Category: Harper Lee

The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee is a compelling and influential aspect of the coexistence of good and evil within the individual and society. It enables the readers to observe the means in which Atticus Finch endeavors and strives to fight against society as an individual through the characters, style and context. It captivates me as a reader to feel and be aware of the rooted meaning and significance of the innocence as well as the morals throughout the book.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a vigorous sentiment on the coexistence of good and evil within the individual and society. Although the complex concepts, it allows the readers to witness the prejudice determining what is good and what is evil with the lawyer Atticus Finch. It intrigues me as a reader as it demonstrates the morals and reviewed innocence of his beliefs that are deeply entrenched through the entire book. “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” is a famous line by Atticus and is continuously mentioned and referenced throughout the book. It mirrors the ways he believes he should live and enables him to ignore and as an individual challenge the prejudice against his morals fought by the rest of society. “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” The idea of breaking the prejudice as individuals are deeply imbedded in Atticus’s views as he continuously resists the inequality and unspoken truth that society is trying to uphold. He knows and sticks to his beliefs and guides himself with these thoughts in mind, remembering to remain true to himself and ultimately breaking the barriers society tries to keep him in. Atticus foreshadows the events of injustice soon to unfold, “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mocking.” A mockingbird is a symbol of innocence as they mean no harm and share their gifts of song. However, later the innocence is gone when the mockingbird is killed, in which Atticus strived to protect. Tom Robinson is the mockingbird; Atticus fought to secure and strive for his rights as he believed himself that the prejudice against him within society was a sign of injustice due to inequality of good and evil.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” has an extraordinary variety of unique ways in which she writes. Her style consists of portraying the views of the audience through a child’s eye and captivates me as a reader to read the book thinking about her different styles as well as the ways in which she uses the views of a child mixed with adult events. Scout is Atticus’ daughter as well as the narrator and depicts the story of Tom Robinson through her views and thoughts. Harper Lee writes about her views as an adult of her childhood through the eyes of Scout, a child that is naïve and has an innocent viewpoint of the prejudice of society and the coexistence of good and evil. “I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem… said it started long before that”. Scout at the beginning of the book is still young and often is given advice by Jem and Atticus. The way she thinks is constantly developing as she grows up with her childlike innocence gradually changing. Scout is slowly become aware of the complications that Atticus is facing, however, because of her being a child, the readers are only able to interpret what Scout understands. “I reckon if he’d wanted us to know it, he’da told us.” This is indirectly implying not only information about Jem as a character but is also unveiling the southern vernacular and informal language. Harper Lee has used slang words such as “reckon” as a way of revealing information on the social classes in which each character is placed in society. There is a consistent change in the vocabulary language solely depending on which character is talking. Jem still being young speaks predominantly informal, however as he grows older, he matures more revealing his better understanding and use of slightly more formal language. “That’s a lie. Aunty said God drops ‘em down the chimney. At least that’s what I think she said.” The childlike narrative has been added as humor, but to also apprise the readers on the scarce amount of awareness that Scout has on what’s happening around her. Due to her being very young, Harper Lee repeatedly captured the sense of innocence of her views through a child’s eye as well as further using innocence to show the coexistence of good and evil of society and individuals.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a phenomenal novel that views the coexistence of good and evil within the individual and society. It is set during the 1930s where not only had the Great Depression and World War 2 started, but it was the time of the Jim Crow era where society had set laws that discriminated against African Americans depriving them of all their rights. Amid these crises was Harper Lee who was born in a southern US state, Alabama which is comparable to Maycomb. “To Kill A Mockingbird is one of those rare books that expose some of the worst aspects of human nature such as cruelty, bigotry, hypocrisy, and racism in a way that not only allows the reader to realize the depth of these human failings and the pain and destruction they cause but also provides some insights into how people can be capable of the worst–and the best” (Jacqueline Tavernier-Courbin, 2007). The concepts of the individual and society within the coexistence of good and evil according to this article, displays the message that was neglected during the Jim Crow era which revealed how society had emphatically forced laws to control the African Americans who had newly become free from slavery.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a fascinating aspect of the coexistence of good and evil within the individual and society. It stimulates and encourages the readers to witness Atticus Finch as an individual contends against the views of society and the ways in which he fights for his morals and the innocence of others through the characters, style, and context. It fascinates me as a reader to see the significance and meaning throughout the book and to feel the views that challenge society as individuals.

Harper Lee, an American author known for writing a multitude of different novels such as “Go set a watchman”, “The emperor’s cool clothes” and my personal favorite, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” was born on April 28, 1926 her father was an attorney and she had an older brother as well. As a child, Harper was absolutely in love with reading so I guess that explains her choice of career. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Harper reveals how her father Atticus, and her older brother Jem play a major role in her life, although To Kill a Mockingbird wasn’t by any means supposed to be an autobiography Harper Lee did use certain individuals from her childhood. For example, Dill was really just another version of her neighbor growing up. When Harper Lee was five years old the Scottsboro Boys Trial was going on, this inspired her to include the Tom Robinson Trial in the novel. Harper saw all these things going on when she was growing up she used writing as her escape.

Growing up in the 1930s when the Great Depression was going on racial injustice/prejudice was beginning to take off yet again, at this point Harper is only five, so she doesn’t know how to handle her father defending an African American man in court especially when black people were frowned upon. It wasn’t until 1932 that 50% of black people were out of work due to white people pushing for African Americans to be unemployed simply because white Americans were out of jobs, The Great Depression was clearly one of the world’s biggest disasters because 30% of people were unemployed by 1933. Harper Lee didn’t have much of an education other than going to a grammar school, however, she did attempt to get her college degree from the University of Alabama in 1949. She was going to be a lawyer like her father but ended up leaving college early before she could even get her degree.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird there are many major themes, but a major one is Youth. Scout and Jem represent youth because they’re super young kids with a lot going on and their lack of understanding certain topics probably wouldn’t be there if they were much older. Scout shows her youth by being very inquisitive, she questions anything and everything, for example in chapter 9 Scout asks “what’s a whore-lady?” and later in chapter 14 “What’s rape?” these are not things the average 6 or 7 year old child should be asking. In this novel, Atticus has very different roles he plays in both Jem and Scout’s life. He has to try his hardest to keep Scout out of trouble and for Jem it’s almost the opposite, Jem has a very playful side of him but he’s a little more mature than his sister Atticus spends a lot of time teaching him life lessons that he doesn’t quite understand at first because he’s still so young.

