To Kill A Mockingbird [Archive] - Literature Network Forums

browneyedbailey

01-08-2008, 06:28 PM

I always find it helpful when I am reading, to write down a list of any word I come acorss that I do not understand and then look up its meaning in the dicitioary, it might also be helpful to acutally keep a record or journal of these words. It is a good way to expand your vobuluary and then when you see them again you will know what they are.

My teacher is making me do that. I filled up a whole post-it note slip with words I don't know.

sixwingmortal

01-09-2008, 01:22 AM

I read that book for school. It was the first book I read in a long time and I enjoyed it very much. It gave me a good sense of ethnic discrimination back in that time.

hellsapoppin

01-09-2008, 09:36 AM

The story was made into a movie which is considered a great classic by many. Perhaps if you watched it, you would get a better understanding of it.

Hunnii

01-10-2008, 06:57 PM

TKM was the first novel I had to read in grade 9. I thought it was an amazing piece of literature; it teaches you so many things. I found it quite rewarding.

I would suggest that you research the historical context of the time, and perhaps familiaralize yourself with the terminology of the time. I recommend you look into its main four topics:
1- prejudice
2- courage
3- education
4- maturing and growing up

If you have to do some sort of culminating project, I would suggest you do some sort of essay on the themes in TKM. The themes are really easy to find; you will find endless examples that will support them. The main one, in simple terms, is "prejudice is hard to eliminate from society." You can talk about the whole White-Black issue: the jury can not find a black man (Tom Robinson) innocent over a white family. Not only does prejudice run from White people to Black people, but also from Black people to White people. An example of this is when Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church, and a churchgoer there named Lula confronts Calpurnia with, “I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillum to nigger church.”
The people in Maycomb county also show prejudice against Boo Radley. No one bothers to find out anything about the real Arthur boo Radley. Instead, the towns people make up rumours about him shunning him from society. If they actually took the time to see the world from his point of view, they might not be so prejudiced to his situation.
Prejudice also runs in stereotypes: male/female; social classes; races

This is only one of the many themes covered in this outstanding novel. I'm sure you'll find TKM an interesting and educational read.

Granny5

01-11-2008, 08:22 AM

You'll love this book, kiddo. I read it years ago but I think I might read it again. Any words you need to know about, I'll help you with. It's very interesting and I think it's a good picture of the way things were in the South years ago.

novelsryou

01-12-2008, 11:09 AM

I liked it a lot. Interesting period piece of the thirties of a southern town in America, with racial undertones. It's a pretty easy read, nothing too difficult.:)

That's an understatement.

anglbabe92

01-14-2008, 06:14 PM

Weisinheimer

01-15-2008, 09:08 PM

TKM is an amazing book. I think everyone should read it. I love how the books covers alot of deep topics, but through the eyes of a child.

FuzzySeduction

01-16-2008, 12:19 AM

TKM is an amazing book. I think everyone should read it. I love how the books covers a lot of deep topics, but through the eyes of a child.

I agree. I think it's very difficult to portray things in that way. A child can make light of many serious issues plaguing a society simply from lack of understanding. Actually, it reminds me of Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane, in the sense that they both do a good job to return to their childhood and explain it as a child would.

Stardust97

01-16-2008, 12:47 AM

Totally, this book is a one-of-a-kind book! I loved it! My favorite part was when the trial took place. It was so sad.

Weisinheimer

01-16-2008, 08:45 PM

Yeah, the trial is really awesome :nod:.

Stardust97

01-16-2008, 11:30 PM

Totally, this book is a one-of-a-kind book! I loved it! My favorite part was when the trial took place. It was so sad.Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.-Mother Teresa

Simao

01-17-2008, 05:45 AM

Just watch the movie, forget the book lol. Thank God my school didn't have this kind of "forced reading material" and the only thing that I read is which I really enjoy and understand.

