Why Is to Kill a Mockingbird Such an Effective Title

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Why is “To Kill a Mockingbird” such an effective title “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee explores the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is an effective title in many ways as it is used as a symbol for many concepts throughout the book. A mockingbird is a type of bird from the family of finches which “mocks” or mimics other birds’ song. It is an innocent, small and plain bird of which some are known to be endangered. It is thought that their habits differ according to their adaption to specific environments. This bird first appears in Chapter 10 when Atticus is teaching Scout and Jem how to use their new shotguns. Atticus teaches them that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” which surprises Scout as a person nonjudgmental as Atticus has called something a “sin”. Miss Maudie explains to Scout that “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but . . . sing their hearts out for us”; mockingbirds do not harm people or their crops but only create beautiful music for people to enjoy. This is particularly significant as these mockingbirds are used to represent those who are accused when they are innocent. For instance, when Tom Robinson, an innocent black man, is wrongly accused of raping a white girl and can similarly be linked to Boo Radley as Scout does at the end of the book - public exposure of Boo Radley would be “sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird”. It is evident that both characters have these mockingbird traits in many ways. Both characters show kindness though they do not directly receive anything back – Boo to the children and Tom to Mayella. Scout’s grade is released a half hour earlier than Jem’s, so Scout has to pass Boo Radley’s house by herself every afternoon on her way home. One day, Scout spots something shiny in the oak tree at the edge of the Radley yard. When she goes back to see
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