Matthew Kidd
Mrs. Moore
English 10H, Period 5
25 January 2023
To Kill a Mockingbird Theme Analysis Essay Outline
Directions: Include a heading and complete the outline below to use the day of the test.
Introduction
TAGS
This will be the first sentence of the intro
Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Genre: novel
Setting (time and place): Great Depression (1930s); Maycomb, Alabama
Sentence: Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama.
Context/Background Info
2+ sentences
Include brief overview of book and any historical context that may be relevant to themes
Must transition from TAGS to Thesis
To Kill a Mockingbird is based on the Scottsboro
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Quote #1
Must be embedded properly and cited correctly
When Jem and Scout begin learning to hunt using the guns they got for Christmas, Atticus reminds them that "it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee 103). Confused with Atticus's statement, the Finch children ask Miss Maudie why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, and Miss Maudie explains to them that mockingbirds are harmless creatures that just sing beautifully. Through his reminder not to kill mockingbirds, an innocent bird, Atticus begins to sow a seed in his children's heads that it is wrong to hurt both animals and humans who do not cause harm and just try their best to do good.
Quote #2
Must be embedded properly and cited
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Before making her remark, Scout sees that Boo Radley is extremely shy and prefers to be left in the shadows. She also comes to realize that Boo is not a monster, like she previously thought, and is truly more of a guardian angel who has silently been looking after Jem and her as they grow up. Putting her observations together, Scout understands that Boo is not going to like any public attention, either positive or negative, that a court case about his heroic role in the death of Bob Ewell might bring. As a result, when Atticus asks Scout if she understands why he is letting Sheriff Tate cover up the case, Scout extends his lesson about not harming the innocent to Boo; to display her understanding of Atticus's lesson, she implies that making innocent Boo uncomfortable and harming his quiet life in the shadows due to his rightful action of protecting the children is just as wrong as shooting an innocent mockingbird. By illustrating Scout's journey from first learning that it is wrong to harm the innocent to being able to apply the lesson herself, Harper Lee demonstrates that Scout has matured during the course of the book and has come to understand that it is wrong to disturb those who do not disturb others. Additionally, in