In Harper Lee’s famous Go Set a Watchman, written 20 years after To Kill a Mockingbird she touches on racial injustice as well as women’s roles in society. In fact, some major themes of this particular writing I would say are race and gender. For example, prior to World War 2 women’s duties were to stay home, cook, clean, and take care of the kids while men went out and worked, however, once all the men went to fight in the war women had to take over these jobs. Unfortunately, after the war was over men got their jobs back and then women went back to their role in the house which had them infuriated, these are the things Harper was touching on in her novel. In chapter 1 Henry makes a bold statement showing us how women were really looked at. “As a general rule most women, before they’ve got’em, present their men smiling, agreeing faces.” Later in Chapter 16 Jeans’s having a discussion about marriage and says “is that what loving your man is? You mean losing your identity, don’t you”. Jean was still a little tomboy on the inside and now we see how she feels about the role women played during this time period.

All of Harper Lee’s time wasn’t always spent writing about racial injustice and things of that nature, she’s written books that are supposed to be funny but every time there was a lesson to be learned. For example in the novel Emperor’s Cool Clothes Harper was trying to tell the audience that you don’t always have to be the coolest, you don’t always have to have the nicest of threads, when given a lot of power use it for the greater good, and last but not least, be careful who you have around you. The emperor hired people to work for him and make his clothes so he would look the best, these clothes were supposed to be invisible to those who were stupid and incompetent. The emperor cannot see the clothes but doesn’t want to admit it out of fear so instead, he puts on the clothes, then marches in front of his people just to later be called out by a child. All the emperor cared about was being the best looking and instead of being truthful with the tailor he kept his mouth shut. The people that were making his clothes turned out to be con-men, they didn’t care about the king or putting effort into anything all they wanted was money, and in the end, they made the emperor look silly. The emperor never used his power for the benefit of others, only for himself. For instance, the people argued and disagreed with him but he felt like they shouldn’t be questioning anything he does. “Why does everyone argue with me? I’m the Emperor!” The emperor was just arrogant and Harper wanted to show that there’s no reason for people to be acting like that.

Harper Lee was an author from a time period that people called “Southern Gothic”. To Kill a Mockingbird first came out in the year of 1960, this was a time period when writing was becoming popular. So much was going on during the ’60s, for example, the Vietnam War. The assassinations of JFK, MLK, and later Neil Armstrong was the first human to ever land on the moon. As people were losing loved ones battling adversity, and dealing with the harsh realities of life they resulted to writing in a multitude of different styles, whatever it took to take their minds off things. So all in all with everything Harper experienced, it’s made it easy to conclude that she may have done with a few purposes in mind, to inspire, to teach, to inform, and to entertain. Harper wanted to inform the people of her struggle, the things she witnessed and how she grew up. In every novel Harper wrote, she included people and things from her real life, this was her escape. In her whole career, she only published two books herself and they were dealing with racial injustice, and women inequality. She wants to teach the audience that no matter what color or gender you are that you are still equal and deserve to be treated right. Obviously, the goal when writing a book is to entertain the audience but it seemed as if Harper Lee wasn’t too worried about that all she wanted to do was speak about real-life events and help make the world better, and she did that, all just by writing. So for that Harper Lee is one of the most talented and influential writers to ever live.

Introduction to Prejudice in “To Kill A Mockingbird”

In To Kill A Mockingbird, prejudice is one of the major themes that is repeated throughout the book. Many characters act prejudiced against other characters, while others try to fight back. The setting takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator of the book is a young girl named Scout who is very innocent. One of the main reasons Harper Lee has a child narrate the book is so that there is not much bias when discussing important topics like prejudice. The main character Scout only sees people as people which is very different from how other people in the town act. Other people in the town show prejudice. The three types of prejudice shown in the book are race, socioeconomic, and gender. Harper Lee uses the three different types of prejudice to criticize society, and to try to get society to change their ways.

Racial Prejudice: A Deep Dive

The first example of prejudice is racial prejudice. This is shown through what Atticus says in his closing argument “‘… in the cynical confidence that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption–the evil assumption–that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…’” (Lee 273). This quote is Atticus trying to get the town to look past their prejudice and to just look at the facts. It is clear that Tom Robinson didn’t do what Mayella Ewell claims he did, but the town believes her because of their racial prejudice. Atticus wants the people to try to get past their prejudice because it is terrible to assume that everyone is the same based solely on their color or race. The people in the town are blinded by their prejudice, and Harper Lee uses this quote to show that we can get past our ways of letting our prejudice and views blind us from seeing the truth. Not only do opposing races encountered prejudice, but people of the same race can also face the effects

In To Kill A Mockingbird, prejudice is one of the major themes that is repeated throughout the book. Many characters act prejudiced against other characters, while others try to fight back. The setting takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator of the book is a young girl named Scout who is very innocent. One of the main reasons Harper Lee has a child narrate the book is so that there is not much bias when discussing important topics like prejudice. The main character Scout only sees people as people which is very different from how other people in the town act. Other people in the town show prejudice. The three types of prejudice shown in the book are race, socioeconomic, and gender. Harper Lee uses the three different types of prejudice to criticize society, and to try to get society to change their ways.

