ipl-logo

Contradicting Poisons In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

966 Words4 Pages

Contradicting Poisons
There are two sides to every person, what society sees and who they truly are. Someone who does not live in the traditionally and became a social outcast could easily be the most benevolent, selfless person, but had not been given the chance before they were silenced by the world around them. Such is the case in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a story showing the relentlessness of hatred and humanity. Lee’s creation represents that isolation from humanity creates the most humane people.
Society believes that those who choose to stay away from others are mentally unstable, when in reality, they’re just introverted. People who avoid big crowds and strangers are often seen as weird or cynical, instead of scared or …show more content…

Those who have not been out in the world do everything based off of their initial gut reaction, rather than what is dictated to be right by those around them. It could be argued that Mayella Ewell disproves the point that those who are exclusively isolated from humanity are the most humane, as Mayella Ewell is a prime example of hatred. However, this is an invalid point as Tom Robinson was nothing but kind to Mayella, as Tom had even admitted that “every time I passed yonder she’d have a little somethin’ for me to do” (256), and not only did Tom do as she had asked, but Tom performed all of these services free of charge. Boo Radley however, never had a kind act done for him. He always got the cold shoulder from everyone around because he didn’t fit the mold for the perfect citizen. Boo even helped Scout and Jem by murdering Bob Ewell, because in the long run, he knew it was better for everyone in Maycomb, even though it could have landed him in jail. Instinctively, Boo knew that he needed to protect the Finch children no matter what that takes, and it was “Autumn again, and Boo’s children needed him” (374). Boo stepped up, went outside his own boundaries, and killed the one who wanted to hurt his children. Most would most definitely consider murder to be wrong, but in the case of saving two children, Boo risked eternity in jail for what

Show More
Related
709 Words | 3 Pages

From getting to know someone more on a personal level instead of hearing judgements from other people. An individual is able to neutralize prejudice by understanding how a person lives and feeling empathy for them. Author, Harper Lee has demonstrated this through her Pulitzer Prize winning novel: To kill a mockingbird. Since its first publication in 1960 it has sold over 40 million copies world-wide. Harper Lee wrote this book during marches regarding the civil rights movement for racial equality between black people and white people in the United States.

Read More
513 Words | 3 Pages

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee changed the way our society perceives minorities. To Kill a Mockingbird unveiled the idea of good and evil being present in the same person. Lee revealed that it’s the person’s ability to choose right from wrong, and good from evil. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about a single father raising a son and daughter in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, around the time of the Great Depression. Atticus decides to take a case that opens the eyes of the people who live in Maycomb.

Read More
1217 Words | 5 Pages

Ethan Heitzenrater Becky Crays English 9/10 28 April 2017 Stereotypes Here and Now In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird based in the early 1900’s after The Great Depression Harper Lee uses stereotypes to show the true humanity within a person no matter the age, gender, race, or place in society. This is a subject has impacted people in the past, and is still impacting the people of today. These are tough issues to talk about, but Lee wrote it so all people would understand how important it is not to judge until you understand the person.

Read More
1392 Words | 6 Pages

because he wants to stay inside” (227). Boo is actually scared of the world because he knows it’s cruel and unforgiving at times. Eventually, Boo saves Jem and Scout from getting murdered by Mr.Ewell, and Scout learns that “most people are (nice)...when you finally see them” from Atticus. This means that no one should judge people negatively before they get to know them, as then they’ll grow biases against others. However, this doesn’t often

Read More
888 Words | 4 Pages

A person cannot call themselves a noble person if they can’t understand others. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is told in first person by Jean Louise Finch or by her nickname, Scout a 6-year-old. Harper Lee, depicts Atticus Finch as a proficient father to his two children, Scout and Jim, 10-year-old. Atticus teaches his children life lessons, one being it 's a sin to kill a mockingbird.

Read More
606 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird - Close Reading Assignment Written in 1960, Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird skillfully navigates its way through the topics of empathy, understanding, and compassion. The story is told through the eyes of our protagonist, the young Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, who begins this narrative with a fight-first-think-later mentality. As the novel progresses and Scout experiences new situations, the reader can see her slowly mature through the way she begins to show empathy for those on the fringe of society, including Arthur (Boo) Radley, a man who stars in the leading role of many neighborhood rumors for his decision to never leave his house. In the final pages of this novel, Lee uses the literary elements of setting and theme to vividly depict the scene where Scout finally blossoms into a perceptive and considerate young lady.

