Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 1174 Words

‘’ To Kill A Mockingbird’’ by Harper Lee. This book takes place in maycomb, a sleepy town in Alabama in 1933 during the great depression. Maycomb in located in the deep south where racial issues still exist. Atticus Finch is the town lawyer who defends a black man in a racially charged town. Atticus is a single father of two children Jem and Scout. The mother died early in their lives and they have no memory of their mother. He treats his kids as equals to himself by having Jem and Scout refer to him as his first name then the usually ‘’ Dad or Father’’. They call him by his first name in a respectable manner. As a lawyer, Atticus believes in equality and justice. He points out to the jury that Any person of any skin color are capable of committing crimes â€Å"this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men† (pg.208, Lee). He sees the injustices in the case how the case has been motivated b y racial prejudices. His ability to be colorblind allows him to examine the situation more fair and justly. Additionally, his belief in equality and justice, give him the strength to see that this is wrong and it needs to be discussed and pointed out to the community. Theses same beliefs - justice, equality and the ability to understand sides, carry over to his family life, â€Å"Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets† (pg. 87, Lee). He tries to teach Scout and Jem these values. He attempts to pass on to his childrenShow MoreRelatedKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1049 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: How a Story could be based on True Events in Everyday LifeDaisy GaskinsCoastal Pines Technical Collegeâ€Æ'Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father was a former newspaper editor and proprietor, who had served as a state senator and practiced as a lawyer in Monroeville. Also Finch was known as the maiden name of Lee’s mother. With that being said Harper Lee became a writer like her father, but she became a American writer, famous for her race relations novel â€Å"ToRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee1000 Words   |  4 Pagesworld-wide recognition to the many faces of prejudice is an accomplishment of its own. Author Harper Lee has had the honor to accomplish just that through her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a moving and inspirational story about a young girl learning the difference between the good and the bad of the world. In the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Growing up, Harper Lee had three siblings: two sisters and an older brother. She and her siblings grew up modestlyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1290 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird during a rough period in American history, also known as the Civil Rights Movement. This plot dives into the social issues faced by African-Americans in the south, like Tom Robinson. Lee felt that the unfair treatment towards blacks were persistent, not coming to an end any time in the foreseeable future. This dark movement drove her to publish this novel hopeful that it would encourage the society to realize that the harsh racism must stop. Lee effectivelyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee873 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates that â€Å"it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird† throughout the novel by writing innocent characters that have been harmed by evil. Tom Robinson’s persecution is a symbol for the death of a mockingbird. The hunters shooting the bird would in this case be the Maycomb County folk. Lee sets the time in the story in the early 1950s, when the Great Depression was going on and there was poverty everywhere. The mindset of people back then was that blackRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee963 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing up, when older characters give advice to children or siblings.Growing up is used frequently in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee uses the theme growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird to change characters opinion, develop characters through their world, and utilizes prejudice to reveal growing up. One major cause growing up is used in To Kill a Mockingbird is to represent a change of opinion. One part growing up was shown in is through the trial in part two of the novelRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1052 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 30s early 40s , after the great depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread throughout the United States. Why is the preconception of racism, discrimination, and antagonism so highly related to some of the characters in this book? People often have a preconceived idea or are biased about one’s decision to live, dress, or talk. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the preconceptionRead MoreHarper Lee and to Kill a Mockingbird931 Words   |  4 PagesHarper Lee and her Works Harper Lee knew first hand about the life in the south in the 1930s. She was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926 (Castleman 2). Harper Lee was described by one of her friends as Queen of the Tomboys (Castleman 3). Scout Finch, the main character of Lees Novel, To Kill a Mockinbird, was also a tomboy. Many aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird are autobiographical (Castleman 3). Harper Lees parents were Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. She was the youngestRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1695 Words   |  7 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee presents as a ‘tired old town’ where the inhabitants have ‘nowhere to go’ it is set in the 1930s when prejudices and racism were at a peak. Lee uses Maycomb town to highlight prejudices, racism, poverty and social inequality. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of Walter Cunningham. When it is discovered he has no lunch on the first day of school, Scout tries to explain the situation to MissRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1876 Words   |  8 PagesThough Harper Lee only published two novels, her accomplishments are abundant. Throughout her career Lee claimed: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fiction, and Quill Award for Audio Book. Lee was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This honor society is a huge accomplishment and is considered the highest recognition for artistic talent and accomplishment in the United States. Along with these accomplishments, herRead MoreKill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee1197 Words   |  5 Pagessuch as crops, houses, and land, and money was awfully limited. These conflicts construct Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lee establishes the concurrence of good and evil, meaning whether people are naturally good or naturally evil. Lee uses symbolism, characterization, and plot to portray the instinctive of good and evil. To Kill a Mocking Bird, a novel by Harper Lee takes place during the 1930s in the Southern United States. The protagonist, Scout Finch,

