Boo Radley in Harper Lee's Novel to

Boo Radley

In Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Boo Radley is a marginalized figure. In a book filled with memorable dialogue and conversation, he is the only central figure who never speaks for himself in the text. Because To Kill A Mockingbird describes social existence in a small town, Boo's status as one who does not openly participate in this social existence is responsible for his marginalization. But I hope to demonstrate that Boo is central to Harper Lee's message in the novel: it becomes clear by the end that Boo, no less than Tom Robinson, is meant to be understood in terms of the statement which gives the book its title: "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (page 119). The children's idea of Boo basically takes the trajectory of everything that we would define as prejudice: as a result, the story of Boo Radley is a…… [Read More]

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

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Topics


Discuss the presence of Jim Crow laws and their manifestation in the novel and social ramifications.
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark case for maintaining segregation and inequality for blacks. Discuss how this was demonstrated in the novel.
Discuss how the economic stresses of the time added to social tensions in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Tom Robinson is a black man charged with rape of a white woman, tried by a white jury. Discuss the problems inherent in this situation that will ensure he won’t receive a fair trial.
Discuss the parallelisms between Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.
Discuss the parallelisms between Jem Finch and Tom Robinson.
Dill Harris is an intriguing supporting character as he represents a melee of so many of the people and circumstances around him. Discuss.
Critics have described Atticus Finch as overly optimistic. Agree or disagree and explain.
The novel is not a…… [Read More]

Setting of This Classic Film

Like other symbols of the civil rights movement such as the song "We shall overcome" and peaceful sit-ins, to Kill a Mockingbird quickly assumed a similar position.

As the focus of the movie was on right and wrong, the director of this film, obert Mulligan, provided the American movie viewing public with a strong lesson in justice but he was also able, largely through the character of Atticus Finch, to demonstrate that humanity can still prevail even under difficult circumstances. Mulligan could have soften the message and still have captured the essence of the book upon which the movie was based but, instead, Mulligan made a deliberate statement in the way that he portrayed the characters in the story and how the movie told the story. He took on the ways of the American South where the beliefs of men, despite their moral depravity, ruled their actions instead of the…… [Read More]

Scout Grows Up Quickly

Scout's Maturation in to Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird addresses many issues that were relevant at the time of its writing and which are still relevant today. The book details the financial woes of the Great Depression. It deconstructs the state of race relations in the nited States. Most importantly, however, it provides a tale about growing up and maturing in a society that has a number of deep rooted prejudices and convictions, and which frequently expects people (especially young people) to believe them without understanding them. This final aspect of this novel is its most important, because it illustrates the maturation process that Scout undergoes while growing up. Scout is able to mature throughout this book by gaining the ability to take another person's perspective to understand why he or she acts as he or she does, without simply accepting society's reasons for those actions.

The veracity…… [Read More]

Diversity Exercise 5 Population Survey it Was

Diversity

Exercise 5: Population Survey

It was in October 1997 that the Office of Management and Budget or the OMB announced that the standards for the gathering of federal data on race and ethnicity in the United States of America would be changed from thenceforth, and that the minimum categories for race would be form then onwards, divided into the following categories: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African-American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and White. This meant that any individual, when choosing to self-identify himself, would not have to place himself according to the multi-racial perspective that had been in use earlier, but rather; he could select one or more races when he would have to identify himself for any purpose. In addition, the OMB has today made an added provision, which is known as the 'Some Other ace'. (acial and Ethnic classifications used in Census…… [Read More]

Reasoning Behind the Title To Kill a

Reasoning Behind the Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird took the form of a novel before its adaptation into a film. This is a work that has a strong literal and metaphorical link to the title. To Kill a Mockingbird is an infinitive phrase that describes an action. The title is a phrase that communicates part of the main theme of the novel. By the time the reader has completed the novel, the reader should understand quite clearly what the consequences of killing a mockingbird in real life as well as within the context of the narrative. Mockingbirds, as the novel expounds upon, represent innocence and joy. Through various actions in the novel and as demonstrated through nearly all of the character arcs in the story, to kill a mockingbird is a solemn tragedy.

