Thanks a million, Adam! *runs off to fix*
This is a school essay I did on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I was supposed to use the book to show how the significance of its title is developed through the author's use of devices such as repetition, point of view, symbolism, and analogy. In 500 words. I actually think I'm fourteen words short. You don't think that'll be a big deal, will it?
Proofreading and comments would be very helpful, especially from those who have read the book!
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To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that takes a revealing look at childhood, integrity, and prejudice. However, the relevance of its title is not immediately obvious. Harper Lee uses literary tools to bring to light the meaning of the name, and indeed one the novel’s main themes.
If one were to scan the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird, they would find very few instances when the word “mockingbird” was actually referenced. The first time it is given any attention is when Jem and Scout receive air rifles for Christmas. “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em,” says the children’s father, Atticus, “but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Their neighbor, Miss Maudie Atkinson elaborates: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Through these pieces of dialogue, the mockingbird is subtly established as a symbol of tainted innocence for the novel.
Lee’s tells her story from the point of view of Scout Finch; a mere six-year-old at the novel’s opening. Because of her naiveté, the reader is granted an unbiased view of the citizens of Maycomb County. This is especially true in the case of Tom Robinson-- a black man charged of the rape of Mayella Ewell. Despite the fact that he is falsely accused, the prejudices of the townspeople result in his conviction. In this way, Tom is a “mockingbird” of the novel. Similarly, Dill Harris, Scout and Jem’s tale-telling companion is an example of corrupted childhood. His lightheartedness and imagination are overshadowed only by the discovery of his absent father. Most prominently, the mockingbird is an analogy for the misunderstood Arthur “Boo” Radley. Although he is surrounded by eeriness and myth, his benevolence is shown through his gifts to Jem and Scout, as well as when he saves them from revenge-seeking Bob Ewell.
Upon closer examination, one can find places in which the author mentions the mockingbird repeatedly. Following the scene in which Boo Radley saves the Finch children, Atticus realizes Boo killed Mr. Ewell to rescue them. However, he decides not to expose the act, in order to keep reclusive Boo out of the limelight. When asked if she understands this choice, Scout replies, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” In a more subtle instance, upon hearing of Tom Robinson’s death, Mr. B. B. Underwood, a newspaper editor compares it “to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children”.
In these ways, Harper Lee shows the significance of Mockingbird’s title. Her use of representation strings together the novel’s characters and its messages. These devices add depth and a sense of universality to a story that is full of meaning and truth, even for readers today.
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(NOTE: I am terrible at organized writing.)
Joeducktape wrote:
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that takes a revealing look at childhood, integrity, and prejudice. However, the relevance of its title is not immediately obvious. Harper Lee uses literary tools to bring to light the meaning of the name, and indeed one the novel’s main themes.
If one were to scan the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird, they would find very few instances when the word “mockingbird” [s]was[/s]is actually referenced. The first time it is given any attention is when Jem and Scout receive air rifles for Christmas. “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em,” says the children’s father, Atticus, “but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Their neighbor, Miss Maudie Atkinson elaborates: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Through these pieces of dialogue, the mockingbird is subtly established as a symbol of tainted innocence for the novel.
You might want to put (Lee pg.#) after the quotes since they are quotes from the book.
Lee[s]’s[/s] tells her story from the point of view of Scout Finch; a mere six-year-old at the novel’s opening. Because of her naiveté, the reader is granted an unbiased view of the citizens of Maycomb County. This is especially true in the case of Tom Robinson-- a black man charged [s]of[/s]with the rape of Mayella Ewell. Despite the fact that he is falsely accused, the prejudices of the townspeople result in his conviction. In this way, Tom is a “mockingbird” of the novel. Similarly, Dill Harris, Scout and Jem’s tale-telling companion is an example of corrupted childhood. His lightheartedness and imagination are overshadowed only by the discovery of his absent father. Most prominently, the mockingbird is an analogy for the misunderstood Arthur “Boo” Radley. Although he is surrounded by eeriness and myth, his benevolence is shown through his gifts to Jem and Scout, as well as when he saves them from revenge-seeking Bob Ewell.
Upon closer examination, one can find places in which the author mentions the mockingbird repeatedly. Following the scene in which Boo Radley saves the Finch children, Atticus realizes Boo killed Mr. Ewell to rescue them. However, he decides not to expose the act, in order to keep the reclusive Boo out of the limelight. When asked if she understands this choice, Scout replies, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” In a more subtle instance, upon hearing of Tom Robinson’s death, Mr. B. B. Underwood, a newspaper editor compares it “to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children”.
In these ways, Harper Lee shows the significance of To Kill Mockingbird’s title. Her use of representation strings together the novel’s characters and its messages. These devices add depth and a sense of universality to a story that is full of meaning and truth, even for readers today.
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