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Symbolism and racism in to kill a mockingbird
Symbolism and racism in to kill a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird symbolism harper lee
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Father, lawyer, and friend, the gentlemanly Atticus Finch hopes to shape the character of his children. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is the story of the childhood of a young girl named Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Throughout the book, Scout’s father, Atticus, tries his best to raise her and her brother, Jem, the right way as a single parent. To Kill a Mockingbird exemplifies the way the character of Atticus Finch either uses ritual or abandons it in order to develop certain character qualities within his children. He specifically focuses on the development of honesty, courage, and humility.
Our whole lives growing up we are told to follow the “Golden Rule”. This rule is defined as to treat someone the way you want to be treated. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch a lawyer in a town called Maycomb in Alabama tries his best to be a role model for his two children. In the quiet town of Maycomb Atticus is given the job to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Atticus wants to teach his kids Jem and Scout life lessons at an early age so they grow up as respectable people.
In the 1930’s disrespect was a big problem because people didn’t accept others for who they were, when we are really all the same on the inside. In To Kill a Mockingbird disrespect is shown because the story is set in the 1930’s, in a small town called Maycomb. Jem and Scout’s father is defending a black man in court. The black man, Tom, was on trial for being accused of rapping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Disrespect is shown when Francis calls Atticus names because he is defending Tom.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Nelle Harper Lee, the citizens of Maycomb give and receive respect from the amount of conformity that is shown. At the beginning of the book, Jem is given little respect, Atticus is given a lot of respect, and the Radleys are given almost no respect. As the novel progresses, Jem matures and learns responsibility as a young adult. Atticus loses a bit of respect because of his defense of a black person. Meanwhile, the Radleys never conformed much and so never gained much respect.
Out of the Normal Society has a set of actions as what they see as “normal” and socially acceptable. They define this set of unspoken rules as social norms. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a reader will often find many characters breaking the social norms of Maycomb County, Alabama. The defiance of these social norms help the young protagonist, Scout, learn valuable life lessons of equality.
According to the Oxford DIctionary, the definition of integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”. Obviously having integrity is a good thing, but is it easy to keep with so many bad things and people in the world? The evil within the world would challenge anyone’s morals, making it hard to stay true to them. To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel written in the 1930’s, and one of the bigger issues is the prejudice of Maycomb depending on a person’s race, gender, and class. Atticus Finch, the main character’s father, is one of the few in Maycomb with integrity and doesn’t hide it from others.
First off, Atticus shows integrity throughout the book by sticking by his decision to defend Tom Robinson even though many people believe he is a guilty man. There is a lot
Personal values and morals are instilled into children by their parents . Jem and Scout Finch, characters from Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, are open minded, educated, young children that have a father named Atticus Finch who tries to teach his children to have sound morals and personal values . The children have not been sheltered from life's hardships due to their father Atticus's views on parenting instead they have learned right from wrong. Atticus Finch believes that not sheltering his kids from the world allows them to form strong morals and values. Atticus Finch does what he believes will help make his children into strong citizens with outstanding values and morals.
Scout shows these values in To Kill a Mockingbird, and provides a unique way of looking at people differently. This was probably Harper Lee’s doing, Scout is used by Lee to illustrate many ideals. Such ideals include courteousness when she defends Atticus to stand up for what she believes in, and how Scout can step into someone else’s shoes to see their point of view. By putting these ideals in a kid’s perspective, Lee is able to convey these ideas with more ease because people can follow along with Scout and remember the importance of these ideals as she is learning them for the first time. Many people can forget these basic values, and Lee emphasizes through her characters and novel that they are important and reminds people that even the simplest of values can make the biggest
Through the lenses of Psalm 104 and Job 38 through 39, one can begin to grasp the polarity of God’s dispositions: He is not only an affectionate caretaker of creation but also a dictator ordering nature to fulfill His demands. This dualism is in complete contrast to American society’s vantage of a stoic and omnibenevolent God. In Psalm 104, God is illustrated as a protector and keeper over creation. He provides, “Gives water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.”
Humans live in a world where moral values are very clearly set determining what is good and what is bad. We know what scares us and how racism should be treated. Nevertheless, this was not the case back in Alabama during the 1950s. In the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee narrates the lives of the people of Maycomb, Alabama, focusing on the story of Scout and Jem Finch, and the case of a said to be rape. In this emotion filled narrative, readers learn how life was back then not only in general, but for the separate social statuses that there was.
People in To Kill a Mockingbird show their true colors, they show what their morals are. They show how their surrounding influenced their decisions. But, there are exceptions like when Atticus would not let the society sway his decision. He had a strict moral ground that he would not let society change. The others in society let others change their decisions, or let themselves get in a mob and get a mob mentality.
Harper Lee once wrote that “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what”. Moral courage means doing the right thing despite the risk of any consequences. Anyone can have moral courage, no matter who you are. Many authors often use different literary elements to develop themes in their writings. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the literary elements mood and imagery to teach her audience about doing the right thing or moral courage.
“Don't trade your authenticity for approval” stated an unknown author. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Scout is a young girl who breaks the social norm of wearing proper clothes such as dresses. In the town called Maycomb, the social norms are for whites to separate from African Americans along with women dressing a certain way and men dressing another. Those social norms don’t just exist in Maycom they are also in the real world. Ellen DeGeneres is a woman in the real world who breaks those social norms.
Breaking Social Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird In To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Lee depicts the main character Scout Finch as the primary feminist who defies social norms despite several influences in Maycomb County. Scout displays her feminist qualities throughout several occurrences in the novel. She continues to stay true to herself and fights for how she desires to act, while occasionally experimenting with her femininity.
