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How Does Harper Lee Use Literary Lense In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Ian Anderson Mrs. Pearson English 10C 9 May 2024 Breaking down social class struggles In Harper Lees, To Kill A Mockingbird Harper lee uses the literary lense of gender to explain social expectations, the opinion of both the men and the women in the communities, and the disbalance of power between the men and women, revealing just how complex the differences of opinion of men and women within the racist parts of the south. Relating back to the claim of the disbalance between the men and women in the communities on page 115, it proves this by saying, “It's time you start being a girl and acting right.” This is because Jem likes to act like a boy and her father is getting tired of it. Relating to the lens of gender, it's proving the claim because …show more content…

But if a man were to have the same question and had asked, then it would've been respected and actually put into thought. The statement made during Tom Robinson's trial reflects the limited power within the women's side of the court. The woman's decision to speak up during the trial was very bold and brave because her opinion would not have been appreciated or even taken into consideration. Through the quote, the author invited the people reading to consider how gender causes social imbalances, as well as race and class. It really hits on the points of building character and analyzing characters. In Harper Lees, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the literary lens of gender to explain social expectations, the opinion of both the men and the women in the communities, and the disbalance of power between the men and women, revealing just how complex the differences of opinion of men and women within the racist parts of the south. She has hit on many key points as to why gender played such a crucial role in the racist and sexist south during this

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Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird was set in the southern states of America during the interwar period, a place and period of time where racism and sexism were predominant. This story highlights the plight of those that acted out against the dominant ideology. Some brave people began to speak and act upon what they believed in no matter what society said. A few women began to speak up which was very uncommon. Miss Maudie Atkinson, Calpurnia, and Scout Finch showed very strong characteristics.

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As a lady, she shouldn’t be starting conflict much less with a boy. As a result of everything that has been stated previously, in Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, the division of roles and social expectations between both male and female are negatively

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Melissa Cervantes Mrs. Pearson English 10C 12 May, 2024 Literary Lenses Paragraph Imagine living in a town where racism, unfairness, and rumors are everywhere, well this is the reality where To Kill a Mockingbird takes place. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, topics such as social inequality, racial injustice, and moral growth are explored and demonstrated by the Finches, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radly. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the finches are a very important family. The finches, mainly Atticus, present a strong perspective on the social inequality going on in Maycomb.

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1283 Words | 6 Pages

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s behavior, clothing, and activities are in direct contrast to the traditional expectations of girls in Maycomb. Scout Finch’s behavior contradicts the accepted practices of women of her time.

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The Effect of Perspective Understanding To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, brings into great perspective how important genuine understanding may be in day-to-day life. Her story follows siblings living in southern Alabama, positioned in the heart of a town poisoned by prejudice. As a young girl facing morals through her eyes and her father as a lawyer, she is persistent in defending a black man accused of crime. Willing to stand up for what is right against rigid set in stone views shared by the town. Simply, a small sympathetic perspective is all it takes to sway mindsets.

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1395 Words | 6 Pages

Redefining the Pre-Written Reality: Scout’s Journey through To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, is an incredible book about a trial concerning the rape of a white woman. This seemingly simple basic plotline is full of themes that touched the heart of many when the book was published in 1960. Many controversial ideas were touched upon by Harper Lee, especially regarding the themes of race, gender, and class. The theme of gender is particularly important in the case of the trial, as the protection of Southern womanhood was a duty above all else in the South during the 1930s. Southern womanhood was a definition developed by Southern society which included the expectation of woman’s chastity.

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781 Words | 4 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, it is vivid that gender roles were part of society in the 1930s. Scout Finch, a little girl, shows that being a girl doesn’t define her personality or actions. Although this book was published in 1960 and was set in the 1930s, the contention of gender roles is still prominent in today’s civilization. All the way through chapter five, it is well known that gender roles are a part of mankind during the Great Depression. Scout narrated, “I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with” (45).

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418 Words | 2 Pages

In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Scout, a young girl, is majorly influenced by her community and the people around her. The reader learns about characters, settings, social dynamics, and more throughout chapters one to eleven. Scout balances being in an identity crisis, doing well in school, and learning to be a woman all simultaneously. In the early chapters of the narrative, Scout struggles with figuring out who she wants to become. She was told numerous times to “stop acting like a girl,” by her older brother, Jem, and his friend, Dill.

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365 Words | 2 Pages

For centuries, a pressure has been placed upon adults to lead children so that someday they, too, can blossom into a civilised group of people. However, they don’t always do too well of a job. Some leaders have raised racist, homophobic creatures incapable of noticing their mistakes and, therefore, incapable of fixing them. People are not born racist. They are taught racism.

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Paul Hammer Mrs. Andrews English 2 May 1 2024 To Kill A Mockingbird’s debate To Kill A Mockingbird is a book, made by Harper Lee, which shows the learning experiences of the young, white main character, Scout, and her brother, Jem, during the segregation period. The book, however, is being heavily debated on whether this book should be taught to kids in the 9th grade at Belle Chasse High School. Many parents, and some teachers, say that the book’s setting of the segregation period is “offensive” and should not be taught to the students. I, however, feel that the students are missing out on this incredible book. The book teaches how life was during the segregation period, without being supportive of it and not ignoring it.

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447 Words | 2 Pages

As humans, we are guilty of forming preconceived opinions about one another without realizing it. Developing a notion about someone or something prior to knowing the imperative details can cause controversy and friction as well as lead to prejudice. In Harper Lee’s novel, prejudice is expressed in the form of gender discrimination by most, if not ,all of the characters through their actions. Sexism is shown between family members, close friends, and all others in the community of Maycomb. Women become targets of false accusations based on their gender.

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915 Words | 4 Pages

Option 2 Literary Analysis To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel set during the 1930s in a small town in Southern Alabama called Maycomb. The story is told through the narrator, Scout, a young girl who lives with her father, a lawyer, and her older brother Jem. As a child, Scout is portrayed as a stubborn and obnoxious little girl who loves to read, play with her brother Jem, and fantasize about her mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. However, her life gets turned upside down when Scout’s father agrees to do something that is deemed unacceptable in the south; he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white girl. Instantly, Atticus and his family go from being respected and beloved by their town, to being

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1099 Words | 5 Pages

In the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, the author writes about what happens in the small southern town of Maycomb, in Alabama. Lee uses the influence of belief in traditions such as roles and family bonds to show that they are causes of conflict. Throughout the book, roles such as gender, age, race, and family confines characters to act, look, and even speak certain ways, causing internal, external, and family conflicts. This theme that different types of roles and family bonds are the root of conflict is developed through the use of physical setting, anti stereotype, and historical setting The author shows that Scout faces external conflicts caused by the pressure to fit into the stereotypical gender roles accustomed to girls at this time in history.

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106 Words | 1 Pages

Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, illustrates how women are restricted by societal expectations. Women and girls are expected to act a certain way, to be feminine and docile. After an argument between Jem and Scout, Jem goes as far to shout, “‘It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!’” (Lee, 153). Jem believes that Scout should be cooperative and malleable to be a typical girl.

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

It is clear that To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee demonstrates Feminist Theory by displaying the characteristics of females in submissive roles, females being “undervalued”, and differing standards of behavior for females. One way that To Kill a Mockingbird can be viewed through the lens of feminist theory is through examining females in submissive roles. 1 One example that shows females in submissive roles is when Scout wanted to go play with Jem outside but Jem was being unfair and rude. Scout recalls, “When I joined them, as usual I was told to go away “(Lee 22). Females in submissive roles is shown in this quote

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