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Literary Devices in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

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Mockingbirds are medium-sized grayish songbirds with a long tail and fourteen-inch wingspans, useful for flying quickly. Most unique about these fascinating birds, however, is their voices. Mockingbirds sing throughout most of the day and often into the night, a feat that makes these birds distinct from other bird species. They have almost two hundred songs in their repertoire, used mainly for mating purposes. Perhaps mockingbirds beautiful voices is the reason why Harper Lee chose them to symbolize innocence and vulnerability in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (Bernard 78). Whatever the reason, Lee repeatedly emphasizes that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, which later becomes a symbol for Tom, Boo, and racism in general. The theme of racism is primarily portrayed through Lees use of symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird, a story in the 1930s South where racism, although much changed, still prevails today.

Although racism still exists, portrayals such as the ones in Lees novel have changed peoples views on African Americans and other races. The mockingbird is a major symbol in the novel because of Atticus belief that it is a sin to kill this bird. He says, Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you hit em, but remember, its a sin to kill a mockingbird (Lee 103). This belief stems from the concept that mockingbirds are innocent and do not harm anyone, so they should not be hurt, either. Miss Maudie even notes, Mockingbirds dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They dont eat up peoples gardens, dont nest in corncribs, dont do one thing but sing their hearts out for us, which is why killing this bird would be cruel (Lee 103). Moreover, because Maycomb does exhibit racism toward both Tom and Boo, they have committed a sin; they have slaughtered innocence and consequently, a mockingbird.

The mockingbird represents Tom because of his innocence, although most citizens of Maycomb would refuse to see him this way because of his skin color. As a result, he is convicted even though it is apparent that he is not guilty.

During the trial, Atticus offers evidence that Mayella was beaten by her father, not Tom. The all white-jury cant take the word of a black man over a white mans [because] doing so would disrupt the rigid social codes [the citizens of Maycomb] live by, unjust as they may be (Bernard 79).

Thus, the citizens of Maycomb have judged Tom solely on his skin color and condemned him, even though he is not guilty. In other words, they have symbolically killed a mockingbird because they have destroyed innocence. Tom is later killed while trying to escape out of jail. By killing him, they have again committed a sin because Tom is innocent, and would never hurt anyone (Smykowski 3). The citizens of Maycomb have symbolically slaughtered a mockingbird. In this way, Tom is a victim of prejudice because of his skin color, an unjust way to judge a person, even though he has not committed a crime. Tom is not the only character represented by a mockingbird, however.

Arthur Boo Radley is portrayed by a mockingbird as well, since he is innocent and would not harm anyone, either. Although Maycomb is not racist toward him for his skin color, it is prejudiced toward him for his familys background. He is seen as an outsider and is treated differently from everyone else due to the family into which he was born. Ironically, no one attempts to discover the truth about him because people imagine him as a monster, a criminal, and a freak without ever attempting to discover the truth (Bernard 80). The malicious manner in which they describe him- six and a half feet tall dine[s] on raw squirrels, which is why his hands were bloodstained his teeth were yellow and rotten, his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time- is the epitome of their prejudice toward someone they do not know (Lee 14). Boo turns out to be the opposite of the description, making their assumptions about him all the more boorish. Scout says he has a thin frame hands as white as his hands. cheeks thin to hollowness, a normal description for someone who has been inside for such a long time (Lee 310). Thus, Boo, too, has been a victim of prejudice in relation to his family and his innocence has been destroyed. The equivalent to committing a sin, the townspeople have prejudged Boo without attempting to understand him.

Portrayals like these have greatly altered peoples views on racism, which has greatly changed in the South from the 1930s to now. Atticus, who has always been a fair personality and is often referred to as the hero of the novel for his just actions, seems to be unable to comprehend how Tom could be convicted. He says, I dont know [how the jury convicted him], but they did it. Theyve done it before and when they do it- seems that only children weep (Lee 243). This means that he knows racism is difficult for people to overcome, and it will take some time before society is able to completely conquer it, but success is possible sometime in the future. Indeed, racism has improved for the better since that time, but there is still much to hope for. For instance, an African American man nowadays would not be charged guilty or innocent for his skin color, as he would have been in the 1930s; he would be charged depending on the crime he did or did not commit. In addition, African Americans are guaranteed, by law, a right to a fair trial. Therefore, racism has changed in the aspect that people will not face discrimination in legal issues. However, many African Americans still face racism in the job industry, for example. A recent poll conducted shows that sixty-seven percent of black respondents believe [they] still face discrimination when applying for a job (Mingxin 1). If this poll had been conducted in the 1930s, the number would have been much higher, demonstrating that racism has indeed declined in the past seventy years. However, many still continue to hold deep, underlying negative stereotypes and feelings toward African Americans (Feinberg 1). This results in job, religious, and cultural discrimination. In order to prevent such prejudice, people need to overcome negative stereotypes by realizing that they cannot judge someone by their skin color or ethnic background. The outcome would be an even greater decline in discrimination and racism, benefitting society by creating a more ethnically diverse population.

In Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird, an innocent creature, is a symbol for both Tom and Boo. By killing Tom and alienating Boo from society, people are symbolically destroying their innocence, so they are also killing a mockingbird. Moreover, racism convicts Tom and distances Boo from society, but the South has changed dramatically since then. However, there is still much that individuals can do to conquer racism and end it in society once and for all. Eradicating racism from society would assure that no ones innocence is destroyed and no more mockingbirds are killed.

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