ZZ Packer displays the black Girl Scout troops hidden racial hatred for white people through ironic humor. She conveys hidden philosophical messages to the reader through her text. While explaining the importance of a secret meeting, she also went on about the meaning of a secret saying, “A secret meant nothing; it was like gossip: just a bit of unpleasant knowledge about someone who happened to be someone other than yourself” (pg 9). This is an effective use of dramatic irony because the definition Packer provides for “gossip” is the basis of the entire story. The black Girl Scout troop creates the lie that one of the white Girl Scouts used the racial slur “nigger” and this drives the rest of
Scout learns a major lesson which is not to kill a Mockingbird. She learns that Boo is simply an innocent mockingbird and does not harm just sings and Boo just suffered from his fathers cruel intentions which made the town see him as a harmful creature. The children and Boo never had a physical connection or chemistry but this barrier is soon broken when he saves the children form Bob Ewell. Scout now understands and see’s Boo as actually a real creature although she still points at him, which shows her transformation is still in progress she treats Boo like a real person. When Atticus fails to understand that Boo was the one who killed Bob, Scout explains Atticus a lesson which is usually visa versa, that you must never kill a Mockingbird and by exposing and giving him the negative publicity towards Boo it would be like killing him in a way.
That the young narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird goes by the nickname "Scout" is very appropriate. In the story, Scout functions as both questioner and observer. Scout asks tough questions, certainly questions that aren't "politically correct," but she can ask these questions because she is a child. As a child, Scout doesn't understand the full implication of the things happening around her, making her an objective observer and a reporter in the truest sense. Scout hates school because in many ways it actually inhibits her learning.
Janie, who spent her early childhood with white children, does not even know she is different from the other children until she sees a picture of herself with them. This shows that until then, race was not a factor in Janie’s life. It is not until Janie goes to the all black school that appearance of race becomes important. The children at the black school mock Janie for living with a white family and dressing in white clothes better than their clothes (Hurston 26). The children, jealous of her living conditions and angry at her lifestyle, constantly remind her of her poor, unreliable parents in order to let Janie “not be takin’ on over mah looks” (Hurston 26).
At one point in the story, it seems as though other people besides the Finch family are seeing that judging people based on their looks is wrong. Ms. Gates, Scout's third grade teacher, explains to the class that prejudice is a bad thing. She states “Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.” (p.245) She emphasizes this to the class, showing that she really understands and despises it when people look down on others based solely upon their looks. Also, a little bit before, Ms. Gates explains to the children what democracy is, and how it works. Scout says that a democracy means that their is “equal rights for everyone.” (p.245) The teacher then goes on to state how the U.S. is a democracy, and how that differs from Germany as a dictatorship.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. It tells the story of a young girl named Scout and of her childhood growing up in a small southern town in the 1930`s. Throughout the story, Scout learns many life lessons which contribute to her maturing, due to the influence of Atticus, Mrs. Dubose, and Boo Radley. Atticus teaches Scout not to be provoked by other people, and to fight with her head instead of her fists. He tells her: “‘No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let’ em get your goat.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the novel is set in Alabama America during the early 1930's. The character Jean Louise Finch (Scout) is essential to the text as she helps the readers understand important life lesson's throughout the book. The life lessons learnt are it's a sin to kill a mockingbird, to walk around in someone else's shoes and courage. Scout first learns of courage when Jem has to read for the old lady down the road Mrs Dubose. During the book Mrs Dubose dies from being a morphine addict "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."
The author of this book presents the fact that people’s demeanors can often be misleading. Specifically, one of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to prove the statement true that people are not what they seem is Dolphus Raymond. When the Atticus’s court case is going on, Scout and Dill take a small break and exit the building to calm Dill down. When they are out, they meet Dolphus Raymond and during their conversation, he says, “‘It ain’t honest but it’s mighty helpful to folks. Secretly, Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live’” (Lee 201).
The youth described above is six-year-old Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. In the powerful novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout is like most children: loud, playful, and energetic. She can be rude, demanding, and rowdy, which causes a problem for some around her. Scout is naïve at this stage in her life, and has much to learn about society, etiquette, and most of all, morals. In her small town full of gossip, lies, racism, and more, will Scout be able to blossom into a mature, wholesome, young woman?
The Coexistence of Good and Evil When a person takes his or her first steps into the world, he or she will finally be able to get a taste of the good and the bad in life. In the story “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the author Harper Lee displays the theme through the perspective of an innocent young girl, Scout, as she begins to reveal more about the world she lives in. Coexistence of good and evil is revealed through a case of an accused African American, causing not only Scout but the rest of the characters to change their perspectives towards their community. Through the contrasting beliefs and actions of the characters, the coexistence of both good and evil is exposed. Exploring and understanding different characters decisions and beliefs truly helps reveal human morality.