Characters such as Jem, Dill, Tom Robinson, Mr. Raymond, and Boo Radley are…… [Read More]

Scout's Schema in to Kill

tticus Finch's identity prevents Scout from thinking that all is lost in society because of the fact that everyone is inclined to commit immoralities. tticus is the bona fide merican individual who is unwilling to join the masses in discriminating black people and even goes as far as risking his position in society with the purpose of demonstrating Tom Robinson's innocence. From watching her father's determination, Scout learns that one has to dedicate their lives to being moral, even when the respective person's campaign is doomed from the very start. Maycomb's general attitude toward black people challenges Scout's personality and influences the girl in acknowledging the insecure position of justice in society. s she realizes that the masses can easily overturn clear facts so that matters progress as they want to, she becomes even more determined to support people like her father. In becoming familiar with Boo Radley, Scout discovers…… [Read More]

Growing Number of Diverse Groups

Furthermore, he taught his son that society is not always right in what they believe. With that, racism is wrong because everyone is a human being and deserves equal rights. Even though America has racism in today's modern society, there are more people like Scout's father who honestly believes in diversity (120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature).

Don't attack something if it hasn't harmed you: This lesson is taught to Jem and Scout by Atticus when he teaches them about the mockingbird. He says that the mockingbird is innocent and only sings for you. It is therefore wrong to kill it. The examples of the mockingbird within the novel are Tom and Boo. Tom was attacked by the entire white society in Maycomb County. These attacks and accusations destroyed his innocent, respectable life. Arthur "Boo" adley was also an innocent victim to the taunts and of the people…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird Is One of the

Kill a Mockingbird is one of the classical American novels that described the lynching of a black man accused of rape in Alabama during the 1930s. In this story, Tom Robinson is completely innocent, having been accused falsely by a white woman named Mayella Ewell. In reality, she was attracted to Tom and attempted to seduce him, but when her father found out he forced her to accuse him of rape. Atticus Finch knows the charges are false and defends Tom in court as best he can, knowing that the death sentence is inevitable in this case. As I reader, I can identify with the heroism of Atticus in the case, and sympathize with the injustice being done to Tom, who never has a chance of surviving once these charges have been made. Even the Ewell family, as degraded, violent and racist as they are should also be considered victims…… [Read More]

Adolescents' Coming of Age Through Struggle

strength"-Oprah infrey:

The coming-of-age struggles of to Kill a Mockingbird and Romeo and Juliet

Although written in radically different styles (one is written from the perspective of an Elizabethan playwright, one is written in the voice of the child), at radically different eras, and in completely different media (one is a play, the other is a drama), both illiam Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird can be classified as coming-of-age dramas. In Romeo and Juliet, the teenage protagonists gain a sadder and more sophisticated understanding of the conflict-ridden world in which they live as a result of their love for one another. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the young narrator Scout comes to better understand the evils of the simmering racial tensions which exists within polite Southern society. Through the emotional struggles they personally undergo and witness both characters attain new levels of maturity they…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird Scouts View Innocence Beginning

Kill a Mockingbird Scouts view innocence beginning, middle end a multi-Paragraph 2 chunk 1:2 ratio. I a requirement sheet faxed emailed . Thank Zoanne Gray [HIDDEN]

Scout's view of innocence in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

The central character in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," Scout, is initially an innocent girl. The fact that she does not associate the low social status of black people in Maycomb, Alabama, with them being discriminated by the white community is essential proving this. This contributes to the belief that she is innocent, considering that she cannot possibly consider that people's nature can be so immoral. Although her father taught her in regard to life and concerning what would be best for her to do, he did not relate to society's problems and to their seriousness. Her innocence is reflected through the fact that she is curious about who is leaving presents to her…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird the 1962

By allowing his children to address him by hist first name, Atticus is dismantling one of the many traditions that serve to reinforce and perpetuate traditions that ultimately only serve to delegitimize the experience and perspective of certain people. This forces the viewer to take Scout's recollections and narration more seriously, because although they are the memories of a relatively young child, the viewer cannot help but treat them with a little more respect in recognition of the respect that Atticus, as the most idealized character in the entire film, grants them.