Read More
588 Words | 3 Pages

When you look around the world, you see different characteristics that separate people, such as their genders, cultures, and styles. There are a number of races and ethnicities from African American to Italian to Chinese. NO one in this world is exactly the same as someone else. How does this tie into the story? People are being criticized, alienated, and bullied all around the world because of who they are, where they come from, what they look like, or the actions they make.

Read More
1859 Words | 8 Pages

The Theme is defined as an underlying meaning or the main idea within a literary according to Webster Dictionary. It can be stated within the book straightforward or not so much. They are often relatable and universal driving from thoughts and experiences of the authors. They express the point of view of the author, lesson, and conclusion. Readers can always find common themes within all novels.

Read More
977 Words | 4 Pages

In which we had to think carefully and cohesively about the characters and their backgrounds. Although Harper Lee proves the point that social prejudice was a highly regarded prejudice. Harper Lees’ novel helps us to become more aware of prejudicial situations that occurred in the

Read More
779 Words | 4 Pages

Life is overfilled with messages, like weeds in a sea in unmaintained grass. Whether it’s warning a person, or pointing out a flaw; these little lessons are there to further grow the positive parts of that person’s personality. A simple demonstration of this is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An old, children’s book serving no meaningingful purpose is what it may seem, nevertheless, it actually is a novel that offers a unique outtake on all aspects of human life. In the book, two children Jem and Scout, who learn about equality, racism, and social class through court cases, tea parties and more.

Read More
1035 Words | 5 Pages

Dhyanee Bhatt 9A          Scout’s Development for Narration All of us grow, develop, and adapt to our surroundings according to what we see and learn. However, we don’t always only the just induce the positive values, but also adapt to the disadvantageous values, as well. To Kill a Mockingbird is a unique novel written by Harper Lee, which tells about a sophisticated family living in a small town. The focus of the book is Scout, the main character and an innocent child, and the story is presented from her perspective.

Read More
797 Words | 4 Pages

The main idea Harper Lee (author of To Kill A Mockingbird) developes in the book regards the conflict between self determination and societal expectations. The genre of a social drama really brings out the problems that many people faced during the 1930’s and because of this the book illustrates a different type of environment and really brings the reader back to that time and age. In focusing on the specific conflict of self determination we see how and what it takes for people to overcome society's expectations during this time. The entirety of Life, people are having to make choices, but the most important choice shows who you really are, a follower or a leader.

Read More
1108 Words | 5 Pages

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird famously said in his closing arguments: "You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some negro men are not to be trusted around women- black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and no particular race of men." (pg 232) What Atticus is trying to convey is a foreign concept to most people in Maycomb county. Atticus is trying to convey a point of equality and no prejudice in a world of social inequality which, as one can imagine, didn 't go over so well.

Read More
626 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, Lee expresses inequality between people often causes people to judge one another. Scout, the main character, is a strong opinionated, young girl, with many thoughts on other characters throughout the book. An important theme that develops throughout the novel is inequality often causes judgement between people who aren’t acquainted, when the inequality is based on what someone heard about another person. A key moment that explains inequality often causing judgement is when Jem describes Boo Radley and makes him seem like a scary real-life monster, without actually ever meeting him.

Read More
507 Words | 3 Pages

Boo Radley represents one of the “mockingbirds” in the book, and a mockingbird is someone that is pure and innocence in the world. He is a good person that is hurt by the evil of mankind. In a lot of ways, Boo Radley might have have wanted to stay shut up in his house after seeing some of the awful acts that the townspeople have committed. But after seeing the Finch kids being attacked by Bob Ewell he had no choice but to leave the comfort of his own home that he has been enclosed in for so long to come out and save them. All though it would have been easier for this man to stay in his house rather than leave and then be drug into court, he did what he knew would be right and rescued the

Read More

More about Contradicting Poisons In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Related Topics

Open Document