”To Kill A Mockinbird”
To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee in 1960. When the novel was published it received a lot of critical attention as well as critical acclaim. The story centers around the main character Scout. During the course of the book Scout develops from an innocent child to humane compassionate person. Several events occur during the book which tests her moral foundation. In fact those event makes her into a more compassionate and humane human being.
Scout is being brought up by her father Atticus and their housemaid Calpurnia during the mid-1920. The mid 1920’s was a time of civil racial prejudice and closed segregated views especially against Afro-Americans. Her father has brought her up protecting her from hate and racism. He has had a major effect on her and has been a great role model. He has taught her to think, to question and to make her own choices and decisions. However he can’t completely protect her from the upcoming events or the reality of the life in the southern United States[1].
One of the things that eventually trigger her development as an individual is her relationship with Boo, The Mysterious neighbor. Other neighbors have judged him and believe that he is a bad person. Ultimately he is the one who saves her and her brother. And from Boo she learns the true value of not judging people without knowing them.
With her relationship with Calpurnia, she is saved from racial discrimination and she has as well given Scout a perspective of the true value of a human being, whatever their color may be. A great example is when Calpurnia brings Scout and Jem to the local Afro-American Church. While being at the church they are being approached by an Afro-American woman who states that they aren’t welcome there. Calpurnia reacted by defending them aggressively, showing the true value of a human being. Scout begins to learn that there are bad people and good people regardless of their skin color.
Additionally in the book there are events which unfolds and dramatically impact her development as a person. She has her first encounter of Evil and racial hatred when Tom Robinson Is accused of Rape. She can’t understand that the jury members convicted Tom Robinson even though the evidence is clearly otherwise. This is a turning point when she starts to understand the prejudice. She sees the dark side of the humanity and she has to decide how to deal with it. She learns that people can tell lies and are not necessarily good people. Still she has an excellent moral foundation which her father and Calpurnia have given her that eventually helps her to understand.
The second event which shaped her development is the event which occurred after the “school show” when they were assaulted by Bob Ewell, as a retribution for being humiliated by their father during the trial. The only way Bob can inflict pain to Atticus is by hurting his children. Her foundation is once again challenged by an immoral person. Boo Radley the person that society has turned its back on is the one who ultimately saves Scout and her brother. She learns that someone who may appear as a bad person may actually be a good person.
All of these events combined with society and the people around her contributed to her development in the book. Her moral beliefs and conscience were challenged several times but her stable foundation allowed her to go through these events and see the true nature of human beings. She came through those events in a positive way with the help of her foundation built up by her and her family.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – Friedrich Nietzsche.
By Emil Linnala Eriksson
[1] Wikipedia, search word: 1920. www.wikipedia.com,
“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” (250)
After a lively discussion with her brother Jem, this is what Scout Finch decides. The two siblings were discussing different kinds of people and their prospects. Jem, aged 11, remained certain that people simply are unalike. He had managed to divide the people of their hometown, the small and rather closed county of Maycomb, Alabama, into four groups. He reasoned the groups consisted of ordinary people – the Finch family and their neighbours, the less fortunate Cunninghams out in the woods, the even less fortunate Ewells down by the dump and last the Negroes. This pretty much summarizes the general view in the rank of men in the county of Maycomb. Growing up in a town with this belief engraved in most hearts, Jem concluded the way he did and claimed he finally had it all figured out. 8 year old Scout however was not particularly convinced. May it be said that this part of the novel can be found extremely important due to a number of reasons soon to be mentioned. As society caught up with young Jem he came to the conclusion that all people are born different. Scout, not nine yet, firmly contradicted her brother’s statement and argued that everybody is born equal. As children grow, their opinions develop. In most cases it is a beneficial development. Yet somehow, when it comes to sentiments regarding segregation and prejudice; growing old seems to make one grow backwards. This phenomenon emphasizes the entire book that is To Kill a Mockingbird as well as the crucial ways of segregation in general all over the world.
by Karin Äng
Extra;
Here is a song that is easygoing in comparison to the slightly heavier text above. Although the nuances differ, I find this song appropriate. It is a simple song about folks and in the lyrics one can find how the songwriter questions the way one would be countered depending on what one chooses to tell one another. The songwriter decides that all they care about is simply talking, to a specific someone, when it comes to different folks. What do you care about?
Atticus is a lawyer in the town Maycomb. He has two children, Scout and Jem. He is a very special person with high moral and a large sense of all people’s equal value in the world. He is a major character in Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Atticus is a widow and therefore raises his children mostly by himself, with a little help from the maid, Calpurnia. Scout and Jem are raised in a very special way by Atticus: he lets them do almost whatever they want since he wants them to develop their own personalities. He does not treat them as if they are of less value or of less importance than grown-ups. His children never call him “dad” or “father”. I think this points to their large portion of respect for him. Atticus is not only respected by his children; everyone in Maycomb respects him as well.
