How Does Harper Lee Show Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

When you think of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee what do you think about? On the second read of the novel you realize how many coming-to-age experiences there are. The novel shows part of growing up is learning about society but not necessarily accepting it. The author uses Dill’s character development and his conflicts his subplot regarding his family to express the theme.

Atticus plays the stereotype of the guy who will save the day, strong, honest, and charismatic. He functions with a fluency in his strain to convince the jurors of what their prejudice against people of color tells them about Mr.Robinson. He speaks to them with logic, or logos- "Thomas Jefferson once said that all men were created equal..", a quote that helps support his argument for Tom by mentioning a highly respected figure in history. He then uses emotions or ethos to try and further persuade the stubborn jurors. He becomes overwhelmed with emotions as he pleads in favor of Robinson.

Through the use of Scout’s innocent nature and the words and actions carried out by the townspeople, Harper Lee’s critical tone regarding prejudice is revealed.

Once, Scout asked Atticus what does the term “nigger lover” means and Atticus said to Scout, “Nigger -lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything-like snot nose. It’s hard to explain-ignorant people, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It’s a slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label. somebody” (107). In this quote, it is shown that Atticus does his best to protect Tom Robinson, who’s an African American man who is accused of assaulting and raping a white woman. Although he is aware that he won’t win the trial, Atticus takes the case to show his children that one’s views on race should not dictate how they serve justice. Despite the fact that he's getting judged for protecting some person who's unique in relation to him, it doesn't stop him. Atticus disclosed to Scout that some people should be battled for regardless of whether other individuals are against it. He's saying that adversely labeling somebody who's

He does this by looking at people of color as equal to himself. Atticus does not belittle or discriminate against African Americans and treats them as normal humans, opposed to the rest of his town. In the text it says, “ ‘You aren’t really nigger-lover then, are you?’ ‘I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody…’ “ This shows Atticus owning up to being fond of African Americans. Nigger-lover was a rude term used, in their time, to describe someone who associates themselves with black people. Anyone called that name was usually frowned upon. It takes courage to claim something that everyone sees as

Within the last century, there has been a multitude of great stories, books, and novels. The reason these a pronouced as “great,” are their engaging plots, unique characteristics, and learning experiences. Harper Lee’s novel “How to Kill a Mocking bird,” is compiled with many characters, each having seperate beliefs and opinions within their society. Some character’s express valuing aspects, while others represent bitterness and envy. Lee, firmly contrasts the positive, loving character named Atticus, by a young girl named Scout who will take you through Atticus’ journey of his complex life in a small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Integrity, humbleness, and kindness strongly establishes Atticus’ exceedingly likeable characteristics.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the greatest novel to Teach kids about diversity and the complex relationship with racism. It details the life of Jem and Scout, two siblings who grow up in a time of racial inequality and unrest. Jem Finch is what most would call a typical young boy; fascinated with sports, guns, and being tough. Scout Finch, on the other hand, is an Atypical tomgirl, tough enough to handle anything that comes her way. Yet, both of their childhoods are different from many of their friends and families that live in the town of Maycomb. Harper Lee creates these characters to portray the internal and external conflict that many young adults encounter when their morals clash with the cultural norm. We see that " you really don't understand a person till you climb into his skin and walk in it" (lee 30) Through Jem’s and Scout’s voice and characterization, Lee reveals how average day kids can change the course of people’s live.

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is successful in delivering the story in a manner that captivates the audience. The story began by setting the scene, mood and also by introducing each character, which familiarized the reader with the environment. The author wrote the story in a manner that flowed with real life events of a time relative to the story, such as the segregation, racism and any financial struggles. It also did well to give each character a realistic mindset and reactions based on each person’s respective characterization. In a similar way, the story was written from the perspective of Scout, and the story was effectively narrated with the innocence and a lesser knowledge coming from someone of her age. Additionally, the story did a particularly good job at introducing details that were important to the story as it progressed so there were no surprises based on a sudden law change, for example. This aided in building the story to its climax, and other peaks of action. Each element to the story worked in sync to maneuver easily through the plot in a well thought out and executed story.

