Description:
"'Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit'em,
but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real
mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white
girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race
and class in the Deep South of the 1930's with compassion and humour. She also
creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone
struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice and
hypocrisy." -Vintage Classics.
Rating:
8 ½
Review:
When I was in year
10, I had one of the best English teachers I can remember. There were so few
teachers that I can speak of with anything even remotely close to admiration or
respect, and she was one of them. She baked for our class each week, and always
kept to the theme of our readings. So, when it came time to read To Kill a
Mockingbird, we were all quite intrigued as to what she would make (well, at
least, I was intrigued. I have a feeling nobody else liked her, but year 10
students are actual heathen and shouldn't be relied upon to be good judges of
character). She baked us corn bread and told us the history of Alabama and the
rights of black slaves during the time the novel was set.
Now, you may ask
what this has to do with my actual review of the novel, and I guess I should
tell you.
That year was the
first year I ever read To Kill a Mockingbird. The way my teacher spoke highly
of the novel only made me more interested, and I blitzed through reading it,
even though it meant I'd have to read it twice, I didn't care, by that point. I
was in love with the story.
Recently I picked up
the book again, though I had figured that over time the narrative would have
lost some of its charm. I was wrong, because I still absolutely adore it, and I
have an even greater understanding of both the events in the novel, and how well
they can be compared to the events of today.
On to the review!
To Kill a
Mockingbird is a treasure trove of moral discussion. The story of showing
kindness and general human decency to fellow humans who have been persecuted,
for nothing other than who they are, is one that I don't think people really
interact with enough.
The novel raises
important questions that are still relevant today, as to persecution of the
'other'. In asking these questions, and sharing the opinions of the
characters, Lee shows great foresight in her writing, and an understanding of
human nature that is apparently still missing in many a politician today.
In her novel, Lee
explored the discrimination of class within society, as well as the bigger
problem of racial discrimination. She also explores the corruption of the court
system, and how prejudices are sometimes more important to people than justice.
She uses the perspective of a child -the most prominent example of innocence-
to explore these things, with the help of wise old Atticus Finch. There is a
lot that I could say about Atticus, but I'll save that for another post.
As it stands,
Atticus does have quite a few important quotes that could still be considered
relevant today. That in my
mind is what makes To Kill a Mockingbird such a terrific novel; the fact that,
even now, it still manages to portray the faults that are so prominent within
society, and -I dare say- the human race.
I loved this book so
much, for so many different reasons. It's heart-warming, it's humorous, and
it's fairly easy to follow, as most of the important things are explained.
To finish this post,
I would like to leave you with an example of the wisdom Lee has shared through
her character, Atticus:
"There's nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man
who'll take advantage of a Negro's ignorance. Don’t fool yourselves - it's all
adding up, and one of these days we're going to pay the bill for it."
- Atticus Finch, page 241
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The Little
Prince is a classic of
equal appeal to children and adults. On one level it is the story of an
airman's discovery in the desert of a mall boy from another planet - the Little
Prince of the title - and his stories of intergalactic travel, while on the
other hand it is a thought-provoking allegory of the human condition. First
published in 1943, the year before the author's death in action, this new
translation contains Saint-Exupery's delightful illustrations.
