Olivia+Edwards'+Summer+Reading 

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee Approved

**Essay #1** __**The Historical Accuracy of To Kill A Mockingbird**__ Although a fictional novel, Harper Lee’s //To Kill A Mockingbird // is a surprisingly accurate display of the life that was indeed lead by the Negro and the white people of America from 1865 when it historically began, to the 1930’s when the book is actually set.

By the 1950’s, when Lee actually wrote the book, the situation for the Negroes had begun to change in Southern states causing riots and disturbances from both communities. The book is set in a time after the Ku Klux Klan’s attempts to cleanse the community of Negroes, and before the big civil rights movement. At this particular time, the situation for the Negroes had hardly changed since the end of the Civil War.

Like many of the small towns at this time, Maycomb, Alabama had been virtually unchanged for decades. As a result of this, newcomers were often disregarded and people who were “different” were treated as such. The conformist, religious attitude of the townspeople of Maycomb is clearly displayed in Lee’s novel giving us a sense of how difficult it would be to be either a Negro, or a person who disagreed with the segregation of the Negroes.

Situations like the supposed “rape” in //To Kill A Mockingbird // would have been big news in the small community settling the white communities ideas that the Negro population should remain segregated from the white population. Someone like Atticus who goes against the conformist rules of the strictly-religious community would be viewed as something of an oddity and would not be appreciated within the white population of Maycomb.

Despite its fictional characters and situations, the background to Lee’s eye-opening novel is clearly based on truth and historical findings probably lived out or seen by Harper Lee himself giving him a good idea of what actually happened at this difficult time in the United States. Olivia Edwards __To Kill A Mockingbird Essay #1 - The Theme Of Prejudice__
 * Essay #2**

Harper Lee’s __To Kill A Mockingbird__ is a stark reflection of the old white supremacist America during the 1930’s and for many years before. Historically, a deep hatred was formed between the ‘whites’ and the ‘negroes’ meaning that violence and prejudice often broke out. Written and set after the Ku Klux Klan’s attempts at cleansing the USA of negroes had dies down, Lee’s political novel displays what life was really like for negroes and those very few white people who took a stand against the racism.

The idea of population and bigotry in this novel is clearly dominant. The characters of Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and, to some extent, Maudie Atkinson are persecuted for being different; for going against the norm. Tom Robinson, the negro man accused of raping a white girl is unfairly accused of and found guilty of this supposed rape despite obvious doubt over evidence. Hypocrisy plays a role in this section too. The townspeople have become so prejudiced that they don’t realise how hypocritical they have become. Many, like BB Underwood, editor of the newspaper claims to hate injustice while despisig black people. While it seems like Atticus is the real hero for sticking by Tom Robinson, it is debatable that the only man who truly went against the prejudice set by the townspeople of this 1930’s Alabama was Dolphus Reymond. Being a white man in a white supremacist nation is a easy life to lead yet he chooses to go against what is normal and live amongst the negro population as well as resenting the conformist behaviour of the white townspeople.

Although Harper Lee was not a historian, his novel was an incredibly accurate tale of the bigotry that ran through the USA at that time and had done for years before.

Essay #3 __Character Analysis of Arthur (Boo) Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird__

The character of Arthur Radley is a confusing one. He changes significantly throughout the novel through the eyes of the children making him another subject of the bigotry of the small town.

At the beginning of this political novel, the character of Arthur Radley, or as the children call him, Boo Radley, is a terrifying one. The children see him as a fearsome man. He is seen as a monster in the town with stories surrounding his name. He is said to have been nearly arrested for stealing a car, and have stabbed his father in the leg with a pair of scissors. The townspeople spread rumours that he can kill azaleas by breathing on them and that he poisoned pecans in the school yard.

However, as we get further into the story, we start to realise that Boo isn’t the evil monster that the townspeople seem to think he is. He is just another victim of the ever-growing prejudice that engulfs the small town in Alabama. This first occurs to the children when they find gifts from Boo by the trees. However, it is not until Boo Radley’s greatest act of kindness, coming to the children’s aid when Bob Ewell attacks them and stabbing him with a knife, that the children really understand that Boo is not the monster that the gossip suggested he was. In fact, “He is a gentle, quiet, and very shy man.” (Lee, Harper chapter 1)

This is another good example of prejudice within the novel. The children and townspeople are so used to listening to the gossip from the others around them that none of them attempt to get to know him, they simply decide to not like him. This assumption is “killed” when the children are helped so generously by Arthur Radley. Essay #4 __The Character Of Atticus Within //To Kill A Mockingbird//__ In every story there is a hero: Harper Lee’s //To Kill A Mockingbird// is no exception. Atticus Finch is a fifty-year-old widower raising his two children, Scout and Jem with help from their family cook. Atticus becomes a potent figure in this novel because of his courage and faith in people.

