how is to kill a mockingbird still relevant today essay

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The Relevance of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Today

(Image via Pop Sugar)

Aubrie Sandoval , Writer September 29, 2019

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ was written by Harper Lee in the 1960s about racism in a small Alabama town in the 1930s. It highlights the disparity of how society treats different races and the negativity that surrounded defending a black person in and out of court. The story is not limited to just one controversial topic, but several. Bringing poverty, ignorance, intolerance into the light and making it a topic of discussion. The story is narrated by Jean Louise ‘Scout” Finch. Some have said that Lee making Scout the narrator is because childhood innocence and perspectives, adds to the weight of the story and hazy child confusion when it comes to the treatment of black and brown bodies. It brings a heaviness that would have been missed if an adult was used.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is still relevant because social structures are still the same. We are still not welcoming to the idea that black and brown bodies are human beings. We are extra sensitive to bitter, prejudiced people. White people, we don’t have to think about it because it’s not happening to us, but it is happening to someone and we should take action against that treatment. As human beings, we are against the idea of changing ideals and fighting against something we don’t believe in. I am guilty of the same, we are creatures of habit. We do as we see, hear, feel, and experience. However, we, the people, should attempt to steer very clear of those habits because the changes we make to ourselves can save others.

To go another step forward in making you uncomfortable, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird” is still relevant today because it forces you to discuss hard-to-talk-about topics and makes you think about things you normally wouldn’t have to. To add to my point, the book is supposed to push some kind of thought, some kind of movement of mind, something, anything at all. TKAM is supposed to provoke an epiphany, although, that isn’t the react the book gets from everyone. Some people think it’s an unnecessary read, that their time is being wasted and that it is nothing but words on paper.

Personally, I think that the book is very important, but I think it’s more than just important if the whole world had no issues, no injustice and was completely at peace with itself. Then it would simply be a what-if, a story that reminds us of why we wouldn’t go back. TKAM is a story that I believe shoves issues right in front of us in a way that makes it unavoidable.

The story forces conversation, but we need to start forcing conversation all by ourselves. People need to pay less attention to what he said-she said and pay more attention to getting the truth. When someone tells you that something is bad, research, make your own opinion, grow your own thoughts. We quite literally are the future, I’d like the children I might bring into the world to grow up knowing it’s equal and fair and that they owe no one anything.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is still relevant today because society’s structure has not changed, the world is still broken, and at the moment, there aren’t many willing to fix it. TKAM is still relevant because, despite no one saying it, those in a position of privilege are going to inevitably have a position of power. It won’t change unless we want it to.

Aubrie Sandoval is a Senior at Forest Grove High School. She enjoys reading, writing, and spending quality time with family, especially her husky Tango....

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Ella • Sep 30, 2019 at 10:09 am

I love this article because it shows that even though some ideas are old, or books. It still has relevance. And also reading this really amazes me in level of writing it is. It truly feels like a great article to me.

how is to kill a mockingbird still relevant today essay

How the moral lessons of To Kill a Mockingbird endure today

Assoc. Professor, School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne

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Anne Maxwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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In our series, Guide to the classics , experts explain key works of literature.

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the classics of American literature. Never out of print, the novel has sold over 40 million copies since it was first published in 1960. It has been a staple of high school syllabuses, including in Australia, for several decades, and is often deemed the archetypal race and coming-of-age novel . For many of us, it is a formative read of our youth.

Read more: 'Great books', nationhood and teaching English literature

The story is set in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb in 1936 - 40 years after the Supreme Court’s notorious declaration of the races as being “separate but equal” , and 28 years before the enactment of the Civil Rights Act . Our narrator is nine-year-old tomboy, Scout Finch, who relays her observations of her family’s struggle to deal with the class and racial prejudice shown towards the local African American community.

At the centre of the family and the novel stands the highly principled lawyer Atticus Finch. A widower, he teaches Scout, her older brother Jem, and their imaginative friend Dill, how to live and behave honourably. In this he is aided by the family’s hardworking and sensible black housekeeper Calpurnia, and their kind and generous neighbour, Miss Maudie.

It is Miss Maudie, for example, who explains to Scout why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird: “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.”

Throughout the novel, the children grow more aware of the community’s attitudes. When the book begins they are preoccupied with catching sight of the mysterious and much feared Boo Radley, who in his youth stabbed his father with a pair of scissors and who has never come out of the family house since. And when Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman, they too become the target of hatred.

A morality tale for modern America

One might expect a book that dispatches moral lessons to be dull reading. But To Kill a Mockingbird is no sermon. The lessons are presented in a seemingly effortless style, all the while tackling the complexity of race issues with startling clarity and a strong sense of reality.

Read more: William Faulkner diagnosed modern ills in As I Lay Dying

As the Finches return from Robinson’s trial, Miss Maudie says: “as I waited I thought, Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that.”

Despite the tragedy of Robinson’s conviction, Atticus succeeds in making the townspeople consider and struggle with their prejudice.

The effortlessness of the writing owes much to the way the story is told. The narrator is a grown Scout, looking back on her childhood. When she begins her story, she seems more interested in telling us about the people and incidents that occupied her six-year-old imagination. Only slowly does she come to the events that changed everything for her and Jem, which were set in motion long before their time. Even then, she tells these events in a way that shows she too young to always grasp their significance.

The lessons Lee sets out are encapsulated in episodes that are as funny as they are serious, much like Aesop’s Fables. A case in point is when the children return home from the school concert with Scout still dressed in her outlandish ham costume. In the dark they are chased and attacked by Bob Ewell the father of the woman whom Robinson allegedly raped. Ewell, armed with a knife, attempts to stab Scout, but the shapeless wire cage of the ham causes her to loose balance and the knife to go astray. In the struggle that ensues someone pulls Ewell off the teetering body of Scout and he falls on the knife. It was Boo Radley who saved her.

Another lesson about what it means to be truly brave is delivered in an enthralling episode where a local farmer’s dog suddenly becomes rabid and threatens to infect all the townsfolk with his deadly drool.

Scout and Jem are surprised when their bespectacled, bookish father turns out to have a “God-given talent” with a rifle; it is he who fires the single shot that will render the townsfolk safe. The children rejoice at what they consider an impressive display of courage. However, he tells them that what he did was not truly brave. The better example of courage, he tells them, is Mrs Dubose (the “mean” old lady who lived down the road), who managed to cure herself of a morphine addiction even as she was dying a horribly painful death from cancer.

He also teaches them the importance of behaving in a civilised manner, even when subjected to insults. Most of all Atticus teaches the children the importance of listening to one’s conscience even when everyone else holds a contrary view: “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule”, he says, “is a person’s conscience.”

The continuing value in Atticus’ belief in the importance of principled thinking in the world of Black Lives Matter and the Australian government’s rhetoric of “African gangs” , is clear.

Atticus’ spiel on “conscience” and the other ethical principles he insists on living by, are key to the enduring influence of the novel. It conjures an ideal of moral standards and human behaviour that many people still aspire to today, even though the novel’s events and the characters belong to the past.

Lee herself was not one to shy away from principled displays: writing to a school that banned her novel, she summed up the source of the morality her book expounds. The novel, she said, “spells out in words of seldom more than two syllables a code of honor and conduct”.

Fame and obscurity

When first published the novel received rave reviews . A year later it won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, followed by a movie version in 1962 starring Gregory Peck . Indeed, the novel was such a success that Lee, unable to cope with all the attention and publicity, retired into obscurity .

Interviewed late in life, Lee cited two reasons for her continued silence: “I wouldn’t go through the pressure and publicity I went through with To Kill a Mockingbird for any amount of money. Second, I have said what I wanted to say, and I will not say it again.”

The latter statement is doubtless a reference to the autobiographical nature of her book. Lee passed her childhood in the rural town of Monroeville in the deep south, where her attorney father defended two black men accused of killing a shopkeeper. The accused were convicted and hanged.

