To Kill A Mockingbird
Would you ever hurt someone who never hurt you? A fragile thing that doesn't do anything, like a mockingbird. In the Book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it describes how killing a mockingbird is a sin, but what does that mean exactly? Does the Mockingbird represent something more than just a bird?
In chapter ten, page 119. Atticus tells Jem that if he goes after birds with the air-rifles, to shoot all the bluejays but, that he should remember not to kill a mockingbird because its a sin. They didn't know what he meant by that so they asked Miss Maudie and she said "your fathers right, 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"(119).
A person who can represent a mockingbird is Tom Robinson. He is accused of raping a white women even though he didn't really do it. He represents a mockingbird because he is fragile because of his skin color, he was just minding his own business when suddenly he is accused, when suddenly they tried to kill a mockingbird (metaphorically). In a way they did kill this specific mockingbird because, "I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ''Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty,,,'' I peeked at Jem, and his shoulders jerked as if each 'guilty' was a separate stab between them."(282). They killed the mockingbird, Tom Robinson, he was too fragile and he never hurt anyone.
killing a Mockingbird doesn't represent just a bird. It represent certain people in the book. The people that are like mockingbirds they don't do anything bad but get involved in some situations. An example of people in the book that are like mockingbirds is Jem and Scout. In chapter twenty-eight, Scout is in a school play, she plays a ham. On her way home with Jem they get attacked by Bob Ewell. Jem and Scout represent a Mockingbird in this specific point in the book because like a mockingbird they were just walking home minding their own business, not hurting or bothering anyone, when Bob Ewell tried to kill them. "We were nearly to the road when i felt Jem's hand leave me, felt him jerk backwards to the ground. More scuffling, and there came a dull crunching sound and Jem screamed."(351). At the end someone saves them and Bob Ewell died, he should've known better than to try to kill a mockingbird.
Why, kill a mockingbird? They are fragile and don't hurt anything or anyone. All they do is mind their own business yet, people try to attack them and kill them. Some of them succeed and some of them don't. They should know Killing a mockingbird is a sin, that's how it's described in the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. That can mean different thing, it all depends on you and how you interpret the reading, it can mean consequences or it can even mean feeling bad about what you've done and it can even make you think if you have ever tried to kill a mockingbird!
