“You rarely win but sometime you do.” Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” demonstrates what perseverance is and influence it can change against other people’s attitudes. Within the novel, the protagonist views may cruel realities but simultaneously acknowledges the values of qualities within people. The courage and mettle of fighting whatever comes ahead even if it results in life or death. With the protagonist’s audacity to defend the innocent only through words and persistence. “To Kill a Mockingbird” also highlights the truth towards the whole society can alter the definition of justice. Here, Atticus defends a black man for his words for the right to have a voice within society and not to be misjudged due to racism. Hence, Harper Lee uses the novel to convey the
I am reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I am not page 42. So far, this book is about a girl named Scout and her brother Jem who live in Maycomb, Alabama. They live with their maid, Calpurnia, and their father, Atticus. In this LAP I will be predicting and evaluating.
There were many passages and statements from the text that had great meaning and drew a large impact on both the novel and the reader, but there was one that stood out that would give the reader thoughts, answers, and had a great impact on the book throughout the whole story.
Perspective and beliefs go hand in hand when talking about someone's personal views on society and what is morally right to them. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, Lee shows all throughout the novel that someone’s perspective can change in a matter of seconds. When Atticus educates Scout about stepping into someone else's shoes, when Jem is told that Mrs. Dubose was struggling with an addiction, and when Bob Ewell’s credibility was lost after the trial where he was exposed as a liar. All examples are prominent in this novel as well as many others.
We all use persuasion in our daily lives, whether it be to convince our friends or for Atticus he has to persuade a jury and a room full racist people. He does this by using ethos and pathos. There is also persuasion in the book itself, convincing the reader that racism is wrong and we need to treat everyone equality no matter of their culture or race.
I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and I am currently on page 42. This book is about a girl named Scout and her family living in Maycomb, Alabama. In this journal, I will proceed to predict and evaluate the plot points of the book so far.
society. Lee displays that those who are ignorant will never understand equality between races. For example, when Jem is asking Atticus why did they say Tom Robinson was guilty when he obviously wasn't guilty Atticus replies with. "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life”(Lee 220). This quote is important because this shows that black people no matter the situation against a white person they will lose and if they try to be fair they still can't because they are to ignorant to realize they are still human beings. The literary device used is man vs. society even though black and white people are the same species they treat them lower than them. Even though all human beings are the same on the inside many of them are treated differently for their skin color instead of their personality. Another representation, is when Atticus is talking to Scout about what the word nigger-lover means Atticus says. “Scout," said Atticus, "nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody"(Lee 108). This quote
Many people live their lives looking through the same pair of lens, but those who desire a more interesting and pleasurable lifestyle view the world from fresh perspectives, such as through the eyes and ideas of other people. Seeing things from a different point of view helps individuals interpret problems
Appearance and stereotypes can make us judge someone, because of something such as skin color. These perspectives can keep people from seeing the consequences and results of their actions. By learning how to open our minds, we can broaden our own perspectives. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses conflict and plot to illustrate that judging someone without knowing them can eliminate the opportunity to understand their point of view. Lee shows this through Boo Radley and the theories that people have about him. It was also shown when there were unfair accusations towards Tom Robinson. Because of stereotypes, they couldn’t see the truth to what he had done. Although judging seems bad, it is the actions that come from our own opinions that can lead us to make mistakes.
Imagine everyone hating you for doing something bad when you think it’s good. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she tells the story about how Atticus Finch a lawyer defends Tom Robinson a black man in court,in the town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. This trial is about how Tom Robinson is being accused of raping a white woman. Everyone is blinded by the color of his skin, so no matter what they uncover they only believe that he is guilty. Atticus is defending him because he believes people shouldn’t be judged on the color of there skin. In To Kill A Mockingbird , Harper Lee develops the character of Atticus Finch ,through what he does, what he says, what other people say to him or say about him.
The boys decide to keep their witness of Dr. Robinson’s murder a blood oath secret. They are under the assumption that if they tell anybody and injun Joe escapes his hanging that Tom and Huck will be on his kill list. “S’pose something happns and Injun Joe didn’t hang? Why he’d kill is both”. (P.67)
The theme of social inequality is prevalent throughout the story. Social inequality is the primary driving force behind the major conflict in the book. A black man, Tom Robinson, is falsely accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, but the townspeople believe Mayella’s word over Tom’s just because she is white. This is one of many examples of social inequality in the story. There is also
Lee uses Miss Gates’s ironic views of Hitler and Tom’s trial to show how racial prejudice causes crimes against African Americans to be considered less than crimes committed against white people. A mockingbird is then used to symbolize Tom Robinson as an innocent person wrongly convicted of a crime because of his skin color. The misunderstood characterization of Arthur Radley shows how society will let prejudice guide their imaginated view on the lives of people they don't understand. All three characters provide examples of how a preconceived opinion of one person or a whole race can cause drastic misunderstandings and
To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the perspective of Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch, a young girl of Maycomb County. As Scout grows older, she witnesses or is subjected to the harsh realities of life: racism, prejudice, small-mindedness, traditional gender roles and expectations, social hierarchy and the coexistence of good and evil. First-person narration is a technique that effectively enhances how the reader, through Scout’s eyes, learns about those realities. “‘Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now.’ I mumbled that I was sorry and retired mediating upon my crime.” (p.17) is the first example of Scout encountering small-mindedness in the novel. In the quote, Scout’s first-grade teacher makes Scout feel guilty about being able to read and write, causing her to apologise and think of it as a crime. Her reaction of shame is instantly expressed to the reader as it is a first-person perspective. Therefore, it conveys how the exchange between the two demonstrates the the small-minded views of Maycomb citizens, especially considering that Scout should be proud of being taught vital abilities at a young age.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book mainly about the coexistence of good and evil. The book stresses and emphasizes on the exploration of moral nature in humans. There are many themes in this novel including courage, innocence, racism, femininity, etc. However the most prevalent theme in the book is innocence. Not just innocence in itself but the danger and harm evil poses to the innocent. You can see in the book as Jem and Scout go from a childish perspective, one that only sees good in people because they’ve never faced evil. To a more adult perspective who have confronted evil and learn to integrate it into their world.