Emerging as a Universal Student free essay sample

Growing up as a multiracial, first-generation American wasn’t always easy. In a small town, being one of the only Asian families had led to some ridicule throughout my younger years, but gradually I overcame the pain of isolation and difference as I inevitably became older. At times, I felt naked, I stood out and other children made sure I knew of that frequently. â€Å"So where are you from†¦no, where are you really from?† â€Å"Oh, you’re dad is from Korea†¦the good side or the bad side?† No one else got pestered about their ethnicity; no one else had to face suspicion from society for something they had not chosen. My heritage seemed to be the focal point of any insult or even praise. â€Å"Go back to China!† â€Å"Well of course YOU got an A.† When I was younger, it was hard to not feel a bit embarrassed by questions and comments like these, at times, even ashamed. As I matured though, I began to embrace my heritage, my identity. Questions and comments aimed towards it had little of an impression or impact on me. Yes, my father is from Korea†¦South Korea, and even if he was from North Korea, that doesn’t make him a nuclear chemist or an enemy of the United States. Such unthinking individuals, who had once left me shaken, only motivated me to aim higher, to grow more, and to become better. I became proud to have two self-made, motivated, and first-generation college alumni as parents, even though it put a lot of expectation on me. I was proud that my parents had achieved so much even while facing socioeconomic obstructions, and I wanted to achieve even more since I had so many more opportunities. As I soon became the eldest of four, there was more expectation, there was more pressure. Each of my siblings had their own niches, demanding ones. I felt guilty, I wanted to do more, provide more, give more to my family. I picked up a job to help cover my own expenses for my numerous activities and contribute to our economic situation. My father had worked a full-time job throughout high school at his grandmother’s Chinese restaurant on top of school, so why shouldn’t I be able to? So I picked up a job and I worked 7 hours after school on a daily basis, because in my mind, I was limitless and I didn’t want to fear limits, I wanted limits to fear me and to move out of my way. It was AP Chemistry though, that changed my attitude and revealed my altitude. It was the first time in my life that something didn’t â€Å"click† for me, and for the first few months I was in denial and insistent that I could juggle a job, extracurricular activities, and school. I didn’t need sleep, sleep was unproductive, it was unexciting, it was unprogressive, and it symbolized in my mind, all that I never wanted to be. If my father could do it, so could I. It only took a few months of sleep deprivati on and struggling through AP Chemistry though, before I realized I needed to drop the job and pick up the Chem. I felt like a balloon that had lost all the air†¦the hot air. I had a limit, and the ridicule was nothing compared to the pain I felt by accepting I had a limit. Because accepting I had a limit, cracked my armor from the rest of the world. Scholastics were the one thing that had made alienation so bearable and it had always been my guiding light to a new environment, new opportunities, bigger than this small town, bigger than myself. Growing up, I was constantly told, â€Å"You’re an Asian Jocelyn, not a B-Sian!† but now I was worse, I was a C-Sian! Looking back, my thought process was so ridiculous, and more embarrassing than the ridicule towards my heritage. I decided though, I was not ready to give in on this goal of mine to thrive, to be limitless. I began staying after, staying till seven at night and then going home and practicing more chemistry pr oblems. My goal may have been getting my grade up to at least a bearable B, but I soon became disenchanted with a number, or a letter, and fell in love with the learning. Somewhere in those long hours after school with a very patient and supporting Chemistry teacher, I fell in love with my progress, I fell in love with my surprise to new material, and I fell in love with my realization that I didn’t want my whole life to be represented by a number. By the end of the year, I had my A, on the final test, and the triumph I felt was indescribable, not because of the A†¦but because of my realization that I had not only gained a passion for learning, but a resiliency that would not only help me in a classroom, but outside a classroom, throughout life. This was not an ending, but a beginning. While I no longer would have to worry about AP Chemistry, I was ready to face new challenges throughout my community, throughout my life. Asian, â€Å"B-Sian†, it didn’t make a difference anymore, because I was ready to let more than a letter or number make up my identity, I was ready to become a universal student. My heritage no longer was going to damage me or solely motivate me, I was ready to motivate myself and I was finally ready to be inspired by the world that surrounded me. I wasn’t going to excel in future years to come to prove a point or to make an impression; I was going to because I loved to learn and because I wanted to make an impact. Growing up as a multicultural, first-generation American had introduced me to some daunting challenges, at some points it even was a real pressure cooker†¦but I believe I have been well seasoned and well cooked from my heritage and the circumstances I have been introduced to and instead of running from challenges or letting them hover over me, I am now ready to hover over them and to race them to the finish line.