Atticus is also one of the few in Maycomb who is not a racist. Because of this, he is later hated in the book although he is a very respected man. According to me I would say Atticus even becomes a mockingbird for defending Tom Robinson. He says to Scout and Jem one day “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Since bluejays were seen as servants of the Devil, the children were allowed to shoot at them. Mockingbirds on the other hand are different. They are no servants of the Devil, do not harm anything but all they actually do is make music. They are in a way defenseless and when they are in this example shot by children, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because then you shoot a defenseless who makes no harm, just music. The reason why I make the connection between Atticus and a mockingbird is because he makes no harm to Maycomb, he is defending Tom Robinson who is accused of a rape just because he is black. While defenseless Atticus do no harm, he just defends Tom. Atticus has a strong sense for justice and for this he is hated by the people in the town.
Written by Malcolm Hollingworth
Use TKM in schools – The world’s evidence on development
There have been plenty of opinions and discussions around the statement if the well-known novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee should be used as teaching material. A number of teachers have decided to use the book in classes but there are likewise several strong arguments for banning it in the education. Some claim that this is a novel that “every adult should read before they die”; while others prefer to say “this is a dangerous book”. Due to the somber, mighty but significant themes that the book brings up have resulted in that people have got an eye-opener if “To Kill a Mockingbird” is proper to occur in children’s hands. But the advantages weigh out the disadvantages. To kill a mockingbird should not be banned from schools since the novel reflects and includes the American segregated history in a trustworthy way that students can understand and as lively discussions likely will occur, possible repetitions from the past will be prevented.
Since the release in the 1960s, the book has become a part of classroom study due to the instructive themes brought up in the book. Examples of these themes are racial injustice, courage, compassion and the destruction of innocence. However, due to the controversial nature of these themes, some schools have chosen to ban the book from education. Amongst these are the schools of the Canadian province Nova Scotia who defends their point of view with following statement quoted from the book “Bloom’s Guides: To Kill a Mockingbird – new Edition”:
“The terminology in this novel subjects students to humiliating experiences that rob them of their self-respect and the respect of their peers. The word ‘Nigger’ is used 48 times [in] the novel…We believe that the English Language Arts curriculum in Nova Scotia must enable all students to feel comfortable with ideas, feelings and experiences presented without fear of humiliation … To Kill a Mockingbird is clearly a book that no longer meets these goals and therefore must no longer be used for classroom instruction.”
To not enlighten and discuss the true history may result into speculations around the not comfortable students and pointed them out because the school “is not able” to read the book because of them.
Lately, ideas how to censor the novel has been presented. The author, speaker and public policy expert Anthony Jerrod discussed in the article “Should Huck Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird be Censored?” if the “n” word should be replaced with “slave” in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” to be more adapted to today’s modern society. Jerrod claimed that critics mean that a modern copy “will result in more people being able to truly enjoy these narratives”. The risk with modifying the past can replace the emotions and the truly message Harper Lee wrote. Instead of erasing the history the society should focus on how, to in an accurate, way bring up the book’s content in a way black people can feel comfortable with. What we have done in the past can not be changed however we learn and comprehend from it.
The book focuses on many sensitive themes that pupils may feel uncomfortable to read about. The fact that people in the novel are separated based on the skin color is upsetting in the modern society. In the book black people are discriminated which may lead to consequences as discomfort and pointed out while reading about it. Feelings, thoughts and ideas from the olden times become current once again. By realizing the surprisingly fact that it was only seventy-five years ago the occurrences took place in the society and not in an imaginary book, feels frightening. The elder perhaps remember how the segregation reflected their days in the past but the younger generations have not experienced it in the same extent and by removing the disrespect details it will result in further forgetfulness.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” has become one of the world most famed books by a reason. The novel counts both as a fiction and a lesson in history and is therefore the remarkably accurate school material. When the class discusses the book the pupils might understand the segregation heightens and realize why this is a sensitive topic. The novel will not go in one ear and go out the other. The plot facilitates the reader to identify itself with the central figures leading to a greater understanding and empathy for the happenings. We have a responsibility to declare the inaccuracies we have committed. To use the original “To Kill a Mockingbird” in classes moves the discussion and development of equal rights, in several aspects, forward and increases the awareness of how we do not want our society.
written by Susanna Ström
Ps. we don’t want the generation to act like this …
http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/slavauktion-pa-studentfest_6100109.svd
(The happening takes place in Sweden and therefore is the article in swedish but you can translate with http://translate.google.se)
Here are two pictures that in some way reminds me of the novel TKM
Barack Obama
If I would show this picture for seventy-five years ago in front of a citizen in Maycomb,
Alabama, he or she would probably wonder “why is a black man wearing a suit and a tie?”
and “Why is he standing in front of the American flag? He can’t possibly represent America!”
Today, we find it his position like a self-evidence. If Atticus would live today he would appreciate
and feel proud of the society's development. His struggle for integration has succeeded.
Avril Lavigne
For seventy years ago as a girl you were expected to act like a one.
The fact that Scout doesn’t hang out with other girls and doesn’t wear
dresses worries her aunt Alexandra. Alexandra tries to be a good female
example for her and tries to convince her about acting more womanly.
Today, you are accepted, boy as girl. The focus lies instead of being yourself
and not anyone else.
By: Susanna Ström
To Kill a Mockingbird 