The Reality of To Kill A Mockingbird Essay - 1445 Words

The Reality of To Kill A Mockingbird The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, takes place during a racially intense time in history. Harper Lee’s novel was intended to bring a harsh sense of reality to the real world, and demonstrate how it really was during this time in history. This novel is set in Maycomb, Alabama, somewhere during the time period of 1925-1935. Times were hard for the citizens of Maycomb during this period, because of the depression. There are many fictional events in this novel related to non-fictional racial events in history. Leading the list of racial crimes would be hate crimes, such as lynching. Hate crimes are violent acts against people, property, or organizations due to the group to which they†¦show more content†¦Although the actual number of lynchings declined after 1892, the percentage of Black victims increased. (Gibson 1) There are 2805 documented victims of lynch mobs killed between 1882 and 1930 in ten southern states. Although mobs murdered almost 300 white men and women, the vast majority of almost 2,500 lynching victims were African-American. Of these black victims, 94 percent died in the hands of white lynch mobs. The scale of this carnage means that, on the average, a black man, woman, or child was murdered nearly once a week, every week, between 1882 and 1930 by a hate-driven white mob. (Braziel 1) On top of lynching, African American’s had to deal with hate groups, such as the Klu Klux Klan. William Joseph Simmons founded the second Ku Klux Klan in 1915 atop Stone Mountain, Georgia. Middle-class whites filled the ranks of the Ku Klux Klan. Many had worked hard to achieve a measure of economic independence, which they feared they might lose in an increasingly industrialized society. The typical 1920s Klansman managed or owned a small business known as a mom and pop store. They feared socialism and loudly denounced anything considered communist. The Klan achieved considerable political power in several states, including Indiana, Colorado, and Oklahoma. (Klu Klux Klan 1) Ku Klux Klan membership peaked in early 1924. Total figures depended on who was beingShow MoreRelatedLiterature Adds To Reality Essay1648 Words   |  7 Pagesadds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in thi s respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become,† said C.S. Lewis, noted author. This quote, to me, is the most appropriate description of the importance of literature in our lives. Literature reminds us of stories, epics, sacred scriptures and classical works of the ancient and modern times, in which the book To Kill a Mockingbird clearlyRead MoreSocial Difference in Too Kill a Mockingbird1277 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferences in others. In Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, the subject of social differences is the main theme for the book. The book adresses directly the major problem of racism per example and deals with it in its special way. Set in the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird examines very closely social differences at that time. Unfortunately, the social differences found in the 1930s are very different than those we face in 2007. To Kill a Mockingbird has become a cultural phenomenon. StudentsRead MoreA Mockingbird Is A Harmless Thing That Make s The World A Better Place?1352 Words   |  6 PagesA mockingbird is a harmless thing that makes the world a better place. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the mockingbird is Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, who are both pleasant peaceful people who would never do any harm. To kill a or bring harm to them would be a sin. Scouts father Atticus tells his children, â€Å"I’d rather you shoot tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.† (pRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Ethical Dilemma Essay1001 Words   |  5 Pagesearth to meet both humane and society’s criteria. In To Kill a Mockingbird’s courtroom saga, the struggle to find balance in social norms and moral law engulfs the town’s perspective on race, poverty, and ignorance forcing its people to choose between the two. The enlightenment of empathy can not only be used to alleviate society from its own ignorance, but it can also solve the rhetorical clash of morality and social norms. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and scout use their childish innocence to sparkRead MoreInjustice In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay813 Words   |  4 Pagesemphasizes this through the symbolism and the metaphor of a mockingbird in her novel entitled To Kill a Mockingbird. The title, To Kill a Mockingbird is a metaphor developed through Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson that illustrates the injustice and prejudice that people face, despite their good nature, similarly to Muslims and Arabs today. Throughout the story, Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson are symbols of a mockingbird in Maycomb’s society. A mockingbird takes form through Tom Robinson because of his innocenceRead MoreA Time to Kill and to Kill a Mockingbird1314 Words   |  6 PagesThe movie based on John Grishams A Time to Kill is a Hollywoodized, modern-day version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Both movies employ many of the same themes and plot elements; but the former movie is one-dimensional and predictable while the latter is innovative and purposeful. The movie version of Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic film, whereas John Grishams adapted novel is merely another example of the money making efforts of Hollywood. Some of the movies moreRead MoreTheme Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird1374 Words   |  6 Pages Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is best known as a literary classic, telling the tale of a young girl named Jean Louise â€Å"Scout† Finch’s childhood in a southern Alabama town during the great depression. While the fate of a black male convicted of rape still looms in the synopsis. To Kill a Mockingbird the title of the novel, refers to a quote on page 119. Both said by Atticus Finch the town of Maycombs lawyer and Miss Maudie his neighbor, â€Å"it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird†. As said by Miss MaudieRead MoreTheme Of Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird791 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader. MockingbirdsRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis Essay838 Words   |  4 PagesWe all have those special books that we hold close to our hearts due to the transformative affect they have upon us. Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) is one such book. This story of discrimination may just alter the way we all view ourselves, others and the world we live in. Set in the 1930s throughout the Great Depression in South Alabama, the novel allows us all to come to the disturbing realisation that this novel remains as apt today as it did when it was first written 57 years agoRead More Comparing the Movies A Time to Kill, by John Grisham and To Kill a Mockingbird1285 Words   |  6 Pages The movie based on John Grishams A Time to Kill is a Hollywoodized, modern-day version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Both movies employ many of the same themes and plot elements; but the former movie is one-dimensional and predictable while the latter is innovative and purposeful. The movie version of Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic film, whereas John Grisham?s adapted novel is merely another example of the money making efforts of Hollywood. Some of the movies