Innocent Mockingbirds Wanted Thesis: Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley all symbolize mockingbirds because of their traits, qualities, and actions. I. Topic Sentence: Tom Robinson symbolizes a mockingbird because he is not harmful, he is misunderstood, and he is killed over a judgmental reason. A. Claim: Behind his skin color, Tom loved to assist others without a reward. 1. Primary Evidence: He claimed that he would Mayella Ewell without being payed by saying, “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time.
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.
Lee uses the mockingbird as a symbol of evoking empathy in the novel. She writes, “I’d rather you shoot a tin can in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after the birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit them, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee119). Atticus is explaining to Scout to not kill the mockingbird because it’s a sin. Lee evokes empathy by using the mockingbird to symbolize innocence.
On one level, it refers to the actual act of harming innocent creatures. However, it also extends beyond the literal meaning, serving as a metaphor for the unjust persecution and destruction of innocence in society. Lee uses the mockingbird as a symbol for characters like Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of a crime, and Boo Radley, a recluse who is misunderstood and unjustly feared. Through this metaphor, the passage becomes a call to protect those who are vulnerable and marginalized, highlighting the importance of empathy and
Because the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence it is symbolic of the characters of Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. Both are misunderstood and judged by the townspeople without really knowing them. Tom Robinson is killed violently due to being put in prison because
Tom died because he lost hope and therefore tried to escape from prison but got shot seventeen times, as a result. In summary, Tom Robinson represents the mockingbird because he was failed by the justice
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley are two characters who represent the mockingbird. In the midst of finding who Boo truly is, Atticus Finch explains to his children, Jem and Scout, that it is a sin to kill the bird because they don’t do anything but make music. As the story progresses, and the two “mockingbirds” are being accused and attacked both verbally and physically, the identity of the mockingbirds surfaces. Tom Robinson was a crippled African American man whose left arm was a foot shorter than his right, where it was caught in a cotton gin.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many characters are victims of the harsh conditions of Maycomb County. Often those who are seen to be metaphorical mockingbirds are punished the most. A mockingbird is one who only wants and attempts to do good. Characters such as Boo Radley, Jem Finch and Tom Robinson are exemplars of mockingbirds in Maycomb. In the novel it is explained by Atticus that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they do not do anything to harm to us like nesting in corncribs, or eating up the gardens, they only sing for us.
I can prove this by quoting, "When they shoot Tom Robinson , while lost in his unavailing effort to scale the wall in quest, Mr. Underwood, the editor of The Montgomery Advertiser, likened Tom 's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children '(Dave 50). This quote explains how Tom Robinson is an example of a Mockingbird. Another example of how Tom Robinson is a symbol of a mockingbird is stated here, "There 's a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it is dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead"(Lee 369).
Although all the evidence pointed to Tom Robinson being innocent and the only witnesses were from unreliable and changing sources he was still convicted. This is a depiction of the death of a Mockingbird, ultimately destroying innocence and purity that resided with Tom Robinson that died when he was shot as he tried to flee from his inescapable doom. Mr. Underwood, the publisher of Maycomb 's newspaper as well as a respected all of Atticus, sadly compares Tom 's death to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds...” (pg.244) stating another reference to the ever-present mockingbird
Tom Robinson is a mockingbird in that he doesn't do one thing wrong. All he does is provide help to the people he interacts with. That is exactly how he got in trouble. Tom Robinson was helping Mayella with some chores. He was humming a melody and when he chopped up the dresser drawers.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the term mockingbird symbolizes innocence in a person. In the novel it focuses on the fact that innocence, represented by the mockingbird, can be wrongfully harmed. There are two characters: Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley that are supposed to represent the mockingbird. In the novel, Tom Robinson is the best example of a mockingbird because he is prosecuted for a crime he did not commit. Also, he was judged unfairly based on the color of his skin in his trial.
Even though Scout displayed innocence but still was excluded from games with Dill and Jem because of her gender, Harper Lee did not intend for her to be perceived as a Mockingbird. On the contrary, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are portrayed as mockingbirds, birds recognized for their innocence but also targeted. Body Paragraph #1 Topic Sentence #1: Tom Robinson, a black man convicted of rape, was an example of à Mockingbird because he was targeted even though he was innocent. Integrated Evidence #1: After the town of Maycomb found out about the tragic killing of Tom Robinson, “[Mr. Underwood] likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children”(Lee 323) in an editorial. Analysis 1: Tom Robinson was wrongfully accused of raping Mayella Ewell.
Mockingbirds symbolize innocence, they don’t harm nor are they evil, same as most blacks that were falsely judged during that time. In addition, Lee wanted people to realize that color aside, they’re all human, “I cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too.” (201). She stressed the idea that if all differences were pushed away then in the end they are all the same, they are all people, no one is above one another. During the trial,
Mockingbirds are an important symbol because they represent goodness and innocence. In this book, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are two innocent men, similar to mockingbirds, who get taken advantage of due to their innocence. Atticus and Miss Maudie teach Scout and Jem that it’s a sin to harm anything innocent by using the example of mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are innocent because they only positively affect people through their singing.