The first example of prejudice is racial prejudice. This is shown through what Atticus says in his closing argument “‘… in the cynical confidence that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption–the evil assumption–that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…’” (Lee 273). This quote is Atticus trying to get the town to look past their prejudice and to just look at the facts. It is clear that Tom Robinson didn’t do what Mayella Ewell claims he did, but the town believes her because of their racial prejudice. Atticus wants the people to try to get past their prejudice because it is terrible to assume that everyone is the same based solely on their color or race. The people in the town are blinded by their prejudice, and Harper Lee uses this quote to show that we can get past our ways of letting our prejudice and views blind us from seeing the truth. Not only do opposing races encountered prejudice, but people of the same race can also face the effects of prejudice. Jem and Scout encounter prejudice when they go to church with Calpurnia. “Lula stopped, but said, ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here–they got their church, we got our’n’” (Lee 158). Jem and Scout have not really encountered prejudice until that moment. Jem and Scout don’t understand why Lula is acting this way, and are offended by this. Harper Lee uses this quote to show that there are two sides where both races in the town are in the wrong because they both act upon prejudice. Harper Lee also wants us to realize that it doesn’t have to be this way, and we can treat each other equally. When Atticus decides to take on the responsibility on the trial, Jem and Scout encounter even more prejudice. One of their classmates, Cecil Jacobs, says “‘My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that n***** oughta hang from the water-tank!’” (Lee 102). Cecil Jacobs says this because his parents are mad, like the rest of the town, Atticus is defending someone they think is guilty. Cecil Jacobs learned to act this way from his parents. Harper Lee uses this quote to show us that children absorb and repeat what their parents say without thinking what it means. She wants people to be careful of what they say around their kids, and to teach them to accept everyone. She focuses a lot on racial prejudice in the book to get us to open our minds to racial equality.

Socioeconomic Prejudice: Class Divisions in Maycomb

The second example of prejudice is socioeconomic. An example of this is when Jem says “‘There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down a the dump, and the Negroes’” (Lee 302). In the book, Jem in maturing, and while he is maturing, he is also losing his innocence. The town’s prejudice is starting to influence him and he is starting to see through the town’s eyes. Scout on the other hand just sees folks for folks. She still has her innocence. Harper Lee uses this quote to criticize that we are teaching our children to be like this. She believes that we need to change this, and look past social classes and see people for who they are and not by where they came from. Later in the book, Aunt Alexandra makes a comment about Cunninghams and their social class. She says “‘Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they’re not our kind of folks’” (Lee 299). Aunt Alexandra says this because she thinks that they are good people, but because they are not in the same social class she thinks less of them. Harper Lee uses this quote to show how people are prejudice and how they act when they find out that people are in a low class than them. Harper Lee wants her readers to look past their social class and see everyone the same. A little later in the chapter, Aunt Alexandra makes another comment about the Cunninghams. She says ‘“The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a drinking streak in the family a mile wide. Finch women aren’t interested in that sort of people’” (Lee 300). She says this because just like the other quote she thinks that she is above the Cunninghams just because of her social class. She’s trying to enforce her prejudice upon Scout. Harper Lee uses this quote to show that without knowing sometimes people enforce things on children when they barely understand what it means. In summary, Harper Lee wants us to look past social class and see the people for who they are.

Gender Prejudice: Stereotypes and Expectations

The third example of prejudice is gender prejudice. Scout’s Aunt expects her to be a perfect little girl and to act proper. She also expects Scout to fit into society’s views of girls. Scout acknowledges this when she says “Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life” (Lee 108). This quote shows gender prejudice because Aunt Alexandra is enforcing an outdated stereotype onto Scout just because society says to do so. Harper Lee uses this quote and quotes like this throughout the book to show how ridiculous the gender norms society tries to place on us are. She does so to try to get people to realize that they don’t have to go along with society’s stereotypes, and for people to try to be their own person. Aunt Alexandra adds to the stereotype of women being proper and needing protection. Later in the book, Judge Taylor says “‘There has been a request… That this courtroom be cleared of spectators, or at least of women and children’” (Lee 232).

This quote puts women and children in the same category of needing protection or being shielded from something. The person who requested this thinks that women need as much protection as children, which is a lot. The person thinks that women should be shielded from the idea of rape. This is prejudiced because it proposes the idea that women can not handle this topic, but how can they protect themselves if they are not educated on the matter. Harper Lee uses this quote to criticize society on how they treat children, and to show that women are stronger than people think. In the beginning of the book, Jem acts like being a girl is a bad thing. He said “‘Nothin’ to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you at so much like a girl it’s mortifyin’’” (Lee 50). Jem says that it is “mortifying” to act like a girl. Usually when kids are young, they act prejudiced against the other gender without even realizing it. The outdated stereotype of acting like a girl is used by Harper Lee to try to get society to stop using this stereotype. Scout is pressured by her brother to stop acting like a girl, but acting like a girl should not be bad. Overall, Harper Lee uses these quotes about gender prejudice to show that these outdated stereotypes should be disregarded.

Conclusion: Harper Lee’s Critique of Society

Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses prejudice to criticize society. She uses racial, socioeconomic, and gender prejudice to achieve this. Racial prejudice is shown during Tom Robinson’s trial. Atticus tries to get the jury to get past their prejudice and just focus on the facts, but fails to do so. The people of both races act upon prejudice against each other. Socioeconomic prejudice is shown when Jem classifies the people of Maycomb into different social groups. Jem now sees people for their social class instead of what type of people they are. It is also shown when Aunt Alexandra makes comments about the Cunninghams. She does so because she thinks that she is higher than then because of their social class. Gender prejudice is shown through Scout’s statement about how her Aunt Alexandra thinks she should act.

People of the town are also prejudiced against women because they act like they need as much protection as children. Jem also makes a comment about Scout acting like a girl. Jem makes it sound like it is terrible to act like a girl. Harper Lee uses all these examples to try to get people to stop following societies stereotype about race, socioeconomic, and gender to get people to be their own people and look at people for more than their race, gender, and social class.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a bildungsroman novel written by Harper Lee. One of the central themes of the book is the unspoken rules that govern the hierarchy in Maycomb society. One of the most important rules that govern the hierarchy in Maycomb is race. In the novel, black people in Maycomb are considered lower than white people in the hierarchy no matter what. Harper Lee reveals her disapproval of this rule through the scenes in the book where Scout and Jem meet Mr. Dolphus Raymond, the court scene where Dill starts to cry because of the unfairness, and Atticus standing up for Calpurnia when Aunt Alexandra tries to send her away.

Throughout the book, Harper Lee reveals her disapproval of the racism in Maycomb through the characters in the novel. When Scout first meets Mr. Dolphus Raymond, she calls him “an evil man” and thinks he is “taking delight in corrupting a child” (Lee 267). She thinks she “shouldn’t be [there] listening to [a] sinful man who had mixed children and didn’t care who knew it” (Lee 268). But Scout’s thoughts soon change when she finds out he doesn’t actually drink and she starts to think that he is “fascinating”(Lee 268), she even mentions that she “liked his smell”(Lee 267). By making the main character change her mind about someone who is shunned by society, Harper Lee is showing that she disapproves of how Maycomb views Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Showing that Scout likes Mr. Raymond, Lee reveals that she doesn’t agree with the rule by showing how Scout likes Mr. Raymond even if he has a black family.

