Throughout the novel, mockingbirds and other songbirds are representations of purity and generosity. Many characters refer to the killing of a mockingbird when a character is hurt or corrupted by prejudice and the harshness of society. “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. “Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy .
In To Kill a Mockingbird, these oppressed and misunderstood are portrayed in the characters, Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley. Though the lives of the two differ greatly, they both share these common experiences. They, like the humble mockingbird, who only sings beautiful songs for us, expecting nothing in return, do nothing but try to live their lives as harmless but helpful people, and are destroyed by the ignorant people that belong
Arthur Radley is later called a mockingbird by Scout, after she realizes that bringing him to court for saving her and her brother by stabbing Bob Ewell would be similar to shooting a mockingbird. Taking this man who has only ever done good for the two children, and dragging him out of his comfort zone to be tried for a crime that did away with one of the town’s worst, and protected some of the town’s
What about To Kill a Mockingbird? To compress the entire novel, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the civil rights era in a town called Maycomb, Alabama. The book metaphorically displays the co-existence of good and evil. To demonstrate the co-existence, the broad picture is painted with a black male named Tom Robinson is falsely accused of raping a white woman. With the time period of when the story takes place, you can imagine the dangers of this scenario.
This shows a reference to what Atticus and Miss Maudie had said earlier in the book about mockingbirds. Atticus had said “Remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Miss Maudie had later added to this by saying “Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . .
Scout takes this lesson all through the book and keeps reminding the readers of this life lesson. The life lesson of it's a sin to kill a mockingbird is shown when Atticus buys Jem and Scout air rifles for Christmas. Upon receiving the air rifles Atticus tells Jem” Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Scout asks Miss Maudie why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" From this life lesson Scout learns that, that life lesson doesn't just apply to birds but also humans in fact Tom Robinson.
This quote shows the people’s impression of Boo and how they affect the childrens in the book. A day came when they were acting out Boo’s life and Atticus says, “that you never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (36). Boo teaches Scout and Jem not to judge a person based on rumors because later in the book, they find out that Boo is not this evil person as the society perceives but he is an innocent and kind person, symbolic of a mockingbird. Boo also teaches Jem and Scout a major theme of the book which is that it's terrible to do harm to an innocent person as Atticus would say, “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” At the end of the book, when Tate and Atticus are hiding the case of Boo killing Bob, Scout reminds Atticus that charging Boo with murder would be, “Like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”(276) It refers back to when Atticus told them it’s a sin to kill mockingbird because they don’t harm you. Boo is symbolic of a mockingbird because he didn’t do harm to anyone.
People in Maycomb know that killing a mockingbird is a sin, yet when they see a black man get executed, they see it as a normal, everyday occurrence. People recognize the bird as innocent and charming because it sits in front of their window and sing their hearts out. But if a black neighbor that has helped them numerous times is executed on their account, they don’t feel guilt, regret or any emotion. The long days of Maycomb return back to normal without any remorse. That is a very cruel thing.
This is seen in the line where he states that the children go about “messing up their hair and breaking their glasses”. This was the scene where Piggy’s glasses were broken in Lord of the Flies. Billy Collins also adds the imagery of the American dream when he mentions walking past white picket fences and flower beds. He tries to keep the children’s innocence and have them believe in this utopia, however he questions whether that is possible. Similar to “The History Teacher”, “A Barred Owl” is also about an adult, in this case a parent trying to keep her child’s innocence.
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitN… Answer: Improve In this story the author uses the Mockingbird as a symbol for innocence. The title seems to have very little to do with the actual book but it is highly symbolic to the plot. Throughout the book many innocent people are hurt or destroyed by evil. Probably Atticus' most famous quote is 'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird' pg 99. What Atticus meant by this statement was that mockingbirds aren't harmful at all, they only do one thing, sing their hearts out for people to enjoy and that is why it is a sin.