To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example For Students

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Early Life Born in Monroeville, Alabama, on April 28, 1926, Nelle Harper Lee is the youngest of three children of Amassa Coleman Lee and Francis Lee. Before his death, Miss Leequot;s father and her older sister, Alice, practiced law together in Monroeville. When one considers the theme of honor that runs throughout Miss Leequot;s novel, it is perhaps significant to note that her family is related to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, a man especially noted for his devotion to that virtue. iss Lee received her early education in the Monroeville public schools. Following this, she entered the University of Alabama to study law. She left there to spend a year in England as an exchange student. Returning to the university, she continued her studies, but left in 1950 without having completed the requirements for her law degree. She moved to New York and worked as an airline reservation clerk. Character It is said that Miss Lee personally resembles the tomboy she describes in the character of Scout. Her dark straight hair is worn cut in a short style. Her main interests, she says, are collecting the memoirs of nineteenth century clergymen, golf, crime, and music. We will write a custom essay on To Kill a Mockingbird specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now She is a Whig in political thought and believes in Catholic emancipation and the repeal of the corn laws. Sources Of To Kill A Mockingbird Among the sources for Miss Leequot;s novel are the following: 1 National events: This novel focuses on the role of the Negro in Southern life, a life with which Miss Lee has been intimately associated. Although it does not deal with civil rights as such for example, the right to vote it is greatly concerned with the problem of human dignity dignity based on individual merit, not racial origin. The bigotry of the characters in this novel greatly resembles that of the people in the South today, where the fictional Maycomb County is located. 2 Specific Persons: Atticus Finch is the principal character in this novel. He bears a close resemblance to Harper Leequot;s father, whose middle name was Finch. In addition to both being lawyers, they are similar in character and personality humble, intelligent and hard-working. 3 Personal Experience: Boo Radleyquot;s house has an aura of fantasy, superstition, and curiosity for the Finch children. There was a similar house in Harper Leequot;s childhood. Furthermore, Miss Lee grew up amid the Negro prejudice and violence in Alabama. In addition, she studied law and visited her fatherquot;s law offices as a child, just as Scout visits Atticusquot; office and briefly considers a career as a lawyer. Writing Career Harper Lee began to develop an interest in writing at the age of seven. Her law studies proved to be good training for a writing career: they promote logical thinking, and legal cases are an excellent source of story ideas. After she came to New York, she approached a literary agent with a manuscript of two essays and three short stories. Miss Lee followed his suggestion that she expand one of the stories into a novel. This eventually became To Kill A Mockingbird. After the success of her first novel, Miss Lee returned to Monroeville to begin work on a second one. She learned quickly that privacy was not one of the prizes of a best-selling novelist. These southern people are southern people, she said, and if they know you are working at home, they think nothing of walking in for coffee. Miss Lee also has said that her second novel will be about the South, for she is convinced that her section of the country is the refuge of genuine eccentrics. Miss Lee thinks of herself as a journeyman writer, and of writing as the most difficult work in the world. Her workday begins at noon and continues until early evening. At the end of this time, she may have completed a page or two. Before rewriting, she always allows some time to elapse, for a fresh viewpoint on what she has done. Besides her prize-winning novel, Miss Lee has had several essays published. For example, Christmas to Me appeared in the December, 1961, issue of McCalls, and Love In other Words appeared in the April 15, 1961, edition of Vogue. These essays display the same easy, sympathetic style of her novel. Success Of To Kill A Mockingbird The success of Harper Leequot;s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, can be assessed from its appearance on the bestseller lists for a period of over eighty weeks. Also the book was chosen as a Literary Guild selection; a Book-of-the-Month book; and a Readerquot;s Digest Condensed Book. It was also published in paperback by Popular Library. In April, 1961, Miss Lee was awarded the Alabama Library Association Award. In May, 1961, she was the first woman since 1942 to win the $500. 0 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In addition to its acclaim in the United States, To Kill A Mockingbird has received awards in foreign countries. For example, in Britain it was selected British Book Society Top Book of the Year. It remained on the British book lists as a top seller for many months. Besides this, it has been translated into several foreign languages. This is an unusual amount of honor to be conferred on any novel; that an authorquot;s first work should receive such recognition is truly extraordinary. Background Of The NovelEarly South In order to appreciate To Kill A Mockingbird fully, the reader should be familiar with some of the background of its setting. The South in the colonial times grew into an area with large cotton plantations and small cities. Because of the necessity for cheap labor to pick and seed the cotton, Negro slavery took a strong hold there. