Essays on To Kill A Mocking Bird

In a play dominated by men, Portia and Calpurnia are the wives of the two main men in conflict with each other: Brutus and Caesar. After seeing her husband distraught, Portia urges Brutus to tell her what’s wrong and he confides in her, not that it makes any difference. At the same time Calpurnia is attempting to get her husband to stay home with her because she dreamt of his death that day but instead of listening to her, Caesar laughs her off and goes to the Senate House anyway where he is murdered. Thus both wives show ...

Thesis

Racism is still a very big problem in the world and America in particular. The gains of the civil rights of the 1960's have been washed away, partly, by the rise of the ‘political correctness' era that designed things to be said in a certain way, and, a pluralistic ignorance that came out as an offshoot of political correctness, where, people speak about racism in acceptable terms while believing in the opposite to avoid appearing insensitive and racist. Just as racism was rampant in America in 1930’s as brought out in the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, ...

The name of this woman is shrouded in the fog of romanticism and mystery associated with the legend of extraordinary beauty and mysterious death. What was this woman for real? What is the secret of interest in her? Why did historical tradition and Shakespeare bound together the names of Cleopatra and Caesar, Cleopatra and Anthony? Cleopatra VII Philopator was born in 69 BC. Her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes. Besides, her family had two sisters and two brothers, both younger than her. Ptolemaic Dynasty at this point of time existed for nearly two centuries. Their power in Egypt appeared ...

Introduction

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mocking Bird is a unique story, which provides insight into the issue of inequality that existed between the black and white races during the 1930s. The Book is based on the author’s observation of the society during that era and reflected the biased and hypocritical views and actions of the members of the society. Although the book is relatively old and the inequality between the white and black races has been significantly eliminated from society, some resemblance can still be found in the modern day the United States of America and ...

The nature of a movie star versus an accomplished actor is an interesting divide within the realm of film criticism: Theorists often discuss the nature of stardom and its relation to the craft of acting when viewing classic films by stars like Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe. Central to this discussion is the source of their stardom: are they really playing their roles in a way no one could, or have they simply mastered the art of acting in a way that is so great that no one else could replicate it? The issue of stardom is a prevalent ...

[Class Title]

Introduction Bob Ewell is one of the major character in Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. This paper would like to analyze the character of Bob Ewell and how he was portrayed in the novel. The Ewells were, evidently, a dysfunctional family. Bob Ewell, for instance, was a known drunk, but because he and his daughter are White while the accused was a black man, the predominantly white society of the fictional Maycomb County in Alabama became overly biased towards the case. The accused has already lost the battle of public opinion based ...

“To kill a mocking bird” is a novel by American author Harper Lee. It was first published in 1960 and won Pulitzer Prize for literature. Despite being White herself, Lee was frustrated over the issues of racial bias and injustice done with Black Americans after the great depression. The unequal treatment with Blacks in the American society of that particular time is the most evident theme of this novel, for which Lee even received Presidential Medal of Freedom. Courage, compatibilities, and friendships amongst the family and community members are also some of themes of the novel. As the book covers ...

Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of Scout Finch, the six year old daughter of Atticus Finch, a strong father, a virtuous lawyer and the defender of Tom Robinson. Scout grows up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, among the other interesting and entertaining people in the town. Going through her life and growing up with her friends, she learns many lessons from her father and the town itself. Much like Atticus with Scout, this book is incredibly important because of its teachings of morality and virtue; the book teaches the ...

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a highly influential American novel for many reasons, not the least of which is the compelling, well-drawn and uniquely American character of Atticus Finch. A strong, paternal presence to his family and his community, Atticus is highly principled, hard-working and dedicated to a sincere sense of justice. Both in his parenting of Scout and his defense of Tom Robinson, Atticus’ virtue is shown throughout. While America may not always live up to the standards Atticus Finch himself sets, he represents a set of ideals that America hopes to strive towards, including equality, fairness and standing up ...