Lee grew up in the south in the early nineteen-hundreds. The people around her felt blacks were beneath whites and gave them many difficulties to put up with. This injustice was especially prominent in court cases, like the one Lee depicts in her novel. Though Harper Lee accepts that there is racism in the community, she reminds us all her own thoughts by giving advice to Scout that all the readers can take something away from: “‘As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it— whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash’”(Lee 224). Clearly, dealing with the injustices of trials at home inspired Lee to write her book and point out the problems we are turning a blind eye to in our own country. Using her personal background in the oppression of the south, Harper Lee shed light on the issue by depicting the issue in her remarkably well-written

As the United States “progresses” in economic, educational and technological advancements we still are fighting for racial equality. With more than 50 years since the brown vs. board of education case there is still incidents like Ferguson, Baton Rouge, and Phiando Castile where many questions are still unanswered. However, Harper Lee dealt with these same problems in 1960 when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee created an emotionally confronting story. Lee writes through the eyes of “Scout” a lawyer’s daughter in a small sleepy town of Maycomb in Alabama during the great depression. Throughout the book “Scout” learns coming of age lessons from Atticus and her own experiences. But when Atticus takes on a case defending a black man (Tom Robinson) convicted for rapping a white woman (Mayella Ewell) and is found guilty. “Scout” her brother Jem begin to understand the effects of the prejudices in society. Therefore, Lee applies the literary concepts of diction and tone to revel the truth that prejudices in society negatively affect the way people treat each other in To Kill a Mocking Bird.

In Harper Lee’s widely-praised novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character - Jean Louise “Scout” Finch - is lovable from the very start. Readers watch the events progress through her childhood, from childlike squabbles to an unjust trial. Lee reveals the changes Scout undertakes in the passage on page 237 through the uses of symbolism and imagery.

Classic texts have the ability to remain timeless and obtain an ongoing relevance due to the powerful messages and ideas that readers are able to relate to. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird {TKAMB} reflects Southern America in the 1930’s, the attitudes and perceptions of a small town called Maycomb, where Lee lives her young life through Scout who endures the negative implications that racial prejudice and class distinctions have on the environment as well as the importance of understanding and empathy. Throughout the novel, literary techniques effectively present important messages that resonate with audiences regardless of context, thus making this text classic.

Atticus’ fairness also shows he is a good father because he believes that everyone deserves a chance to be understood and all have reasons for their actions. For example, after revealing the news to Jem and Scout of Tom’s death, he says, “Depends on how you look at it. What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner” (Lee 235). This passage shows Atticus's fairness because he always tries to put himself in other people’s shoes in order to give everyone a chance at being understood, as he teaches Jem and Scout to do. He gave up his respectable reputation among many of the whites in Maycomb to defend Tom Robinson, and still speaks highly of the men who killed him. When he says this, he is trying to make the children see that the men who killed Tom did not know him as a person, but as a Negro who committed a crime, so cannot be discriminated upon for doing their job. Along with Atticus’ sense of fairness, his Teaching also characterizes him as a good father to Jem and Scout.

In this novel, innocence is represented from all ages yet all still contribute to the mockingbird factor. Charles Baker “Dill” Harris doesn’t develop and mature throughout the story. In this way, he is seen as a mocking bird because he’s innocent by his childish actions. His childish actions flow throughout To Kill A Mockingbird and he never changes this lifestyle, because that’s all he knows how to do. An example of this is in the court scene when we wasn’t aware of what’s going on, “Dill leaned across me and asked Jem what Atticus was doing”(Lee 254). In this scene the children snuck into the courthouse to listen to Atticus defend Tom Robinson, and Dill is questioning what is happening in the court.This scene is an example of

In the novel, to kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee presents three very distinct types of innocence that are portrayed by different characters throughout the novel. A good part in this story’s brilliance is that Harper Lee has managed to use the innocence of a young girl to her advantage. She does this by telling the whole story from a child’s point-of-view. By having an innocent little girl make racial remarks and regard people of color in a way consistent with the community, Lee provides the reader with an objective view of the situation. As a child, Scout can make observations that an adult would often avoid. In addition, readers are also likely to be forgiving of a child’s perception, whereas they would find an adult who makes these