“To Kill A Mockingbird” Summary Student Essay

Writing an essay is one of the most challenging assignments for students. You need to find your voice and style, create a relevant topic, research, and create a compelling argument, all while trying to make it sound like it was written by someone with more experience. Essay writing becomes exceptionally creative and challenging regarding topics such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” Scout character traits or character description “To Kill a Mockingbird.” We have prepared this guide to help solve the classic “do my paper” problem. 

Summary of “To Kill a Mockingbird”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. The book tells the story of Atticus Finch, a white lawyer in the deep south during the 1930s, and his daughter Scout. The novel deals with the themes of racism, class, gender, and justice. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and it has been made into a film, stage play, and television show. The story has been banned in some schools due to its themes of racism and violence.

The plot of “To Kill a Mockingbird”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s. The novel centers around Atticus Finch, a white lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape. Atticus is a moral man who teaches his children to be fair and to treat others with respect, no matter their skin color. Scout, Atticus’s daughter, befriends a black boy named Dill, and the three investigate the case of a man named Boo Radley.

According to the summary for “To Kill a Mocking bird,” the novel explores the themes of racism, class, gender, and justice. The story shows how racism affects white and black people in the South. It also shows how class and gender affect people’s lives. The novel deals with the idea of justice and how it is not always fair.

Watch the famous justice is not always fair scene

Who is the main character in “To Kill a Mockingbird”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is about a young girl named Scout Finch. Scout and her brother, Jem, in the book, are raised by their father, Atticus. The children’s mother died when they were young. The two children have to deal with many hardships growing up in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the Great Depression. The county is largely segregated, and black people live in poverty while white people are wealthy.

Scout learns that her father has decided to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Many people in town do not want Atticus to represent Tom because they think he will get him acquitted. When the trial begins, Atticus stands up for his client and reminds the jury that all men deserve justice, even if they are poor or different than everyone else. Despite this, the story is told from the point of view of Atticus’s daughter, and it is Scout who is traditionally considered the novel’s main character.

Character list of “To Kill a Mockingbird”

The following is a list of the primary characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and a brief description.

  • Atticus Finch: Atticus is a moral man who teaches his children to be fair and to treat others with respect, no matter their skin color.
  • Scout Finch: Scout is the main character of the novel. She is a young girl who learns about racism, class, and gender during the 1930s in the South.
  • Jem Finch: Jem is Scout’s brother. He is also a young boy who learns about racism, class, and gender during the 1930s in the South.
  • Boo Radley: Boo is a neighbor of the Finch family. He is shrouded in mystery and gossip.
  • Tom Robinson: Tom is a man who is accused of raping a woman. He is also a black man living in the deep south in the 1930s.

What is the main idea of “To Kill a Mockingbird”

In “To Kill a Mockingbird” summary essay, you can mark different themes that Harper Lee explores. She shows how racism affects both white and black people in the South. She also shows how class and gender affect people’s lives. The book was banned in many schools because of its subject matter: racism. It was a very controversial novel, especially given the time it was written (1960).

“To Kill a Mockingbird” essay topics

Below are some essay topics for “To Kill a Mockingbird”:

  • How does Harper Lee show the effects of racism in the novel?
  • How do class and gender affect the characters in the book?
  • How is the idea of justice explored in the story?
  • Why was the story banned in many schools?
  • Scout “To Kill a Mockingbird” character traits
  • The central idea of pure innocence in the novel
  • “To Kill a Mockingbird” character analysis
  • The main idea of “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • What are your thoughts on the novel? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
  • Do you think the novel is still relevant today? Why or why not?
  • Do you think everyone deserves justice, regardless of skin color or socioeconomic status?
  • Themes and symbols in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The character of Atticus Finch
  • The importance of morality in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • Themes of prejudice and racism in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The impact of social injustice in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The significance of family in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • Themes of courage and perseverance in “To Kill a Mockingbird”

“To Kill A Mockingbird” essay writing guide

Analyze the idea

While the novel deals with the theme of racism, other themes are also present. These include courage, innocence, and morality. You could explore any of these themes in your essay. To write a successful essay, you will need to do some planning.

First, decide which theme you want to focus on. Once you have done that, you will need to develop a thesis statement. This is a sentence that will state the main idea of your essay. After deciding on your thesis statement, you will need to find evidence from the novel to support it. This evidence can be in quotes, events, or character traits. Once you have collected this evidence, you need to organize it into a coherent structure.

Conduct research

When you write an essay on “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it is crucial to do some research first. You should read the book attentively and take notes. Moreover, you can find “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay examples on the Internet. After that, you should brainstorm your ideas and start writing an outline.

Create an outline

Before you start writing your essay, it is crucial to create an outline. This will help you to organize your thoughts and ensure that your essay flows smoothly. Your strategy should include your thesis statement and the evidence you have collected to support it. Once you have created your outline, you are ready to begin writing your essay.

Essay structure

Introduction

Your introduction should begin with a hook. This could be a quote from the novel, an exciting fact about Harper Lee, or something else that will grab the reader’s attention. After the hook, you will need to write a few sentences introducing the reader to the novel and the theme you have chosen to focus on. Finally, you will need to register your thesis statement. This should be the last sentence of your introduction, and it will be perfect for outlining the main idea of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in your thesis.

