ipl-logo

How Does Lee Use Metaphors In To Kill A Mockingbird

720 Words3 Pages

One of the main purposes in life is to grow positively, individually and in society. However, with oppression and fear to move towards change, it requires a unique approach to address some issues. A rich demonstration of this is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An old, children’s book serving no meaningful purpose is what it may seem, nonetheless, it is actually a novel that offers a unique outlook on all aspects of human life. Jem and Scout, the main characters, learn about equality, racism, and social class through court cases, tea parties and more. While the plot itself contributed to the many themes in the book, author’s craft held a major role in piecing together in the novel. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee includes a myriad of metaphors to contribute to themes of courage, inequality, and understanding the perspective of others and doing so, confronting society’s ideals. …show more content…

Atticus uses a metaphor to describe Mrs. Dubose, a lady who died trying to detox herself from morphine to Jem. He said “I wanted you to see something about her- I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand” (Lee 115). Atticus attempts to refine Jem’s definition that courage is not just found in physical fighting, but rather in the idea that knowing the risk of an action, and pushing forward anyway. Lee broadens the window of opportunity for someone to be considered courageous. She’s fighting the stereotype that courage is only found in a man holding a gun. By including Jem into the scene, she points out that young boys tend to be the most fixed on this

Show More
Related
926 Words | 4 Pages

Harper Lee’s novel, To kill a Mockingbird, is a book about the Finch family, living in Maycomb, Alabama, during the early 1930s. The book is told through the perspective of an 8-year-old girl called Scout, and it's about the struggles she and her brother Jem, age 11, face when their father Atticus takes a case defending a black man accused of raping a white girl. Lee embraces the idea of nonviolent resistance and shows how sometimes it can be the most powerful influence in change, how hate is not the way, and she pushes the reader to consider their worldview about the differences among people. The Author shows her belief in nonviolence in many ways throughout this book.

Read More
515 Words | 3 Pages

One of these books is known as To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses similes and metaphors to illustrate the theme of the coexistence of good and evil. Through the use of simile in To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the difference between good

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

Can you really know a person, or do you just see what they see but never really feel what they feel? In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows us that if you try hard enough you can put yourself in other peoples shoes and experience what they feel. Through imagery and point of view, Harper Lee proves that you can know someone if you try hard enough to put yourself in their shoes. The use of imagery in the last chapter of the story puts the audience in the position of Arthur Radley’s situation.

Read More
1001 Words | 5 Pages

Mrs. Dubose is used to explain the theme of how real courage is doing the right thing, even if one knows it’s impossible. As Atticus gets home from meeting with Mrs. Dubose before her death, he explains how his definition of courage is so radically different from others’: “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (149).

Read More
856 Words | 4 Pages

Actions such as Boo leaving presents for them eventually lead Jem and Scout to form their own view of Boo, despite the stigma surrounding him. Characterisation helps the audience to understand different characters in the novel and their relationships with each other. Lee has effectively used characterisation to demonstrate how each individual in the book experiences or is affected

Read More
277 Words | 2 Pages

Standing in someone else’s shoes is about seeing what they’ve seen knowing what they know and feeling what they’ve felt. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of story about a girl dealing with racial segregation and trying to understand others views. In the Novel Harper Lee uses Metaphor and irony to show that Atticus saying that “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them”, is true because various characters in the novel use this advice to understand others actions. The author uses metaphor to prove the thesis when in the novel Scout walks Boo Radley home and looks out from his porch and says “It was summertime, and the children came closer….

Read More
448 Words | 2 Pages

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a classic novel written by Harper Lee that explores the themes of racism, injustice, and morality through the eyes of a young girl named Scout Finch. The novel's protagonist, Atticus Finch, serves as a moral compass for Scout and her brother Jem, teaching them valuable lessons about life and humanity. In this essay, I will discuss the three main lessons Atticus teaches the kids in the novel. The first lesson Atticus teaches the kids is the importance of empathy and understanding.

Read More
221 Words | 1 Pages

When Atticus is telling Jem and Scout no to kill mocking birds with their Christmas gifts, air rifles, he is teaching them not to harm the innocent. He wants them to understand that mockingbirds bring nothing but song and joy to humans, so they should not be shot at. They can kill other birds that cause damage, but not the innocent ones. Atticus is trying to impart this message to his kids about how they should treat other people. Lee uses symbolism to convey that people should be treated fairly, and the innocent should not be killed simply because someone is looking for somebody to blame.

Read More
966 Words | 4 Pages

Jem had the conception that courage was a “manly man”, a man that was tough and could fight. However, using Ms. Dubose as an example, she explained a new type of courage to Jem. Ms. Dubose knew that her struggle was close to impossible to win, as many people failed to break addictions, yet she still tried to fight it, and winning at the end. The courage to do so was considered, by Atticus, real courage. This was also demonstrated by Liu Xiaobo.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee uses Characterization to show the reader of her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, how different people and events impact children as they grow up and shape the kind of adults they will turn out to be. She shows how the people of Maycomb influenced Jem and how Scout’s view was changed by a single person. Lee also makes it evident that one event can change children’s entire perception of the

Read More
1117 Words | 5 Pages

The poet, Lascelles Abercrombie once said, “There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man 's general destiny.”. He talked about how powerful of a tool symbolism is and how it is the only thing that can truly define a highly complex ‘destiny’ or series of events. Symbolism is something that is found throughout Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee shows the reader that racism is a product of society,she portrays the matter through her symbolism of the mad dog, the birds and the bugs.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout Part 1 of Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, published in 1960, we see many recurring themes, three of which are most prevalent. These are: the battles between good and evil, social inequality and how it affects different types of characters, and education. This best-selling novel is a story about the lives of an American family, the Finches, and the problems that they encounter. It is written in the narrative voice of Jean Louise Finch, or more commonly referred to by her nickname, Scout.

Read More
1064 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the world different races go through the struggle of social injustice. Due to their skin color or cultures people are treated unfairly around the world. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, some of the characters are exposed to social inequality and unfair treatment from other character in the novel. Scout Finch, struggles to understand the reason for why people are treated unfairly due to race and gender. By analyzing race relations both in the novel and present day, one can conclude that social injustice has improved, which can be discussed through specific events in the novel and current issues today.

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
1604 Words | 7 Pages

At times doing the right thing is scary and requires a lot of bravery. To begin with, Mrs. Dubose is a mean old lady, who Jem and Scout both despise but surprisingly learn an important lesson from. At first Jem found it useless to go read to Mrs. Dubose. Later, Atticus talks to Jem and he tells Jem “She was the bravest person I ever knew” (Lee 149). He explains to Jem that Mrs. Dubose is courageous because she already knew that she was going to die but still wanted to get rid of her morphine addiction as she wanted to die free with no regrets.

Read More

More about How Does Lee Use Metaphors In To Kill A Mockingbird

Related Topics

Open Document