“The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this room is” (Lee 271). Atticus, in his closing argument, attempts to convey that Tom Robinson is innocent, and the Ewell’s have done a wrong deed. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the theme of treating and respecting everyone as an individual in Atticus’s closing argument by using rhetorical devices such as repetition, analogies, and allusions.…
In the story there’s a lot less detail than in the movie version. Right off of the bat I notice that Billy meets a man on the train that is taking him to Bath and the man he meets is in the same branch as him. In the story it don’t say the reason that the landlady opens the door so fast but in the movie she was looking through the door hole and that’s why she opened the door so fast. In the movie he waits a while before he came in but in the story it said that he came in fast after she opened the door. Also in the movie while he is in his room on the fourth floor he is writing a letter and in the story it doesn’t say he does anything in his room. Another big thing I noticed is that in the story it says that the curtains are green but in the…
The verdict of a court case lies squarely on Atticus’ closing statement that needs to be powerful in order to win. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, a court case takes Maycomb by surprise. A case between an African American man and a poor white woman makes for a difficult situation for its residents. The jury needs to be able to analyze the information and evidence given from the witnesses to give an honest conclusion. Depending on how the jury swings, it could put an innocent man’s life at risk. Atticus Finch needs to use many forms of strong rhetoric when giving his closing argument to convince the defendant not guilty.…
The wonderful story that is To Kill A Mockingbird has been around for a long while, and has a lot to say. There is so much to it such as many themes, symbolism, and imagery. A world wide phenomenal book which was later turned into a movie. There are many similarities and differences in the book To Kill A Mockingbird and the film that was based upon it.…
Overall The famous and Pulitzer Prize winning book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee gives valuable insight into some of the daily occurrences back in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. Though it does not handle all of the major injustices like when Mayella Ewell gets raped by her father and the fact that Lee doesn’t accentuate the racism and discrimination that happened at this time. This book addresses some important principles that should be encouraged more in this day and age. In “At the Bar; To Attack A Lawyer In “To Kill A Mockingird’ Endures” article author David Margolick says that “Atticus Finch, who taught a community and his two young children about justice, decency and tolerance” (Margolick). Which are some lessons that…
“In literature, evil often triumphs, but never conquers” in famous novels like “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson or “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. The evil is considered the major issues brought upon the protagonists by the antagonists (when comparing these two novels), such as the character of Andy Evans in Speak and Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. However, the protagonists always found a way to conquer with the good, and will always shine brighter than the evil.…
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that can give a clear lesson to further the movement for racial equality. Scout is a little girl in the south. She is the main character and protagonist of the novel. She lives with her brother Jem and her father, Atticus. She is very intelligent, thanks to her father and she is a tomboy.…
To Kill A Mockingbird is a priceless and classic piece of American literature because it emphasizes symbolic changes that we as a country went through. Even though Atticus, Miss Maudie, Jem, Scout and Boo all grew up in a world full of hatred and racism, they overcame it by being respectful, influential, and courageous. It reminds us of how far we’ve come from the harsh past and helps us appreciate our freedom more.…
"Never judge a book by its cover." This book in reality might be a good book, but one would not know because it is judged upon what its appearance is. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mocking Bird” has a wide variety of themes and messages in this 288 page novel. The author introduces themes like loneliness, prejudice and shows a lot of character growth. To Kill a Mockingbird is sleepy town where everyone knows one another. It is from a child’s eye perspective telling us about the interesting journeys she went through. She learns a lot of important messages from prejudice, racism, loneliness and appearance vs. reality. Many characters in this novel are looked upon as drunks, impolite, or no life outside of their work but under what everyone sees is…
As most people have read the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, many have wondered, what contributes most to the story’s themes? Well, throughout the novel, there are three main literary elements that come into play. In the passage “‘It ain’t right, Atticus…”’(pg.284) to “I looked up, and his face was vehement”(pg.296), Harper Lee uses the literary element character, setting, and tone to develop the theme that recognizing perspectives contributes to coming of age. As many other themes in the novel, the theme will show a change in how Jem starts to view the world, and the major roles included in it, such as racism. But his perspective comes mostly from the kind of character he is.…
E. E. Cummings once said, “It takes great courage to grow up and become who you really are” (www.goodreads.com). In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, young Jem and Scout Finch spend their summers in Maycomb, Alabama. Through the years they wait for the elusive Boo Radley to come out of his house and watch their father defend a black man in trial. The novel displays thematic topics such as prejudice, courage and family dynamics.…
Racism is a direct result of ignorance, and many of the people in To Kill a Mockingbird were racist, and those that weren't were greatly affected by it. Then there were the Ewells, who were ignorant on many other levels too. Even Scout's schoolteacher, whose job it was to impart knowledge, was hypocritical and racist!…
To Kill a Mockingbird is a popular story written by Harper Lee and is considered, “of rare excellence...a novel of strong and contemporary national significance,” (Chicago Tribune). The book tells a story from the view of a young girl who…
“Even here in America, people are fighting for civil rights 45 years after the civil rights movement.” -Ruben Santiago-Hudson, actor. This quote explains what is happening today even after the Civil Rights Movement, and explains why I believe To Kill A Mockingbird would still be influential today.I believe the novel To Kill A Mockingbird would be influential to our society if published today for the first time, because the overall theme of the book applies to many of the problems we as a people face today. The overall theme of the book was equal opportunity for everyone. It was set during a time when the color of your skin affected your life because it could limit your education, job, and who you could marry. The shocker and climax of the…
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee took the world by storm in 1960s with a story about southern racism and discrimination. Although the novel focused on small town life in southern Alabama, it influenced the future and success of the Civil Rights Movement. Harper Lee wrote this novel in a childs point of view at the beginning of the Civil Rights Era when events such as the murder of Emmett Till, the lunch counter sit-ins, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott put Alabama at the center of the movement. Throughout this era there was a great deal of racial discrimination and the expectation that no one would try to argue with the whites assumed authority. In Lees book, the focus is centered on the conviction of Tom Robinson, a poor black man. He was convicted of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a notoriously poor white family in a small town called Maycomb. The protagonists father, Atticus, took on the case but only did so because otherwise, I couldnt hold up my head in town, I couldnt represent this county in the legislature, and I couldnt even tell you or Jem not to do something again. Atticus also struggled with the fact that he had no hope of winning due to the race of his client. Ts morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life. Look at all those folks, its like a Roman carnival. At the end of the trial, Tom was convicted and sentenced to death, despite undeniable evidence that he was innocent. These results shocked readers and reminded many of the Scottsboro trials and how unfair they were. In addition, the childs point of view on To Kill a Mockingbird allowed many white southerners to question the way the system was if even a child could point out its flaws. After these realizations, the famous novel was quickly made into a movie, expanding its audience even further. After the movies big debut, several significant events occurred, which shaped the Civil Rights Movement and America as we know it today. For example, within a few years,…