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Vulgar Language In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The book that I chose to read is by Harper Lee, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ The novel’s setting features the Deep South and envelops an intense portrayal of prejudice and race narrated through a little girl’s eyes. Filled with impressive evocations of American life at the peak of the Great Depression that shook the nation in the 1930s, whilst also underpinned by caring and moral susceptibility, the novel proofs as both an excellent rendering of a particular place and time as well as an all-inclusive tale of how old and wicked perceptions can be triumphed by understanding. It was published by J.B Lippincott in New York in 1960 (Topham, 2018). ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ has received both positive and negative feedbacks from a wide audience of readers. …show more content…

Although it has been considered a classic literature by several readers, the novel still remains in the top list of the banned books. The novel’s profanity, racial content, and its references to rape have provoked many readers to challenge the novel and lead to its removal from school classrooms and libraries. Many readers have disagreed to letting the novel be used in the classroom due to its vulgar language that is evident throughout the book. Expressions such as ‘nigger’ and ‘damn’ are used repeatedly which most find extremely offensive especially to young readers. The fact that the characters in the book are children and are the ones using the profane phrases has left many questioning the novel and not wanting their children to find such expressions as acceptable (Why Was it …show more content…

The school also received numerous letters of complaint about the novel and its consequential use in the classrooms. However, some found the situation funny and ridiculous. The book was also flagged in 1968 as the second most criticized about novel receiving the most negative attentions. In Eden Valley, Minnesota, learning institutions banned the book for the words “whore lady” and “damn.” Sherill Vernon Veron, a New York School District described the book as a “trashy and filthy novel” which led to its

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