Short on time?

Get essay writing help

Find To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) Essay

117 samples in this category

Essay examples
Essay topics

This issue, of racism, is popular but tends to be acceptable by the way some people see it. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee has many minor themes that are present. Such as racism, legal injustice, sexism, coming of age, and classism. However, the largest and major ...

theme of the book is racism. All of the events and themes in the book had one purpose which is to support the theme of racism. Racism has negative effects and is very common but there is still hope.

Racism plays a big part in the world, especially in the 1930s. Racism has always been a problem in America and all around the world. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows racism from the characters, how they deal with African Americans, what they call the N-word. In the article, “Kids exposed to racism have a higher risk of depression and sickness,’ by Washington Post talked about a group of children’s doctors who were warned at the end of July that racism can have long-term effects on children’s health. The article, states that a report comes at a time when racism is making the news. It makes sense that racism hurts people who support African Americans because in To Kill a Mockingbird when Atticus supports Tom Robinson, an African American, other people did not like how Atticus is supporting an African American. Atticus says that there is a case in every lawyer’s career that “affects him personally” (Lee 100). Atticus says that because he has to make a decision to help cases or not where he accepts or declines the case. In the case of Atticus’ decision-making, he accepts to help Tom Robinson. If Atticus had not taken the case, he would have been accused of being racist because Tom is an African American, that is why he accepted to help Tom. Also, he did it to help Scout and Jem to not have to defend Atticus and his choices. In today’s society, it relates because some people will not like them because they are different races and they support each other. A similar thing in the article “Kids exposed to racism have a higher risk of depression and sickness,” that kids have a lot of health issues than others because they are more exposed to racism. The author is saying that kids have to worry more and think of doing dumb things to themself because they do not know what else to do because they are being slurred at because of racism. Racism still affects today’s society and others have opinions of racism and what they do about it.

Two main characters in the book carried hope for the generation that is to come, that things will change. “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand” (Lee, 100). Both Scout and Jem, two important characters, were inspired by their father Atticus, who believed that racism is a disease from which his kids should be saved. Education informs people, gives exposure to different viewpoints. It also teaches the American population that people of all races have lots of things in common. Segregating people of all kinds prevents countries and nations from making huge progress, which wastes lots of time. “Why don’t they like the Jews, you reckon, Miss Gates?” (Lee, 281). That is one of the quotes Harper Lee was trying to show others. Societies changed for better, more and more people got educated and they learned about kindness and equality.

Many people know that racism is wrong and offensive, yet people still show racism in today’s society. Even though racism is not as bad as in the past, lots of people are hurt in many ways. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows racism through unfairness in the courtroom. “Alright” by Andrew Limbong shows racism by giving information about how black people have to deal with the cops and what that cops make black African Americans do unnecessary things. Both stories, “Alright” and To Kill A Mockingbird, show how different lives in the United States are not fair and arent treated the same way. It is hard to win a trial when the city that your facing is mostly white people that do not trust and respect African Americans, like Tom in To Kill A Mockingbird. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is at court and says that Mayella Ewells is taking advantage of her white privileges by accusing an innocent man, Tom. “If you had been on that jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man” (Lee 295). Atticus is saying to the people at court that if you had more people of your race and you are on trial you would win. Then somewhere in chapter 23 Atticus talks about Mayella taking advantage of her race and talking to the people to get them on her side. Even though Mayella Ewell did not prove her innocence to court and Tom still becomes a victim of a crime he did not commit. Then Tom steps in and he says something about decision of the court should be free from discrimination because the court is a place where justice exercises races and color. A similar shameful scene occurs in the article, “Alright” by Andrew Limbong, when a 14-year-old boy, an African American, was outside playing with his airsoft and the cops showed up, the cops gave him orders to do and the boy did do what the cops told him. “According to the incident report, officers asked the 14-year old for his mother’s name and address, who gave to them” (Limbong). Yet the cops still do unnecessary things like trying to cuff the young teen. While this is happening other African Americans show up and got their phones out to record the whole thing also there were many there and they surround the cop cars and the cops then sprayed them with pepper spray without any warning and people suffer the pepper spray. Until the mother arrived, the cops take them into an ambulance and let them free, after all the unnecessary things the cops did. Sadly, many people know that racism is wrong and offensive but they still occur over and over in the past and in today’s society.