ID Number Movie: To Kill a Mockingbird (2012)

Tom Robinson is a renowned victim of prejudice in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird. Robinson is a black man alleged to have raped Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Falsely blamed of a crime he did not commit. Robinson faced his case before a jury. Atticus Finch knew Robinson is innocent through a series of evidences. However, despite his best attempts, racism that has taken roots in the mind of jury won. The court rendered the verdict guilty against Robinson and the latter were sentenced to death. Atticus was aware that they still have a chance to defend the ...

Introduction

Nelle Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird, thrived in an era in which racial injustice against African-Americans flourished. To Kill a Mockingbird drew several references from the life of Harper Lee, whose father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was a lawyer and state legislator of Alabama who once served in the defense of two African-Americans (the Scottsboros) accused of murder. Rotating around themes of racial injustice, class and gender issues, To Kill a Mockingbird stood as a heavy social critique by Harper Lee against American society, which was undergoing turbulent changes such as the African-American civil rights movement that coincided with ...

The theme that is addressed in To Kill a MockingBird is racial prejudice as well as social justice. A strong principle is represented by Atticus Finch that indicates the liberal perspective which runs opposite to the white’s ignorance and prejudice. He is convinced that in order to counteract the influence by the racists, he must work hard to instill values of equality in his children. When Atticus makes the statement “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal,” he ...

The title of the book To Kill A Mockingbird comes from a proverb that states that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The characters in the novel are warned not to kill a mockingbird which is always depicted as an innocent bird. Mockingbirds are said to be harmless, as they do not eat up people’s crops in the gardens, they only sing their hearts out to please the people around them. The title is significant to the novel because, it portrays many forms of mockingbirds throughout the story. In the progress of the novel, it is evident that Tom Robinson ...

Summary of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Historians and dramatists have a history of presenting their subjects differently. In order to ascertain the language used and the way they presented their protagonists, this paper looks at Shakespeare’s representation of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare wrote his play much after Caesar’s assassination; therefore, there is every possibility that Shakespeare could have used a lot more of dramatic presentations to influence his audience. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar opens with a scene on the streets of Rome. Act I, Scene I. A street in Rome; enter Flavius, Marullus and some commoners. It begins in February 44 BC., when Julius Caesar enters ...

The disabled character in To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson; his disability is a physical one, as one of his arms was mutilated in an accident some years prior to the events of the film. To that end, he is unable to use it in any way. Despite his physical disability, he is an extremely strong character; for one thing, he demonstrates a kindness and compassion for others, as he states that he helped Mayella (the woman he is charged with raping and beating) because he felt sorry for her during his testimony. He often took up Mayella’s requests for help ( ...

Article Contrast/Comparison

According to Andrew Delbanco’s article, education is a key aspect for increasing competitive sustainability of any country. Future inventions and product development will be possible if quality education is provided. Delbanco dwells on the challenges facing the American education system and American citizens. The author points out the various functions of education to the society. First, the necessary skills to facilitate daily existence are imparted on us through elementary education. Secondary education takes this notion higher and equips us with moderate skills applicable to particular occupation. However, the current secondary school education is not enough to provide such skills. ...

The greatest hallmark of the American Civil War was the Battle of Gettysburg. It was fought between the first and third of July, 1863, in the tiny market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On the first of July the Potomac Army led by Major General George Meade and the Northern Virginia Army led by General Robert Lee met at Gettysburg. The battle involved forces of the Union and Confederate States. Motivated by the losses they had suffered in the West, the Confederate Army sought to salvage their control over the East at the very least. Their western front spread through ...

One of the most renowned tragedies written by Shakespeare, “Julius Caesar” was first performed in England in the year 1599. The play follows the rise of Julius Caesar as a ruler of Rome, the eventual dissent among the public against him, his assassination at the hands of those he trusted the most and the public realization of his worth after his death. Although it may not seem apparent, the story and character of Julius Caesar has been compared to that of Jesus Christ. While the former led the most powerful empire of the time, the latter was the founder of ...