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, there were over 500,000 slaves in this country, with by far the greatest number in the South. As time passed, plantation owners formed a landed aristocracy. The Negroes, though slaves, gained a measure of economic security. On the perimeter of this were the poorer white farmers who either owned small pieces of land or worked as sharecroppers. Civil War With the invention of machines like the cotton gin, that could do the work of many men, the need for slaves began to decrease. The profitability of slavery also decreased, and plantation owners often treated Negroes with less kindness. There were two extremes. A few Southerners gave their slaves freedom, while others totally disregarded them. The Civil War brought slavery to an end, but created other, worse problems. The carpetbaggers who streamed into the South for political and economic gain aggravated the wounds which the war had opened. The Negro was caught in the middle. On the one hand, the Northerners claimed to be working for his benefit, but were really doing little. On the other, the Southerners began to take out their bitterness for the Yankees on the Negroes. The colored man represented two things to the Southerner. First, he was a slave who was now forcibly being given equal rights with his former master. Second, he was the symbol of defeat, and a reminder of what the North had done to the South. Therefore, he became an outcast, a scapegoat to be subjugated and mistreated. Post Civil War As time passed and new methods for farming and cotton production were developed, many people in Southern rural areas became extremely poor. Some moved to the city; others stayed on the land to try to get whatever was possible out of it. Then, in 1929, the Great Depression hit the United States. The farmers seemed to suffer most because they depended entirely upon their land for a living. Their crops rotted, and they had little or no money for seed. But, in 1932, a new era was ushered into American political and economic life. With Franklin Roosevelt, the federal government began to take an active interest in the workingman. Laws regulating farm production, labor unions, and social security became a part of the American way of life. A new social consciousness was arousing many people in the nation. Novel In Its Setting To Kill A Mockingbird is set against this background of 1930 Southern life. The Finches are a family who once had a large, successful plantation. Their ancestors had been aristocratic ladies and gentlemen of the South. Now they have been reduced to gentile poverty. They are better off by far than the Cunninghams, for example, who have nothing but their land. Atticus Finch has his law career, and Alexandra is still able to make a living at Finchquot;s Landing. Actually, the extremes of poverty are illustrated in the Ewells and the Negroes. The Ewells are poor, but they donquot;t want to do anything about it. The Negroes are poor because nobody will let them do anything about it. The Ewells wonquot;t work even when they can. The Negroes will work, but the only jobs available to them are the menial, low-paying ones. Chapter 1 Scout Jean Louise Finch narrates the story, beginning with a brief family history. Simon Finch, a fur-trapping apothecary journeyed from England to Alabama, establishing the family which made its living from cotton on Simonquot;s homestead, Finchquot;s Landing. The Civil War left the family only its land, which was the source of family incomes until the twentieth century when Atticus Finch Scoutquot;s father and his brother Jack left the land for careers in law and medicine. Atticus settled in Maycomb, the county seat of Maycomb County, with a reasonably successful law practice about twenty miles from Finchquot;s Landing, where his sister Alexandra still lived. Scout describes Maycomb as a lethargic, hot, colorless, narrow-minded town where she lives with her father, brother Jem four years older and the family cook, Calpurnia. Scoutquot;s mother had died when she was two. When she was five, Scout and Jem found a new friend, Dill Harris Goinquot; on seven, next door in Miss Rachel Haverfordquot;s collard patch. Dill was Miss Rachelquot;s nephew from Meridian, Mississippi, who spent ummers in Maycomb. In the summertime, Jem, Scout and Dill usually played within the boundaries of Mrs. Henry Dubosequot;s house two doors north and the Radley place three doors south. .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 , .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .postImageUrl , .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 , .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3:hover , .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3:visited , .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3:active { border:0!important; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3:active , .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3 .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub6e27dd7e75c8c6cd3b8aa07648f99f3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Lord of the Flies Paper EssayThe Radley place fascinated the children, because it was a popular subject of gossip and superstition in Maycomb. Arthur Radley had gotten into trouble with the law when he was a boy. Instead of being sent to the state industrial school, his father took custody of him within their house. He was not seen again for fifteen years. Many legends grew up about the Radley house and about what went on inside. Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighborhood gossip, added fuel to the fire a fire which included stories of crime, mutilation, curses and insanity. Dill was fascinated by these stories, and gave Scout and Jem the idea of making Boo Radley come out of seclusion. When Dill, always eager for some new adventure, dared Jem to run up to the house and touch it, Jem thought things over for a few days. Finally, filled with fear, he accepted the dare. He ran up, touched the house, and ran back. As the three children stared at the old house, they thought they saw an inside shutter move. Comment Many themes and plot-themes emerge in Chapter 1. Great emphasis is placed on the world of Scout, Jem, and Dill a small world bounded by a few houses and composed of only a few people. From the limited knowledge of this small childish world at the novelquot;s opening, Jem and Scout broaden with the passing of years and events. By the time the novel reaches its conclusion, they will have learned much more about human nature. Also, Miss Lee emphasizes the Radley family. They are the focal point for the development of numerous themes to come. For example, when old Mr. Radley died, Calpurnia did something she had never been known to do before. She spoke evil about a white man when she said, There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into. Finally, there are the themes relating to family and the Maycomb setting. They increase in importance from chapter to chapter. Chapters 2 and 3 Scout At School Dill returned to Mississippi at the end of the summer. Although she was