To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | A Teenager's Perspective of To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | No, It Doesn't Teach You How To Kill a Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird

	To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Grand Central Publishing, 1988 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 1738 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out."Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber

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A Teenager's Perspective of To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird is a relief after the numerous tedious pieces of "classic literature" forced upon us by our county's curriculum. This book interlaces themes related to both adulthood and childhood which parallel the stage of our lives which we currently live.

To Kill A Mockingbird centers around the lives of Scout and Jem Finch and their explorations of the facets of maturity. The two spend there summers with Dill, exploring their sleepy southern town and trying to coax Boo Radley out of his house. The siblings grow apart as the each begin their own transition from child to adult. Jem's changes manifest themselves in his habitual "maddening superiority", while Scout learns more about the intricacies of the more adult world. Their new found maturity is tested when Atticus takes on the job of defending Tom Robinson. Then they learn the true meaning of growing lies in making the right decision when faced with the wrong.

This novel resonates with teenage readers in a way uncommon to many of the books imposed upon us in school. Everyone should read this timeless classic because it is more that just a classic. It is a catalog of life lessons imparted to the reader through a collection of memories.

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No, It Doesn't Teach You How To Kill a Mockingbird

This timeless novel by Harper Lee is a semi-autobiographical story about a girl named Scout Finch growing up in 1930's Alabama. When her father, Atticus, is assigned to defend a black man on trial for rape, Scout must learn to keep her head high in spite of the taunting and threats of a town gone "stark raving mad". Scout's brother, Jem, represents adolescence and its uncertainty, while her friend, Dill, provides a more naïve and straightforward point-of-view; with Scout's tenacity they form a balanced perspective on the discord that surrounds them. Their distant communication and friendship with the hermit Boo Radley teaches Scout that people are not always who they appear to be.

The first-person narration by Scout as an adult is effective in making the reader feel like he or she has truly lived the story, and in allowing adults, as well as kids, to relate to the theme of growing up while facing adversity. Atticus, truly the model father, shows through example the values of courage, honesty, and respect. The different ways that Scout, Jem, and Dill, respond to the injustices they witness allow for great insight into the human character. To Kill a Mockingbird is known as a high-school staple for its message of courage and tolerance, but readers of all ages have been and will continue to be impacted by this poignant narrative.

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1960s Standpoint

One of the biggest daily challenges high school students face is the struggle to be accepted. As high school students reading Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird, we are reminded of the progressive thinking of the 1960s. Many of the lessons Atticus teaches Scout represent the values of this era. In the 60s, acceptance and love were upheld and the Civil Rights movement became apparent in everyday lives of Americans.
In TKAM, Atticus addresses these morals, such as when Atticus advises Scout not to call African-Americans the n-word. Atticus explains that just because people are different doesn't mean that they should be shunned and disrespected. This is an ideal of the 60s, as shown by the progress of the Civil Rights Movement.
Another of the 1960s values shown in Atticus' teachings is displayed when he says to Scout, "You just hold your head high and keep those fists down." The anti violence concept that Atticus preaches was prevalent in the 1960s culture. Many people advocated an anti-war stance which called for peace and unity over violence. We find that To Kill a Mockingbird manifests the ideals of the 1960s which are still valuable today.

By Louise G, Greg S, Talia M, Gabe P, and Larisa A

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By Jacob K., a 7th Grader

When you're a white lawyer living in Maycomb county, Alabama its tough enough. But for a 50-year-old Atticus Finch it's even rougher. He has two kids, Jem and Scout who are in 7th and 2nd grade. As a lawyer, Atticus can be assigned to any case by a judge. Unfortunately when he is assigned to a black man's case, it all goes downhill. Atticus being the passive man that he is, I believe he accepted the case because he truly wanted it. The problem for Atticus was his kids and the people around him. Jem, who's a football star and very smart, always is defending his father. He is also good at looking after Scout and keeping her out of trouble. Scout, who is the main character in the story, is adventurous and likes to experiment with different things. Dill is Jem and Scout's friend that comes over every summer to fool around. Heck Tate is the sheriff of Maycomb County who keeps Atticus out of harm's way often. Boo Radley is a man who stays locked up in his house all day and swears to shoot any living thing that sets foot on his property. Mr. Bob Ewell testifies in the major court case that Atticus is involved in and ends up causing many problems for the Finch family. Tom Robinson is the black man that is accused of rape of Mr. Bob Ewell's daughter and is defended by Atticus. Finally there is Calpurnia (Cal for short) who is a black maid and helper in the Finch household. I think the plotline was outstanding in this book with the way that it flowed. Every time a problem was solved, another one would come up. This use of a plotline kept me interested throughout the entire book. Also every character good or bad, changed in a way through the path of the story which definitely made things more interesting.
When Tom Robinson is ruled upon unfairly, bad things begin to happen. However, all of these things connect directly back to Atticus. Although problems keep happening to Atticus, he ignores them or tries to find the positive side of things. I liked this because he did not act out of anger. One thing that I did not like about the book was the things that seemed to have nothing to do with the final outcome of the book. This made it seem slow moving and boring at times. Overall I give this book a rating of 8 out of 10. What will be Tom Robinson's final fate be? More importantly what will Atticus' final fate be? Read to find out.

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To kill a mockingbird.....

Harper Lee's Pulitzer-prize winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, was published in 1960. The novel, set in 1930's Alabama, details the life of a young girl, Scout, and her older brother, Jem, as they encounter the prejudices of their small town. Their father, Atticus Finch, the town's lawyer, must defend a Negro male in a case that changes the Finch's lives forever. The book details Scout's period of self discovery & her exploration of ethics in a time of racial conflict in America's South. Scout, the narrator of the novel, is six at the beginning, but as she grows, so too does the novel's vocabulary. Words like "stricture" and "slop" turn into "ex cathedro" and "morphodite". The diction evolves in accordance with the development of the character changing to reflect shifting views & perspectives.

Although a great piece of literature, the novel does not contain similes or metaphors. This lack, however, does not detract from the literary experience, but rather adds to the book a refreshing element of honesty & innocence. A relatively new literary work, To Kill A Mockingbird is a masterpiece that will be enjoyed by adults, children and families for years to come.

Reviewed by: K. Klavon, P. Friedman, J. Quinlan, L.K., Mike Dalbello,
Max Holmes

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