English Composition

The three articles that this paper took into consideration are Against School by John Taylor Gatto, The End of White America? by Hua Hsu and Girl by Jamaica Kincaid. I choose these three articles because they shed light into matters that have been ignored in our society yet they are or much importance to the people, and I can safely argue that the findings were what I expected in the response. Everybody, parents, elders, influential people in the society, our president and his cabinet plus teachers, as well, all advocate for education as a vital key to a brighter future ( ...

Introduction

Social conflict theory refers to a social theory that argues that the social classes have different levels of resources which leads to a conflict between these social classes. In most cases the powerful groups ends up exploiting the less powerful and poor groups. This may be done through economic forces as well as brutal police forces. Power may be In the form of physical, coercive or manipulative forces. All powers may lead to conflict. In relation to the movie, To Kill a Mocking Bird, it demonstrates various issues related to social conflicts especially issues to do with social inequality and racism. ...

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a book by Harper Lee, which was first published in 1960. The author lived during a civil rights movement era. During this period, there were high racial tensions especially in the south where Lee resided. She is a white female writer who was anti-racism. It is through the experience she had and what she saw that inspired her to write the novel. The aim of the novel was to highlight some of the challenges that blacks faced at the height of racism and civil wars. However, she is also informing the audience that despite the looming racism, there ...

Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of Scout Finch, the six year old daughter of Atticus Finch, a strong father, a virtuous lawyer and the defender of Tom Robinson. Scout grows up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, among the other interesting and entertaining people in the town. Going through her life and growing up with her friends, she learns many lessons from her father and the town itself. Much like Atticus with Scout, this book is incredibly important because of its teachings of morality and virtue; the book teaches the importance ...

Discuss how schools and communities can reduce the educational gap between social classes (using as references Michael Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and John Taylor Gatto’s “Against School”).

Schools and communities can reduce the educational gap between social classes by resorting to appropriate, realistic and genuine solutions to educational and societal problems. Michael Moore’s Idiot Nation and John Gatto’s Against School candidly exposed the relevant ills besetting education (in particular) and society (as a whole) to come up with some implied solutions. Hence, this essay will resort to the use of Moore and Gatto’s writings, respectively.

Moore, ...

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, the society is heavily influenced by racism and white supremacy mindsets. As a result, several of the key characters are victimized by the other members of the community as well as the society at large. Two such characters are Tom Robinson, a black slave, and Atticus Finch, the man who employs him. Tom Robinson is a humble black man accused of beating and raping Mayella. His left arm is crippled from an accident at the farm which happened when he was young, this made it physical impossible to beat Mayella because the attacker ...

Harper Lee's evocative piece, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most profound pieces of American literature of the 20th Century. A central factor leading to its impactful nature is the development of relatable characters, whether laudable or despicable, which have since become archetypes of certain personas. These personalities represent interminable characteristics of American history and highlight elements of the development of the American social conscience. Since the initial publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has been a symbol of an individual whose moral compass points true North. Interestingly, Atticus is assigned the defense of Tom Robinson, he ...

Mel and female gender roles are often included in Kate Chopin's short stories, and at times the female characters in her stories tend to challenge these roles. In a majority of her stories, such as “Desiree's Baby”, “The Story of an Hour”, “At the Cadian Ball”, “The Storm, and “The Awakening”, the female character are shown to undergo a transformation from women who are dependent on their husbands, and weak to more independent and stronger women. The female characters are all examples of how women change throughout these stories while the men are the dominant hurdle that these women want to ...

There are two radically different and competing versions of family and community in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. One of these is the semi-feudal status quo of rigid divisions by race, gender, caste and social class and the other a more democratic, integrated and humane community of the future symbolized by Atticus Finch, his children and supporters. Broadly speaking, these two conflicting ideologies are not simply taking place in the small, fictional community of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. They are in conflict throughout the entire country and perhaps the world, and are not confined to one particular ...