looking forward to school more than anything in her life, Scoutquot;s first day at school was a disappointment. When Miss Caroline tried to teach reading, Scout was bored. Much to Miss Carolinequot;s dismay, Scout was already accomplished at reading and writing. She told Scout to tell her father not to teach her anything more, because it would interfere with her reading. Later, at lunch time, Walter Cunningham had no food with him. When the teacher tried to give him a quarter, the boy would not take it. Scout made the mistake of trying to explain the reason to Miss Caroline. The Cunninghams were poor country folks who had been hit hard by the Depression and were too proud to accept charity. For her trouble, Scout got her fingers cracked. Thinking that Walter Cunningham was the cause of her difficulty, Scout tried to beat him up. Jem would not let her. Instead, he invited the boy to lunch at their house. That afternoon, Miss Caroline saw a cootie crawl out of Burris Ewellquot;s hair. She was shocked by this and told the boy to go home and wash his hair. The boy really did not care, however, and became abusive, since he was in school only because the truant officer had made him come. He did not plan to return. That night Scout had a talk with her father. She said she hoped that Atticus would allow her to stay home from school like Burris Ewell. However, he explained to her that the Ewells were a different kind of people. They did not care about learning and had been a disgrace to Maycomb for generations. Then Atticus made a bargain with his daughter. He told Scout that he would continue to read to her every night provided she would go back to school and promise not to tell her teacher about it. Comment These two chapters can be considered together for they contain the story of Scoutquot;s first experience away from her narrow world at home. The reader must remember that although she was bright for her age, Scout was only six. Whatever she had learned thus far, she had learned at home from her father, her brother, Calpurnia, and a few neighbors. Therefore, she had much to learn from and about the rest of the world. For example, Scout was a town girl and not a farm girl like many of the other children in the class. Miss Caroline, the teacher, was not from Maycomb, and could not be expected to know or to understand the peculiarities of the people of Maycomb. The little girl could not comprehend why Miss Caroline did not have a better understanding. With her limited experience, Scout thought that people were alike everywhere. Therefore, she thought that her teacher should automatically know that the Cunninghams were poor. Also she thought that her teacher should understand that the Cunninghams, and other people of Maycomb, were too proud to accept anything that they could not pay back. But Maycomb was farm country, and farmers were a set breed of men, prizing independence more than a full stomach. Miss Caroline was from the city; Scout learned that city people were different. Miss Caroline: Note, however, that Miss Caroline seemed to have learned something that first day at school too. In the morning, she became disturbed when Scout tried to tell her about Walter Cunningham. In the afternoon she was quite willing to listen to one of the older children when he explained to her about Burris Ewell. Thus the reader will find this entire novel is a series of experiences in which one character will gain new insights from his association with the others. New Names: There are two important new names introduced in these chapter Walter Cunningham and Burris Ewell. Both are from the poor, rural section of the county. However, the reader should notice the difference in their characters. Walter is proud and independent; he wonquot;t accept charity. He apologizes for still being in the first grade. At lunch Atticus speaks to him about farming as though he were a grown man. On the other hand, Burris Ewell is surly. He dares Miss Caroline to make him do anything. Here, therefore, the author presents the reader with the first series of character contrasts. These will be important to the reader throughout the entire novel, especially if he expects to be able to understand fully the theme of the story. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 Radleyquot;s Oak Tree Because Scout was in the first grade, she got out of school thirty minutes earlier than her brother. This meant a walk home alone past the dreaded Radley house. Usually she would run by it. There were two giant oaks on the Radley property. One day as Scout was running past, she noticed something shiny in a knothole of one of the trees. Examining it, she found two pieces of chewing gum. When she decided they were all right to eat, she put them into her mouth. When Jem came home, he made her spit out the gum. Anything found on the Radley place might be poison. On the last day of school the children found a box with two pennies in it. They did not know what to make of the situation, but they decided to keep the pennies. Dill Returns Two days later Dill arrived. As usual he was full of wild stories and anxious to play games of make-believe. The group decided to play a game modeled on the life of Boo Radley. One of the stories about him was that he had stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, so the children began to act this out every day. They continued until Atticus caught them and took away the scissors. While the two boys played a scissorless version of their Boo Radley game, Scout became friendly with Miss Maudie Atkinson, a benevolent neighbor who had grown up with Atticusquot; brother Jack. The two of them would sit on Miss Maudiequot;s porch and talk. One day they had a talk about Boo Radley and Miss Maudie tried to explain the mystery of the Radley family. Recalling that Arthur had been nice to her as a boy, she called the Radley house a sad place. She denied the rumors about Boo as three-fourth colored folks and one-fourth Stephanie Crawford. The next morning Jem and Dill decided they would try to drop a note into the Radley house by using a fishing pole. While they were doing this, Atticus came by and once more warned them about bothering the Radleys. On the last night before Dill had to return home to Mississippi, the boys hatched a plot. They decided to sneak through the back of the Radley property and take a peak through one of the windows. While doing this, they saw the s hadow of a man pass by. As they ran toward the back