Tom Robinson’s trial is one of the most important scenes in the book as it is where the plot starts to escalate. In this scene, Harper Lee once again reveals her opinions about the racism and hierarchy in the town of Maycomb. In the scene, Tom Robinson is being questioned by Mr. Gilmer, who is being disrespectful, calling him “boy” and talking to him hatefully just

To Kill a Mockingbird is a bildungsroman novel written by Harper Lee. One of the central themes of the book is the unspoken rules that govern the hierarchy in Maycomb society. One of the most important rules that govern the hierarchy in Maycomb is race. In the novel, black people in Maycomb are considered lower than white people in the hierarchy no matter what. Harper Lee reveals her disapproval of this rule through the scenes in the book where Scout and Jem meet Mr. Dolphus Raymond, the court scene where Dill starts to cry because of the unfairness, and Atticus standing up for Calpurnia when Aunt Alexandra tries to send her away.

Throughout the book, Harper Lee reveals her disapproval of the racism in Maycomb through the characters in the novel. When Scout first meets Mr. Dolphus Raymond, she calls him “an evil man” and thinks he is “taking delight in corrupting a child” (Lee 267). She thinks she “shouldn’t be [there] listening to [a] sinful man who had mixed children and didn’t care who knew it” (Lee 268). But Scout’s thoughts soon change when she finds out he doesn’t actually drink and she starts to think that he is “fascinating”(Lee 268), she even mentions that she “liked his smell”(Lee 267). By making the main character change her mind about someone who is shunned by society, Harper Lee is showing that she disapproves of how Maycomb views Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Showing that Scout likes Mr. Raymond, Lee reveals that she doesn’t agree with the rule by showing how Scout likes Mr. Raymond even if he has a black family.

Tom Robinson’s trial is one of the most important scenes in the book as it is where the plot starts to escalate. In this scene, Harper Lee once again reveals her opinions about the racism and hierarchy in the town of Maycomb. In the scene, Tom Robinson is being questioned by Mr. Gilmer, who is being disrespectful, calling him “boy” and talking to him hatefully just because he is a black person. In this scene, Scout and Dill miss part of the case because Dill begins to cry. Harper Lee shows her disapproval of how Tom Robinson and other black people are treated through Dill. Dill says to Scout that he couldn’t stand “Mr.Gilmer [doing] him that way and talking so [hatefully to him] (Lee 265)”. By showing that Dill, Scout’s friend, was upset with how Mr. Gilmer was treating Tom Robinson, Lee reveals that she too disapproves of how black people are treated because of their race.

In the novel, Scout and Jem’s aunt, Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them. Aunt Alexandra makes it clear that she disapproves of Calpurnia. When Scout asks if “[she] could [go] to [Calpurnia’s] house (Lee 181)”, Aunt Alexandra makes it very clear that she doesn’t approve of Scout going there. She later tries to convince Atticus to make Calpurnia leave. Atticus simply responds that “[Calpurnia] is a faithful member of the family”. Through this, Harper Lee shows that he doesn’t consider her any lower than his family even if she is a black person. Harper Lee shows in the novel that Scout does not like Aunt Alexandra very much. Scout tells Atticus that she “would like it very much” if Aunt Alexandra stayed with them but later says “[that] was a lie”. The tone in which Scout describes Aunt Alexandra is very negative. By showing how Scout dislikes Aunt Alexandra, Lee portrays her as an “evil” character in the novel. By doing this, Lee shows her disapproval of how Aunt Alexandra thinks and her approval of Atticus.

There are many rules that govern the hierarchy and society in Maycomb. One of the major rules that govern the hierarchy is race. In Maycomb, a black person is always considered lower than a white person no matter what. Having a family with a black person is also unaccepted and will drop you to the bottom of the hierarchy in Maycomb. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee shows her disapproval of the hierarchy and this rule through the characters. She shows how she approves of Mr.Raymond by showing that Scout likes him even if he has a black wife and mixed children. She also shows her disapproval through Dill, who doesn’t like the way that Tom Robinson is treated just because he is a black person. And lastly, she shows how she disagrees with Aunt Alexandra through Scout. She also shows how she thinks black people should be treated through Atticus. Throughout the book, Lee shows that she disagrees with how race affects people’s place in the hierarchy in the society of Maycomb.

Award winning, American classic ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, by Harper Lee, is a must read book in our modern day society. First published in 1960, the book has sold over 40 million copies and is still printed worldwide. I’m sure the majority of people studied this novel when they were in high school and it is still a major book study in english curriculums today, but why? Harper Lee’s novel might appear to be a boring school reading with ethical lessons, but whilst entertaining, she intertwines universal themes and lessons through the story line like a wind weaving through trees leaving its mark.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ set in 1936 at a typical American country town, Maycomb, Alabama, is narrated by a grown woman called Scout, reflecting on her 8 year old childhood past. This perspective on the stories events illustrates the racial issues from a unique point of view, with an honest representation. Her father, Atticus Finch, an established lawyer, is characterised through the novel as a moral spokesperson for Scout and her older brother Jem, where they learn the significant lessons of respect and empathy. After an event at school that leaves Scout in a mood, Atticus tells her, “You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” “Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Scout then learns that before judging someone she must respect their life conditions and be empathetic. Empathy is a key lesson for peoples lives no matter when or where they live, today empathy helps us to respond appropriately and understand everyone’s situations so our society can function fairly. Homeless people are a stand out example of when empathy comes into play today, some empathetic people will walk past a homeless man and offer some help or a few dollars, whereas the cruel, selfish people will complain, not knowing their full story. Imagine if we had a world full of empathetic people? But because we don’t ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is a novel worth the read.