Blacks live in complete poverty in Maycomb and have hardly any rights at all, but most of the whites are also poor, and the whole county is basically backward and marginalized, especially because of the Great Depression. Most of the whites do not even have money to pay the legal bills that they owe Atticus, but in compensation they do have a sense of racial superiority over the blacks, who are even poorer and more degraded than they are. That someone like Atticus even exists there is highly surprising, although he has no real chance of changing system as it ...

PART A

Question 1 Atticus Finch, although belonging to the white community, defends Tom Robinson, a subjugated black who stands of raping a white woman. Through his actions, Finch promotes equality and liberty, having a simple purpose of having justice served, regardless of race. However, he is opposed by the accusers; Mayella and her father Bob Ewell, while other members of the white community term him a "nigger-lover". In the novel, Bob Ewell is portrayed as a villain. His disregard for other human beings and his uncaring attitude towards his own family reveal that he is a man of limited values. It is his hatred ...

Today’s public education system in America stymies the mental growth and true education of children, preventing them from reaching their highest potentials. One of the biggest fallacies that average Americans subscribe to today is that the public school system is teaching children the things they need to know in order to follow a path to success. Veteran school teacher John Taylor Gatto writes that the way public schools are organized today, “with their long-term, cell-block-style, forced confinement of both students and teachers” that schools are “virtual factories of childishness” rather than places preparing children for the realities of ...

Introduction:

“To kill a mockingbird” is a luminous piece of literary work by Ms. Nelle Harper Lee. The novel was written in the year of 1960 wherein author portrays her childhood memories beautifully in the novel. The theme of the novel revolves around some serious issues including racism, rape, gender, audacity, empathy and inequality in American Lower South. The characters depicted in the novel are inspired by author’s family members and neighbors. The lead character Scout Finch is inspired by her father Atticus Finch. The Novel carries lot of humor and tenderness regardless of serious issues. The work done by author ...

Book Review: To Kill A Mocking Bird

The main reason for using the title “To Kill a mockingbird” is to bring out the theme of innocence. The mockingbird though small, is renowned for its ability to mimic the sounds produced by other animals. The bird innocently sings in the trees near houses and can at times be irritating which prompts people to kill it. However, the bird, just like any other animal is always innocent.

The central story in the novel concerns a black man (Tom Robinson) who had been unjustly accused of rape. In spite of insufficient circumstantial evidence, the courts are prejudiced and convict Tom of ...

Atticus is a reputed citizen and he is a very good lawyer. He is very tolerant person and a humble human being who satisfies several queries of others and believes in helping other people. Atticus As father of Jem and scout pays his responsibilities in a proper manner. He inspires them to study, satisfies their queries and on the other hand, is always ready to help others in his social life. When his daughter scout refuses to go to school, Atticus not like other parents, merely tells him that she has to go to school but he patiently listens her and ask ...

As a nation, America is populated by immigrants and as such, its culture is a mixed bag – a melting pot, if you will, of ethnicities, cultures, ideas and beliefs. As a result, it is difficult to define any one traditionally American aspect of culture as it is bastardised from a whole variety of European, African and Asian influences. However, America can boast its culture as having been affected by these various different influences and as being shaped accordingly. One such major influence is that brought to the table by the African American community who have influenced American culture for decades through music, film, literature ...

To Kill a Mocking Bird is a novel that deals with serious issues of racial inequality and rape in the American society in 1930s. These are contemporary issues that affected the country during the time in which the book was written. The novel is written by Lee Harper and was published in the year 1960. The major issues of the novel involve destruction of people’s innocence and racial injustice (Johnson, 1994). This target audience of this book was the majority whites. Reading this book would make them realize the pains the African Americans went through. The novel became a ...