Atticus tells his children that it is okay to shoot a bluejay, but it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, which is a philosophy that he uses when Scout and Jem see the rabid dog. Atticus wants them to believe that courage and integrity are values that are not obtained through the abuse of power, such as killing an innocent being, but through the use of power only when necessary, and just. After receiving air rifles for Christmas, Atticus tells Jem that it’s okay to shoot bluejays, but it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. After asking Ms. Maudie why he said this, she tells him, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, they don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us,” (Lee 119). This quote illustrates Atticus’ strong sense of justice by teaching his children that it is never right to accuse, nor punish, something just because you can. This advice not only relates to the accusation of Tom Robinson, where because of his race and social position he is portrayed as guilty based off of the testimony of one person, but also shows that Atticus would never kill for sport, and in the case of the rabid dog, the animal is a risk to the entire neighborhood, and killing it is not an abuse of power, but a necessity.
How does Atticus’ quote about the innocence of a mockingbird relate to the title? Do you think that he’s comparing Tom Robinson to a mockingbird? If so, is he comparing the person who accused him to the dog?
The quote that Ms. Maudie says about why it’s okay to shoot blue jays, but it is a sin to kill a mockingbird really relates back to the tittle. I think it’s really interesting how Harper Lee made that the tittle of the book. Maybe Atticus said that it’s not okay to kill a mockingbird because he is relating it to Tom Robinson. Tons of people are wondering why Atticus is defending a black person and why he loves colored people he actually admits to loving colored people. Tom Robinson is the mockingbird in the relation. Atticus does love mockingbirds, which is why he thinks that people shouldn’t kill them, and it also seems that he does love everyone equally which does include Tom Robinson.
ReplyDeleteI think this quote is actually talking about Boo Radley instead of Tom Robinson. Nobody really knows if he really killed his dad with a pair of scissors and if he didn't, he had been treated poorly for years because of it. The only parts of Boo that we have seen have been him being kind and helpful, like when he gave Scout the blanket during the fire or leaving the children presents in the tree. In this way he is similar to the mocking bird. They are both kind and innocent things that have been harmed by evil. The dog could have been society or all the people who treated Boo Radley badly because of a rumor when he probably didn’t do anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteI think that the quote is talking about Tom Robinson. Harper Lee is trying to show us that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they don't harm us at all, all they do is entertain us with their singing. In Tom Robison's case, I think she is referring to the fact that yes he is black but he hasn't done anything to us that is harmful. Overall I totally agree with the fact that Tom Robinson shouldn't be accused of something just because he's black if we don't have proof he did it
ReplyDeleteI think that the quote is talking about Tom Robinson. Harper Lee is trying to show us that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they don't harm us at all, all they do is entertain us with their singing. In Tom Robison's case, I think she is referring to the fact that yes he is black but he hasn't done anything to us that is harmful. Overall I totally agree with the fact that Tom Robinson shouldn't be accused of something just because he's black if we don't have proof he did it
ReplyDelete