fence, a shotgun blast went off. The three of them hurried even more and managed to escape. However, when they got home, Jem realized that he had lost his pants. He had had to squirm out of them while crawling under the Radley fence. Thus he found himself faced with another problem. That night, after everyone had gone to bed, he went back after his pants. Luckily, they were still there. Comment These chapters reveal the childrenquot;s reaction to the Radley place, and to the Radleys themselves. It is a typically childish viewpoint. For example, Scout could not eat the gum because anything found on the Radley place might be poison. Also in these chapters there is childish imitation. The life which the Radleys led was very unusual. The family remained almost constantly in the house. The children, with a natural inclination to imitate the unusual in the adult world, wanted to play the Radley game. The Radley game was their Maycomb substitute for playing cowboys and Indians. With a typical childlike love of adventure and a curiosity to discover the unknown, Scout, Jem and Dill longed to discover the answer to the Radley mystery. They could not understand it as Atticus or Miss Maudie did. They had to try to find out for themselves what went on inside the secretive home. .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d , .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .postImageUrl , .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d , .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d:hover , .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d:visited , .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d:active { border:0!important; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d:active , .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6562c41a5054605976921bbf8d8c1c8d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Anthony Burgess's novel EssayThus the incident of the note on the end of the fishing pole and the night visit. Notice, however, that although the children are curious, they are not foolishly brave. For example, they have the length of the fishing pole between them and the house. Also they chose the darkness of night to sneak up to the window. Chapter 7 School started again. The second grade was as bad as the first, only worse. One afternoon, Jem told Scout that when he returned to get his pants, they were hanging over the fence. Some one had mended the tear Not like a lady sewed quot;em, . . . All crooked. After this, the children began to find more things in the tree. F irst a ball of twine; then two soap dolls; and finally an old watch. They decided they should write a thank-you note to whoever was giving them these things. However, when they went to put the note into the knothole, Jem and Scout found that it had been filled in with cement. Nathan Radley, Booquot;s brother, said he had done this because the tree was dying and this was the way to save it. Atticus home from work and told Jem, That treequot;s as healthy as you are. Scout noticed that Jem had been crying when he came in that night. Hear Second Grade was Bad as the First: The second grade was as bad as the first, only worse. Comment In this chapter the children begin to stop taking things for granted. They try to figure out how the articles in the tree got there. When they conclude that it is probably Boo Radley who is putting them there, they do the logical thing. They write a note which they intend to put into the tree. There is a difference, however, in the way in which each one reacts to the cement. Scout is still very young. She knows that Nathan Radley is being mean, but it does not affect her personally. On the other hand, the older Jem is more sensitive and feels things more deeply. He cries not for himself but for Boo Radley. He cannot comprehend how one man can be deliberately cruel to another. In his childlike way, Jem realizes that Boo Radley must have enjoyed putting those articles into the tree for them. Jem also realizes that the man was very considerate to sew his pants. Because of his youth, he does not know how to fight adult cruelty. Thus he cries. Chapter 8 Usually Maycomb had hot summers and mild winters. When snow fell one night, Scout thought it was the end of the world. She had never seen it before. Because of this unexpected cold weather, everyone had fires going at home. During the night, Miss Maudiequot;s house caught fire. Since all the houses were old wooden ones, everyone had to go out into the cold night. While Scout was watching the firemen at work, someone slipped a blanket around her shoulders. Later, first Jem and then Atticus realize that Boo Radley must have done this. Jem is afraid to return the blanket; he is afraid of what Nathan may do to Boo. Atticus agrees that they should keep the blanket and the incident to themselves. Comment Kindness is a prominent theme in this chapter. There is the unexpected kindness of Boo Radley. An air of mystery pervades the blanket incident because no one realizes at the time that the action is being taken. The effect on Scout is typical. She is all right until it dawns on her what has happened. Then she is sick with fright at the thought that Boo Radley stood right behind her and touched her. On the other hand, Jem reacts differently again. His first concern is Boo. In a babbling attempt to defend him, Jem blurts out the story of his pants to Atticus. His compassion is genuine. He is afraid of what Nathan may do to Boo. As soon as his fear for Boo is relieved, however, he relaxes and makes a joke at Scoutquot;s expense he re-enacts the scene for her benefit, frightening her terribly. Miss Maudie Courage is also an important theme, embodied in Miss Maudiequot;s character. The day after her house burned down, she did not wallow in self-pity. She laughed and said that she was glad that the whole thing had happened. Now she would be able to build a smaller house, take in roomers, and have more room for the plants which she loved so dearly. The children were perplexed by her unexpected good humor, but they admired her good-natured bravery in the face of personal tragedy. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 introduces the reader to the main action of the story Atticus Finchquot;s defense of the Negro Tom Robinson. Maycombquot;s usual disease, as Atticus calls it, begins to show itself. The narrow-minded bigotry of the townspeople and of the Finch family is hard for Scout to cope with. First there was Cecil Jacobs who announced in the schoolyard that Scoutquot;s daddy defended niggers. Scout denied it, but ran home to get an explanation. Atticus told her that he was going to defend Tom Robinson, a member of Calpurniaquot;s church. He explains that the case is very important to him personally, and requests that Jem and Scout try to ignore the talk they will hear around town. Next day, Scout is ready to fight Cecil Jacobs again, but remembers Atticusquot; request and walks away from a fight for the first time in her life. Some time later they left for Finchquot;s Landing for the customary family Christmas celebration with Uncle Jack, Aunt Alexandra and cousin Francis. Francis taunts Scout by calling Atticus a nigger-lover, saying that hequot;s ruininquot; the family. Scout flies to her fatherquot;s defense with fists and bathroom invective, but gets a spanking from Uncle Jack. Later he apologizes when he hears her side of the story, and promises not to tell Atticus what Scout and Francis really fought about. Comment This chapter is very important if the reader is going to understand the full meaning of this novel. Atticus has been appointed to defend a Negro. Scout is ridiculed by one of her schoolmates because of this. Here is shown the attitude of the townspeople toward the Negroes. Then on Christmas Scout hears the same talk from her cousin Francis. This shows the attitude of the Finch family itself about the problem. Both Cecil Jacobs and Francis are, of course, echoing what they have heard the adults say on the subject. Obviously, to both family and townspeople it seems that Atticus Finch is making a mistake. How does Scout act about this matter: She wants to fight with her fists. But she soon learns that this is not the way to combat a dispute over ideas. Uncle Jack spanks her, but in her mind he has been unfair. Uncle Jack had not listened to her side of the story. When she can tell him about it in the quiet of her room, he says that he is sorry. Scout And The Adults What then is the picture of the world in the mind of this child, and how does it foreshadow the future events of the story? At first Scout fights with her fists because she does not know how to fight any other way. Then she sees adult injustice applied to her by Uncle Jack, some one whom she loves. She begins to realize that lack of knowledge and lack of forethought often lead people to do things that they might not otherwise do. Later, when Scout sees the injustice performed by the people against the Negro Tom Robinson, she is going to be able to have just a little bit better understanding of the reasons for it. Chapter 10 The first nine chapters give us a picture of Atticus Finch as a kind and understanding man. He is also an upright man who is trying to raise his children properly. In this chapter we get a clearer picture of him. First we see him through the eyes of his children. To them he is old and feeble because he canquot;t play football. Then an event occurs to change this picture. A mad dog comes down the street. It is Atticus who is called upon to do the shooting. His children see him now as a brave man. Scout wants to brag about this to all her friends, but Jem tells her not to. Comment To the reader this chapter might seem out of place. It appears to be an unrelated incident. However, it serves to help prepare the reader for what is to follow. In a sense, it sums up the character of Atticus Finch. Thus far we have seen him as a very quiet and serious person. Now the author shows another side of his character. He is brave but in a different way. He does the day-to-day actions so well that when he is called upon to do an extraordinary action, its performance comes naturally to him. Scout Vs. Jem Again we see a contrast in the attitude of the two children. The younger Scout still cannot understand why things should or should not be done. For example, she cannot understand why Atticus never told his children about his ability to shoot. On the other hand, Jem, the older child, is beginning to have a sense of values. He realizes that being a man, and more importantly, a gentleman, is not just in acting and talking. To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example For Students To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Harper Lee , the author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for the novel To kill a mocking bird. Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, in the south west of Alabama. She is the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. Harper Lee attended Huntingdon College 1944-45, studied law at University of Alabama 1945-49, and studied one year at Oxford University. Her fathers occupation was law. This relates to To kill a mocking bird since scouts father, Atticus Finch, was also a lawyer. It creates an effect of a fictional autobiography because it contains elements of fiction and autobiography. She was the youngest in her family this is also part of putting elements of her life into a book. The book was written in 1957 and published in 1961. This was at the time of the Martin Luther King and Malcolm X movement who were fighting for racial equality. The novel has no fixed genre, this is what makes it such an interesting and refreshing novel, since it keeps changing its genre. In the 1930s the state of Alabama, racism was still present in large numbers. We will write a custom essay on To Kill a Mockingbird specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now There was a segregation between blacks and whites. Black people had to go to black schools, to black churches, and live in certain areas. This all relates to the American civil war. A war between the Northern Union and the Southern Confederacy. The North were abolitionists, they wanted to abolish slavery since industrialism and machines, but the southern slavery based economy were against it. It soon escalated into political rivalry then into a civil war. The north were superior to the south in numbers and resources. The south held the north at bay with military tactics of Robert E. Lee. Through pass of time the south ran out of resources and territory and soon surrendered. Slavery was abolished throughout the whole of America. Most southerners disagreed with that and still believed that whites where superior to coloureds and created a racial segregation. Racism wasnt the only problem in the south. There was also prejudice against women and class prejudice. In the book one of the main examples of prejudice is Boo Radley because he always kept to himself. This links to Maycomb because it is a narrow minded town and always judge people before they get to know them. Maycomb is a fictional town set in non-fictional Alabama. It is an inward looking town ruled by gossip, superstition and racism. It would be difficult to change such a narrow minded town since that rarely visitors come, so there is hardly changes and if someone decides to make changes, a perfect example would be Atticus defending Tom Robinson, the town would get furious and think of it as an outrage. This is why it is very difficult to start doing changes in a town like Maycomb. The main themes of the book are changes and growing up. It all starts when we learn about Maycomb through Scouts eyes. We then learn about other characters such as the Cunninghams, and we learn about how they farming business ruined since the Wall Street Crash. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers and the crash hit them hardest. We also learn about the Ewells the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations whom are putting Tom Robinson on trial. We also learn about Arthur Boo Radly, around whom a lot of themes of prejudice are involved. The novel is written in first person from scouts perspective. It is an effective method since scout is a little girl learning about her surroundings and about the town, the reader learns with her. With scouts learning and discoveries we get a three hundred and sixty degrees perspective about the town and the society at the time. We see the novel mainly through scouts young and innocent eyes. When it was snowing in Maycomb scout thought the world was ending The worlds ending, Atticus! Please do something Scout has never seen snow and therefore she thought something dreadful was about to happen. Scout doesnt know everything and somethings she cant figure out, but to help her Atticus always explains things to her which also enlightens us with valuable resources and knowledge. Scout uses at sometimes American dialogue such as shinny, which was another term for alcohol. There is also the way of talking the black community of Maycomb used. I wants to know why you bringin white chillun to a nigger church. This is another way of showing that black people never received good education because of segregation. The novel is structured in two parts one part focuses on childrens games and Boo Radley and part two focuses on adult games of Tom Robinsons trial. Harper Lee uses various literacy techniques to create and atmosphere and a detailed description of characters. Scout is a perfect example she employs similes when describing a character such as Dill His hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duckfluff. Another example is about about miss Maudies sun hat Miss maudies sunhat was suspended in a thin layer of ice, like a fly in amber. Harper Lee also uses personification when describing areas and objects Maycomb is a tired old town she is trying to imply that Maycomb has been around for a long time. The remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard This implies that the picket was not standing straight. Harper Lee also uses language that seems absolutely normal but has an internal meaning Alexandra, Calpurnias not leaving this house until she wants too This Implies that Atticus has a strong and honest sense of leadership against racism and prejudice. Harper Lee uses metaphors as well such as in this quote of her describing Walter Cunningham Walter looked like as he had been raised on fish food; his eyes, as blue as Dill Harris, were red-skimmed and watery This is a detailed metaphor to describe Walter. Humour is also used, often regarding Scouts innocence and how it contrasts with tragedy. Dont you believe in foot-washing? We do. At home in the bathtub this shows that Scout is not sure what people mean so she speaks what she thinks, this creates a sense of humour. .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 , .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .postImageUrl , .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 , .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31:hover , .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31:visited , .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31:active { border:0!important; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31:active , .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31 .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u395646d10a5fbedaa2d8402442935e31:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Describe Frankenstein EssayAnother few ways she uses humour is in this quote The worlds endin, Atticus please do something This shows that her innocence is very humerous due to her understanding, she never seen snow so she thought the world would end when it started snowing. In To kill a mockingbird a lot of symbolism is employed, one example is Tom Robinson, the quote They dont do one thing but sing their hearts out for us, thats why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird this implies that Tom Robinson did not do anything but he gets convicted, and killed which is a sin. Towards Boo Radley symbolism is also employed. One is from when they describe Boos house their roots reached out into the side roads this symbolizes Boo trying to reach out of isolation. One other good use of symbolism is when Atticus guards the door , a mob arrives wanting to hurt Tom Robinson and Scout runs towards Atticus I pushed my way through dark smelly bodies and burst into the circle of light This is trying to imply that the mob is evil like demons, and the burst of like surrounding Atticus makes him look like an angel, in comparison to the demons surrounding him. In the town of Maycomb one can see that the white community still felt superior to black people. One can see that black people didnt get education because of segregation in the chapter when Jem and Scout go to Calpurnias chuch. Cal, I whispered, where are the hymn-books? we dont have any This shows that the black community did not receive reasonable education. Before the Tom Robinson case started when Atticus wanted to defend Tom Robinson him and his children where called nigger-lover, this shows a sign of racism in the community, also what mrs. Dubose said to Jem What has this come to when a Finch goes against his raising This statement implies that even if slavery was abolished, people where still taught that