In life, innocence is associated with purity and the lack of corruption, and the loss thereof is inevitable. Chapter fifteen of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, illustrate how innocence is impermanent. Both Lee and Frost, portray the impermanent nature of innocence and how it is slowly replaced by wisdom from experiences as one ages. In Chapter 15 of the novel, Jem’s innocence is slowly replaced with an understanding of the social corruption and inequality that exists in Maycomb. For instance, after Atticus’s first encounter with Heck Tate and his men, Jem admits that he is “Scared about Atticus” and how “Somebody might hurt him.” Jem’s adamant interest in Atticus’s affairs implies that he is beginning to replace his innocence with an understanding of the racial stereotypes surrounding Tom Robinson, and how his Atticus’s decision to defend Robinson in court puts himself in a position of political and physical danger, as social norms prohibit such. …show more content…
In the poem, Frost characterizes innocence as short-lived and non-lasting. Frost writes, “Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold” and “Nothing gold can stay.” Gold, which symbolizes innocence, is portrayed as the “hardest hue to hold” since it is only a matter of time and the cycling of life before it fades away. Moreover, the line “Nothing gold can stay,” is a clear statement of the fact that innocence cannot last forever. Lee and Frost use Jem and Nature respectively to symbolize the fact that innocence is impermanent, and that it is inevitable with time that one’s innocence will eventually fade away and be replaced with understanding and
To What Extent Are Life Values and Lessons Reflected Throughout The Novel To Kill A Mockingbird and Jasper Jones. By Eloise Cotter (9 English 1) Powerful morals and truths are revealed throughout the novels To Kill A Mockingbird and Jasper Jones. These texts focus upon a series of relevant themes including prejudice and growing up. Both these novels present these themes through the eyes of the protagonists and their childlike innocence as extraordinary sequences of events change their lives and views forever. With both authors’ use of various literary techniques, the audience is truly capable of understanding the themes of prejudice and growth and recognising the various life lessons that are taught throughout.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the stealing of innocence. It’s the most heinous crime, and certainly a capital crime if there ever was one. ”(Clint Eastwood) In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, this quote reigns true for many reasons. The book starts as a family and friend oriented community, but its true colors show when Atticus Finch takes on a black mans trial.
Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.
Atticus has taken it upon himself to defend an African American man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of rape: it is clear to him that Tom didn’t do it, but the town doesn’t think so. Stevenson’s novel is
By taking this case and simply because the accused man is African-American, Atticus Finch is subjected to the towns negative supposed slander such as Mrs Dubose’s deplorable comments for example; “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the court-house lawing for niggers”. Atticus accepts this case not because Tom Robinson is African American but because he believes that he is innocent and therefore defends Tom as best he can as an innocent man rather than a man of colour. During the trial Atticus expresses how he stands for truth and believes in justice and the justice system however he doesn’t agree with criminal law.
Jem further understood the true meaning of moral courage when he saw Atticus defending Tom Robinson, a black man. Although Atticus was hugely outnumbered and even cornered by Mr Cunningham and some other people, he did not back down from them. Instead, he seemed even more determined to win the case and prove Tom Robinson 's innocence to all of Maycomb County. Almost everyone in Maycomb County had criticised Atticus and his children for taking up the case of defending Tom Robinson and they were even called "nigger lovers" by many. At first, Jem did not understand why his father chose to defend Tom Robinson when he knew that people would whisper and gossip about it and that the possibility of him winning the case was very low.
Many philosophers say; “The most challenging part of growing up is letting go of what is comfortable, and moving on to something unknown.” This quote strongly applies to the maturity process of Jeremy “Jem” Finch, a lead character in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem struggles to understand his role in society as the picturesque facade of his sleepy southern town is destroyed, revealing the darkness underneath the surface. In this coming-of-age story amidst of a race war, Jem navigates the hardships of maturity. He is aided by the guidance of his father, who plays an integral role in the conflict of the small town as the court-appointed lawyer of an African-American man falsely accused of assaulting a white
To Kill a Mockingbird When you think of innocence do you think of a mockingbird? Well, in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee foreshadows the loss of innocence through her symbolic significance of the Snowman, Mad dog, and the Mockingbird itself. First, Harper Lee uses the Snowman to foreshadow the loss of innocence. The Snowman was built out of mud and snow by two innocent children, Jem and Scout. Scout says, “Jem I ain’t ever heard of a nigger snowman” (89).
The theme that readers can learn from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) is the importance of having honesty and integrity. Throughout the entire book, there are many honest and virtuous instances that are meaningful. A few characters, such as Atticus Finch, a wise lawyer in his forties; and Calpurnia, an African-American maid and nanny to Atticus’s children; display good morals which can benefit the readers, however; other people such as Aunt Alexandra, Atticus’s sister displays poor ethics. The classic novel set in the 1930s, though fictional, contains an extremely important lesson worthy of comprehending.
After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.
Dhyanee Bhatt 9A Scout’s Development for Narration All of us grow, develop, and adapt to our surroundings according to what we see and learn. However, we don’t always only the just induce the positive values, but also adapt to the disadvantageous values, as well. To Kill a Mockingbird is a unique novel written by Harper Lee, which tells about a sophisticated family living in a small town. The focus of the book is Scout, the main character and an innocent child, and the story is presented from her perspective.
A person cannot call themselves a noble person if they can’t understand others. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is told in first person by Jean Louise Finch or by her nickname, Scout a 6-year-old. Harper Lee, depicts Atticus Finch as a proficient father to his two children, Scout and Jim, 10-year-old. Atticus teaches his children life lessons, one being it 's a sin to kill a mockingbird.
Humans live in a world where moral values are very clearly set determining what is good and what is bad. We know what scares us and how racism should be treated. Nevertheless, this was not the case back in Alabama during the 1950s. In the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee narrates the lives of the people of Maycomb, Alabama, focusing on the story of Scout and Jem Finch, and the case of a said to be rape. In this emotion filled narrative, readers learn how life was back then not only in general, but for the separate social statuses that there was.
The next example of the theme of innocence is yet another mockingbird Jem. Jem’s innocence is a childish one. Although it can be argued that he is not a mockingbird there are also telltale signs that he is. Jem starts out in the book as a child he views the people of Maycomb as all being naturally good. Textual evidence that supports this is "it 's like being a caterpillar in a cocoon, that 's what it is," he said.
Lee’s use of elements of style in To Kill a Mockingbird to convey and support the classic’s theme is what makes both the novel and the author so distinguishable. Using the literary devices of setting, symbolization, and characterization, Lee is consistently referencing the theme of racism and inequality in society. Throughout the first chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee frequently references age and appearance when discussing the town of Maycomb. ” Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it” (Lee 9). The deeper meaning that Lee is successfully conveying through this description of an old and tired town can be used to represent the old and outdated morals and view of Maycomb’s inhabitants.