Undoubtedly influenced by these formative events, the biographical fiction Lee drew out of her family history became yet more complex upon the publication of her only other novel, Go Set a Watchman, in 2016. Critics panned it it for lacking the light touch and humour of the first novel. They also decried the fact that the character of Atticus Finch was this time around a racist bigot , a feature that had the potential to taint the author’s legacy .

Read more: Review/ Has Go Set a Watchman helped topple the notion of the white saviour?

Subsequent biographical research revealed that Go Set A Watchman, was not a sequel, but the first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. Following initial rejection by the publisher Lippincot, Lee reworked it into the superior novel many of us know and still love today.

Lee gave us the portrait of one small town in the south during the depression years. But it was so filled with lively detail, and unforgettable characters with unforgettable names like Atticus, Scout, Calpurnia and Boo Radley that a universal story emerged, and with it the novel’s continuing popularity.

To Kill a Mockingbird
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Why Are We Still Teaching 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in Schools?

A Mississippi School Board sparked outrage this month when it voted to cut "To Kill a Mockingbird" from eighth-grade reading lists in Biloxi. The issue? Some people complained that the book’s language made them uncomfortable.

While the backlash was swift, those who blindly defend "Mockingbird" are missing an important point. If the criteria for inclusion on a middle school syllabus was simply whether the novel provokes tough discussions, Harper Lee’s opus belongs in as many classrooms as possible. But that is not the only question.

Let’s be clear: "To Kill a Mockingbird" is not a children’s book. It is an adult fairy tale, that is often read by children in wildly different — and sometimes profoundly damaging — ways.

Image: Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" on display at Barnes & Noble

Some of that damage is obvious: the black child who has been verbally abused by being called a “nigger” in the schoolyard could be more hurt hearing that word taught in the classroom, for instance. Another kind of damage less often discussed is how the text encourages boys and girls to believe women lie about being raped.

These damages can be mitigated or evaded by an excellent teacher.

Students are strong enough for tough discussions; they easily can untangle the use and misuse of the word “nigger” in "Mockingbird." But Mayella Ewell’s lies, which are the crux of the false charges brought against Tom Robinson, are far more complicated — too complicated for the eighth grade, perhaps even with an excellent teacher.

And the book cannot continue to be taught as if every person in the classroom is white, upper middle class and needs to be prodded into being Scout. It should be taught by asking questions about why there are no black characters with agency in the novel, by wrapping it in with the history of the Scottsboro boys — a group of black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women — and through raising questions about how "Mockingbird" (and American history) complicates the modern “believe victims” movement.

We need to be asking what we are teaching when we teach "To Kill a Mockingbird," and how useful those lessons are to 21st century students. We should be asking whether then novel, written by a privileged daughter of the Old South should still take up space in curriculum that could be well used to expose students to literary voices on race and injustice that have emerged in the past 50 years — voices who wouldn’t have been published at the time that Harper Lee was first published.

Take, for instance, "Monster," a 1999 novel by award-winning African-American novelist Walter Dean Myers that also takes place in a courtroom. Here, however, the focus is on the young black defendant and narrator, Steve Harmon; the white lawyer, on the other hand, plays a lesser, but still complex, part. Monster is a complex and powerful modern classic that does much of the same work — providing a portrait of a young artist budding ethical integrity while confronting racism — as "Mockingbird" but does it with arguably more complexity.

We are often in practice censoring books like "Monster" from the curriculum to maintain a space for "Mockingbird." Often, we maintain that the book's inclusion is in fact necessary to prevent censorship. But what if keeping it in the curriculum maintains the status quo of the past as much as it illuminates it? Many who defend "Mockingbird" as a choice for curriculum are imagining students emboldened by Atticus to “fight for right” or inspired by Scout to be better than the society into which she is born.

But imagine instead that you are an African-American eighth-grade boy in Mississippi today, and are asked to read "Mockingbird." Perhaps it reinforces your growing suspicion that you are unlikely to get a fair trial should you stand accused of something like Tom Robinson.

Or imagine instead that you are an impoverished, white eighth-grade girl in New York today, asked read "Mockingbird." Perhaps it fuels your growing suspicion that people don’t believe girls who say they have been raped — and that, should you be raped and try to tell people about it, people will have reason to doubt you like the book says everyone should have doubted Mayella Ewell.

Or think of Calpurnia, the older black maid who cooks and serves without seeing much: she isn’t developed as a character as much as written as a set piece, suggesting the worst to young readers about the role of black women and black female intelligence.

And then, of course, there is Tom Robinson, falsely accused and “crippled,” in the parlance of the book, meant to indicate that he would have been physically incapable of sexual assault. Asking a child reader to decode that artistic choice of Lee’s is to ask them to think about whether black men are not desirable, impotent or marred — or that rape is a crime that can only be committed by an able-bodied person.

Every student who reads Lee’s book does not identify with Atticus or with Scout, and teaching it as though they do, or they must, may reinforce the very stereotypes about black men and impoverished women that teaching the book is supposed to combat. Some identify with Tom Robinson, or with Calpurnia, or with Mayella Ewell and, for these students, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a far more complex text which, in the hands of a less-than-effective teacher, can be damaging.

So let’s move beyond a debate about censorship, about banning of books in classrooms, about the word “nigger.” All of that has been hashed over more or less effectively. Characters in novels think and act differently, and often in opposition to, the ways in which their authors think and act. It may be a sign that you are not a racist if you shine light on racists by creating one in fiction. Or it might not.

Let’s instead think about how, why and when we invite books into our classrooms, about the needs of an increasingly diverse student body and about how we can use difficult books to both illuminate our shameful past and better shape the young minds of our future. Though it holds sentimental pride of place for so many as the first book they read about race and injustice, "To Kill A Mockingbird" is more than a book about race and injustice, and it is not the only book about race and injustice. In the 21st century, it may not be the best book to illuminate those themes, especially when it reinforces so many stereotypes and misconceptions many eighth graders are hardly equipped to consider.

Alice Randall is the author of "The Wind Done Gone," "Pushkin and the Queen of Spades," "Rebel Yell," and "Ada's Rules." In addition to her literary pursuits, theHarvard-educated Randall is an award-winning songwriter, the writer-in-residence at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and serves on the nominating committee for the NAACP Image Awards in the category of Children’s and Young Adult Literature.

101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples

If you struggle to find “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay topics on prejudice, race, the characters’ courage, or any other issue, look no further. Our team has prepared a list of titles and essay writing tips for this book.

🏆 Best To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Topics & Examples

📌 most interesting to kill a mockingbird essay titles, 👍 good to kill a mockingbird research topics, ❓ to kill a mockingbird essay questions.

Before we will talk about the do’s and don’ts in essay writing, let’s clarify the types of essay.

When working on “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay thesis, you can focus on the facts of the book or concentrate on your attitude towards its key issues and characters. According to your approach, we can divide essays into two main areas:

Objective essay: you set out your personal thoughts on a chosen issue and provide supporting arguments and evidence;
Subjective essay: you express your point of view on a specific topic without claiming the truth and strengthening it with facts.

For example, when you choose a “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay topics on goodness, you will state that Atticus is a kind and fearless. No doubt that this character has a positive role.

On the other hand, when you describe Mayella, you will have to choose: will you condemn her or express pity.

As for the essay content, it can be divided into many subcategories:

Philosophical essay
Critical essay
Literary analysis
Historical essay, etc.

There are also a few key literary types:

Feature article, etc.

Do’s & Don’ts When Writing To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

Now, it’s time to talk about what you should write and what to avoid in your paper. First of all, you have to remember that all “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay titles should reveal the essence of the issue.

