To Kill A Mockingbird
By: Mia Dodson, Elgin Meadors, and Lindsay Nellis
Literary Criticism:
2. Another detail that goes unnoticed by readers is the fact that the mockingbird is really a symbol of the African-American population as a whole, as opposed to other suggestions, in which it is clearly seen in this quote in chapter 10: '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. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
3. Lastly, the novel's main theme, which many people do not figure out, is tolerance, as portrayed throughout the novel in Boo Radley and Atticus Finch and at the end by Scout.
Character Foil
Character Foil: Tom Robinson and Boo Radley- One lives with his wife and kids and one is cooped up in his own house, but as the book goes on, they start to have more in common. They are both disabled in some way (Tom’s crippled arm and Boo’s shyness), both are innocents with a bad reputation and are both looked down upon, and both are compared to a Mockingbird.
Characterization- Scout Finch:
Scout Finch- Scout is a tomboy, judging by her attire and flamboyance. One can only assume that her confidence makes her this way. She often does not think before she speaks, either. Scout is a round character because the readers know what her thoughts and appearances are. She is a dynamic character because she changes from being stereotypical from what she hears to more mature as she grows older and knows what is truthful and what isn’t.
Picture 2:
Picture 3:
Symbolism/Motifs: Mockingbirds- Besides making a really cool title to the book, the mockingbird is an important symbol throughout the story. It symbolizes how black people were treated and later on, it symbolizes how they should be treated instead.
Irony/Sarcasm:
Narrator:
Thematic Topic:
Maycomb traps its citizens in a cycle of former mistakes never changed or learned. (Lee, Ch. 19 Pg. 201-202)
Citations:
Literary Criticism:
Erisman, Fred. "The Romantic Regionalism of Harper Lee." The Alabama Review 26.2 (Apr. 1973): 122-136. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk. Vol. 60. Detroit: Gale, 1990. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 June 2015.
Saney, Isaac. "The Case against To Kill a Mockingbird." Race & Class 45.1 (July-Sept. 2003): 99-110. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 194. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 June 2015.
Character Foil:
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Foil in To Kill a Mockingbird." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 May 2015.
Characterization:
Shmoop Editorial Team. "To Kill a Mockingbird Characters." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 01 June 2015
Allusion: YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 01 June 2015
"Allusions." Allusions. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2015
Symbolism/Motifs:
"To Kill A Mockingbird: SYMBOLISM / SYMBOLS / CONTRASTS IN MAYCOMB SOCIETY by Harper Lee." To Kill A Mockingbird: SYMBOLISM / SYMBOLS / CONTRASTS IN MAYCOMB SOCIETY by Harper Lee. Web. 31 May 2015.
Irony/Sarcasm: "What Are Some Verbal Ironies in Chapters 1-3 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 01 June 2015
Narrator:
"What Are Some Verbal Ironies in Chapters 1-3 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 01 June 2015
Thematic Topic:
Shmoop Editorial Team. "To Kill a Mockingbird Themes." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 June 2015.