Theme Of Education In To Kill A Mockingbird

Corinne Dague

Mr. Petrich

9 Honors English, 7

January 3rd, 2023

Education In Maycomb

Through her use of verbal irony in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates that the children of Maycomb are the only people that see the horror within the town; their teachers are so keen on controlling their skills and controlling the reality the children see, this allows them to keep the children brainwashed for years to come.

Harper Lee's view on children is a crucial aspect that helps to uncover the school system's true motives. Children, especially in Maycomb, see the unfairness that takes place in the town; Harper Lee’s belief that children look at the world purely and innocently is important because it gives a contrast to the viewpoints

Scout was very curious about what was happening so she decided to ask questions. She asks Calpurnia, “What’s rape Cal? It’s something you’ll have to ask Mr. Finch about” (Lee 125). Scout has unfiltered wonders about how life moves in Maycomb. She wants to be treated as an equal, and with a father like Atticus that is easy to accomplish. Calpurnia immediately shuts down the question by telling her to ask her father. Which only made Scout more anxious to have an answer. Scout sees the world differently than Cal and her father. They both see things from a technical point of view whereas Scout and Dill see everything in a pure light. They are honest and have an unfiltered thought process. Dill, Scout, and Jem are all very opinionated children. Scout and Jem were taught to speak their minds and to be strong and independent. Atticus demonstrated that they could be their own people as long as they learn to think for themselves and have strong opinions, “It was Jem's turn to cry, his face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheery crowd, It ain’t right he murmured” (Lee 215.) Jem crying shows how much he cares about the case. He was on the right side and was so defeated when the case was over and the outcome was not what he

Miss Gates uses Hitler as an example for the kids of what a democracy is. She tells the children that Hitler believes in persecution and over in America they don’t. She mentions that there are no better people in the world than the Jewish people. She also lists reasons why they are such good people she states, “They contribute to the society they live in, and most of all, they are deeply religious people” (Lee 249). She distracts the children by telling them about a good thing that Jewish people do. But, the black people in Maycomb contribute in the same ways and they get no recognition. She changes the subject away from the children in her classroom and makes them believe that Jewish people are the only ones stuck in poverty. She tries to put rose-colored glasses over the children's eyes to try and shield them from the ugliness outside of the school. Miss Gates also continues to dismiss facts and she refuses to acknowledge that the black people in her town, who faced very similar issues as the Jews are facing social injustices. This again demonstrates how the children are made to believe that Maycomb has no imperfections. The