Racism, an effective way to hurt people and it breaks down people in many ways but, there is still some hope that it will change. For this, authors and writers use and show racism in their writings to let people know it is bad and unfair. Most uses of racism are people who already learned and know what effects it does yet, people don’t listen to the effects and want more problems.

Show More

The Reasons for Banning of To Kill a Mockingbird

Banning books has been a controversial issue in high schools across the United States. Everyone has their own unique beliefs and opinions. It is not ethical to forbid everyone from reading a book that makes one person feel uncomfortable. No one should have the right to ban everyone from reading a book. It is up to the reader to decide what book they want to read. Some people like to ban books for everyone because of the words used toward...
3 Pages 1590 Words

Symbols in the Novel To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel written by author Harper Lee in 1960, however the time period of the novel is during the 1930’s. The novel uses various different symbols and their meanings to deepen the reader’s understanding and perception of the text, the mocking bird being the most prominent. The novels main focus is on innocence and purity and the transition of this to evil. The symbol of Tim Johnson displays this transition along with the fight against...
2 Pages 774 Words

Logos, Pathos And Ethos In The Novel To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee it was one of the most widely read books in America since its publication in the 1960s. It was the story of good and evil. It highlighted the transition of Jem and Scout from the perspective of innocence. By the end of the story Jem and Scout lose their innocence from the lessons of their father Atticus Finch and the Tom Robinson case. To Kill A Mockingbird uses the literary devices of...
2 Pages 1115 Words

Segregation In To Kill A Mockingbird

Colored skin people, particularly African Americans, have been under pressure and stress of racial injustice throughout history. After the mid-nineteen-century’s abolition of slavery, there seemed to be a shift in Whites ‘ relations with Blacks, but Whites emancipated Blacks by passing segregation and Jim Crow Laws. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird the ideas of racism and segregation are hinted throughout the story. Lee portrays her characters with different attitudes and strong beliefs towards race relations and segregation which...
2 Pages 843 Words

The Theme Of Good And Evil In The Novel To Kill A Mockingbird

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a reflection of life in the south of America during the Great Depression. Through the main protagonist, Scout, we see how certain events in her life changes and helps her mature, and how she eventually learns that the world is full of bigotry and hatred. She is a young girl who lives with her family, which consists of her father Atticus and her older brother Jem, along with her African-American...
2 Pages 969 Words

Use of Prejudice by Harper Lee in To Kill A Mockingbird: Critical Analysis

In To Kill A Mockingbird, prejudice is one of the major themes that is repeated throughout the book. Many characters act prejudiced against other characters, while others try to fight back. The setting takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator of the book is a young girl named Scout who is very innocent. One of the main reasons Harper Lee has a child narrate the book is so that there is not much bias when discussing important topics like prejudice....
4 Pages 1967 Words

Why Should to Kill a Mockingbird Be Taught in Schools

To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee in 1960. The book is talking about racism back in the 1900s. It revolves around a small family of three Atticus, finch, and his two children Scout and Jem. The main idea is about Atticus trying to defend Tom Robison during the trial because Tom Robison is being accused of raping a girl. So that is one of the background knowledge about the story. To kill a mocking is a book...
3 Pages 1199 Words

The Various Forms of Racism Discrimination in To Kill A Mockingbird

Discrimination has been present throughout human history for centuries. In Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a narration of happenings during the Great Depression and how discrimination was evident between black and white communities. Due to its instant success, a film adaptation was produced approximately two years later in 1962. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional small town of Maycomb, Alabama, Using different complex characters, the novel centers around the protagonist...
4 Pages 1936 Words

Jem’s Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

Have you ever said something you shouldn’t have? In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the novel tells the story of two young children coming of age, with this being said, the key to maturity is controlling your emotions. Jem showed this throughout the novel as he started to grow up and acted more maturely than when he was younger. The main character, Jean Louise Finch, or mainly referred to as Scout, her older brother Jeremy Finch...
2 Pages 753 Words

Theme of Empathy in To Kill A Mockingbird

It’s not a simple task to try and step into another’s shoes, however defying general beliefs to empathize with another is a feat many cannot achieve. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird was composed by Harper Lee and is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, a child growing up in Maycomb County with her father and brother in the 1930s. The reader is carried along with Scout as she expresses her evolving interpretation of the world and her deeply...
2 Pages 1091 Words