Later on in the story Atticus takes on a case where a black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of rape. This act has caused an uproar of hatred and mocking towards the Finches by using terms such as “nigger-lover”, because they’re defending a black man. Further on, mockingbirds become a reoccurring motif throughout the story. The Finch’s neighbour, Miss Maudie, is asked by Scout why Atticus said “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” and she replies saying “Mockingbirds 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.” Boo and Tom are the prevalent metaphors for mockingbirds because they do nothing wrong and don’t bother anyone. This lesson demonstrates to us, in our society that we shouldn’t mistreat people who don’t harm anyone, even if they are different to us, we must treat them with respect. Now ask yourself, why is ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ a worthy text in todays society? The teachings from Harper Lee will always be relevant in a society and will shape our world into a better place.

Did you hear about the recent shooting in the Mosque at Christchurch? The devastating attack on Friday the 15th of March where an Australian who’s prejudice against Muslims killed 50 Muslims and left 50 injured. For no reason at all he decided to harm innocent people who did nothing but minded their own business – remind you of something? The Muslims are mockingbirds. If you don’t think that the moral themes from ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ resonate to a modern audience, rethink. Throughout the court case of Tom Robinson, where he has been wrongly accused, prejudice against the coloured people is strongly shown. ‘I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!’. Is what Mr Ewell shouted whilst testifying against Tom, insulting him by using the term “nigger”. The court continues in session with the Ewell’s and Mr Gilmer on the upper hand. Though the fight for Tom’s innocence was tough, there was still a slight chance of hope but of course, the biased jury still pronounced him guilty.

The theme of inequality in the novel reaches its highest point at this moment, Tom Robinson was never guilty, would never harm a fly but because of the mistreating white men, “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win”. Miss Maudie stated this after the trial during morning tea with Dill, Scout and Jem. Inequality is a major theme in the book, Harper Lee highlights the unacceptable treating of coloured people and outcasts in a society. “Of rare excellence … a novel of strong contemporary national significance.” This statement was said by the Chicago Tribune, they are also discussing the fact that the strong themes of prejudice and inequality are national, significant and need to be prevented in all societies whenever. Why have we still not learnt and evolved from our mistakes in the past? Some issues back in the 1930’s are still present today in our society.

Harper Lee was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Before she became a famous writer, Lee studied at Oxford and was planning to become a lawyer just like her father, but eventually dropped out of law school. Harper Lee only published two books during her lifetime: To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman. Her second book was not on the same level of popularity as her first. To Kill a Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize and has been translated into more than 40 languages. It is widely read by students in middle and high schools across the country. I will be reviewing this book due to its high popularity and the important messages spread out throughout the story. These four important messages are, put yourself in other people’s shoes, don’t kill mockingbirds, keep fighting even if you know you will lose, and that the world is unfair. Harper Lee’s purpose for writing this story was not only to share these important lessons, but also to convey what life was like during the Great Depression, and most importantly life in the South where racism was common.

To Kill a Mockingbird takes place over a three-year time period in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama. Due to the story taking place over a few years, readers can see many character developments and changes, most of which occur with the main character Scout Finch. Scout lives with her brother Jem and their father Atticus. During the summer, Scout, Jem, and one of their neighbors Dill go to explore the house of a mysterious man named Arthur Radley, who was nicknamed Boo. Boo has never been seen outside, which has caused many rumors to stir up over the years about him. Many people have a horrible image of him even though he has yet to be seen. The real story of Boo is that he misbehaved when he was younger and got in trouble with law enforcement. This resulted in his father never letting him leave the house again. Even after his father passed away, Boo remained in the house with his older brother. The first major lesson from the book takes place here, in that you shouldn’t judge someone unless you put yourself in their shoes. People shouldn’t judge Boo Radley or anyone for that matter without knowing their backstory. One cold night when Scout and Jem were outside watching a neighbor’s house set on fire, Boo came behind Scout and put a blanket on her. This overall message is essential in life as people nowadays can be so cruel to one another and start rumors without knowing anything about someone else’s life. You don’t really know someone until you step into their shoes.

Halfway through the story, a crucial scene occurs which has a connection with the title of the book. Atticus decided to give Scout and Jem air rifles and shoot any bird they wanted except Mockingbirds. “Mockingbirds 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.” This statement by Atticus has a double meaning. The metaphorical meaning of a mockingbird is someone that is weak or defenseless. To kill a mockingbird would be the equivalent of taking advantage or killing a defenseless person. Atticus considers this a sin. This is yet another important lesson in this story. Not only is this scene foreshadowing an event that will happen later, it really demonstrates the racist tendencies during this time. People back then would “kill mockingbirds” or take advantage of African Americans. They were treated as inferior to Whites and commonly segregated in public places.

Later in the story, Scout and Jem find out that their father Atticus who is a lawyer will be defending a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom is accused of raping and beating a white woman named Mayella Ewell. Atticus is determined to try his hardest to defend Tom, even though he knows he will lose the case due to racism. The two kids now have to endure the daily insults and slurs being thrown at them due to Atticus’s role in the trial. Atticus encourages his kids to keep their heads up in the face of adversity. This is where the third important lesson comes into play when Atticus tells his kids that true bravery comes from fighting even if you know you are going to lose. This scene is a fan favorite as it shows his high morals and lessons that we can all learn. It solidifies his place as a fan-favorite protagonist in literature.

During the trial, Atticus proves that there is no possible way that Tom raped Mayella Ewell. The physical evidence was against them. Mayella Ewell’s bruises are on the right side of her face, and Tom can’t use his left arm. Bob Ewell is left-handed and it is possible that he beat his daughter, which matches Tom’s story that Mayella tried to seduce him but was caught by her father and beaten up. However, even with all the evidence supporting Tom, the jury found him guilty and he was taken to prison. There was no possible way that a jury would acquit a black man, especially for an accused rape. After the trial, it is found that Tom Robinson was killed in an escape attempt. Scout and Jem are devastated by the verdict. At this moment they realize just how racist their town is, but this is where the fourth and final lesson appears. The world is unfair; life’s outcomes will not always go your way, and innocent people might get hurt or falsely accused.

