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Examples Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

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As children mature, they are exposed to many new environments and ideas that help them to form new perspectives on the world. These new perspectives cause children to grow into better adults. Sometimes, children have to be exposed to the harsh environments of the real world in order to gain new ideas and adapt. Coming-of-age involves recognizing different perspectives. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is an example of a character whose coming-of-age process involves gaining a different perspective. As Scouts comes of age, she realizes that her dreams of seeing Boo were “only a fantasy. [They] would never see him. He probably did not go out when the moon was down and gaze upon Miss Stephanie Crawford” (Lee 325). Scout accepts that her childhood images of Boo were most likely false, and she gains a different perspective on Boo. Furthermore, when Scout hears that Tom Robinson has been killed, she states that she “found [herself] shaking and couldn’t stop. [She] had seen Enfield Prison Farm, and Atticus had pointed out the exercise yard to [her]” (Lee 317). Scout is exposed to the real horrors of the world, …show more content…

Researchers have found that “over the course of human evolution, the willingness to take risks during this period of life has granted an adaptive edge” (Dobbs 4). By realizing that taking risks is an important part of coming-of-age, teens develop a new perspective. The article points out that “we enter a world made by our parents. But we will live most of our lives, and prosper (or not) in a world run and remade by our peers” (Dobbs 4). Teens realize that they are transitioning to a whole new world as they come of age; a world run by their generation. David Dobbs’ article “Beautiful Brains” shows the many new perspectives that teens will acquire in their coming-of-age

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672 Words | 3 Pages

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s perspective of Boo Radley changes as others influence her. Initially, Scout thinks as Boo as a malevolent phantom, and is scared of him because of the stories she hears. Midway through the novel, Boo starts to reveal himself to Scout, and she starts on her journey to realizing who he really is. Finally, after Boo saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, Scout walks Boo back home. Now on the porch of the Radley place, Scout looks at her street from Boo’s perspective, and she realizes that Boo is just like anyone else, but he just rather live a reclusive life. Ultimately, Scout learns that she can not judge anyone until she is able to see life from their perspective.

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Additionally, after being saved by Boo Radley, Scout walks him home, and as she stands at the porch that had previously been a symbol of fear, she realizes, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley Porch was enough.” (321). Fully seeing the world through Boo Radley’s perspective demonstrates her fully developed

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To Kill A Mockingbird: Coming of Age and Perspective How do we start to understand the people around us? In chapter 12 of “To Kill A Mockingbird” Harper Lee uses setting, conflict, and character in order to develop the theme of coming of age. Coming of age involves us recognizing that everyone has a different perspective. The character Scout, in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, learns this theme by realizing the variety of perspectives around her. Lee demonstrates how Scout is starting to recognize the different perspectives of the people around her by using the setting of a colored church, and comparing it to her own church.

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(Need a hook). The author uses of view of a child, Scout Finch, along with two other children, Jem Finch and Dill, to show the innocence of children is taken away from the coming of age. She uses a trial against a black man raping a white girl to show how children are innocent. Harper Lee uses life lessons to show that Scouts coming of age. Scout says, “Atticus had said it was the polite thing to talk to people about what they were interested in, not about what you were interested in” (Lee 129).

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728 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scouts changing perspective of Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley represents a coming of age moment because it demonstrates a breaking away from the childlike imagination that had previously explained all of their questions and superstitions about the Radley’s. A coming-of-age moment is the transition of thinking that occurs when someone learns empathy. At the start of the novel, in many situations, Scout and Jem demonstrate childish behavior and thinking when Jem is taunted into touching the side of the Radley home by Scout and Dill. The book reads, “Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us” (18). From this portion of the novel we can tell that Jem and Scout clearly regarded the Radley home and its occupants with novelty and even fear.

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586 Words | 3 Pages

After three years, Scout learns to have patience when trying to reach out to someone and not judge others due to insubstantial rumors. She also understands what Atticus means by viewing another’s perspective. In an attempt to learn about Boo, Scout follows Jem and Dill impatiently as they try to bring Boo out of his house. Having never seen Boo, they do anything they could to just have a glimpse of him so they could learn about him.

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At the beginning, the children cannot even go near Boo’s place without palpitation, but at the end, Scout is comfortable enough to walk Boo up to his front porch. Throughout the novel, Scout has changed her view of Boo after a chain of Boo’s actions toward her. As Scout grows older, she becomes wiser to understand her father’s lesson, “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 ” (39). Her father says this at the beginning, but till the end, thanks to the maturity combined with Boo’s actions that help Scout to understand it. She has matured enough to realize that people should not judge other people by rumor, but give them some chances to prove themselves.

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The second type, of prejudice instituted in the novel is age prejudice. Age prejudice is any attitude, or action which subordinates a person or group, because of their age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age. Age prejudice can be found in a few parts of the novel, and it makes you comprehend how both kids and adults are misjudged based on their age. A character that displays age prejudice is Miss.

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In this essay i will be going over the concept of maturing and how the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” dives into the concept. Throughout the story there are many pieces of evidence that supports how characters in the story have matured. A piece of evidence that backs this up is “When we were small, Jem and I confined our activities to the southern neighborhood, but when I was well into the second grade at school and tormenting Boo Radley became passé, the business section of Maycomb drew us frequently up the street past the real property of Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose.” (Lee 114) This quote shows that once upon a time “tormenting” Boo Radley was something fun to do and fill Scout and Jem’s time.

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Maturing is something everyone goes through in life whether you go through it early or a little later in life. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows a lot about maturing. Growing up in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama where life was a lot more different from today, you mature much different and in different ways. Jem is one person who matures through the whole story and makes realizations about people around him, including his dad, Tom Robinson, and Mrs. Dubose. Jem goes into the story thinking his dad is just some old man but as he gets older, he realizes there is more to his dad.

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1715 Words | 7 Pages

A Peregrination of Maturity throughout One’s Childhood in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, “a majority of Americans (57%) say they only know some of their neighbors.” In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Scout, the main character, is a young 6-year-old girl who always heard rumors about Arthur “Boo” Radley her neighbor. She heard things like Boo was dead or Boo had stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Scout really wanted to know her neighbor this leads to throughout the novel Scout to learns more about Boo; this then opens her eyes to a new version of Boo.

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Another example of Scout’s change in perceiving things helping show us the theme is her change in opinion on Arthur “Boo” Radley. At first, she sees him as scary and dangerous, and even believes a story about him stabbing his own mother. He is definitely evil in her mind. But throughout the story and especially after the scene

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1138 Words | 5 Pages

Courage is not strength or skill, it’s simply standing up for what you believe in and what is right. This is the theme that was enrolled after Jem destroys Mrs.Dubose’s camellias and after she died in chapter 11. This passage also reveals Jem’s coming of age moment. After using conflict, symbolism, and point of view, Harper Lee was able to connect the theme with Jems coming of age moment.

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1517 Words | 7 Pages

Maturing in a Divided Society Life lessons in coming of age experiences are important as they shape an individual’s beliefs, values, and character, and prepare them for challenges of adulthood. In Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem learn many life lessons as they come of age through their experiences and interactions with people around them. They do so in Macomb County, a small town in Alabama, that is burdened by social and racial prejudices. Scout and Jem are forced to learn the harsh realities of the world and how to address it through various life lessons. Scout and Jem learn the crucial life lessons of empathy and understanding, the reality of injustice and prejudice in society, and the notion that people are not

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1572 Words | 7 Pages

Some teenagers are having sex. Some teenagers start working during this time. Some teenagers later in adolescences start college application and prepare for graduations. I believe that the adolescence stage covers so much and is a huge transition. I decided to talk about several important changes

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