Innocence And Growing Up In The Novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’

A novel in which every scene and detail has its meaning and a single item has symbolism is no other than To Kill A Mockingbird. To Kill A Mockingbird has many themes although one theme, in particular, develops over the course of the novel. In this novel, it focuses on two characters, that being Scout and Jem and their coming of age story. Opening their eyes and seeing the truth behind what they had previously believed, in the small town...
1 Page 557 Words

To Kill A Mockingbird: Good Vs. Evil

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around it”(Lee 189). This means you can’t judge a person about what they are and what they stand for, you have to understand where they are coming from and what they really like within themselves not what other people say. Scout and Jem finch the main characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. They learn good...
2 Pages 1098 Words

Social Inequality in to Kill a Mockingbird

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee focuses on the social inequality in a few different forms during her novel. Most of the social inequality that we see throughout Lee’s story is because of the mindset that the people of Maycomb have and their unwillingness to change their ways. This view that the people of Maycomb have is due to the time when there was many cases of discrimination that included not only race, but also of wealth...
2 Pages 837 Words

Theme Of Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, there are various situations concerning discrimination. In the 1930s many people across the nation had extreme prejudices against people of color. [The various forms of discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird include racism, social class heirarchy, and sexism.] In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are very clear prejudices against people...
2 Pages 745 Words

What does Boo Radley Symbolize: Kindness and Innocence

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, children live in an imaginative world where mysteries flourish but little exists to actually cause them harm. Scout and Jem spend a lot of their time making up stories about their reclusive neighbor, whom they’ve labeled a “malevolent phantom”. Arthur “Boo” Radley is said to be an outsider who never sets foot outside his house. However, he represents a powerful symbol of kindness and innocence, leaving thoughtful gifts for Scout and Jem in...
2 Pages 800 Words

Theme of Justice in To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in Maycomb town in the U.S. State of Alabama. The fictional town is home to the Finches. Atticus Finch, a widower, lives with his daughter, Scout Finch, and son, Jem Atticus, during the Great Depression. Racism is a vital hallmark of life in Maycomb. As a prominent lawyer, Atticus understands the issue of race in Alabama. He reminds his children not to “kill a mocking bird” because they do not harm people...
3 Pages 1508 Words

To Kill a Mockingbird: Prejudice, Racism and Sexism

“We all know all men are not created equal in the sense that some people would have us believe–some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they’re born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than others–some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of most men” is a quote from the wise Atticus Finch, this passage describes the reality that not all people are seen as equal,...
3 Pages 1175 Words

Boo Radley Character Development In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird has many unique characters none more unique than Boo Radley. Boo Radley is misunderstood by most of the town because they think that Boo is this scary, horrible, beast that will hurt them if they get too close. He is timid, integrities and, a considerate man who is always being mistreated for his differences. Boo shows how he is a good person by looking out for scout, jem and, dill even though they...
1 Page 607 Words

Prejudice As the Main Theme in the Novel To Kill a Mockingbird: Critical Analysis

Prejudice is a negatively biased opinion based on stereotypes and ideas not proven to be true, which is a main theme in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Prejudice may make one feel excluded, dejected, or inferior to others in society, which is what three certain characters feel in this story. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee published in 1960. Within this fiction, the characters affected by prejudice are Walter Cunninham Jr., Scout Finch, and...
2 Pages 1072 Words

To Kill a Mockingbird’: 5 Paragraph Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was initially published in 1960 and since then, it has been widely read and has supplied vital lessons to society. The central issues and themes discussed in the novel are relevant to society now, despite it being set in a fictional American town. Throughout Scout’s journey, she reveals, to herself, the significance of taking other people’s perspectives into consideration and eventually realizes how understanding different outlooks on a situation can affect an entire...
1 Page 584 Words

To Kill A Mockingbird: Moral And Ethical Lessons

Most authors provide lessons sugar-coated with stories of unrealistic and non-relevant plots and twists. To Kill a Mockingbird deeply explores real life problems while simultaneously teaching its readers valuable life lessons. As a classic literature enthusiast, it’s truly disappointing that To Kill a Mockingbird is not a part of the ‘Guides to the classics’ series. Harper Lee’s richly textured novel cleverly utilises characterisation and language to teach readers many moral and ethical lessons. This novel is about the perspective of...
2 Pages 811 Words