Lost Arts

01-17-2008, 02:39 PM

This is a great book. i loved it. easy to read, entertaining, and fun. although there are some racial slurs in it.:rage: i read this book at the beginning of the year and i could even read it again.:thumbs_up :thumbs_up :thumbs_up

tahtah for now
:wave:

I read this in high school, along with a number of other books with similar themes of prejudice and intolerance. Since then I've reread it several times. I think it's important to remember that the "slurs" in the book are used in the context of illustrating the reality of how people treat each other (then and now, I'm afraid) and with the result of demonstrating how damaging this is to individuals and to society in general. To Kill a Mockingbird does this very well. It especially shows how children drink in the attitudes and behaviour of those around them and struggle to determine which are "right".

Hope the one who started this thread does well in your studies. I wish we had access to this kind of forum when I was in high school (back in 76 B.C. - before computers!;) ).

Stardust97

01-17-2008, 11:15 PM

Oh really! Well, I read it in 6th grade, but the movie's a 'must-see'. I agree with that.

Weisinheimer

01-18-2008, 01:27 PM

Just watch the movie, forget the book lol. Thank God my school didn't have this kind of "forced reading material" and the only thing that I read is which I really enjoy and understand.

I liked having "forced reading" in school. Some of my favorite books are ones that i had to read in school.

Lost Arts

01-18-2008, 01:43 PM

Simao, there's a lot of kids that would never read anything if it weren't for curriculums that introduce a wide variety of books. Given the economic, social and religious background of my family, I would not have had the wider world of literature opened up to me without the books I was "forced to read" in the public school system. While not all kids find motivation to explore beyond the required reading lists, some of us use those books as a jumping off point to new literary adventures. If we only require students to read what they "enjoy and understand" how will they
a. discover that they enjoy something different?
b. expand their level of understanding beyond the known and familiar?

Yes, the movie is great, but being a spectator is not nearly as mind-expanding as reading the original words.

Weisinheimer

01-18-2008, 02:41 PM

I wasn't that impressed with the movie. I don't really remember it that well. maybe I should watch it again.

Stardust97

01-18-2008, 05:50 PM

Well, if u need any help, it was in black and white.

Weisinheimer

01-19-2008, 12:40 PM

Well, if u need any help, it was in black and white.
Ooooh yeah. It's all coming back to me now :rolleyes:

*Classic*Charm*

01-21-2008, 08:40 PM

I read TKAM in grade nine. LOVED it. My main advice is to pay attention to the little things- small objects, gestures, names, and actions have a deep symbolic nature. I'll never look at red geraniums the same way ever again.

rhei_27

01-22-2008, 04:11 AM

I like the story... I first it read it when I was in high school and I didn't like it but when I read it again..then, I realize the essence of the story.

It is a good book..:)

RoCKiTcZa

01-22-2008, 04:33 AM

TKAM was required reading in my school last quarter. (I'm a freshman in a science high school) It was one of the most beautiful books I'd ever read. It has high social relevance and makes use of beautiful symbolisms in conveying a serious message. I especially admire the character of Atticus Finch. Strong, intelligent, and determined, he possesses the traits of a winner.

One of the songs of my favorite band (Fall Out Boy!!!:D--You're Crashing, But You're No Wave) is probably based on this book.

"Case open, and case shut
But you could pay to close it like a casket
Baby boy can't lift his headache head
Isn't it tragic?
***
Fresh pressed suit and tie
Unimpressed birds sing and die
Can't talk my way out of anything
The foreman reads the verdict..."

Phranchesskah

01-22-2008, 07:29 AM

I, like many others, have had to read this book as part of my secondary education and loved it. It's an easy read and yet thought provoking - appealing on so many different levels.

PvtPyle

03-11-2008, 09:42 PM

Okay,I'm not really into books about people's childhood life stories but To Kill a Mockingbird was half way decent. The book really show racism that existed during the Great Depression and how crude the Educational system was. :D

miss_chau

03-12-2008, 08:59 PM

I taught this book once last year, and I'm teaching it again this semester. This is one of my favourite novels, not so much because of its portrayal of themes and symbols, all of which do give the book a richness that's hard to parallel.