Once the trial was finished, Bob Ewell approached Atticus and threatened to get revenge on him for being made a fool during the trial. On Halloween night Bob Ewell approaches Scout and Jem with a switchblade and attempts to kill them. The two kids tried their best to fight back but to no avail. Bob Ewell broke Jem’s arm during the whole ordeal. As the kids cried for help, Boo Radley popped out of nowhere and stabbed Bob with a kitchen knife. The kids are unaware of what is happening due to the pitch-black darkness. Once the sheriff arrives at Atticus’s house, he makes the decision for the official story to be that Bob Ewell tripped over a root and fell on his knife. The sheriff has a suspicion that Boo Radley really killed Bob, but he does not want that story to be spread because he doesn’t want Boo to be forced into the public spotlight for saving the kids. The least he could do is help to maintain Boo’s privacy. Atticus is worried about the decision to change the story about what really happened because his kids have already seen injustice in the trial, so he does not want them to witness the law being bent once more. Scout understands the situation but tells Atticus that making a hero out of Boo Radley would be like killing a mockingbird. Scout then proceeds to walk Boo across the street back to his house. Once Scout reaches the porch, she looks back at her house and imagines all of her adventures and activities over the years as seen through Boo’s eyes, and this is where she finally understands the lesson that to understand someone you need to be put in their shoes.

All of these important lessons somehow come full circle by the end of the story. They are all woven together and not only apply to the plot in this story, but they are great lessons that apply in the real world. Overall this is an essential book all students should read at least twice. During my first time reading, I did not fully understand the important messages spread out. After reading it a second-time years later, I can now fully understand them and appreciate the amazing story.

In life, many encounter signs and symbols which have deeper meanings that may be evident or sometimes, not clear. According to the Oxford Dictionary, symbols are things conventionally regarded as typifying or representing something. Symbols are not only an important part of life but a significant representation of appearance versus reality. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the theme of symbolism is explored by the author to encourage readers to read between the lines and to create meaning and emotion in the story. The idea of a Mockingbird, Mrs.Dubose’s white camellias, and Jem’s stitched pants are all symbols that are shown in To Kill a Mockingbird. These items symbolize racism and discrimination in the town of Maycomb, which impacts other characters’ thought processes by the way they react and talk about people of color.

Generally, without knowledge of this book, many may think that the mockingbird spoken of in the title, refers to the actual bird; but in reality, it does not. In this story of innocence destroyed by evil, the “mockingbird” represents innocence which can be seen in Tom Robinson. This man is considered the “mockingbird” of the story due to the fact that he does not harm anyone, but only gives pleasure and does good for and to others. This is evident in his actions towards Mayella Ewell, who took advantage of his benevolence and used it against him. Arthur “Boo” Radley is also seen as a mockingbird because he is a sweet, kind, and innocent man that is misjudged by society and interpreted as a monster by some. Lee uses the quote “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens and 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.” to prove, illustrate, and teach the reason why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. It is believed that the symbol of a mockingbird, in the case of Tom Robinson, was “assassinated”. This is so because, despite all the benevolence of Tom, he was still killed and misjudged when all he did was do good which is unfortunately what happens in the “real” world.

In chapters 9-11, it is stated that Mrs.Dubose, a morphine addict, grew white camellias in her garden. White camellias mean several things. They can mean purity, love between a mother and child, or can be used at a funeral at a time of mourning. On the contrary, Dubose’s camellias are a symbol of racism in Maycomb, showing the supreme race in the county and Mrs.Dubose’s humanity. The supreme race in the town of Maycomb is “white folks”. These white folks are deemed superior by the color of their skin and not by their actions, achievement, or uprightness. This concept leads to the theme of racism which is the overall main focus of the book. The “colored folks” are treated unjustly which can be seen in the case of Tom Robinson’s trial. Even though there was plenty of evidence exonerating Tom from falsely accusing men of rape, the system was, is, and will always be in favor of the white man no matter how much society claims that the rule of law (laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards), is evident. “ As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something, and don’t you forget it… Whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”. This quote was made by Atticus Finch, a white man of Maycomb, goes to show that racism is a “fact of life”

At one point in the story, Jem had indirect contact with Boo Radley. Whilst the children were playing tricks on Boo, Jem got his pants stuck and there was a rip in them. When Jem returned to retrieve his pants, he had seen that they were stitched up by Boo. As previously mentioned, Boo is misjudged by society and is interpreted as a monster by some, when in reality, he is just a kind-hearted character which can be seen in what he does for Jem. It is believed that Jem’s stitched-up pants represent/symbolizes Boo’s kindness. Boo tries to show and prove to the kids, especially Jem, that they have nothing to fear and that he is always looking out for them. This is not the only time Boo has looked out for the kids; he also looked out for Scout when he placed a blanket over Scout’s shoulders when Miss Maudie’s house catches fire. He does this act of kindness because he feels protective of her. On many occasions, Boo has always looked out for and has been protective of them despite all the misjudgments of the people in the town of Maycomb. “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”. Lee uses this quote to teach the lesson that most people only seek the bad in people but if people were to seek the good in people, they would find it. Overall, Boo proved himself over and over that he has not and will not conform himself to the negative thoughts of the people of Maycomb towards him.

In conclusion, symbolism is used to encourage readers to read between the lines and to create meaning and emotion in the story being told. This not only opens the gate to the use of imagination but is a clear representation of appearance versus reality, meaning that things are not always as they seem. The idea of a mockingbird, Mrs.Dubose’s white camellias, and Jem’s stitched-up pants are all proof that things are not always as they seem, but indeed have deeper meanings behind them. Of course, not all people have the gift of reading between the lines and searching for a deeper meaning, but it is encouraged to do so because symbolism is no mere idle fancy or corrupt regeneration: it is inherent in the very texture of human life.

Harper Lee last spoke publicly about the book in the 1960s. She said that it is a universal theme and that it portrayed an aspect of civilization. Lee has made it clear that she wants absolutely nothing to do with the media. No matter what facts were brought up about Lee’s childhood she put her foot down when critics say the book is about her own childhood. Instead, Lee stated that the events in the book are just a representation of all the trials in the world. She is often known to be overwhelmed with her fame and this could be quite understandable seeing that she sold 30 million copies of the book dating up to 2010.

Lee wanted her works to speak for themselves and she hated the media and attention surrounding the books. She most especially despised the merchandise that was sold surrounding the theme of To Kill a Mockingbird. The courthouse that Lee writes about profusely in the story was even turned into a museum supporting the success of the book. This may have enraged Lee but there is little to no counts of her speaking out on these issues. Each year after release the book started to become less and less popular but with public school systems requiring students to read the work for a class has allowed her masterpiece to reach millions of people across the country at a young age.