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs all start with their topic sentence. This sentence should state the main idea of the paragraph. After the topic sentence, you will need to provide evidence from the novel to support your claim – quotes, events, or character traits. This evidence should be explained and analyzed. You should also connect this evidence back to your thesis statement. Each body paragraph should end with a conclusion sentence. This sentence should wrap up the ideas in the paragraph and introduce the next one.

Conclusion

Your conclusion should begin with a sentence that restates your thesis statement. After that, you must write a few sentences summarizing your essay’s main points. Finally, you will need to end with a strong concluding sentence.

Cite your sources

When writing an essay, students must cite their sources. If you are writing about a novel, you must include a citation for that novel. If you are using any outside sources, these should also be cited in your paper. Failure to cite your sources can result in plagiarism charges against you. The university may decide to fail your paper if it is determined that there has been plagiarism involved.

Plagiarism is defined as the act of borrowing and passing off the ideas or words of another as one’s own. Academic writing usually refers to the unattributed use of ideas, passages, or sentences taken from someone else’s work. This can include words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and even a whole paper.

If you don’t cite your sources properly, it can be easy to plagiarize accidentally. To avoid this problem, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Always write your own words – never copy directly from a source without giving credit.
  • Use quotation marks around any text that is not your own.
  • If you paraphrase a passage from someone else’s work, change the words so that readers will know it is not your original writing.
  • Ensure all quotations or paraphrases are cited in the list of references at the end of your essay.
  • When you use direct quotes in your writing, use indentations and/or italics to show what is being quoted.

You must cite the material in your text and reference page when using information from another source. In-text citations tell your readers what sources you consulted, and the list of works cited provides complete publication information for each source. To cite an outside source such as a website or an article, include the author’s name (if given), the work’s title (if provided), and the URL where you found it.

Proofread your essay

Once you have finished writing your essay, it is essential to proofread it carefully. This will help to ensure that there are no errors or typos in your paper. Having someone else read your article to check for any mistakes you may have missed is also a good idea. We are ready to provide the necessary assistance if you need help solving your “write my college essay” case.

 

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Use expert samples for inspiration

Sample essays are an excellent way to learn the structure of well-written academic essays. Reading these can give you a good idea of how to structure your paper and what kinds of evidence to use. Our essay writing service can help you with “To Kill a Mockingbird” research paper topics.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” essay sample

An innovative solution would be to study a professional essay sample. Such samples can become inspirational materials and formatting examples. Careful study of the work of professionals will help students avoid many serious mistakes. Below, we offer you a sample of an essay from our writer. Our writers are ready to write other high-quality essay samples on any topic that interests you.

Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee denotes a historical time period of the Great Depression. The story situates the two leading characters Scout and Jem in the old town of Maycomb, Alabama, whereby the individuals experience the racism and prejudice that were common social patterns of people in the 1930’s South. Then there is Tom Robinson, who is a black man accused of raping a white girl. All the evidence suggest that he is innocent, but racism in the society gets the best of him. In these parts of the novel, Lee conveys a theme by Atticus teaching Jem and Scout the need for helping and serving people, for showing how individuals are defenseless in society, just like mockingbirds, which must be protected by others.

The unique characters appearing throughout the novel give varying suggestions to both Scout and Jem regarding surviving in the Great Depression. Near the end of the novel, Harper Lee conducts a trial of Tom Robinson. The underlying case shows the political takes in the life of an acquitted man who survived the 1930’s Great Depression.

Mrs. Dubose is seen commenting, “Your father’s no better than the niggers
he works for” (117). This shows how a white women perceives the situation when Atticus (a white man) is protecting Tom Robinson (an innocent black man).

To add further, the mockingbird is mentioned when Atticus warns that, “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Several people have thus coincided Atticus’s (and by extension, Lee’s) use of the word ‘sin’ to mean a loss of innocence and purity. Under this context, we see a mockingbird as a calm bird whose only job is doing well for others and singing. The idea of killing a being that is not doing any harm and adding to the beauty of society is seen to be equal to the corruption of the human soul.

Many people tend to relate the mockingbird as a form of imagery associated with certain important characters in the story like Tom Robinson or Boo Radley. I would disagree. In my interpretation, the mockingbird is not an image but rather a theme. It relates to the innocence and purity of humanity. In context of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, killing a mockingbird is a sin because mockingbirds don’t nest in corn cribs or eat up people’s gardens. They simply create music for us to enjoy. Hurting someone who is harmless and who may actually help is analogous to killing a mockingbird.

To conclude, the theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is that Atticus, being a morally upright man, teaches his children, Scout and Jem, serving other people’s truth and protecting them when they can’t protect themselves during the time of the Great Depression. The author has repeatedly implied this theme in the novel. The novel opens up with the Maycomb society illustration and shows the social concepts belonging to the 1930’s. The novel further continues to show how different characters influence the learning of Scout and Jem. The novel further talks about racism and crime mentality with a taste of humor and pointing out the hypocritical society of that time during which a man is struggling for justice.

Work Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Longman, 2010.

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