whites would be superior, this is an act of racism. Aunt Alexandra was also a sterotype in the Maycomb community. According to Scout Aunt Alexandra fitted into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove. This shows that her stereotype behaviour and gossiping habbits remained. But Alexandra is not nice towards Calpurnia Put my bag in the front bedroom Calpurnia Alexandra was ordering Calpurnia around like a slave when she is actually a servant. The Finches are a white middle class society. Scouts father is a lawyer, a respectable high profiled job. His brother Jack Finch studied medicine, as we can see the Finch family have middle-class income occupations. Aunt Alexandra is obsessed with teaching the Finch children about their superior backround Being southerners, it was a source of shame to some members of the family that we had no recorded ancestors on either side of the Battle of Hastings. This supports the idea that Alexandra wanted to prevent shame from being upon her family which makes her partially racist. Scout is also prejudice towards Walter Cunningham, when they invite him to have lunch with them Scout says He would have probably have poured it into his milk glass had I not asked him what sam hill he was doing This shows that everyone has a different way of eating, but scout never seen Walters so she was prejudice to him, she wanted him to eat like she did. The Cunninghams are farmers whom the crash hit them hardest. Since they could not make enough money to repay the money to Atticus so he repays him by giving him what he posses on harvest, Because thats the only he can pay me. He has no money. This shows that even if he has no money, Mr. Cunningham sticks to his word by repaying Atticus with every means necessary. Different people were put into different classes. It all depended on how rich or poor you were or the job you had or the colour of your skin. The Finch family was at the top of the class and the Robinsons were at the bottom. The Whites at the top and the Negroes at the bottom. In the trial for Tom Robinson we found out that Tom helped out Mayella with some of her chores because he felt sorry for her. This wasnt the best thing to say because why would a Negro feel sorry for a white person. Every class should look down on the class below it. The Ewells however where below the white society as white trash such as Boris Ewell his neck was dark grey, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his finger-nails were black sheep into the quick this shows that the Ewell household is messy and the father doesnt care what happens to his children. Atticus said that The Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations This shows the caste system that is present in Maycomb because there is little to change they took for granted attitudes, character shading, even gestures, as having been repeated in each generation and refined by by time Their society rule governed and had accepted social conventions of behavious. Hierachy meant that Tom should not have felt sorry for Mayella. People were categorized in terms of their presumptions about family groups or class, rather than seeing each person as ab individual. .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f , .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .postImageUrl , .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f , .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f:hover , .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f:visited , .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f:active { border:0!important; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f:active , .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3989f54bfc6998632f270205c6a25a7f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Adventures Of Huck Finn Recognition EssayThere is also sexual prejudice in To Kill a Mocking Birdi , for example Scout has to wear a dress to school and has to accompany the ladies of Maycomb for their weekly gathering. However, Jem does not have to be present. The appearance of females is one particular view that Harper Lee projected to me as the reader. This is because the women all have the same routines and all have well kept appearances. The females are very feminine and stereotypical and never question their roles. (Why dont people like Miss Maudie sit on the bench? asks Scout. There is no hint at a woman being part of the jury. ) Miss Maudie has also a different per spective towards religion. All the women in Maycomb go to church every Sunday, but miss Maudie doesnt. Miss Maudie describes that sometimes the bible in the hands of one is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hands of-oh your father With this quote she is trying to imply that even if Atticus would be drunk, he would be more sane than a sober priest. She also says that Boo Radleys father was a foot-washing Baptist. Foot-washers believe anything thats pleasure is a sin so foot-washer Baptists cursed her for caring too much for flowers. Aunt Alexandra wanted too teach scout to stop being a tomboy and behave like a lady, as she is supposed to behave. I could do nothing in a dress this symbolizes how difficult it is to be a women in a prejudice society. Boo Radley was a victim of prejudice. Since he doesnt show himself, rumours started building up. Such as in this quote Boo bit it off when he couldnt find any cats and squirrels to eat. This quote suggests that the time Boo was locked up they thought he became a barbaric animal. It all started with gossip then to rumours then to superstition, When peoples azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. This shows that he was feared so much by rumours the community became supersticious about him. Miss Maudie had different views on religion snce some foot-washing Baptist passed her house and passed by this place and told me, me and my flowers were going to hell This shows that they where very strict on religion, and Miss Maudie wasnt. Miss Maudie has also a sense of tolerance She loved everything that grew in Gods earth, even the weeds this shows a sign of tolerance. People where also prejudice against her because she was a widow, and as a widow she had to stay inside her house and grief over her husband, she didnt she spent more time outside in her garden. Miss Maudie hated her house: time spent indoors was time wasted This shows that she is not like other women who would stay indoors. There is also prejudice in the Atticus family, between