Recommendations for essay writing:

Do mark your essay subject at the beginning of the text. “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay hooks will help you to catch the reader’s attention. Don’t forget to emphasize the central issue in the conclusion.
Do support the style of presentation by your emotions, vision, and opinion. Use the “question-answer” in paragraphs. Make the transitions between paragraphs harmonious and smooth.
Do use quotes, historical facts, and observations to argue the thesis statement, solve the main issue, and describe the key subject of the paper.
Do stick to the central thesis of your essay. Avoid deepen into philosophical reflections — tell about concrete facts and examples. Here’s an example: don’t include the facts from the author’s biography if you focus on the events of the book and factors that affect discrimination.
Do proofread the paper. Read carefully your essay several times and think if your readers will understand your expressions.
Do not use specific terminology in “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay. For example, when you write about discrimination, you don’t necessarily have to provide its dictionary definition or use complex law, historical and psychological literature, and samples. Just your own language. However, it doesn’t mean that your opinion should seem ungrounded.
Do add your emotions to the paper. Let your readers feel that you believe in your ideas when defending the essay thesis.
Don’t choose the header before you write an essay. First, you should write an essay, and only then compile the title of your paper.

Well, now you know about the essay types, what to do, and what to avoid in your essay. Of course, you may ask: “What to write in my own essay?”

The key to success is to start. Check “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay examples on our website to get inspiration. Even the topic seems to you too complicated, start your research, and then you will be able to express new and original thoughts.

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“To Kill a Mockingbird”: The Novel by Harper Lee Scout does not realize the severity of many of the events of the book as they are taking place, and as such she is an innocent.
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Racial Prejudice in Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” Paul Lawrence Dunbar in his poem, “Sympathy” has vividly portrayed the pangs of a caged bird and likens it to the collective pain that colored people have felt like victims of racial prejudices.”And a pain […]
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Despite ‘Discomfort,’ Many Teachers Still Teach ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Here’s Why

The Biloxi, Miss., school district has removed To Kill a Mockingbird from its 8th grade curriculum because some of the language “makes people uncomfortable.” The decision has renewed a national debate about censorship in schools and the book’s enduring value in 2017.

The classroom staple, which focuses on a young girl coming to grips with racial injustice in her Southern hometown in the 1930s, was first published in 1960. Its author, Harper Lee , did not censor usage of the n-word— the Washington Post estimates that the slur appears nearly 50 times throughout the novel, almost always in dialogue.

Still, educators say students can handle reading about the country’s racist past. Education Week Teacher opinion blogger Christina Torres penned a defense of continuing to teach the award-winning novel:

I understand the discomfort; as someone who reads the book aloud to students, I feel uncomfortable every time I say the N-word while reading. And I should feel uncomfortable. The word is heinous and designed to cause discomfort. The thing is, if I don't name that struggle with my students, they lose the opportunity to learn about the gravity of that word, where it comes from, and why it shouldn't be used. Here's the thing: Education isn't here to make you feel comfortable. A good education should, inherently, cause us discomfort. Part of the 'enlightening experience' built into the definition of the word 'education' itself is shining light into the darkness of our own ignorance. When has that ever felt good?"

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan condemned the Mississippi district’s decision on Twitter , and then retweeted a crowdfunding project from a middle school teacher in Chicago who wanted 80 copies of the book to “make students think and engage in discussions of issues that are relevant and worthwhile.”

Let’s help her and get her some books! //t.co/HWKBvNqW8A -- Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) October 14, 2017

The problem was fully funded within an hour. That got us thinking: How many other teachers are requesting Mockingbird on DonorsChoose?

It turns out that 57 teachers from across the country are currently asking for copies of the book on the crowdfunding website. Their reasons for teaching this book vary, and provide an interesting snapshot of the benefits these teachers believe the book will bring to children.

An 8th grade teacher in rural Saint Pauls, N.C., is asking for a classroom set of the novel, saying that it is a coming-of-age story her students need to read when they are coming of age. “It is a time in which they are starting to question and consider the perspectives of others,” the teacher wrote. “As Atticus says, ‘to climb in someone’s skin and walk around in it.’ To Kill a Mockingbird offers them an awareness of the nature of humankind, and as such, allows each and every student to connect across generations with those who have also been changed by this read.”

A middle school teacher from Anthony, N.M., who teaches mostly English-language learners wrote that she wants her students to have copies of both Mockingbird and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer so they can “understand the modern conversations they hear on the news and how our country has—or has not—evolved.”

A 6th grade teacher in Chicago wrote that she showed her students excerpts from To Kill a Mockingbird , and now they want to read the entire book . She thinks it will help “introduce them to new vocabulary, colloquialism and an understanding of what it was like to grow up in the South during the 1930s.”

A 9th grade teacher in Kodak, Tenn., is looking for a class set of To Kill a Mockingbird for her low-income students. She said she plans to engage students in lively discussions by asking this question: “Is Atticus Finch a hero, or is he simply doing his job?” The book, she wrote, “has ample opportunity to access themes such as gender dynamics, classism and class differentials, racism, duty vs. obligation, and growing up.”

A 9th grade honors teacher in Plant City, Fla., who is trying to provide a copy of the novel to every student , wrote that fall semester is one of her favorite times of the year because it’s when she teaches Mockingbird . “This is the time when students who ‘don’t read’ begin to not miss a page,” she wrote. “This is the time when students start to question why others have not read this book. This is the time when students make connections to today’s society and how little things have changed. This is the time for developing one’s opinions and perspectives about life.”

Do you teach To Kill a Mockingbird ? What benefits does it have for your students? Share your thoughts in the comments.

See also : So Do You Teach Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman or What?

Image: A screenshot from the film “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) with Gregory Peck (Atticus) and Mary Badham (Scout) -- Flickr

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — To Kill a Mockingbird

Essays on To Kill a Mockingbird

To kill a mockingbird essay topic examples.

You can analyze its themes in argumentative essays, compare and contrast characters or themes, describe the book's settings, persuade readers about certain points, or narrate personal experiences related to the novel's themes. These essay ideas allow you to dive into the world of "To Kill a Mockingbird" from various angles, making it easier to understand and engage with the story.

Argumentative Essays

Argumentative essays require you to analyze and present arguments related to the novel. Here are some topic examples:

1. Analyze the portrayal of racial injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird and its relevance in today's society.
2. Argue whether Atticus Finch is an ideal role model for modern fathers.

Example Introduction Paragraph for an Argumentative Essay: Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird shines a spotlight on the persistent issue of racial injustice in the American South. This essay delves into the novel's portrayal of this injustice and its enduring relevance in the contemporary world, examining the lessons it offers for addressing social inequality.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for an Argumentative Essay: In conclusion, the analysis of racial injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird underscores the novel's power to inspire meaningful conversations about equity and justice. As we grapple with these issues today, we are reminded of the importance of empathy and compassion in fostering positive change.

Compare and Contrast Essays

Compare and contrast essays enable you to examine similarities and differences within the novel or between it and other literary works. Consider these topics:

1. Compare and contrast the characters of Scout and Jem Finch, exploring their individual growth and experiences.
2. Analyze the similarities and differences between the themes of racial injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Essay: Siblings often share profound bonds, yet their experiences can be remarkably distinct. This essay embarks on a journey to compare and contrast Scout and Jem Finch, the young siblings in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird , exploring the unique paths they navigate and the growth they experience throughout the novel.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Essay: In conclusion, the comparison and contrast of Scout and Jem Finch offer insights into the complexity of individual growth and sibling dynamics in To Kill a Mockingbird . As we consider their journeys, we are reminded of the transformative power of empathy and understanding in family relationships.

Descriptive Essays

Descriptive essays allow you to vividly depict settings, characters, or events within the novel. Here are some topic ideas:

1. Describe the atmospheric details of Maycomb, the fictional town in To Kill a Mockingbird , and its impact on the story.
2. Paint a detailed portrait of Boo Radley, focusing on his mysterious nature and significance in the narrative.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Descriptive Essay: Maycomb, the setting of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird , is not just a backdrop but a character in its own right. This essay embarks on a descriptive journey to capture the atmospheric details of Maycomb, immersing the reader in the town's unique ambiance and its profound influence on the story.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Descriptive Essay: In conclusion, the descriptive portrayal of Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird not only sets the stage but also evokes a sense of nostalgia and reflection. Through this exploration, we are reminded of the power of place in shaping our narratives and perceptions.

Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays involve arguing a point of view related to the novel. Consider these persuasive topics:

1. Persuade your readers that Atticus Finch's defense of Tom Robinson is an act of moral courage.
2. Argue for or against the idea that To Kill a Mockingbird should be a mandatory part of high school curricula.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Persuasive Essay: Atticus Finch's unwavering defense of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird resonates as a symbol of moral courage. This persuasive essay asserts that Atticus's actions embody the essence of moral heroism, inviting readers to reflect on the qualities that define true bravery.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Persuasive Essay: In conclusion, the persuasive argument regarding Atticus Finch's moral courage underscores the enduring significance of his character in To Kill a Mockingbird . As we contemplate his actions, we are compelled to consider the qualities that inspire us to stand up for justice and equality.

Narrative Essays

Narrative essays offer you the opportunity to tell a story or share personal experiences related to the themes of the novel. Explore these narrative essay topics:

1. Narrate a personal experience where you encountered prejudice and discrimination similar to the themes in To Kill a Mockingbird .
2. Imagine yourself as a character in Maycomb and recount your interactions with the Finch family and Boo Radley.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Narrative Essay: Prejudice and discrimination are unfortunately common experiences in our world. This narrative essay delves into a personal encounter with these themes, drawing parallels to the themes explored in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird .

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Narrative Essay: In conclusion, the narrative of my personal encounter with prejudice and discrimination underscores the enduring relevance of the themes in To Kill a Mockingbird . As we reflect on the challenges of our own lives, we are encouraged to confront injustice and champion the values of empathy and equality.

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The Prejudice of Race, Gender and Social Class in The Novel "To Kill a Mockingbird"

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July 11, 1960, Harper Lee

Novel; Thriller, Southern Gothic, Domestic Fiction, Legal Story, Bildungsroman

Atticus Finch, Scout Finch, Jem Finch, Dill Harris, Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandria, John Finch, Arthur Radley

It is partially based on Lee Harper's childhood, which is why the story is told by the child protagonist.

The loss of innocence, prejudice, racial challenges, honor, childhood, friendship, loss of innocence. The most powerful aspect is the very meaning behind "to kill a mockingbird", which means to destroy the innocence. It is made clear by Scout when he asks to "remember [that] it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". The flowers also symbolize patience and understanding, which are reflected by the white camellia flower.

To Kill a Mockingbird is not an easy book to read, yet it quickly became a symbol for the Civil Rights Movement all over the world. It teaches us about being brave, about injustice that must not be ignored, inequality around us, poverty, racism, corruption, anger control, innocence, oppression, hatred, and judging others. Reading this book reminds us of hope, patience, being equal to each other, and fighting for being brave and true.

The story starts when Tom Robinson, an African American male is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, the local lawyer called Atticus agrees to defend Tom even though he receives threats from the community. Even when things are quickly getting dangerous, Atticus refuses to leave his client. His young son Scout unwittingly helps to settle down the challenge.

The book has almost been called "Atticus" instead of the famous title that we know so well. Harper Lee was writing only one manuscript page per day even though she worked for about 12 hours a day. The character of Atticus Finch has been inspired by Lee's father who also worked as the lawyer and defended African American clients. The book has helped to create a cottage industry in the author's hometown, which has started with a museum. Lee Harper decided to choose her middle name instead of "Nelle", which she was afraid could be mispronounced. To Kill a Mockingbird became one of the most beloved books in the American literary history. The character of Dill has been based on author's childhood friend Truman Capote who has also used her personality's character in his "Other Voices, Other Rooms" novel that has been published in 1948.

"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." "Mockingbirds don't do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corn cribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." "It's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you." "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

The main factor in To Kill a Mockingbird is teaching one's children and reminding each other about the dangers of prejudice and judging others. Providing an example of defending a black male in the American South shows that one must always keep the faith and seek the truth regardless of the conditions.

It is one of the most influential civil rights movement works in English literature and a symbolism of social challenge, culture, courage, defense of truth, and justice. It is also an essay topic where a person learns about prejudice and understanding that one has to be in another person's shoes to see and understand what it is like. Choosing this book as an essay topic, middle school, high school, and college students learn about justice, honor, and courage.

1. Macaluso, M. (2017). Teaching To kill a mockingbird today: Coming to terms with race, racism, and America's novel. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 61(3), 279-287. (https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jaal.678) 2. Tanış, A., & Cengizhan, L. (2010). Analyzing the novel “to kill a Mockingbird” in literature class. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 4387-4391. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187704281000738X) 3. Al-Mamoory, S., & Witwit, M. A. (2021). Critical Discourse Analysis of Opression in''To Kill a Mockingbird''. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research, 9(02), 11-24. (http://journals.researchub.org/index.php/jsshr/article/view/1243) 4. Stiltner, M. A. (2002). Don't put your shoes on the bed: A moral analysis of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. East Tennessee State University.(https://www.proquest.com/openview/fa19ac9b0047942ce79bc14a55116582/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y) 5. Khokhar, M. I., & Mashori, G. M. (2018). Marxist Analysis of to Kill A Mockingbird According To Peter Barry. Journal of Grassroot, 52(2). (https://www.prdb.pk/article/marxist-analysis-of-to-kill-a-mockingbird-according-to-peter-2526) 6. Shackelford, D. (1996). The Female Voice in" To Kill a Mockingbird": Narrative Strategies in Film and Novel. The Mississippi Quarterly, 50(1), 101-113. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/26475781) 7. Sastrawijaya, M. D. (2021). The Character and Moral Values in “to Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. INFERENCE: Journal of English Language Teaching, 3(1), 81-87. (https://journal.lppmunindra.ac.id/index.php/inference/article/view/6070) 8. Winarni, B., Nugroho, A., & Fatimah, S. (2013). Affection And Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird Novel By Harper Lee (1960): A Psychoanalytic Approach (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta). (http://eprints.ums.ac.id/26577/)

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What Can "To Kill a Mockingbird" Teach Us About Ourselves?

Posted by Dan Sigward on July 7, 2014

Nearly 54 years to the day after it was first published, the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird comes out as an ebook for the first time on July 8 .

The ereader version stands to make Harper Lee’s classic story about a young girl coming to grips with the spoken and unspoken rules about race, class, and gender in Depression-era rural Alabama accessible to a whole new generation of readers.

Its themes of moral and ethical development, the power of stereotyping and prejudice, the forces that shape the way people respond to difference, the role of upstanders in responding to injustice, crowds and power, the limits and possibilities of the law as a tool for social change, and the impact of the legacies of injustice on individuals, groups, communities and nations at large are just as relevant today as they were in 1960.

The release is a teaching opportunity, a chance to reflect with young people (and on our own) on the historical moment in which Lee wrote her book as well as on the themes To Kill a Mockingbird addresses. How can reading the book help us reach a deeper understanding of ourselves and our growth as moral and ethical people? How can it help shape the way we think and act? How can we cultivate in each other and ourselves the values, experiences, and skills we need to build a stronger democracy?

As is the case with any classic work of literature , To Kill a Mockingbird can prompt a variety of responses from readers, including both praise and criticism. While Lee’s novel is one of the most beloved books in American literature (it has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide), even those who love the book sometimes offer critical views of some aspects of the work. Any work of fiction that provides as complex and nuanced look at a society and its flaws as To Kill a Mockingbird provides of the Depression-era South is bound to be the subject of much debate.