What always gives me a sense of awe when reading this book is how the character Scout is written. The reader sees the world through her child-eyes, and because we're older, we understand a lot more of what's going on than she does. Her puzzlement and candid indignation makes me laugh on frequent ocassions. Some of the content in this book is quite dark, but much of it is also very humourous.

My tip for the best way to enjoy the book is to simply read it and get to know the characters as if they were your neighbors. Don't stress out over the themes and symbols, and especially not the vocab. If the vocab really gives you a hard time, look them up. Otherwise, just let them go and roll with the story.

Mockingbird_z

03-18-2008, 03:26 PM

This is one of the best books I have ever read. i love it.
BUt I got a question: Do you think there are two narrators in the book. Scout as a child and Jean -Louise as an adult?

miss_chau

03-25-2008, 10:15 PM

I think that's an excellent question. I'm of the opinion that it is just one narrator. Throughout the novel, the grown up Scout would say something in a very mature narrative voice, sounding as if she is giving you some subtle insight into what happened so many years ago. I can't think of any examples right now, and I left my copy of the book at the office so I couldn't even check for any right now. Maybe others might be able to remember them.

It is peculiar, however, that Lee could write it as though we were watching a movie instead of reading a novel. When the narrative distinctively shows the reader how each character spoke with their own pattern and behaviour, it was almost as if we were watching a flashback on the screen.

In university English, my professor called this focalization. She used the analogy of a camera lens floating around, and what we read is what we see through this camera lens. Perhaps others here who have studied literary theory more recently may be able to shed more light on this.

angelmay

03-26-2008, 07:55 AM

:yawnb:
This is one of the best books I have ever read. i love it.
BUt I got a question: Do you think there are two narrators in the book. Scout as a child and Jean -Louise as an adult?

Wow I did my O level in it last year and didn't consider the 2 Scouts but this year my teacher was teaching it to the junior class and discussed this with us...there might not be 2 narrators but there are definitely 2 personas
We called them little scout and grown up scout :yawnb:

Mockingbird_z

03-26-2008, 01:39 PM

yes Scout and Scout many years ago
but while reading I didnt realize it, i thought Scout spoke in a way a grown up usually speaks just because she learnt such phrases from Atticus, he treated his children as adults so usually explained different things in a way he would to a grown-up person.
i think i need to reread it to answer my questions.
anyway thank you for your ideas.=)

kelby_lake

03-26-2008, 03:53 PM

Found the book quite dull myself. It's okay but in the grand scheme of things it's not that great. It's awful that it's 5th favourite book ever in one poll- I know that's because it's about racism but there are far more deserving books that should be right up there by people who bothered to write more than one book.
I feel very strongly about that.

Mockingbird_z

03-27-2008, 01:33 PM

well, i can't say that the main reason why i liked this book is because its about racism.
there are other things the book conserns.
do you think Harper Lee didnt want to write more books because of the success of to Kill a Mockingbird? or why do you feel so strongly about it?

kelby_lake

03-27-2008, 01:39 PM

I'm not sure but I think it's unfair that that is regarded as a brilliant book- contextwise it might be interesting but it doesn't really do anything. I think 12 Angry Men, albeit a film, did a far better job of showing the stupidity of racism/prejudice.
There are rumours that her friend Truman Capote helped her a lot. I wouldn't like
to say, but what do you lot think? I doubt it's true but nevertheless I'm interested.

It's hard to explain why I care, but if you've read Fahrenheit 451 you'll understand how some people are about books. :)

Mockingbird_z

03-27-2008, 04:31 PM

even if Truman Capote did help her, does it change anything in a large scale?
how can it change your attitude to a book if its already the book.final version. no one can now change a word in it. and who really cares if they collaborated? and what if not?
besides if we speak about racism, Harper Lee on fer side tried to show how children feel about racism not adults. that is the difference between other books of a similar theme.

Mockingbird_z

03-31-2008, 10:05 AM

Got a question:
who represented Mockingbird in the book? Tom Robinson?