When it comes to the overall piece of To Kill a Mockingbird, many have viewed the novel in their own way. There is one thing that many critics can agree on and that is that the book is a universal art piece that speaks profoundly on racial indifferences, the dignity of the human person, respect, small-town values and much more. Nearly everyone that has laid their hands on this novel has been impacted in a positive way due to the sheer power of the subject at hand. Lee’s writing ability has been described in numerous articles as graceful, unstintingly honest, simple but also powerful. Some articles even state that the reader feels a strong sense of truth in the novel through her words. It is clear that Lee’s main focus in her writing is helping the reader learn the lesson of right versus wrong. Her words express the reader to draw their own conclusions from the events and plant them in their very own idea on morality and the importance of the subject matter.

It is no wonder why To Kill a Mockingbird became a best seller and won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction novels. When the book first took to the shelves, the book was praised with endless positive feedback. However, it did take a while for people to fully accept Scout’s point of view in the story appreciate the significance of her youth in the situation she is in. The fact that Scout is so young in the story adds an entirely different perspective of the racial issues visited throughout the book. The masterpiece is able to throw labels to the side and visit a small town in the South and learn about the true nature of the human race.

There are a myriad of references in the book that correlates with the time period that Harper Lee writes in. She constantly adds small details surrounding the events and conversations of characters that hint at the different social scenarios that the people of the time are faced with. There are even details in the book that explain some current events that are taking place such as the great depression. In its entirety, Lee did not miss out on hitting any social and societal issues in the novel. She made sure that the reader can fully grasp the struggling day to day life of living in a small town during the 1930s.

Maycomb is a small town in the heart of the south in Alabama. During the 1930s, the south was negatively impacted by the fall out of the roaring 20s and the start of the great depression. Most of these cities were infested with poverty like it was a disease. In the book, Lee hints at the poor lifestyle writing, “The boy stood up. He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was gray, the backs of his hands were rusty and his fingernails were black deep into the quick… no one had noticed him”. This descriptive account of a young boy who was visibly poor gives the reader an idea of how bad the south was hit with the great depression.

Lee also does an exceptional job of recounting how bad the school system became during these troubling times. In the story, there is a family called the Ewell’s that don’t force their kids to go to school and would often not go to school for lengths on end. Atticus, being the great father he is, made sure that Scout would go to school every day and succeed in obtaining her education. Harper Lee writes about the Ewell family in two different instances. The first being, “He’s one of the Ewells, ma’am…. Whole school’s full of em. They come first day every year and then leave”. This just shows that people in this time period did not care about their children’s education and the school system did not do anything about it. In another scenario, Atticus is explaining to Scout about why she must go to school and he states, “…that the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells. In certain circumstances, the common folk judiciously allowed certain privileges… they didn’t have to go to school… permitted to hunt and trap out of season”. This shows the idea that some families were so deep into poverty that they made their children work for them at a young age in order to support their family instead of going to school and getting an education.

Another social issue visited frequently throughout the story that reflects on the time period is that of the use of the ‘n word’. This means the derogatory phrase used against African Americans that is highly offensive and racist. During this time, being an African American was looked upon as useless by many people and it was common to call African Americans by the ‘n word’ itself. The word is often used throughout the book and it is even used by the youth in the story when one kid proclaims to Scout, “Calpurnia says that’s [‘n word’] talk”. This just shows how carelessly white people threw around the word as if it had no bearing or effect on the demographic it pertains to.

Religion is also mentioned frequently in the book. The story mentions a group of people specific to the time period called “footwashers”. Foot Washers were a group of people, more prominently located in the South, that took the bible literally and were very strict and dedicated to following the bible word for word. This was a major issue for women’s rights as some families believed that women should be homemakers and that the men should make all of the money to support the household. This idea is expressed when Lee writes, “Thing is, foot-washers think women are a sin by definition. They take the Bible too seriously”. This was a major issue at this time as most husbands did not even let their wives leave the house because they took the Bible too literally.

Lee also uses a famous quote from Franklin Roosevelt to tie in with the time period. The quote is from his first inaugural speech and it is stated in the novel when Scout says, “Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself”. Scout is reciting Roosevelt’s speech indirectly but it is used in the novel as a sort of irony due to how poor the town and surrounding towns were. This means that the town should be afraid of more than just fear itself seeing as most families could barely provide a healthy and peaceful lifestyle.

One of the most important themes in the book is that of white people protecting and defending African Americans. Atticus, being a white man, is representing Tom Robinson in his murder case. Robinson is an African American that is looked upon poorly from the community and Atticus defending him is a major issue for people. The entire Finch family takes negative backlash throughout the book because of the defense case for Tom. One powerful quote from the book showcases how badly the Finch family was looked upon and it reads, “Grandma says it’s bad enough he let you all run wild, but now he turned out a [‘n word’] lover. We’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doing. This was common for white families that stood up against the oppression of African Americans in the country. Family members would often disown other family members because they affiliated with the defense of African Americans.

To Kill a Mockingbird will always be considered at the top of the list when speaking on art that pertains to social and societal reform. Lee’s genius incorporation of the time period into an exciting adventure with a ten-year-old girl is something that can never be repeated or topped. The novel will remain a mandatory read for the youth of America as it thoroughly dives into the struggling times of the 1930s and beginnings of activism across the nation. There are countless themes and messages within the story that will captivate any reader to redirect their moral compass towards something truly great. Harper Lee created an absolute masterpiece that will churn the minds of all ages who can understand the concept of the novel for decades to come.

“Nelle” Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. She grew up in Monroeville, a small town in southwest Alabama. Her father was a lawyer who also served in the state legislature from 1926–1938. As a child, Lee was a tomboy and a precocious reader. After she attended public school in Monroeville she attended Huntingdon College, a private school for women in Montgomery for a year and then transferred to the University of Alabama. After graduation, Lee studied at Oxford University. She returned to the University of Alabama to study law but withdrew six months before graduation.