Looking at responses to the book – both from history and today – can help students think about issues of memory and legacy, consider the historical moment of the 1960s, reflect on their own experiences reading the novel, and form their own assessments of it. Here’s one example, a review of the book from the July 3, 1960 Washington Post :

A hundred pounds of sermons on tolerance, or an equal measure of invective deploring the lack of it, will weigh far less in the scale of enlightenment than a mere 18 ounces of new fiction bearing the title To Kill A Mockingbird . Harper Lee, the talented 34-year-old expatriate Southern who makes her literary debut with this engrossing novel, carefully eschews preaching, from either side of the Mason-Dixon line, about the grave issues which confront her native South. What she does, more adroitly than any recent novelist, is present in dramatic terms just how it feels to be a Southerner, with all that it entails of pride, pleasure, anxiety and shame... The result is an unusually accurate rendering of attitudes that must be reckoned with in any solution to the South's contemporary problems. And yet, though so pertinent, the novel is not itself contemporary. There were no sit-in strikes during the depression years when Jean Louise (alias Scout) Finch and her brother, Jem, began to observe the human landscape of Maycomb County, Ala. No protests at all—but the seeds for them were being planted. Her street is the world to Scout, a restless and ingratiating 6 at the outset. This world is bounded by grouchy Mrs. Dubose on the north, by the haunted Radley house on the south, and in winter, by the school yard just around the corner. Within these narrow limits occur the important small dramas of childhood, which as interpreted by Atticus Finch, the children's admirable father, become lessons in fair play, courage, and love. "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it," is his patient, oft-repeated advice, which really sums up the purpose and achievement of this novel. - Glendy Culligan, "Listen to that Mockingbird," The Washington Post, Times Herald (Washington), July 3, 1960. The full review is available in its entirety (for a fee) on WashingtonPost.com .

Reading this assessment of To Kill a Mockingbird, what strikes a chord with you? What do you agree with? What do you disagree with?
What else did you experience while reading To Kill a Mockingbird that this assessment leaves out?
How do you explain the lasting popularity of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Comment with your answers below!

" Teaching Mockingbird ," Facing History’s guide to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird draws from history and the social sciences to help contextualize the book. It includes a series of mini documentaries, connection questions, readings of literature, and primary and secondary sources to deepen understanding of the historical period and human behaviors that would have helped shape the characters in the novel.

Topics: To Kill a Mockingbird , English Language Arts , Democracy , Choosing to Participate , Human Behavior , Human Rights , Readings , Identity , History

Written by Dan Sigward

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National Endowment for the Arts - To Kill a Mockingbird
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Table Of Contents

To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression (1929–39). The story centres on Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, an unusually intelligent girl who ages from six to nine years old during the novel. She and her brother, Jeremy Atticus (“Jem”), are raised by their widowed father, Atticus Finch. Atticus is a well-known and respected lawyer. He teaches his children to be empathetic and just, always leading by example.

When Tom Robinson, one of the town’s Black residents, is falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white woman, Atticus agrees to defend him despite threats from the community. Although Atticus presents a defense that gives a more plausible interpretation of the evidence—that Mayella was attacked by her father, Bob Ewell—Tom is convicted. He is later killed while trying to escape custody. The children, meanwhile, play out their own miniaturized drama. Scout and Jem become especially interested in the town recluse, Arthur (“Boo”) Radley, who interacts with them by leaving them small gifts in a tree. On Halloween, when Bob Ewell tries to attack Scout and Jem, Boo intervenes and saves them. Boo ultimately kills Ewell. The sheriff, however, decides to tell the community that Ewell’s death was an accident.

It is widely believed that Harper Lee based the character of Atticus Finch on her father, Amasa Coleman Lee, a compassionate and dedicated lawyer. The plot of To Kill a Mockingbird was reportedly inspired in part by his unsuccessful defense of two African American men—a father and a son—accused of murdering a white storekeeper. The fictional character of Charles Baker (“Dill”) Harris also has a real-life counterpart. Dill is based on the author Truman Capote , Lee’s childhood friend and next-door neighbour in Monroeville, Alabama. (After the spectacular success of To Kill a Mockingbird , some speculated that Capote was the actual author of Lee’s work. This rumour was not put to rest until 2006.) There is some anecdotal evidence that the town recluse, Arthur (“Boo”) Radley, was based on Lee and Capote’s childhood neighbour, Son Boulware. According to Capote, Boo “was a real man, and he lived just down the road from us.…Everything [Lee] wrote about it is absolutely true.”

Harper Lee began writing To Kill a Mockingbird in the mid-1950s. It was published in 1960, just before the peak of the American civil rights movement . Initial critical responses to the novel were mixed. Many critics praised Lee for her sensitive treatment of a child’s awakening to racism and prejudice. Others, however, criticized the novel’s tendency to sermonize. Some reviewers argued that the narrative voice was unconvincing. The novel was nonetheless enormously popular with contemporary audiences. To Kill a Mockingbird flourished in the racially charged environment of the United States in the early 1960s. In its first year it sold about 500,000 copies. A year after the publication of the novel, Lee was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best-known and most widely read books in the United States. Since its publication in 1960, the novel has been translated into some 40 languages and has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. A staple on American high- school reading lists, the novel has inspired numerous stage and film adaptations, the most notable of which was the 1962 film starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. Lee’s novel continues to resonate with audiences today; in 2018 a stage adaptation of the novel debuted to rave reviews on Broadway.

In 2015 Harper Lee published a second novel titled Go Set a Watchman . Although it was technically written before To Kill a Mockingbird , the novel is essentially a sequel. Go Set a Watchman is set 20 years after the events of To Kill a Mockingbird . In the novel, Jean Louise (”Scout”) Finch—now a grown woman living in New York City—returns to her childhood home in Alabama to visit her aging father, who has embraced racist views. Despite the controversy surrounding its publication (some believe the novel is actually an early draft of To Kill a Mockingbird ), the novel reportedly sold 1.1 million copies in its first week.

To Kill a Mockingbird , novel by American author Harper Lee , published in 1960. Enormously popular, it was translated into some 40 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide , and is one of the most-assigned novels in American schools. In 1961 it won a Pulitzer Prize . The novel was praised for its sensitive treatment of a child’s awakening to racism and prejudice in the American South .

To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression . The protagonist is Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, an intelligent though unconventional girl who ages from six to nine years old during the course of the novel. She is raised with her brother, Jeremy Atticus (“Jem”), by their widowed father, Atticus Finch . He is a prominent lawyer who encourages his children to be empathetic and just. He notably tells them that it is “a sin to kill a mockingbird ,” alluding to the fact that the birds are innocent and harmless.

When Tom Robinson, one of the town’s Black residents, is falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, Atticus agrees to defend him despite threats from the community . At one point he faces a mob intent on lynching his client but refuses to abandon him. Scout unwittingly diffuses the situation. Although Atticus presents a defense that gives a more plausible interpretation of the evidence—that Mayella was attacked by her father, Bob Ewell—Tom is convicted, and he is later killed while trying to escape custody. A character compares his death to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds,” paralleling Atticus’s saying about the mockingbird.

The children, meanwhile, play out their own miniaturized drama of prejudice and superstition as they become interested in Arthur (“Boo”) Radley , a reclusive neighbour who is a local legend . They have their own ideas about him and cannot resist the allure of trespassing on the Radley property. Their speculations thrive on the dehumanization perpetuated by their elders. Atticus, however, reprimands them and tries to encourage a more sensitive attitude. Boo makes his presence felt indirectly through a series of benevolent acts, finally intervening when Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout. Boo kills Ewell, but Heck Tate, the sheriff, believes it is better to say that Ewell’s death occurred when he fell on his own knife, sparing the shy Boo from unwanted attention. Scout agrees, noting that to do otherwise would be “sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird.”

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Why "to kill a mockingbird" continues to be relevant today, “i think there's just one kind of folks. folks.” - harper lee.

