To Kill a Mockingbird- Themes
- Created by: gracegear
- Created on: 01-04-14 17:42
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- To Kill a Mockingbird- Themes
- Racism
- Rife in the American South during the 1930's
- Common use of racist language
- "******"
- "darky"
- White community have no respect for the black community
- Atticus calls racism Maycomb's "usual disease"
- Black people are inferior
- Not easy to stand up against racidm
- People's prejudices are even stronger than cold, hard evidence
- Intolerance
- Social
- Aunt Alexandra bans Scout from playing with Walter Cunningham because of his poor family status
- Dolphus Raymond has to pretend to be a drunk in order to be accepted
- Gender
- Sexism in Maycomb
- Women aren't allowed to sit on a jury
- Aunt Alexandra is trying to turn Scout into a lady
- Women are expected to act in a certain way
- Sexism in Maycomb
- Religious
- "Foot washing" Baptist tell Miss Maudie she's going to hell just because she is growing flowers
- People gossip about the Radley family
- Don't go to church and worship at home
- Social
- Empathy
- Maycomb is not very empathetic
- Prejudices
- Racist character like Bob Ewell don't empathise with the black community
- Prejudices
- Empathise with certain characters
- Scout and Jem
- Likeable characters
- Bring humour to the novel
- Mayella Ewell
- Disliked character
- Bob Ewell
- Harper Lee does not give him redeeming qualities
- Scout and Jem
- Maycomb is not very empathetic
- Childhood and growing up
- Growing up
- Bildungsroman
- Characters grow up and learn lessons
- Harper Lee tells the story through the eye of a child
- Shows how simple the relationships are between the children
- Children forgive and forget quickly
- Don't hold grudges
- Children forgive and forget quickly
- Shows how simple the relationships are between the children
- Bildungsroman
- Trial
- Fun and games at the start of the novel shows how young and innocence the children are
- Children are forced to grow up
- Jem matures the most
- Scout and Jem "begin to part company"
- Miss Maudie recognises he is maturing
- Starts calling him "Mister"
- Growing up
- Education
- Formal education
- HL satirises classroom learning
- Satirises=making fun of people or ideas by exaggerating them to make them seem ridiculous
- Miss Caroline punishes Scout for being able to read instead of encouraging her
- Miss Gates is a hypocrite
- Teaches the children that what Hitler did is wrong
- Persecuting the black people in her own neighbourhood is fine
- Miss Gates is a hypocrite
- Teaches the children that what Hitler did is wrong
- Persecuting the black people in her own neighbourhood is fine
- Persecuting the black people in her own neighbourhood is fine
- Teaches the children that what Hitler did is wrong
- Miss Gates is a hypocrite
- Persecuting the black people in her own neighbourhood is fine
- Teaches the children that what Hitler did is wrong
- HL makes fun of the school but makes it clear that education is important
- The uneducated Ewells come across as ignorant
- HL satirises classroom learning
- Outside the classroom
- Atticus teaches his children empathy, courage and fairness
- Power of education
- Characters like Atticus and Uncle jack are powerful, therefore respected
- Black people are powerless without an education
- Education is important to the black people's future
- Calpurnia taught Zeebo how to read
- Formal education
- Family and social class
- Impossible to escape family background
- Streaks can pass on form generations
- Burris Ewell is filthy and rude- the rest of his family are no different
- Scout says that families have been together for so long no that they are "utterly predictable"
- Children grow up to be like their parents
- Prejudice will also be passed on
- Can't be viewed as an individual
- When Atticus is defending Tom, Jem and Scout get insulted too
- Streaks can pass on form generations
- Social prejudice is everywhere
- Social hierarchy in Maycomb
- Finches-top, Cunninghams below, Ewell's towards the bottom, black community at the bottom
- Aunt Alexandra thinks family reputation is really important
- Social hierarchy in Maycomb
- Impossible to escape family background
- Innocence and bravery
- HL shows it is impossible to be completely innocent forever
- Brave characters
- Mrs Dubose
- Put herself through pain to die free of her morphine addict
- Atticus
- Uses Mrs Dubose as a way of explaining bravery to the children
- "You know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what"
- Stands up for what he believes in
- Even though people disagree with him
- Won't in the trial with tom but carries on anyway
- Uses Mrs Dubose as a way of explaining bravery to the children
- Mr Underwood
- Wrote an article about Tom's death
- Brave as he knew everyone would disagree
- Wrote an article about Tom's death
- Mrs Dubose
- You don't have to be strong and aggressive to be brave
- Racism
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