Weisinheimer

03-31-2008, 10:43 AM

Yeah, I understood it to be Tom that represented the Mockingbird. Mockingbirds weren't to be killed because they didn't do anyone harm and they benefited people with their singing. So, with Tom, he didn't harm anyone and he helped people etc.

Mockingbird_z

03-31-2008, 01:51 PM

thanks =) i thought so

JBI

03-31-2008, 04:11 PM

Funny how they teach this book in schools. We need to read a book about how nice a white girls father is, and how everyone else was racist, but he was a saint, rather than reading a book written by an African American. Good job education system.

Either way, the novel is second rate (from an aesthetic point of view) at best. The prose is unoriginal, and the characters boarder heavily on completely unbelievable (unbelievable as in I can't believe people actually think these are well thought out characters, not, "oh my god these are amazing.").

As for coming of age stories, if we want to approach other themes, this novel deals with that theme in a mediocre way. Seriously, there are plenty of good books, with as strong themes out there, why read this one? Because it is a semi-classic.

curlyqlink

03-31-2008, 07:28 PM

I agree, I think this book's reputation is based largely on it having its heart in the right place. It's fairly pedestrian by any other standard.

Mockingbird_z

04-01-2008, 11:12 AM

why not read a book by African -American?
i think Lee's Book was written from white person' s point of view. not a black one. thats all.
if u want another version - go ahead.
WHy do u think the book is only about racism?

JBI

04-01-2008, 04:05 PM

It isn't, but the other themes are written in such a mediocre way that the only dominant theme in the book is Racism, which in fact, led to this being used by racists to preach how much better they are than other racists. Lets face it, a white girls perspective about her father is far less beneficial to a reader, studying the subject, than a first hand account of the experience of racism by someone who actually understands what it is like to be a black person growing up in the south.

The only reason why this is a classic, is because it is written by a white woman, but stands against racism. I guess the school boards decided, back when they deemed this a classic, that a white womans story is far more suitable to teach than a black person's.

Weisinheimer

04-01-2008, 04:20 PM

I agree that TKAM might not be the best book out there for someone studying racism, but that doesn't mean it isn't still a good read. It's a touching, entertaining story.

The only reason why this is a classic, is because it is written by a white woman, but stands against racism.
I doubt it. I'm a white woman, and trust me, if I wrote a book about racism, it wouldn't be a classic.

SirRaustusBear

04-01-2008, 04:46 PM

JBI I disagree. The reason this book is read is not because the author is white, in high school we read this in addition to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou as well as Fredrick Douglas' autobiography. Both concern racism, both by black authors.

To Kill a Mockingbird is different because it is told through the eyes of an innocent child who is able to comment on racism from a vision unblurred by worldly bias. Innocence is an important theme throughout the book, and though it has been about five years since I read it, I think I came to the conclusion that both Boo Radley and Tom were mockingbirds.

The part of the story that I enjoyed the most was not about Atticus and his court case but about the minor adventures of Scout and Jem. Both of those characters felt real to me, sure they were mature for their ages, but Atticus treated them as adults so that makes sense. They were coming to realize that there was evil and ignorance in the world, such as racism as well as the gossip about the guy who drank coke from a bottle in a paper bag. This is reflected in their own mythologizing about Boo, who despite his eccentricities turned out to be a good person.

Sure the coming of age novel has been done before but I can't think of one that does a better job describing a child's realization of both the evil and the good that exist all around us.

Mockingbird_z

04-02-2008, 07:45 AM

SirRaustusBear
I agree with you!!!! you just wrote what i felt!!!
thank you.
I read it being already a grown up and I felt the characters so real! and i loved the book.

kelby_lake

04-02-2008, 03:55 PM

Got a question:
who represented Mockingbird in the book? Tom Robinson?

Boo and Tom Robinson are supposed to be the mockingbirds so we have a nice racial mix...it just smacks of PC white middle-class condescencion and is probably offensive to the deep south.