Many of you I'm sure vaguely remember reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" at some point as a school assignment. I have never been told to read the book by a teacher, but when I saw the book on my sister's bookshelf last month, I remembered how much of a classic it's touted to be, so I decided to read it myself.

The main takeaway, ironically enough, is to not judge a book by it's cover; or in this case, to not judge a person by their skin. It seems like we haven't learned from our mistakes, even though Harper Lee literally spelled them out for us. So, why should we start to care about "To Kill a Mockingbird" now?

In the midst of police shootings, terrorism, and all manner of injustices, it's important to remember what Atticus Finch told Scout on the porch swing, "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 lesson doesn't just apply to understanding our fellow peers, but can also serve to trigger your mind to think in a much grander and philosophical scale.

It seems that a lot of us have forgotten about being empathetic towards others; it seems that we continue to commit the sin of killing mockingbirds, the birds that Miss Maudie said do nothing but produce sweet music for our enjoyment. The symbolism behind the mockingbirds is that of innocence and/or all around good intentions. It seems like we are losing too many people as a result of malicious self-interest, just like when Mayella Ewell falsely accused Tom Robinson of rape, and we all know how that ended.

It's much easier to judge someone at face value alone, but it takes work to consider the many possibilities and events that led someone to think, talk or act in a way different from you, just like Boo Radley was so misunderstood by Scout, Jem and Dill. So let us take a page from Atticus Finch's book (how awesome would it be if he was real and wrote a book?) and re-evaluate how we perceive others and ourselves; we never know what we might learn.

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27 hidden joys, appreciation for some of life's most discredited pleasures..

Life is full of many wonderful pleasures that many of us, like myself, often forget about. And it's important to recognize that even on bad days, good things still happen. Focusing on these positive aspects of our day-to-day lives can really change a person's perspective. So in thinking about the little things that make so many of us happy , I've here's a list of some of the best things that often go unrecognized and deserve more appreciation:

1. Sun showers

3. tight hugs, 4. discovering new foods you like., 5. laying in bed after a long day., 6. and being completely relaxed, 7. "this reminded me of you", 8. breakfast foods, 9. over-sized clothes, 10. contagious laughs, 11. car rides with that one person, 12. random (i miss you/ i love you) texts, 13. the city at night, 14. surprises, 15. blanket cocoons, 16. good hair days, 17. really good coffee, 18. days where you're in a good mood naturally and for no particular reason, 19. conquering a fear, 20. when they give you a lot of guac at chipotle, 21. being so comfortable with someone that you can literally talk about anything, 22. home-cooked meals, 23. tattoo stories, 24. leaves changing color in fall, 25. butterflies in your stomach, 26. peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, 27. when you can't stop laughing, cool off with these 8 beers.

Summer is hot and humid, and it's almost like summer was made specifically to drink the refreshing, cold, crisp wonderful, delicious, nutritious nectar of the gods. Which is none other than beer; wonderful cold beer. With summer playing peek-a-boo around the corner while we finish up this semester, it's time to discuss the only important part of summer. And if you haven't already guessed, it's beer. There are few things I take more seriously than my beer, in order are: sports ... and beer. Here are my favorite summer brews:

Coors Light Summer Brew:

This summer shandy begins this list, it's a mix of lemon, lime and orange. While this is by no means a craft beer, it still has it place as a refreshing summer brew to enjoy.

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

Solid choice for any summer get together, great taste with a hint of citrus.

Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat

Distinctly reminds me of Fruity Pebbles, but nonetheless is a wonderful summer beer.

Want to know more about beer?

Summertime is the perfect time for beer, and that's why International Beer Day is on August 2nd. Our community has you covered with more stories about beer, including:

The Benefits of Drinking Beer : Let us count the ways. There are more than you might think.
Delicious Beer Substitutes : Is beer not typically your thing? Try one of these instead.
Unique Beer Flavors to Try : Whether it's hard apple cider or the tase of wild blueberries, these are great options.
If College Majors Were Beers : Business, sports medicine, design – there's a beer for every major.

Sam Adams Summer Ale

Sam Adams is known for their traditional Boston Lager, but their Summer Ale is damn good.

Hell or High Watermelon

Made with real watermelon, not much is more summer-esque than juicy watermelon in July.

Blue Moon Summer Honey

I love me some Blue Moon, so the summer brew is a no-brainer on this list.

LandShark Lager

Fun fact: LandShark is owned by Anheuser-Busch, and is more commonly know as the signature drink of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

Obviously Corona had to take the number one spot. To me, there's nothing more refreshing than a cold Corona with lime on a hot summer day.

So whether you're on a sandy beach, a fishing boat, or at a pool, just remember what our dear friend Jack Nicholson said, "Beer, it's the best damn drink in the world."

Drink responsibly and never drink and drive.

7 Reasons SoCal Rocks!

75 degrees and sunny, plus, no humidity. I mean do I really need to say more?

SoCal summers are the best summers by far, and honestly, no argument is needed. But, if you aren't sure why SoCal summers are the best, here are 7 reasons why!

Perfect Weather

You'll get an effortless tan.

Being outside is inevitable when the weather is this nice, so slap on some low SPF and enjoy the perfect weather as you become a bronzed beach babe!

You can exercise with a view

Who said working on your summer bod has to stop when summer starts? In SoCal there are hundreds of gorgeous hiking trails in the mountains or on the cliffs overlooking the beach, so maintaining your summer bod is easy on the eyes and a lot less of a drag!

You don't have to worry about bug bites

The likelihood of you getting bit by a bug is slim, so you don't have to worry about smelling like bug spray whenever you want to go outside.

In n Out all day, every day

No explanation needed.

We have outdoor concerts

At the county fair or on the beach, summertime means outdoor concerts with good music and great friends.

We live where people vacation

We're lucky enough to live in paradise and we don't take that for granted. We take advantage of our sunsets on the beach and backyard staycation without spending a pretty penny on visiting somewhere that isn't nearly as perfect as SoCal. We're pretty spoiled.

25 Lyrics for Selfie Captions

Because let's be honest, we all use lyrics..

Sometimes you can't think of the perfect caption for your Instagram post. I love using lyrics as my captions because there's so many great lines in songs that just seem to fit in the moment . Here are some lyrics that could work for your selfie or pictures of you with your friends!

1. “Don’t get too close, it’s dark inside. It's where my demons hide.”

Imagine Dragons, Demons

2. “Tonight, we are young.”

Fun., We Are Young

3. “Cuz I may be bad, but I’m perfectly good at it.”

Rihanna, S&M

4. “Tell me how they got that pretty little face on that pretty little frame.”

Justin Timberlake, Summer Love

5. “I can’t wait to fall in love with you, you can’t wait to fall in love with me.”

6. “sweatpants, hair tied, chillin with no makeup on.”.

Drake, Best I Ever Had

7. “Why you so obsessed with me?”

Mariah Carey, Obsessed

8. “We ain’t ever getting older.”

The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey, Closer

9. “I didn’t know that I was starving until I tasted you.”

Haille Steinfeld, Starving

10. “Didn’t they tell you I’m a savage?"

Rihanna, Needed Me

11. “I’m gonna make you miss me.”

Sam Hunt, Make You Miss Me

12. "Cheers to the freakin weekend.”

Rihanna, Cheers

13. “Love’s a game. Wanna play?”

Taylor Swift , Blank Space

14. “You don’t know about me, but I bet you want to.”

Taylor Swift, 22

15. “Let’s set each other’s lonely nights, Be each other’s paradise.”

Justin Bieber, Company

16. “Trippin’ on skies, sippin’ waterfalls."

Troye Sivan, Youth

17. “Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days.”

Twenty One Pilots, Stressed Out

18. “But you will remember me for centuries.”

Fall Out Boy , Centuries

19. “Something about you makes me feel like a dangerous woman."

Ariana Grande, Dangerous Woman

20. “Don’t act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me.”

