of the color of his skin.
In the first few paragraphs of chapter two. Harper Lee establishes failure of the education system in Maycomb through the lack of teaching from Miss Caroline which Scout cannot relate to. Once Scout reveals to Miss Caroline that she can read and write perfectly. Miss Caroline reacts “with more than faint distaste”.
Tom Robinson is an example of a “mockingbird,” he is accused of a false accusation, mainly because he is a black man. This can relate back to one of the many themes of the novel, “prejudice.” Atticus, Scout, and Jem are round and dynamic characters that help to progress the theme of “empathy,” as well as many lessons that Scout and Jem will learn. Morality
Lopez 1 Ashley Lopez Pre AP English 2 Mrs. Wilbanks 22 January 2018 "I thought Jem and I would get grown but there wasn't much else for us to learn"(Lee 162). Jem, Dill, and Scout went through events and experienced things that changed who they were and in doing so, they lost a piece of themselves. When people are exposed to real world problems, they may become more aware of the true nature of the world and at the same time lose a part of them, their innocence. By the end of the book, Jem Finch knows that the world isn't what he thought it was when he was younger.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, innocence is represented in various ways. The society that the characters live in affects their behavior and are ultimately a product of their environment. There are four mockingbirds, they are Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem Finch. The first mockingbird we have is Jem Finch.
The mockingbird is a symbol of innocence because they don’t harm or bother anyone. So why is the title of Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird? It means to kill innocence. But what in this novel is innocent? Some of the characters are like Dill, Scout, and Boo Radley.
RMockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird"( Lee, 93). The mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird represents many forms of innocence. Tom Robinson has been discriminated by the color of his skin and has not hurt anyone.
Tom Robinson, an African American man in the story, is an exceptional example of a mockingbird because Maycomb’s racial prejudice outweighs his innocence. The humble deeds of Arthur
The case shows Tom’s innocence, but also his loss of it. After the case and Tom is proven guilty, he tries to escape and ends up getting himself killed, Tom’s purity is lost in this event. Even though Atticus had evidence that Tom was not guilty, the prejudice and misconduct is shown, even though Tom was
At the first of the novel Scout is a bit of a tomboy and is determined to show people her point of view. When Scout started school, she was having a difficult time, because her teacher did not understand the ways of their town, Maycomb County. However, this did not stop Scout from trying to explain to Miss Caroline the ways of the people in Maycomb. “ I thought I had made things
Caroline to understand that she was shaming Walter. Scout gets punished unreasonably. Scout’s way of bringing justice was not ideal, but she had done it for the sake of others, and often got punished for
Have you ever misjudged someone or something based on what other people said? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee teaches us about the innocence of growing up by showing us the fascinating change in all of the characters throughout the book. Harper Lee includes Scout, Jem, and Atticus to show that no matter how old or young, we all have things to learn from each other. In chapter nine, Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson in the upcoming case against him.
Harper Lee is a very famous Author who wrote the book to kill a Mockingbird. The title of the book mean to kill innocence because a Mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. The book takes place during the Great Depression in Maycomb Alabama. In her novel to kill a Mockingbird lee uses Tom, Atticus, Boo Radley as the human embodiment of the Mockingbird.
“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." The title To a Kill Mockingbird means to destroy someone’s innocence. In Harper Lee’s To Kill Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a white lawyer who decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman.
“I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”(page 119) In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the mockingbird is one of the most symbolic objects in the novel. It represents the innocence of someone not affected by the evilness of society. In the novel, there are three people, or mockingbirds, that are innocent affected by society.