ipl-logo

To Kill A Mockingbird Research Paper

2003 Words9 Pages

The Autobiographical Nature of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
Literature does not exist in a vacuum—the author brings to each story personal experiences and knowledge which shape the overall work. Such is the case with writer Harper Lee, who grew up during the Great Depression and lived in the racially segregated South. Lee’s one and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, reflects the impact of this childhood environment. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee utilizes an autobiographical protagonist to comment on the importance of personal integrity in a world of social injustice.
Knowing something about Harper Lee’s life will help readers better understand how it influenced her novel. Born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama …show more content…

Active in her church and community, she usually avoids anything to do with her still popular novel (“Harper Lee Biography” 2). Whether or not Harper Lee adds to her body of published work, her contribution to American literature is an important one: “To Kill a Mockingbird, a regional novel with a universal message” (Altman 6), combines popular appeal and literary excellence, ensuring Harper Lee's place amongst America’s greatest writers. Works Cited
Altman, Dorothy Jewell. “Harper Lee: April 28, 1926-.” DLB. 1980 ed. Vol. 6: American
Novelists Since World War II, Second Series, 180-183. Print.
“Biography of Harper Lee.” True Biography. A&E. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013
.
Felty, Darren. “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Exploring Novels. Literature Resource Center. Gale,
1998. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
“Harper Lee Biography.” Web. 27 Feb. 2012 .
Horner, Lynnette. “Harper Lee.” Southern Utah University. 2013. Web. 1 Marc. 2013
.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, Inc., 2009.
May, Jill.In Defense of To Kill a Mockingbird, Censored Books: Critical Viewpoints. Eds.
Nicholas J. Karolides, et al. New York: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1993. Print.
“Monroeville: Truman Capote and Harper Lee. Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2010. Southern
Literary Trail. Web. 1 Mar. 2013

Show More
Related

Dialectical Journal For To Kill A Mockingbird

578 Words | 3 Pages

Raina Ruff Due Date: Wednesday Nov. 2 Journal 3 I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and I am on page 208. The book is about two kids and their dad who live in a small town in the mid 1930’s. They get into all kinds of trouble but are learning along the way. In this journal I will be evaluating and questioning.

Read More

How Did Harper Lee's Impact On To Kill A Mockingbird

967 Words | 4 Pages

The time period of the 1930s included The Great Depression, Jim Crow laws, and the Civil Rights Coalition, leaving hardships and crime in their wake. Harper Lee’s famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird that was published on July 11, 1960, gives the readers an insight of what it was like for her growing up in a small southern town in the 1930s. The events she witnessed growing up as a lawyer’s daughter during this time had significant influence for the best-selling novel To Kill a Mockingbird that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1961, and became an Academy Award winning film in 1962. To Kill a Mockingbird has a strong theme of believing the good in everyone, no matter the circumstances. Harper Lee’s father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was a lawyer.

Read More

Examples Of Perseverance In The Odyssey

823 Words | 4 Pages

Perseverance helps push a person past their limits to reach their goal. Throughout the book, Odysseus faces many problems he must solve in order to return home to Ithaca. He must escape the Cyclops’s cave, figure out a way to get past the sirens, and dodge the dangerous sea monsters. His determination will help him get back home to see his wife Penelope and return to rule Ithaca. In The Odyssey, Homer presents the idea that perseverance can make a person stronger when they overcome many obstacles and have a goal to work towards.

Read More

How Does Lee Present The Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

797 Words | 4 Pages

Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird is set in segregated Maycomb, Alabama, in the early to mid-1930s. The book is narrated by one of the main characters, Scout. The first half is lighthearted and takes us through her childhood and the little challenges she faces. The second half, however, follows the trial of a black man accused of a crime for which there is not enough evidence that it actually happened or that he genuinely committed. A central theme of this book is that we should empathize with people, rather than judge them for what we do not know.

Read More

Historical Lens Essay On To Kill A Mockingbird

517 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee once said an author “should write about what he knows and write truthfully”(Lee). “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place in town called Maycomb, in Alabama. Maycomb is suffering through the Great Depression and the towns challenge to overcome racism. With the South's history of slavery, the relationship between the black and white communities has been one of Harper Lee’s have focused on regularly in her novel. Raised during the segregation era Harper Lee not only interprets the cultural/ historical lens within her life but also in her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” she does this to give a universal message to the readers.