Justin Timberlake, Not A Bad Thing

21. “Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”

Taylor Swift, Blank Space

22. “Find me where the wild things are.”

Alessia Cara, Wild Things

23. “I’m high on lovin’ you.”

Florida Georgia Line, H.O.L.Y.

24. “If you’re gonna be somebody’s heartbreak, somebody’s mistake, if you’re gonna be somebody’s first time, somebody’s last time, be mine.”

Hunter Hayes, Somebody's Heartbreak

25. “Don’t be afraid to take the road less traveled on.”

Lauren Alaina, Road Less Traveled

Bruce Springsteen's Top 7 Lyrics

Everything bruce says in his classic rock songs..

Anyone who was born and raised in New Jersey (or anywhere really) knows of Bruce Springsteen, whether or not they like him is a whole other situation. I hope that his hundreds of classic rock songs and famous high energy performances, even in his sixties he can put on better concerts than people half his age, are at least recognizable to people of all ages. Love him or hate him (I identify with the former) you have to admit that some of his songs and interviews have inspirational quotes and lyrics.

Want to know more about Bruce Springsteen?

One of the great American artists of all time, Bruce Springsteen has had a profound impact on the music world. Our community has you covered with more about him:

How I Learned To Love Bruce Springsteen : It was an acquired taste, and here's exactly what made him stand out.
4 Of My Favorite Songs From 'The Boss', Bruce Springsteen : He has so many hits, but these are the best of the best.
18 Most Memorable Bruce Springsteen Lyrics : "Ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" and many more!
Bruce Springsteen: To Lose Your Audience : He's dabbled into political music, so no surprise that can be divisive.

Here are a few of Bruce Springsteen's most memorable song lyrics because whether you're a die hard fan who named your dog after the man (I totally did that) or you have other opinions, you have to admit that some of his lyrics are on point:

1. "Talk about a dream Try to make it real You wake up in the night With a fear so real Spend your life waiting For a moment that just don't come Well don't waste your time waiting." (Badlands)

This is one of my personal favorites. Maybe it is a little lengthy, but it really hits on some major points.

2. "It's a town full of losers/ I'm pulling out of here to win" (Thunder Road)

Maybe this only resonates with people who hate their hometown (which is most college students I know). However, I once watched an interview where Lady Gaga said that this was the lyric that inspired her to become a musician. Which is pretty cool if you ask me.

3. "You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above" (Tunnel of Love)

It's the Bruce Springsteen version of "if you can't beat them, join them."

4. "I got something in my heart / I been waitin' to give/ I got a life I wanna start/ One I been waitin' to live" (Leah)

For some reason, I have always loved this less popular song.

5. “God have mercy on the man/ Who doubts what he’s sure of” (Brilliant Disguise)

This had to be included because this is my favorite Bruce Springsteen song, but it is also a solid quote.

6. “Well everybody’s got a hunger, a hunger they can’t resist/ There’s so much that you want, you deserve much more than this/ Well, if dreams came true, aw, wouldn’t that be nice?/ But this ain’t no dream, we’re living all through the night/ You want it? You take it, you pay the price” (Prove it All Night)

Maybe it is not one of my favorite Bruce Springsteen songs, but this lyric is still powerful.

7. “Is a dream a lie when it don’t come true, or is it something worse?” (The River)

"The River" is another one of my favorite songs, it has so many quotable lyrics. This is just one of them.

Top Creators

1. Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society 2. Radhi, SUNY Stony Brook 3. Kristen Haddox , Penn State University 4. Jennifer Kustanovich , SUNY Stony Brook 5. Clare Regelbrugge , University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

To Kill a Mockingbird

How are the themes of to kill a mocking bird still relevant today.

if possible use refrence from the novel

Moral education, racism, inequality, loss of innocence(goodness), are all themes that continue to be relevant today. All we have to do is look around us and we can see that these things still exist. Think about your neighborhood, your school. Do you know a Boo Radley? Someone who is isolated because he/ she is different? Have you seen racism, ever been a part of it, or maybe been a victim? Have you seen someone accused of something...... maybe just because they're always the one who gets into trouble, and it's so easy to blame them...... and just as easy to get an authority figure to believe it.

All the themes in this story are alive and well in today's world..... it's sad, but there still a whole lot of changing to do!

Words are and will always be powerful. They should be used carefully and with integrity. Violence is usually not an easy or inexpensive way to solve problems. It usually creates more complex and different problems.

In a Republic, freedoms of speech are often abused to ignorance, poor education and greed. Atticus is an excellent example of a fine man who says what he means and means simply what he says. Atticus is not a politician full of rhetoric, but simply defends what he knows to be truth and justice. If all citizens were as educated and well bred as Atticus, the world would be a better place for it.

The axis of evil is ignorance. Greed, deceit, abuse and poverty are fueled by ignorance. They only way to change a violent society is to teach its citizens prudence in action, words and deeds. This does not require making weapons illegal or allowing each man to take the law into his or her own hands.

It requires respecting a legal system that more often than not works justly to defend all fairly. It requires a legal system that is consistently and fairly enforced in a nation, that favors those who abide and disfavors those who do not.

Lynching is a crime. No man should be left only to the justice of the ignorant perhaps in a frenzy of rage. Government serves a fine purpose and ours has very solid checks and balances that need to be left intact.

By not keeping these checks in balances intact, we lose sight of real justice and become mechanisms of rhetoric, favoritism or deceit. Just as no man is an island, no man is omnipotent either. That is what our Founding Fathers wanted protected in the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Whether we are considering a "rabid man" or a "rabid dog", we all have to realize that public safety is a significant priority and conditions vary from state to state as well as environment. A gun is not bad. Only a bad person who abuses it or others is bad.

Atticus is good. Calpurnia is good. We see truth in action as well as words. We see bravery , citizenship and education at its finest and at is lowest levels in this novel. It is as if it were a legal plea by Harper to inform the public of the need for PEACFEUL demonstration against the many social injustices imposed on the uneducated or disabled.

God bless America and may this book be like a torch to enlighten the hungry minds of students all across the world. It beacons our minds to the Pre - Civil Rights era and reminds us to be so very grateful to those who fought and shed blood to secure our freedoms in nationally declared wars. But it also shows how quickly violence escalates and can be used as a tool of manipulation , vengeance and personal interest.

The truth simply put, a Trevan Martin was not a Boo Radley. George Zimmerman was not a Ewell. But racial disagreements still abound. Common law must be respected by all people of all races. If we put ourselves above the law, we indirectly put others beneath it.

To Kill A Mockingbird Hey Boo - Netflix

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Domestic Violence Victims Reported Abuse. Caseworkers Watched Them Too.

New York parents who report abuse to protect themselves and their families often become the targets of child welfare investigators. A lawsuit is trying to change that.

A woman with long hair, shown in silhouette, turns away from the camera, with trees and a sunset in the background.

By Andy Newman

“You’re not accused of anything,” the judge told the mother of an infant in family court in Brooklyn last summer.

The woman was the victim of domestic violence. She was in family court because she had told her therapist that her ex-boyfriend beat and slapped her and yanked her dreadlocks out in front of their 9-month-old daughter. The judge issued an order of protection barring him from the home.

But despite the mother’s blamelessness, the judge also pronounced a sort of sentence on her: She and her daughter would receive “announced and unannounced visits” from the city’s child welfare agency, the Administration for Children’s Services, during which investigators could search their apartment, interrogate the mother and physically examine the child for signs of abuse.

Thousands of times a year across New York State, advocates for families say, parents — usually women — who have been abused by their partners are then subjected to surveillance from child welfare authorities.

It is considered child neglect for one parent to abuse the other in the presence of their children. Often, after a victim reports abuse, A.C.S. files a child neglect case against the accused parent and a judge bars that person from the home and grants the agency “supervision” over the parent who was abused.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of the Brooklyn woman in the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in December seeks to change that. Oral arguments in the case are expected to be heard within a few months.