We first see this bravery when he is defending Tom Robinson. Despite failing to gain a fair outcome of this particular trial, he does not loose his faith in the law and the jury. Although his children are not all together happy that he is different to other people’s fathers, to the adults in the village, Atticus is held in a very high regard. His family criticizes him for bringing his children up in a way that is different from others. One of his many teachings to his children results in a very famous quote from this book. When Atticus is speaking to Scout he says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” This shows Atticus’ ideas of others and how to judge people. He believes in knowing people from within and understanding how they work rather than looking at the colour of their skin and using that as your reason for judgment.

Atticus’ faith in people comes back to haunt him at the end of this novel. His faith that Bob Ewell would not seek revenge was flawed; Bob Ewell attacked his children. Atticus’ faith is so flawed that his judgment becomes weak when he has to deal with the death of Bob Ewell and whether his son Jem is responsible. Even though Jem had a bad arm and was not strong enough to have killed Bob, Atticus believes that Jem should be tried fairly in a court.

Atticus changes as a character over the course of the novel from being someone who could do no wrong to someone whose judgment was clouded, and who’s faith was lost. Although a sad turn for a character to have; Atticus’ change in behaviour was a prominent one. Essay #5 __**The Motif of The Mockingbird In To Kill A Mockingbird**__ As well as being mentioned in the title, the mockingbird is mentioned in the book many times also. The children are told in the story that they are not allowed to kill the mockingbird because it does nothing wrong except sing. A mockingbird doesn’t sing it’s own song but copies the songs of other birds hence its name. Interestingly, the mockingbird is coloured both black and white showing the union between the two that is not found in this small town.

Boo Radley could be compared to the motif of the mockingbird as well as Tom Robinson. Both of these kind, gentle people should have been protected like the mockingbird. Instead like the children shooting the songbirds, the mob hunts down both characters and persecutes them by the children, gossip and the jury. The two men have done no harm to others yet the townspeople, who are blinded by what is “normal” and what is not, see that it is their place to cleanse their town of these abnormalities.

We could also relate the mockingbird motif to themes within the book. One could argue that justice is “killed” when the jury decides to follow their own prejudices instead of following the evidence. As well as this, when the children realise that in the adult world, things are often cruel and unfair, and their childhood innocence is effectively ruined. Therefore the theme of childhood is also affected by the motif of the mockingbird.


 * Comment #1**

Jin Kwon - Hi Jin. Hope you had a great summer. Anyway, to the task at hand. First of all I want to say I disagree with Kevin about your first line. (Sorry Kevin!) I think it's great. It's different and makes me want to read on. I completely understand what you are saying about how violence is not just someone being unnecessarily cruel; it always has a reason to be there. Although I've never read this book, you have given enough information that connects to your point for me to understand what you are talking about so, well done there. The second paragraph flows really well. Your quote, "violence isn’t violence, but more of an action driven by a certain motivation." fits perfectly in this section, the motivation for Conrad to attempt suicide clearly being the death of his older brother. Although your last paragraph flows well and clearly shows your voice, I think it strays slightly from your original thesis about violence being more than just violence. One more sentence linking the two ideas together might just make that paragraph fit in better with the other two. But overall your understanding of the book is clear, your voice is strong and your ideas are well presented. Good job Jin. Livvy Edwards

Hi Kevin, Hope you had a good summer. To get to the point, I really liked your opening line. Linking your idea to the real world makes it much easier to follow. Your flow is good throughout the whole essay. Your introduction is short but sweet; getting your point across without summarizing the book too much which is good. I like the last line of your second paragraph, it really highlights your point about the weather foreshadowing death, however, you did forget to put a period at the end of the sentence (:S) But i'm sure that was just a typo. Your comment about the contrast between what Eddie was wearing and the weather in the last paragraph was interesting however it felt a little out of place. The first two paragraphs fit together so well along with most of the third, but the last few sentences of that last paragraph were a little off. That doesn't make much difference to the fact that it is a very well written essay in my point of view. Well done. :D  Livvy Edwards
 * Comment #2**
 * IMPORTANT: Your summer reading assignment page should have five essays (copy and pasted) and two comments (copy and pasted). If I have to look for your assignments, points will be deducted!**