ipl-logo

To Kill A Mockingbird Lessons

1105 Words5 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a plot that takes place during the Great Depression, in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. Young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, the narrator and main character, her brother Jem and their friend Dill, are fascinated by the spooky rumors that surround a mysterious man named Boo Radley, who lives in their town but is always inside his home. In addition, Scout’s father Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer, takes on a case involving a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a white girl in town. This trial teaches Scout many lessons about equality, the good and the evil, and the value of life. This book has become a literary treasure because of its many intricate and deep messages scattered within …show more content…

Atticus says this to Jem when Jem is learning from his Uncle Jack how to shoot his air-rifle. Scout hears her father say this, and later turns to Miss Maudie for the meaning of Atticus’ words. Miss Maudie replies by saying, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t tear up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (119). Miss Maudie’s reasoning means that killing a mockingbird is a sin because a person would be destroying something that was clearly innocent, but killing a bluejay was alright because they were the terrible ones who deserved it. If this idea is taken even further, the birds can relate to the people in the story. It can be seen that many of the characters can relate to a mockingbird - gentle and helpful, whereas some characters might resemble a bluejay - bad, yet seen as the legitemite victim. All of this adds up to mean that a person shouldn’t be cruel, unfair, or metaphorically “shoot at” somebody who did nothing wrong. To harm someone who is innocent is a …show more content…

Many obvious characters come to mind. Boo Radley for one, was found clear from all of the nasty rumors after he proved himself a hero when saving Jem and Scout from death by Bob Ewell, meanwhile Bob Ewell was most certainly not an honest man for his crime that he hid by using Tom Robinson as a human shield. Regarding the details, Mayella too could possibly be seen as an blameless character, for her father was a drunk and abused her, causing her to feel alone and commit the real crime Tom was convicted for. Even Jem could be considered a mockingbird - not an innocent person of crime, but rather innocent simply because he was a child; naive. After the trial had ended, he finally saw what he couldn’t see before, that the people of Maycomb actually turned out to be cruel and mean people, that they would be so hateful towards Tom Robinson, a man with simply a different skin

Show More
Related
269 Words | 2 Pages

Tom Robinson is an example of a “mockingbird,” he is accused of a false accusation, mainly because he is a black man. This can relate back to one of the many themes of the novel, “prejudice.” Atticus, Scout, and Jem are round and dynamic characters that help to progress the theme of “empathy,” as well as many lessons that Scout and Jem will learn. Morality

Read More
697 Words | 3 Pages

The amazing and profound book, To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee has inspired and moved many people of many generations. Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the small town of maycomb during the time of segregation. In the duration of the book you witness a court case in which an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, being accused of raping a young white woman and having a lawyer who is willing to do anything to prove he isn’t guilty. All while finding out about the scary and mysterious Boo Radley and his longing for friendship. As you are witnessing this, it is all through the eyes of a little girl, Scout Finch.

Read More
177 Words | 1 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about a young white, inquisitive girl, Scout Finch, and her family, who live in the quaint town of Maycomb, Alabama. This story takes place in the early 1930’s, the years of the Great Depression and Jim crow era when poverty and unemployment were spread through the United States. Scout learns about the racist world she lives in when her dad, a lawyer, defends Tom Robinson, an innocent, black man, who was charged with the rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Although Harper Lee, the arthur of To Kill a Mockingbird, intended Atticus to be the hero of the novel, the true hero is Tom Robinson because he was victim to the antagonist of racism during the Jim Crow era. Harper Lee intended Atticus to be the hero

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

“Always be closing.” This line is a common theme in the play and is the perfect description of masculinity. Based on the character’s speech masculinity is an important trait a salesman should embody and this can be achieved by them being effective and efficient in what they do. In the play and the movie the portrayal of masculinity is based solely, on their ability to sell land to potential leads.

Read More
869 Words | 4 Pages

“‘Your father’s right, she said. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”’ (Lee 119).

Read More
899 Words | 4 Pages

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 negro who is accused of raping a white girl. Instantly, Atticus and his family go from being respected and beloved by their town, to being outcasted and despised.

Read More
577 Words | 3 Pages

Would you agree it would be horrible if not sinful to harm something good and innocent like perhaps a mockingbird? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Atticus, the narrator’s father, says “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (pg.119) when telling her what she can and can’t shoot with her new air gun. Scout tells us that Atticus never says something is a sin; so why would he say that maybe to teach her it’s bad to harm a good and innocent creature. Atticus’s quote means more than just it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird but that it is wrong to harm or kill something that is innocent and does only good.

Read More
905 Words | 4 Pages

Atticus says, "I 'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you 'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it 's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee 98). This shows that mockingbirds are sacred birds that do not do anything to harm or annoy humans. Elizabeth Schmermund says, "The mockingbird symbolizes innocence- an innocence that cannot, and must not, be destroyed.” She also says, "the animals in the book represent larger ideas - such as innocence” (65).

Read More
1517 Words | 7 Pages

When Uncle Jack teaches Scout and Jem how to shoot an air rifle, Atticus tells the kids, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103).The point is that mockingbirds do nothing to harm society or the people that they interact with, so because they have no bad intentions they are effectively innocent. The author is trying to convey that mockingbirds are like people - everyone deserves to be treated the same unless they actually do something wrong like the bluejays. After hearing Atticus say “it's a sin to kill a mockingbird” Miss Maudie responds, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103).

Read More
998 Words | 4 Pages

The three mockingbirds in this novel were nothing like what people said they were and they did not deserve all the negativity. We, as readers, must love one another and come together like these “mockingbirds” did in this

Read More
715 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird has many of underlying themes such as racism, courage, respect, femininity, etc. But the theme that fits this book most appropriately is innocence and the harm caused to the innocent by evil and bigotry. Examples of this include Jem, Dill, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley. While all these characters have completely different personalities and circumstances they all have one thing in common. All of them were innocent at one point and were harmed by the evil of

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird’s themes of justice, morality, and ethics are represented through the actions and beliefs of the characters Atticus, Bob Ewell, and the town of Maycomb, represented through the Missionary Society, which is controlled by the sociable white women. Justice, as in justice by law, is inherent in the novel as is justice through karma. Morality is also central to the novel; a strong sense of morality, or rather a lack of, guides the characters as the story progresses. Ethics and unethical conduct form the basis for the plotline. Harper Lee uses characters to control the events that bring conflict in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Read More
1238 Words | 5 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee A Book Report by Brenda Jane B. Segui Summary To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a bildungsroman historical fiction. It takes place in a fictional town called Maycomb in Alabama. The story happens during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Read More
1037 Words | 5 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that takes place during the Great Depression in a small town located in southern Georgia in the 1930s. The book focuses on Jean Louise “Scout” and Jeremy Atticus “Jem” and their coming of age and the major events that made the two grow up. One of the events was the trial of the Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, in which their father, Atticus Finch, was defending Tom, a man of color. Mockingbirds are used throughout the book to represent people that were harmed by the society even though they were innocent. There is a common misinterpretation of the meaning behind the Mockingbird leading many to believe that Scout is the Mockingbird in the story.

Read More
718 Words | 3 Pages

In the modern world, we are surrounded by judgement and discrimination. Nearly everyone is faced with hardships and insults based on their beliefs, habits, interests, and appearance. In a time of such hatred, there is a handful of pieces of literature that have spoken truth through the ages. One such book is To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during the Great Depression in the fictional southern town of Maycomb, Alabama.

Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Lessons

Related Topics

Open Document