Read More

Atticus Finch Influence On To Kill A Mockingbird

958 Words | 4 Pages

Harper Lee is a world renowned author, who in her life time has only published only one novel (with her consent). The novel Harper Lee published was, “To Kill a Mocking Bird”. This book portrays characteristics and culture of Southern Regions of North America, Harper Lee herself was born in Monroeville, Alabama and as the young child Scout in the Novel her father practiced law in the small town. Throughout Harper Lee’s upbringing of girlhood, she was strongly influenced by the history of slavery and racism around those area’s and through her past and experiences, it is clear to acknowledge that a lot of what is written in ‘To kill a Mockingbird” is based on her personal history as a child. Due to her many similarities with her story, the way this book is written is very similar

Read More

Differences Between To Kill A Mockingbird Book And Movie

519 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee's classic American novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" has entertained readers for decades. The story is a coming-of-age story set in the deep South during the 1930s, dealing with issues of race, justice, and morality. While the novel has been adapted into a film, the two formats have significant differences. I argue in this essay that the novel is more genuine than the film version. Therefore, the novel provides a more genuine portrayal of the story's characters, themes, and message by analyzing textual evidence from the novel.

Read More

Examples Of Ageism In To Kill A Mockingbird

398 Words | 2 Pages

"To Kill a Mockingbird” is a novel written by Harper Lee. Set in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, the story follows Scout, a young girl growing up in a racially divided society. The novel explores racial injustice, ageism, and the loss of innocence. In this novel, the character of Scout is relevant to our modern society, because she experiences ageism when she demonstrates her advanced reading abilities, and her teacher dismisses her accomplishments. The relevance of ageism still exists to this day and remains an issue for many people, affecting different aspects of their lives.

Read More

Examples Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

1595 Words | 7 Pages

"To Kill a Mockingbird." Novels for Students, edited by Diane Telgen, vol. 2, Gale, 1997, pp. 285-307. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2591500024/GVRL?u=pott50179&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=62c62d64. Accessed 25 Apr.

Read More

Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

796 Words | 4 Pages

Through Harper Lee’s powerful use of literary devices such as indirect characterization, flashbacks, and symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird, she explores

Read More

How Did Harper Lee Contribute To Literature

998 Words | 4 Pages

In July 1960, Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published and lee immediately became a literary legend. The book was chosen by the LIterary Guild and also picked by the Book of the Month Club. In 1961 the book won the prestigious PUlitzer Prize as well as many other awards. “ To Kill a Mockingbird was adapted into an Academy Award winning movie in 1962. A classic of American literature, it has also been translated into more than 40 languages with a million or more copies sold each

Read More

To Kill A Mockingbird Response

924 Words | 4 Pages

Harper Lee 3. Date of Original Publication- July 11, 1960 4. Novel Type- Historical fiction Structure 1. Point of View- Jean Louise Finch 2.

Read More

Harper Lee Biography Essay

1197 Words | 5 Pages

Harper Lee Biography: American writer, famous for her race relations novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. The book became an international bestseller and was adapted into screen in 1962. Lee was 34 when the work was published, and it has remained her only novel. "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.

Read More

The Literary Context Of To Kill A Mockingbird

4088 Words | 17 Pages

This essay aims to investigate the literary context of Harper Lee 's To Kill A Mockingbird (1960) from four different perspectives. The scope of this essay does not only include the context from historical, cultural and social points of views, but also the significance of Lee 's early life is considered. The essay explores deeply the novel 's events, characters and main themes, which can all be related to the literary context. This is why the research question of this essay is “A Study of Literary Context in Harper Lee 's To Kill A Mockingbird”. To Kill A Mockingbird never fails to amaze a reader because of its audacity, as it brings out many controversial issues from 1930s America.

Read More

To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis

875 Words | 4 Pages

Essay 1 Date Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird “To kill a Mockingbird” is a novel in which Harper Lee, the author, presents forth various themes among them the unheard theme of social molarity. Harper dramatically uses a distinctive language through Scout, who is the narrator of the story to bring out the difficulties faced by children living in the southern Alabama town of Maycomb. Harper has dramatically displayed use of bildungsroman throughout the story; this helped to give the story a unique touch of a child’s view to bring out a different type of humor and wit. It has also used to develop and thrive the theme of morality in the society.

Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document