Joe Mangiafico Erami Period 6 6/3/24 To Kill a Mockingbird Should Be Taught To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee should be continued to be taught in schools. Some teachers have chosen to stop teaching To Kill a Mockingbird for the messages about race and the outdated lessons (Fink), and that the story is a classic case of a white savior coming in to save a black man (Lauralee). While some of their opinions may be partially right when looking at the story from a surface level, as you dive deeper and start to look for more meaning in the story, you find valuable lessons within the text. The book is a way for students to learn about Southern America in the 1930s, and teaches the students' life lessons within the book. The setting of the book takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the early 1930s. Back then, …show more content…
Another example of racism modeled well in the book is the court case. They found Tom Robinson guilty, despite the evidence being clear about why he was innocent. This is similar to real-life events that happened, such as the Scottsboro Boys, who were wrongfully convicted of rape for around 15 years, until they were found not guilty. According to one teacher, the historical context of the book introduces teenagers to problems of the past, and also lets them connect parts of the story to problems today (Shannon). While racism may not be as harsh as it once was, it still happens every day, and the book shows it in a way that it still connects to today. Besides the topic of racism, the book also teaches students life lessons that can be applied in real life. Atticus’s definition of courage says that, “when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway.” Atticus shows courage during the trial and the case as a whole. Most lawyers would not have taken Tom Robinson’s case to begin with, since it went against the town’s general view, and they would not want to receive