It would be far more interesting if the child was born to racist parents/t and far more impressive. Scout is a very irritating arrogant child who appears to flaunt her ignorance and then realise the blatantly obvious and flaunt that.

JBI

04-02-2008, 04:49 PM

I also would like to add, that the character of Scout is unchanged, it seems, at the end of the book. What is the deal with that? She seems to not bitter at all, but goes on living as this naive child who believes the world is a wonderful place.

curlyqlink

04-02-2008, 07:26 PM

SirRaustusBear

04-03-2008, 01:00 AM

It's been a while since I read it, so correct if I'm wrong here, but

SPOILER

doesn't Tom get shot and killed? How is that a happy book? All of the hatred in town, the racism etc., that represents the evil in the world. The kids learn about evil through this experience of racism and of viscious gossip and finally, the violent death of an innocent man. But the world is not all evil. Boo Radley, a dark figure throughout the novel, turns out to be good, and thus the kids learn there are pockets of goodness within all the hatred. The ending is mixed at best, and I think it's a realistic portrait of the world.

And they teach some dpressing novels in high schools. I read Things Fall Apart and All Quiet on the Western Front sophomore year. It can't get much more dismal than that.

JBI

04-03-2008, 09:54 AM

It is too happy because the narrator does not change, and does not see the world in a darker light, and does not lose her innocence, despite the events.

Because of that, it is, I would argue, overly sentimental, and an unrealistic, mediocre book.

kelby_lake

04-04-2008, 12:22 PM

To Kill a Mockingbird is non-threatening and has a reassuring happy ending. It's a "nice" book. That makes it ideal as assigned reading in the schools. It also makes it infuriating to people who don't think books about racism ought to be "nice".

People used to get lynched back then- the writer just doesn't have the guts to actually write something like that. None of the bad things in the book are that bad- kudos to Ewell at the end. Atticus ought to have had a breakdown- that would be more realistic- but he just sounds sort of stupid. What's the point in writing about a serious subject if you're going to do it from a child's point of view?
I'm going to write a story about the slave trade but I'll do it through the captain's dog's eyes because that will really highlight the problems (!)

Mockingbird_z

04-04-2008, 02:20 PM

Cant a child look at serious subjects?
and was it necessary to lynch Tom? he was killed, and no matter how they did it.

kelby_lake

04-04-2008, 03:58 PM

a child can but scout is a very annoying child. i didn't mean that tom had to get lynched but other people could have. what's the point in doing a book about racism but not actually getting to the bottom of much? If a man had written it they woulda done a better job.

JBI

04-04-2008, 04:02 PM

It isn't from even a child's point of view, it is an unchanged narrator reflecting on the past. That is one reason why the narration is so silly. The views of the narrator don't seem to have matured from those of the little girl (who seems to have views too out of place for someone of that age).

kelby_lake

04-04-2008, 04:06 PM

the moral lessons are also grating and the reader is being patronized

Lioness_Heart

04-04-2008, 04:56 PM

Why are you so intent on hating the book?

Firstly, it is not solely about racism; there are many other themes. Indeed, it is only so powerful becuase of the multitude of issues with which it deals - no book will be powerful if it has only one theme.

The narrative style, i.e. seeing the story through the eyes of the children, serves many purposes, but its eloquence is only achieved because Harper Lee is writing as Scout the adult - to have it written 'by the child' would probably disrupt a great deal of the book's fluency. But the child's viewpoint means that the theme of innocence is emphasised - Scout is only 6(?), and if an older narrator was used, much of the innocence of the tone of the novel would be lost. Also, the adventures of Scout and Jem are what makes the book so charming and engageable - these adventures, however, are used as a vehicle for explorin more serious themes. As an innocent, Scout is finding out about the world in which she lives - as readers, we are doing this too. By employing a child's point of view, the reader is able to explore the world with Scout and instantly engage with her as a principal character. As well as us sharing her journey of discovery and growing up, this empathy with the narrator means that the actual themes of the novel are far more easily digested.

