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Literary analysis of to kill a mockingbird
Literary analysis of to kill a mockingbird
Literary analysis of to kill a mockingbird
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an amazing book with an abundant of surprises. Set back in the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama, when the Great Depression was happening and racism from the civil war still rages on in this southern city. All the quotes and themes in the novel can still be associated to life today. As the book was narrating in the past by Jean Louise Finch (Scout), there is one man that guides her and her brother, Jem Finch. It is their father, Atticus Finch.
From the beginning to the end in the story to kill a mocking bird and the movie a time to kill, it was clear that there were many acts of discriminttion being shown toword the coloured pople. In the book to kill a miociking bird there was a man named Tom Robinson who was being falselyq accused of rapping Mayella Ewell who was the daughter of Bob Ewell. Attics Finch was the brave lawyer who went aggianst the scoail norm and took on the intensely diffrcit task of defending and proving that Tom Robinsion was incoecent. There was a very similar situation in the movie a time to kill, where two white men raped Carl Lee Hailyes’s daughter. This made Carl furious he made it his duty to try and kill them himself while they were on the way to trial.
Atticus is a bold man considering he knew the mob would eventually come and he had to be prepared to protect Tom Robinson from harm. In addition, he was willing to risk his life for a black man which was very peculiar during the time but dared to stand his ground and fight for justice. Also, Atticus did not mind what other people thought of him or cared less about his reputation being ruined or his family being put on the line for defending a black man indicating he had the perseverance to fight for righteousness. When Scout sees that her father is in danger, or given that he is surrounded by unfamiliar faces, she realizes one of the men is Mr.Cunningham. In an attempt to cool the tension, Scout tries to find common ground with Mr.Cunningham by saying, "Entailments are bad" (Lee 205).
Atticus used this allusion to show that the courtroom is the only place where two people of opposing class are truly equal by using the most modern man of their era. This was used to allude to the fact that some people are born into roles but that doesn't mean they will
" By saying this, Atticus is using the appeal of ethos by explaining how the flaws of both black and white men are similar. This effect given was to have the jury see eye to eye with black men and realize in a specific way that their flaws are the same as any white
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus the father of Jean Louise Finch, gave advice that helps Scout throughout the book. Scout applies it to her life but Atticus applies the advice to his life more than any other character. As Jem,Scout, and Dill were playing their new game Boo Radley, they get caught by Atticus.
In the 1930’s south, racism was at its peak, but one man with contrasting ideas, was willing to sacrifice his entire social standing to defend a negro. In Harper Lee’s, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Scout’s father, Atticus, taught her many things. He taught her how to shoot, not to fight, and most importantly, to stand up for her values. Atticus showed his children the importance of protecting their beliefs on a few occasions: when he took on Tom Robinson’s case, when he protected them from the mad dog, and when he raised them to judge upon character, not appearance. First and foremost, when Atticus took Tom’s case upon himself, he showed the importance of doing what you think is right, regardless of the consequences.
Atticus's closing argument in To Kill a Mockingbird is a good display of several talking and writing styles such as ethos, pathos, and logos. His closing argument uses a tone that contributes to the persuasive effectiveness of his argument. Atticus Finch’s speech is an attempt to appeal to the jury to look beyond racial prejudice and to do what is right. I am going to attempt to analyze and show how Atticus uses these rhetorical strategies to contribute to the poignancy and effectiveness of his closing argument.
At breakfast, Scout, (Atticus’s daughter), feels confused and torn about her feelings regarding Mr Cunningham. Her mixed feelings are due to the fact that he partook in last night’s encounter. So she decides to ask for clarification from Atticus, “I thought Mr. Cunningham was a friend of ours. You told me along time ago he was”, Atticus then proceeded to elucidate that, “He still is” and that Mr. Cunningham is still a righteous and noble man however, “He just has his blind spots…” (210). The fact that Atticus’s approving opinion of Mr. Cunningham hasn't faltered even after enduring the previous night’s event, portrays to the reader that Atticus is practically the personified version of “Empathy.”
“He also is willing to stand up against the odds-he knows he’s ‘licked’ before he even begins” (Text 2). Atticus knows he will not be able to win this case even if Tom Robinson is innocent. Unfortunately the town and the jury are corrupt and will not give Tom a fair trial. Almost anyone can see that Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson to show compassion through the “Golden Rule” and set an example for his children.
Ultimately, Atticus is trying to teach his children the importance of understanding the impact their actions have, and instead of making fun of someone, they should put themselves in their position and wonder what it might be like to be
Atticus Finch is a well respected lawyer in Maycomb County. However, many individuals in the community turn their back on Atticus when he plans to defend an African American man, Tom Robinson, in court. Taking place in Alabama during the 1930s, “To Kill A Mockingbird” accurately portrays the hostile environment for
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch defends a black man named Tom Robinson who was accused of raping a young white woman. Atticus was maybe not wise to defend Tom because of the consequences that tax his family, but it was the right thing to do. The consequences of defending a black man did cause good things in the children like early maturity, but it also did cause things like traumatization. As Atticus has explained to Scout many times about this, He is doing this because he values equality and justice. He believes that everyone is equal and therefore just because Tom Robinson is black, doesn't mean that he should not defend him.
Corona Del Mar Mrs. Levitt Freshman English Period 3 April 17, 2019 The True Character Of Atticus Finch True role models are those who interest us in a way to make us want to be a better person and who possess the qualities that we would want to be a better person. Atticus Finch happens to be one of those role models. Judge Taylor had said, “Mr. Finch is always courteous to everybody. He's not trying to mock you, he's trying to be polite" (Lee 243).
Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most significant speeches in American history. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, gave a closing argument in a court trial that caused an uproar in the south during the 1930’s. Their speeches were given several decades apart, but talked about the same social issues that come from deep-rooted racism. Both of them used rhetoric that challenged the majority opinion around them.