To Kill a Mockingbird: The Loss of Innocence

Psychologist Deborah Tannen once said: “We all know we are unique individuals, but we tend to see others as representatives of groups.” She also added that it is in our nature to do this, and from what she had said it can be concluded that this function in the human brain makes them more efficient since they will be able to see patterns. However, while this ability to separate different people into different groups based on distinguishing features of their...
3 Pages 1488 Words

Symbolism In The Book To Kill A Mockingbird

Throughout Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird there is extensive symbolism throughout. Some subtle and others obvious. The most preeminent symbol is undoubtably the mockingbird itself. A symbol of courage, innocence and adulthood. These are illustrated throughout the characters Atticus Finch, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Atticus Finch demonstrates courage when he chooses to defend Tom Robinson in a legal case that no one else would even consider taking, a seemingly unwinnable fight. The opposite of courage in their...
2 Pages 875 Words

Research Analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee and was published in 1960. The main aim of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is to focus on the extraordinary elements that come up in the 1930s in the Southern United States. Other authors and scholars, through their works, also focused on the aspects of racial discrimination and injustices in the society. The book is narrated by a young girl, Scout, who opens us into the world of...
3 Pages 1490 Words

Metaphor, Foreshadowing And Allusion In The Book To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird is a book that talks about growing up, and innocence. This book is told from the point of view of Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout. Scout is a small girl growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. She has a lot to learn in her upcoming years in Maycomb, as she is just a child and is oblivious to the real world. Throughout this book the author Harper Lee uses literary elements...
2 Pages 916 Words

How Stereotyping Causes Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird

The chances of blacks going to jail are 32% while for whites, it is 6%. This injustice happens to this day and is showcased when an innocent black is accused of rape in To Kill a Mockingbird. However Arthur Radley also faces prejudice despite being white. Siblings Scout and Jem witness these problems in their town, Maycomb. Their father Atticus and others teach them morals that contradict usual ways. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee addresses how stereotyping produces the...
4 Pages 1723 Words

Coming of Age Quotes in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

The book I chose to do for this Coming of Age presentation is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Now, I know we all have read to kill a Mockingbird and you all know the story of each character, the literary devices, and the themes as well. We also talked about the coming-of-age aspects as well. Now I am here to elaborate on that and refresh your memory of the conflicts, character relationships, and setting. Using these elements, I...
5 Pages 2372 Words

Racism, Sexism and Classism as the Result of a Biased Society in To Kill a Mockingbird

A common use of setting in books, films and plays, is to create an atmosphere and set a scene. Without it, the audience is left with a feeling of disconnect and emptiness. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the setting pushes along the values and beliefs of people from that time. In the early 20th century, the mindset of people in the United States, especially in the south, was very different compared to modern-day thinking. Acts...
2 Pages 1076 Words

The Issue of Racism in To Kill A Mockingbird

In her novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Harper Lee brilliantly dissects the predominance of racism in the 1930s. By allowing the reader to experience the book through the eyes of one of Maycomb County’s own citizens, Scout Finch, the author goes beyond simply telling examples of racism, but rather draws the reader into the lives of those in Maycomb and letting one experience it for oneself. Lee accomplishes this through showing the pre-judgement of those of a different colour in...
3 Pages 1222 Words

Big Impact Of Boo Radley In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

In all novels, the major characters are usually the most important and focused on, but in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the minor characters appear more important than usual. Mr. Arthur Radley, also known as Boo, was consistently brought up and throughout the novel. He seemed to develop a relationship with different characters, help portray themes, and contribute to the action during parts of the novel. Because of all the talk about Boo, some can perceive him as a...
2 Pages 737 Words
price Check the Price of Your Paper
Topic
Number of pages
Email Invalid email

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.

Join 100k satisfied students
  • Get original paper written according to your instructions
  • Save time for what matters most
hire writer

Fair Use Policy

EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any violation of the academic standards. Should you have any questions regarding our Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via support@edubirdie.com.

Check it out!