Thus, taking a cue from Atticus, Scout and Jem are respectful and relatively well-behaved, but are never hesitant to question or challenge attitudes and behaviors that they perceive as unjust or unjustified, and particularly in the case of Scout, are especially sensitive to behaviors that hypocritically contradict the ostensible moral standards of society. hile is worth noting that…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird Learning Empathy

Scout initially fears "Boo" Radley based on his race and his seclusion, "You never understand a person until you consider things from his point-of-view until you climb into his skin and walk around in," (Lee 62). Yet, once she can begin to "climb" into other people's skin, she understands the error of her ways. Eventually she and her brother begin to slowly understand Boo as an affectionate person rather than one to be feared. He had begun initial communication with the children by presenting them gifts, yet still refused to come out of his reclusion, "Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. e never put back into the tree what we took out of it; we had given him nothing, and it made me sad," (Lee 39). In the…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird Is a

Unlike other court depictions, the questioning of the witnesses and Robinson occur in the center of the room, creating a more intense feeling of interrogation.

The editing of the film helps to further drive the story. Shooting the film in black and white helps to exasperate the tension between social classes while commenting on the fact that the morality is not as simple as black and white and that there are many grey areas. The passage of time is marked by transitions in which a preceding scene fades into the next. Long shots are utilized to show the freedom that the children have within their neighborhood as they travel down the street and throughout town. The use of medium and medium close-up shots is best represented during the closing arguments of Robinson's trial in which Atticus tries to convince the jury to find his client innocent of the charges brought…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird a Timeless

This is especially valid when considering the position of a white jury concerning a black man suspected of rape. Even with that, the only thing worse than a corrupt jury system is a racist angry mob. Although many white people in the South expressed racist beliefs during the early twentieth century, it is very probable that most of them were unable to argument their thinking. The novel is likely to fit perfectly in civil rights literature because of the way that it addresses the concept of racism.

The general style of the novel and the elements present in it "enable the student to begin the process of becoming a critical reader by learning that there is more to reading fiction than simply being able to tell "what happened" (Glenn). Boo Radley's character is most probably meant to be a reference to the fact that people should always look for good…… [Read More]

English II Teacher to Kill

Scout and Jem are likewise tormented by their classmates because of their father's courageous decision to defend an obviously innocent man. Scout already hates school and feels like a persecuted mockingbird in its controlled, conformist environment. She would rather be playing with her brother and her best friend Dill. School is yet another example of the ways in which society can be cruel and persecutory of people who are 'different.'

Scout is not above hurting other people, however. When she is humiliated by her teacher because she explains why a poor boy named Walter cannot afford even to borrow money for lunch and her teacher reprimands her, Scout turns against Walter by beating him up during lunchtime. Before she is saved by Boo, she is frightened of him and she and her friends make up stories about him, because they fear what they do not understand. It is this misunderstanding…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird the Novel to Kill

Kill a Mockingbird

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by author Harper Lee tells the story of a southern American family living in a rural community during the Great Depression. Atticus Finch is the single, widowed father of Jeremy, nicknamed Jem, and Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout. Many people of the town of Maycomb, Alabama dislike the Finches because Atticus is educated, because of the way that Atticus is raising his children and also for his attitudes towards segregation and racial equality. Mr. Finch tries very hard to teach his children right from wrong, to let them live and make some of their own mistakes, and to raise them as intelligent human beings who judge men by the quality of the character, not the color of their skin. Although Atticus Finch is not a perfect man, he is ultimately a good father and a very good man.

Most of the plot…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird Sociology Has Tried to

Kill a Mockingbird

Sociology has tried to inquire into the profound need people invariably feel to classify, to put a label on their fellow humans, to asses where they stand in their relationships with others, to what group they belong. This would not be a bad thing in itself as long as the criteria used for achieving this were free of prejudice.