his relatives. At the Christmas family reunion, family members where not so keen to Atticus, Jem and Scout. After talking to Francis, Scouts cousin, he made offensive insults to her father which got Scout really furious it aint you fault. I guess it aint your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover. This shows that it is very hard to even change the tolerance of the own family, and Atticus is the first in his family, or maybe the only one to defend a black person. Dolphis Raymond is also a victim of prejudice. He is a white man married to a black woman and lives with her and his children. Hes got a coloured wife and all sorts of mixed chillun he shows tolerance and is isolated because people in maycomb disapprove of black and white mixing. Coloured folks wont have them because theyre half white; white folks wont have em cause theyre coloured, this shows that they dont belong anywhere in a community such as Maycomb. There are solutions to beat prejudice, one of them is Atiicuss maxim 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. It shows that to understand a person or how he feels one needs to see things from their perspective. One way how Harper Lee challenges sterotypes is in the relationship of blacks and white by comparing the Ewells residence with the blacks residence. At the Ewells it is raw place, it is behind the city garbage dump, which tells us that ironically they are white trash. the Ewells gave the dump a thorough gleaning everyday this shows that the Ewells where so poor and miserably low in life that they lived behind a dump, and searched the garbage thoroughly to scavenge some items that might be of use. Now to compare it to the blacks residence In the frosty December dusk, their cabins looked neat and snug with pale blue smoke rising from the fires inside. This shows that the black people where more civilized, a person would think that Bob Ewell would be more civilized that the black community but Harper Lee changed it the other way around to challenge prejudice. The book has relevance to our modern society today, because we can all learn from the book of justice and equal opportunities, if we follow Atticuss symbol. There is still racism present yet not as much as there used to be. There where fights and struggles for justice, mainly from the Martin Luther King and Malcolm X movement who fought for racial equality in America. Stereotypes are intolerant and are unfair towards other people, this causes prejudism which then leads to in-justice. Harper Lees message is still applicable today, if we teach the over all message of Atticuss maxim to the next generations we could reduce prejudice actions from taking place. To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example For Students To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Bibliography: We will write a custom essay on To Kill a Mockingbird specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example For Students To Kill a Mockingbird Essay To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book that i would reccomend for anyone to read. This book talks about the issues of prejidice and how it affects the community. When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem broke his arm badley at the elbow. When it healed, and Jemss fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldnt have cared less as long as he could pass and punt. We will write a custom essay on To Kill a Mockingbird specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now When enogh 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 ti all, but Jem , who was four years my senior, said it atarted 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. this book sucks dick i just wish that there were some kind of site that poor people could go to, u know to find essays that they might need help on. But no everyone is trying to get a little green out of things. Well you know what i am going to find a site and than rub it in yall faces. Ya you bot that right! Well my name is Marcia Bryant and i hope some one reads this shit and relizes that i dont have a damn credit card. Im sixteen fucking years old, What am i going to do wit a credit card. I mean come on. You people should know that the majority of people looking for essays r students. fi hope that all the people running these essay web si te burn in hell, it is only common sense here not rocket science.haluioueowijkfdsoufiudokfjkmniidlm foidom oifms oidmfkjoia flioaidj,dm foidm,fl lkfm,d ndwp04 rlksm,mkjsfj f8u9kjkjfksjlojslkjslja;lsj;ljsljkasjl;fkjslajljfljfljsdlkjfldksjflkjsaljdlksjljdlfjksdlfjskljfljsdfkljsdlkfjlsdkjflksdjflsjflkjsalkjljalkjdflaj;ldkfjlasjfljsdlfkjdkslfj s;fkjdlkf lkdj f df df dslkf ;kjds fjk ;saklf df f d flkjd;lkf aklj fjlka lk;f dlkf kla;j;fjaf;iuweopruiweuroiwuri wriwjfsdpuifpsiodufosudfipousdpoivfu po u ofu psdufu po udfp ouf o opusdfpuaodpuapou opfuapouf poudfpousafopuasdpofupodsaufpoudspofupodsufpousdjfijsdlkhf;ljkshdflkjlkfj kjdfl;j djsklfj;lskfjkldsfj;lksljf;jdkjf;dsjf;dsjsdlfkjds klfjsldkjflk;dsfjlk;jdsljflkjdlkfjklsd flkj kljdspfiuaisufpdsuifoupovupoczxupvoupjspkfj;suv;pc vefduopuivgop ergupioufcjg fsdgj fpufp p ou9opuf u o9u pou fopsdu fojdspofias ofuods ofipodu fpodsuifo ipodsuifp odsu fopudsfoids;lkfo ofd p fudfopuauspofus o o pofduspofusp9ofgksjf uodofus aasfoiaou sfdskjfdsopufduspf o f To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book that i would reccomend for anyone to read. This book talks about the issues of prejidice and how it affects the community. When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem broke his arm badley at the elbow. When it healed, and Jemss fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldnt have cared less as long as he could pass and punt. When enogh 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 ti all, but Jem , who was four years my senior, said it atarted 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. this book sucks dick i just wish that there were some kind of site that poor people could go to, u know to find essays that they might need help on. But no everyone is trying to get a little green out of things. Well you know what i am going to find a site and than rub it in yall faces. Ya you bot that right! Well my name is Marcia Bryant and i hope some one reads this shit and relizes that i dont have a damn credit card. Im sixteen fucking years old, What am i going to do wit a credit card. I mean come on. You people should know that the