She moved to New York in 1949 and worked as a reservations clerk for Eastern Air Lines and British Overseas Airways. While in New York, she wrote several essays and short stories, but none were published. Her agent encouraged her to develop one short story into a novel. In order to complete it, Lee quit working and was supported by friends who believed in her work. In 1957, she submitted the manuscript to J. B. Lippincott Company. Although editors found the work too episodic, they saw promise in the book and encouraged Lee to rewrite it. In 1960, with the help of Lippincott editor Tay Hohoff, To Kill a Mockingbird was published.

To Kill a Mockingbird became an instant popular success. A year after the novel was published, 500,000 copies had been sold and it had been translated into 10 languages. Critical reviews of the novel were mixed. It was only after the success of the film adaptation in 1962 that many critics reconsidered To Kill a Mockingbird.

To Kill a Mockingbird was honored with many awards including the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961 and was made into a film in 1962 starring Gregory Peck. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It actually was honored with three awards: Gregory Peck won the Best Actor Award, Horton Foote won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar and a design team was awarded an Oscar for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration B/W. Lee worked as a consultant on the screenplay adaptation of the novel.

Author Truman Capote was Lee’s next-door neighbor from 1928 to 1933. In 1959 Lee and Capote traveled to Garden City, Kan., to research the Clutter family murders for his work, In Cold Blood (1965). Capote dedicated In Cold Blood to Lee and his partner Jack Dunphy. Lee was the inspiration for the character Idabel in Capote’s Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). He in turn clearly influenced her character Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Harper Lee divides her time between New York and her hometown of Monroeville, Ala., where her sister Alice Lee practices law. Though she has published no other work of fiction, this novel continues to have a strong impact on successive generations of readers.

In modern-day society, there are still many ways people use racism and prejudice towards others and this novel shows how it was used more frequently back then. Harper Lee reveals the sad truth about racism and prejudice in her book To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout and Jem’s life is easy as a white family in the 1930s, living in a good home, and having a caring father, Atticus. This story shows that not all people, especially the black community, have the same privileges as the white community. To Kill a Mockingbird is both a strong and flawed book in regards to teaching the dangers of prejudice and racism.

In regards to how To Kill a Mockingbird is a strong book for teaching students about the dangers of prejudice and racism, it shows classism and racism to the readers. As Scout complains about Walter’s behavior, Calpurnia teaches her a lesson on how to treat others equally, “Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re dasgracin’ ‘em.—if you can’t act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen!” (Lee, 33). In the way Calpurnia teaches Scout a lesson, it can be seen that Calpurnia is a nice woman and does not have any problem with classism. Here, it shows that she doesn’t care how poor Walter is and instead understands his suffering and lets him enjoy his meal. It does a good job teaching students about classism and how, especially back then, it was a big problem. It does it by showing how Scout gets punished when calling Walter out because he is poor which can teach students to be less judgemental. Scout and Jem get invited to go to Calpurnia’s church which was for the black community when there was already a church for whites. Knowing this, Lula [one of the church residents] exclaims, ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here—they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?’ (Lee, 158). In Lula’s eyes, Scout and Jem were forgeries and did not belong in a black church. This act shows that anyone can be racist towards others, even a black person. Usually, it’s the whites that are throwing racial slurs at the black community but in this case, Lula, a black person, is being racist towards white children.

Through this, it can be taught that there will always be racism everywhere from any race. It gives students a good perspective on a different side of racism from a black to a white. As seen in these two quotes, Harper Lee does a good job of educating students about the dangers of prejudice through the portrayal of classism and racism.

Although it seems that Harper Lee does a good job teaching students about the dangers of prejudice and racism, it also has many flaws with sexism and racism. As Atticus is interrogating Mayella for the trial, he asks about how Bob treats her at home and she says, “He does tollable, ‘cept when—“” Except when?” “Except when nothin‘,” said Mayella. “I said he does tollable.” (Lee, 245). At the Ewells’ home, Mayella is the eldest of the children but still, this quote shows that she still gets abused. This shows prejudice in the form of sexism because Mayella is a woman and it implies that she gets mistreated by Bob who is a grown man. Since she is a woman, nobody seems to notice or care at all about the way Bob treats her which is a clear sign of sexism. But Harper Lee does a bad job of explaining her situation which leaves the reader with many questions. For example, a student who is reading this part would not know the full details about Mayella’s situation, preventing them from understanding the dangers of sexism.

After a long time on the trail, Atticus walks down the aisle and Reverend Sykes said to Scout, “I looked around. They were standing. All around us and in the balcony on the opposite wall, the Negroes were getting to their feet. Reverend Sykes’s voice was as distant as Judge Taylor’s: “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin‘.” (Lee, 283). Everyone in the black community, who were on the balcony, stood up to give their thanks to Atticus because they knew how hard he tried to prove Tom Robinson’s innocence in this case. But deep down they knew there was little hope of winning, but they still believed in Atticus. This is an example of Atticus being the “White Savior” of the story which is very typical for a normal book. But Harper Lee does a bad job because, for a book about the dangers of racism, the hero of the story is a white man. This makes it seem that the innocent white protagonist is doing good deeds while any black person is pushed aside and not included. To Kill a Mockingbird is not only a strong book but also a flawed one in regards to teaching students about the dangers of sexism and racism.

In my opinion, I believe it is a good book for teaching students about the dangers of prejudice and racism. I say this because it taught me quite a lot about this topic and I think it does a good job at it. I also believe it to be a good piece of literature as well. But for it to be read in a classroom is a different story because I think it should not be taught to all ages. I read this book in the ninth grade, and I think it is the perfect age level to start learning about racism and prejudice. This also includes anybody at a higher grade level which I think is a perfectly fine grade to read it. At the ninth grade level, I think most people would have noticed or learned about some form of prejudice and racism. But for them to read this book about hard-hitting topics, I think they would gain much more knowledge than whatever they learned before. For most grades below ninth, I don’t think To Kill a Mockingbird is a good book to teach. I assume students at that young age would not fully understand the portrayal of prejudice and racism which may lead them into thinking wrongly of race. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird has many times where it says the n-word which is used to describe the black community. I think most young students would not see the meaning behind this word and they might just go around saying the word like it means nothing. Nevertheless, I still believe To Kill a Mockingbird is a strong book for teaching students, like myself, about the dangers of prejudice and racism.

Work Cited

1. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Grand Central Publishing, 1960.