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COMMENTS

Why "To Kill a Mockingbird" Still Resonates Today
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a small town in Alabama in the 1930s, a town much like the one in which author Harper Lee came of age. Although I grew up a generation later, I see much of myself in Scout, the young white girl who narrates the book. Like Alabama in the 1930s, Tennessee in the 1950s was a place where separate never meant equal.
The Relevance of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Today
'To Kill A Mockingbird' is still relevant today because society's structure has not changed, the world is still broken, and at the moment, there aren't many willing to fix it. TKAM is still relevant because, despite no one saying it, those in a position of privilege are going to inevitably have a position of power. ...
How the moral lessons of To Kill a Mockingbird endure today
Atticus' spiel on "conscience" and the other ethical principles he insists on living by, are key to the enduring influence of the novel. It conjures an ideal of moral standards and human ...
Why Are We Still Teaching 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in Schools?
If the criteria for inclusion on a middle school syllabus was simply whether the novel provokes tough discussions, Harper Lee's opus belongs in as many classrooms as possible. But that is not ...
'To Kill a Mockingbird' Still a Necessary Book
The novel's hero, Atticus, implores his daughter to understand that most people are kind "once you finally see them.". Lee has even more to offer our current conversations about injustice ...
101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Topics & Samples
To Kill a Mockingbird, in its imperfection, is a testament to the march of progress in social justice and racial equality. The Title of Lee's "How to Kill a Mockingbird" Book. The novel's core topic is the disappearance of innocence and the influence of bias on the lives of the novel's characters.
To Kill a Mockingbird Historical and Social Context
To Kill a Mockingbird delves into two profoundly unsettling topics: rape and racism. Lee tackles both issues with profound sensitivity. The specifics of Mayella Ewell's alleged rape emerge during ...
Despite 'Discomfort,' Many Teachers Still Teach 'To Kill a Mockingbird
Here's Why. By Madeline Will — October 17, 2017 3 min read. The Biloxi, Miss., school district has removed To Kill a Mockingbird from its 8th grade curriculum because some of the language ...
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird: A+ Student Essay Examples
Harper Lee's Depiction of Racial Inequality in America in Her Book, to Kill a Mockingbird. 5 pages / 2345 words. In this American classic, a sleepy Southern town is rocked by the trial of a young black man accused of rape. This seemingly simple story, written in 1960, is now regarded as a hallmark of critical writing.
What Can "To Kill a Mockingbird" Teach Us About Ourselves?
Nearly 54 years to the day after it was first published, the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird comes out as an ebook for the first time on July 8.. The ereader version stands to make Harper Lee's classic story about a young girl coming to grips with the spoken and unspoken rules about race, class, and gender in Depression-era rural Alabama accessible to a whole new generation of ...
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression. The protagonist is Jean Louise ("Scout") Finch, an intelligent though unconventional girl who ages from six to nine years old during the course of the novel. She is raised with her brother, Jeremy Atticus ("Jem"), by their widowed ...
To Kill A Mockingbird Is Still Relevant Today
I believe that To kill a Mockingbird is still relevant today because many of the problems and things that happened in the book still happened today and although we are trying to stop discrimination by making new laws and enforcing them it still happeneds quite often. To Kill a Mockingbird still relates today because of Sexism, Racism and ...
To Kill A Mockingbird Still Relevant Today
Unfortunately, we do not live in such a world. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, it is clear that some parts of her book are still relevant and meaningful in today's society and that it consolidates the message of racial inequality, stereotyping of women, and injustice. First and foremost, some may argue that racism is not ...
To What Extent Is To Kill A Mockingbird Still Relevant Today
The novel's symbolism, characters, and storytelling are still relevant today, and it's essential to educate and inspire future generations of students by introducing them to this novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel full of symbolism, with the 'mockingbird' being the most prominent one.
Why "To Kill a Mockingbird" Continues to Be Relevant Today
And it's important to recognize that even on bad days, good things still happen. Focusing on these positive aspects of our day-to-day lives can really change a person's perspective. So in thinking about the little things that make so many of us happy , I've here's a list of some of the best things that often go unrecognized and deserve more ...
Why Is To Kill A Mockingbird Still Relevant Today
African Americans still face many of the horrors they faced in the 1940's. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a book that takes place in the early 1940's during a time of great segregation. The novel incorporates many hardships of black people during the 1940's that can still be seen in today's society.
How Is To Kill A Mockingbird Still Relevant Today
Show More. Harper Lee's famous, classic American novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, is an important novel in the American school system that follows a White attorney named Atticus who defends a Black man during the 1930s. The book is told from the perspective of a child named Scout. This book addresses many things that are still ...
How are the themes of to kill a mocking bird still relevant today?
The truth simply put, a Trevan Martin was not a Boo Radley. George Zimmerman was not a Ewell. But racial disagreements still abound. Common law must be respected by all people of all races. If we put ourselves above the law, we indirectly put others beneath it. Source(s) To Kill A Mockingbird Hey Boo - Netflix
Why Is To Kill A Mockingbird Still Relevant Today
Why Is To Kill A Mockingbird Still Relevant Today. The derogatory racial slur, n****r is written forty eight times in the highly challenged and banned novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The novel is about the life of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, a young girl who lives during the 1930s in the small fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama.
To Kill A Mockingbird Still Relevant Essay
850 Words4 Pages. To Kill a Mockingbird is a world renowned book that is loved through the ages. The book carries many themes from racism to prejudice. Some people believe that TKaM doesn't fit into today's society because it is very old, dating back to the mid 60's. I think a novel is still relevant if the reader connects today's society ...
To Kill A Mockingbird: How Racism Is Still Relevant Today
1037 Words5 Pages. Thesis:Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" is still relevant in the world today because it highlights how racism is unfair and cruel and when respect is deserved. Main idea:An initial reason why To Kill a Mockingbird is still important is because the author brings to light how racism is unfair and cruel by ...
For Domestic Abuse Victims, Child Welfare Scrutiny ...
Last month, in still another case, the Family Justice Law Center sought to end supervision of a woman who had reported that her ex-boyfriend hit her, choked her and threatened her with a knife in ...
Should To Kill A Mockingbird Be Taught In Schools
Joe Mangiafico Erami Period 6 6/3/24 To Kill a Mockingbird Should Be Taught To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee should be continued to be taught in schools. Some teachers have chosen to stop teaching To Kill a Mockingbird for the messages about race and the outdated lessons (Fink), and that the story is a classic case of a white savior coming ...
Poverty In To Kill A Mockingbird
Those who live in households with earnings below those incomes are considered to be in poverty" (How is Poverty Measured in US). In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the Cunningham and Ewell family are poor. Both families are treated unfairly because of their lack of money, similar to the poor in society today.
To Kill A Mockingbird Sexism Essay
In 'To Kill A Mockingbird', scout faces the many challenges of being treated less than boys/men. When women are told they are less than men, this causes protests and many other political issues. Today, women are starting to act more like men and put themselves in traditional male roles.
Examples Of Justice In To Kill A Mockingbird
Sam Jordison, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird": a book that still raises questions about 'good' justice. While many still believe the scenario contained within the novel would have similar results if tried today. Sam Jordison questions whether the personal morality displayed by Atticus is great enough to dismiss that defined within the ...
To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis
Experiences like these, are what shapes a person and allows them to live the lives they want. This novel is a coming of age story; It inspires its readers to be independent and stand up for themselves. This book is about defying the odds of stereotypes and prejudice that are still present today. Self-discovery is the biggest part of one's life.
Character Analysis Of Dill In 'To Kill A Mockingbird'
To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Certainly it is possible for anybody to become a tough and productive adult even if that person had an abusive or neglected childhood. This can be shown in the book To Kill a Mockingbird with Dill and his neglecting parents. This can also be proven to this present day with the celebrity Charlize Theron.