And as for Scout not changing as she grows up, there is no suggestion of this; she is not giving an adult's commentary on her life, merely reporting it as it was lived.

And why should Atticus have had a breakdown? Life is not all melodrama; he is a strong, good person in a corrupt world, but to break down would be to embrace that world. I think that he is such a dignified, wonderful character, and there are people like that. For me, Atticus's dignity and strength is what stops the book being so depressing - it is a reminder that there are good people out there who are willing to challenge the corrupt world, but in an understated way that will in fact 'win hearts and minds'. His children will grow up with his values, and does the reader not come away having empathised with Scout, thus respecting Atticus and therefore sharing his outlook? I came away from the book with great respect for the character of Atticus, and do not think his characterisation at all implausible.

JBI

04-04-2008, 06:13 PM

I didn't say it doesn't have other themes. I just said they are all poorly executed. Their is no excuse for bad writing, and we shouldn't discriminate based on the fact that it is generally considered racist these days to dislike this book.

curlyqlink

04-04-2008, 07:56 PM

Atticus's dignity and strength is what stops the book being so depressing

What makes this essentially a feel-good book is the overpowering benevolent presence of the father. He's an all-too-obvious God-figure, there to oversee all and to set all things right. When, in addition to all his other strengths, he turns out to be an expert marksman (it's High Noon for rabid dogs on Main Street...), it's just too much. The world may be scary at times, but nothing can really go wrong in our lives with daddy (er, God) to look after us.

JBI

04-04-2008, 08:02 PM

Feel good literature isn't literature, it is propaganda. The real world is horrible (especially in the south at that time). No point saying otherwise, because if you do, you won't ever change.

SirRaustusBear

04-04-2008, 10:08 PM

Okay first of all, not to change the subject, but "If a man had written it they woulda done a better job." Are you kidding me? Because a woman could never write effectively about racism. I guess Toni Morrison is just a man dressed as a woman, right?

Now, enraging sexist comments aside, I will concede that Atticus' skills with a rifle are a little over the top, but he wasn't there to protect the kids in the end. Boo, the character whose status as good or evil was as yet undecided, stepped up.

And though Atticus manages to create a haven of safety and tolerance in his home, he ultimately fails to save Tom. So he isn't the hero of a melodrama, this isn't a John Grisham novel, instead he is a lone good man amongst a mob of evil.

I agree that in general a happy ending weakens a book that calls for social change. If 1984 or Elmer Gantry had ended happily they would not have been the statements that they were, but Mockingbird is not an essay. The main goal is not to demonstrate how terrible racism is, though that is a part of it. Instead the story is of Scout and Jem growing up, learning about the evils and the goodness in the world. The story is structured so that when the reader begins to despair of any good left, the light that is Boo Radley appears to reveal that the world is not all bad.

I don't think this is overly rosy. Sure, there are parts of the world that suck, but goodness exists, and to make a book that focuses only on evil would be an unrealistic representation of reality.

Joreads

04-07-2008, 02:42 AM

It seems to me that book has gotten a lot of us talking about it and at the same time racism and all of the other themes in the book. Love or hate the book hasn't it done what what a good book sets out to to get people talking and exchanging ideas?

kelby_lake

04-08-2008, 09:01 AM

[QUOTE=SirRaustusBear;551397]Okay first of all, not to change the subject, but "If a man had written it they woulda done a better job." Are you kidding me? Because a woman could never write effectively about racism. I guess Toni Morrison is just a man dressed as a woman, right?[QUOTE]

You misunderstand me. I mean in this novel a man would have written it better because they would have had the guts to go for something more deeper and probing. The writing style sounds masculine but a not-very-good masculine. Scout's sexist in the book as well when she says she likes men better than women because they're not hypocrites. The most infuriating thing is that I'm female and am waiting for a really good female writer who wrote/writes (and wrote/writes well) the sort of books I'd like to read.

And I have often thought the point above me :) and it is something to be grateful for.