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To Kill A Mockingbird Quotes

1634 Words7 Pages

Camille Mischen
Mrs. Vande Guchte
Honors English 10 B
10 February 2022

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Lee 103) This is a famous quote from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee which takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel follows six-year-old girl Scout Finch who grows up in a small town and as she’s growing up, she’s learning more about the truths of her town and the people in it. The majority of the book is about Scout's father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer who will defend a black man in court in the racist town of Maycomb. Scout grows and learns a lot from this case. In this novel, Harper …show more content…

Mockingbirds are used frequently in this story as we can see the word mockingbird directly in the title of this book and whenever mockingbirds are being talked about, they are always seen as innocent and should never be harmed. Around Christmas time, the entire Finch family gets together and Atticus’s brother, Uncle Jack got the kids both rifles, Atticus is not a huge fan of guns but knows that no harm will come out of this. While discussing the rifles with the kids, Atticus says that he would prefer if the kids shot at tin cans instead of mockingbirds because mockingbirds are innocent. The kids don’t understand why he said this so they go to Miss Maudie, their friendly neighbor, to talk to her about it. Miss Maudie says, “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.” (Lee 103). From this, Miss Maudie is directly saying that we shouldn’t harm someone who has done nothing to be harmed for. We can connect this to Tom Robinson, who is an innocent black man who has been wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. As the story continues and Tom has been put in jail, something unexpected happens. While Scout and her Aunt Alexandra are having a meeting with different women from the town, Atticus rushes in and calls the two of them and Calpurnia, their black housekeeper, into the kitchen. Atticus says, “Tom’s dead. Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. They shot him.” (Lee 268). Tom was attempting to escape the jail while running away he was shot 17 times and died. We know that Tom is the main mockingbird of this book and we also know that the book title is “To Kill a Mockingbird” which directly foreshadows the death of Tom Robinson. This is the biggest example of foreshadowing in this entire book

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Later Scout asks Mrs. Maudie, the Finch's next-door neighbor, about what Atticus said and she explains, “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” (Lee 103). This means mockingbirds directly symbolize innocents, when Mrs. Maudie says they don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs she means they don't do anything wrong. So it would be a sin to kill something or someone that is innocent. Later in the book after Tom Robinson is found guilty even though Atticus proves his innocence beyond responsible doubt and it is shown to the courtroom that Bob Ewell is the true perpetrator.

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To kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Mockingbirds do not cause harm or trouble; in fact their only purpose is to convince others with beautiful music. Tom Robinson’s death can easily be compared to that of a mockingbird; it did no good but also prevented no evil. Mr. Underwood chooses to write an article that basically every citizen of Maycomb can understand, and this proves to the reader the obvious connection between Tom Robinson and the symbol of a mockingbird. Mr. Underwood chooses to ignore the prominent racial barrier that separated Tom Robinson from justice, and chooses to focus on his disability instead.

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‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 103). Lee uses the mockingbird as a lesson, and it is compared to situations that occur in Maycomb county. The killing of the mockingbird is a symbol of the loss of innocence of characters such as Jem and Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson also looses his innocence literally and figuratively.

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The mockingbird in To Kill A Mockingbird is symbolic of innocence. Early in the novel, Atticus, the father tells the children Scout and Jem that it is a "sin to kill a mockingbird". Later Scout asks Miss Maudie what he meant by that because she has never heard her father say anything was a sin. Miss Maudie explains his reasoning by saying that all mockingbirds do is provide beautiful music. They do not harm anyone, they don't bother anyone, and they "sing their hearts out for us."

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Mockingbird in Everyday Lives “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. ”(119) In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Atticus uses this quote to teach that it is wrong to harm innocent creatures.

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After reading Mr. Underwood’s editorial, Scout realizes: “Atticus had every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case” (Lee 276). Sadly, at this time in the South, slaves were free but black people still were under the Jim Crow laws and people did not see them as valued humans. Maycomb was blind and did not want to acknowledge his problems. Prejudice is the reason that Robinson was put in jail and later killed. Furthermore, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson functions as an innocent mockingbird symbol.

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That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The connection between songbirds and innocents is made explicitly several times in the book, Mr. Underwood likens Tom Robinson’s death to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children”, the moral imperative to protect the vulnerable governs Atticus’s decision to take Tom’s case. Atticus is constantly teaching his children and community about the importance of values and staying true to your

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All they do is sing songs and enjoy their time of bieng a bird. They don’t try to kill things, they don’t destroy gardens, they don’t do anything bad. And all they can do is be innocent so there is no reason why mockingbirds should be shot down and killed. “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103) isn’t only referring to the Mocking bird itself but he was referring to other people in the story, for example Boo Radley was an innocent man but was injured by the monstrous evil around him.

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Alexander Timmerman Vande Gutchte Honors English B May 9, 2024 To Kill A Mockingbird Symbolism Scout narrates, “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”(Lee 3). Most readers may look past this because it may feel irrelevant to the rest of the story, but in reality, it foreshadows the end of the novel. Harper Lee published the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, during the Civil Rights movement in 1960. The novel is set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the early 1930s. It features the life of a 6-year-old girl, Scout, her brother, Jem, her family, and the people of Maycomb.

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Quote and page # Paragraph "'Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now.' I mumbled that I was sorry and retired meditating upon my crime." (Question) page: 2 In this quote it seems like it is very interesting.

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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).

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“It’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.. (119)” This is a quote from the renowned book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ said by the character Atticus Finch to the main character's brother Jem Finch. Atticus says this to Jem because he doesn't want him to shoot the innocent birds or things. Mockingbirds are kindred souls, they’re wonderful creatures who don’t do anything but sing their divine songs. Furthermore mockingbirds are everywhere in life far and wide, but mockingbirds aren’t just birds, they can also be human.

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Miss Maudie quotes, “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 anything but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” (Lee 119). We can infer from this quote that mockingbirds have a well-respected reputation because they are innocent, which is a purposeful metaphor for Tom. Furthermore, Atticus quotes, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, but it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” (Lee 119).

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He explains that mockingbirds do not harm anyone and only sing beautiful songs. In this way, the mockingbird serves as a symbol of innocence and vulnerability. The mockingbird does not cause harm to anyone, just as innocent individuals in society should not be harmed. Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, is one of the characters that the mockingbird symbol relates to. Tom is an innocent man who is wrongly accused of a crime and is ultimately convicted and sentenced to death.

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