The stratification of the human society goes back several millennia. Unfortunately, as much as one would wish to think that modern world is approaching a new era where social status as a basis of discrimination will become a notion of the past, the present is showing strong indications that the stratification of the human society is still in place even in the most advanced countries. Literature is one of the vehicles that have provided writers a powerful tool to expose the evils of certain societies as well as…… [Read More]

Kill a Mockingbird the Book

Lastly, both of the novels impart a common moral lesson to the readers. "There is more to it than meets the eye"... this is just one of the lessons that can be achieved from the said novels. Many of the characters in the novels are not what they truly seem to be. Like for example, most would write off Boo adley as a reclusive madman, Miss Dubose as a mean spirited old woman, and Dolphous aymond as a social deviant. These people are loathed by most, but these are not fair judgments (http://www.ezinearticles.com/?to-Kill-a-Mockingbird-a-Book-eview&id=78097,2006).

In both novels, it is also the characters that are able to ascertain the true nature of the other people's personality. Jem hates Ms. Dubose so much for what she says that he destroys her bushes. But when forced to spend time with her, he finds her a more acceptable person. And when Atticus points out that…… [Read More]

Leadership Insights From Literature of

15).

In my opinion, Atticus Finch teaches us the latter kind of model of leadership both, in his small family as a widowed father, and his small town community as an attorney. I think it follows from this style of leadership that leaders are very often regarded as people who "act" instead of people who simply "direct." Atticus runs his family like a judge: he's the one in charge, and has a clear set of rules. Neither of the Finch kids ever calls their father "Dad"; he's always "Atticus." While he definitely puts his foot down when necessary, he also treats his kids with respect. He does not expect his children to respect him just because he sees his role in directing them as their father, but because he acts in a way that deserves respect (see Atticus Finch: Character Analysis, 2011, p. 1). For example, when Scout doesn't want…… [Read More]

Kill a Mocking Bird's Aticus Finch Defined

kill a Mocking Bird's Aticus Finch

Defined as one of the best novel of the 20th Century, and selling more than "30 million copies around the world" having it's translation in more than 40 languages (Flood), the book "To Kill a Mocking Bird" has been considered as a true reflction of the American society in 1936. The story revolves around the story of the racial differences that exist in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. The story is being narrated by the six-year daughter of the lawyer Atticus Finch, Scout Finch. The main plot revolves around the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white girl, and is being defended by Atticus. The story from the point-of-view of the child continues to be narrated, despite being forbidden to attend the court proceedings, as they hide themselves in the colored gallery. Facing a town…… [Read More]

Functional Literacy Activities What Are Some Examples

functional literacy activities? What are some examples?

Functional literacy activities refer to activities that focus on reading or writing in direct connection to actual tasks that can be easily applied or used in the real world. For example, functional literary activities might involve reading street signs, reading maps or drafting a grocery list.

What are ways to share literature with young children? What are important factors to consider when selecting literature to share and stocking classroom libraries? What are some effective story-reading strategies (read-alouds and shared reading)?

One way to share literature with young children would be to present it in the most dynamic and hands on approach possible. For example, using puppets or dolls or figurines when presenting a new book to students can be a way to help engage students' minds and imagination. Or dynamic follow-up activities which relate to the text can also be used with success:…… [Read More]

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

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In this To Kill a Mockingbird essay example, the exploration of race and family will play a role in how the characters are experienced by the reader. A look at setting, an emphasis on characters like Aunt Alexandra, will help provide the kind of context needed to explore the topic further. The topic of family is an interesting area to cover because it is a personal and private attempt of the writer to showcase feelings that he or she may not otherwise show in their own lives. Novels like To Kill a Mockingbird offer a glimpse into ideals or struggles of family for the author.
Titles
Race Relations in To Kill a Mockingbird

A Look at Jim Crow Laws in To Kill a Mockingbird

Calpurnia and Tim Robinson from To Kill a Mockingbird and Their Portrayal of the Black Community

Selected Title: The Role of Family in To…… [Read More]