To Kill A Mockingbird And The Secret Life Of Bees: Literary Analysis

Great Essays
‘’ People who think dying is the worst thing don 't know a thing about life’’ (Sue Monk Kidd).It means that even by living and going through life, things aren’t always as they seem like living with someone else’s death can be more painful than dying. Authors generally write books to convey messages, teach life lesson or to demonstrate the social problem depending on the era the book is based on. Sue Monk Kidd and Harper Lee are the authors who were able to transmit lessons and messages through their writing effectively. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd portray racism, the importance of good lessons and parent child relationships in order to teach lessons and to be strong to defend or for a …show more content…
Both quotes let the perceive that whether it’s for a change of society or for it’s own, keep fighting to stand up against the mean and racist people. The Author’s message is to never give up which can destroy the self-confidence. As in the quote shown, In The Secret Life Of Bees, August encourages Lily to not to to bow down in front all those mean people. She makes her realize that “ Our Lady” is the voice that brighten her up. Lily is understanding her inner power. The authors want to convey that be rebellious for a change. From To kill a Mockingbird, Atticus inspires Scout to not to get down if anybody say something if she fights, it does not matter at all. He encourages Lily to make a change for a by keep fighting for a positive one. Atticus provide Scout a positive advice that can remember in the future.

Although the two novels have similarities, both protagonists have a huge difference in parent - children relationships. The book,To Kill A mockingbird, Scout’s father Atticus, is caring, tries to convey his lesson to his daughter. Scout tells Atticus that she will not go to school anymore because her teacher does not like her as she already knows how to read and write and mean to her. Atticus

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Scout and Jem are asked/encouraged to think about Boo Radley as a man, not a monster. Calpurnia makes certain that Scout does not treat Walter Cunningham like he is lesser than the Finches. Atticus advises the children that they are needed/demanded to trear black people and even people like Mrs. Dubose with…

    • 53 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus And Racism

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Atticus expects his children to stand up for what they believe in, and he does the same himself. He does not feel that he can tell them one thing and do another. Finally, Atticus is always guiding Jem and Scout with advice so that they will become more compassionate people. Atticus sets a good example for the children when Mr. Ewell confronts him. Even though he is provoked and insulted, Atticus simply has a “peaceful reaction”.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Finch Fact Sheet

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Atticus promised Scout that if she stayed in school, he would continue to read to…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Walter's Empathy Quotes

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Scout was angry with the ways Atticus had been treated and the names her classmates called her father. "This time we aren't fighting the Yankees, we're fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they're still our friends and this is still our home." Scout learns that she had been judging the kids at her school, for making fun of her dad, before understanding that she probably would have done the same thing if she was raised similar to them. She then realizes that they are her friends and to treat them with respect and compassion.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Daddy!” Most often, this is a proclamation of joy, a child announcing happiness toward their father. However, in Secret Life of Bees, a novel brilliantly written by Sue Monk Kidd, this is a cry of despair, a plea for one’s life. This stirring story is a tale of a young white girl, Lily, who with a black nanny named Rosaleen, runs away from home in search of a better life. Although often portraying events similarly, occasionally the book juxtaposes the film, which can be traced to the fact that different techniques are used in the different mediums.…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the book “Secret life of bees” an emotional historical fiction book written by Sue Kidd, Lily wants her mother more than anything in the world, But her mother is gone, so Lilly is trying to find information about her mother and where she went and Lily try's to find a new family. Throughout “Secret life of Bees”, Lilly is struggling to get over her mother’s death, but 3 african american women show Lilly that family can be found when least expected and love can be found in strange and wondrous places. These women show Lilly what the true meaning of family is and to keep moving forward through life and death. This is one event in the book that shows how Lily is dealing with her mother’s death before she met the “calendar” sisters. This…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, there are multiple characters who learn through Atticus and different situations that life is not alway fair. They develop throughout the story and learn so much about life and the good and evil of this world. Scout, who is six, completely changes by the end of the book at the age of nine. Scout is the one telling the story and is impacted and learns the most throughout the book.…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Close that curtain, Jessie, I have no wish to regard my garden and examine the destruction caused by that, horrible little boy.” “That’s more appropriate, now where’s my tea, go and fetch it at once!” “Maids, what’s becoming of them, acting as though they are equals to us white folk, it’s simply not allowed!” Crossing my arms I lean back and ponder the situation “It doesn’t help this situation when no one listens to my opinion, sure they believe there’s a difference between themselves and their maids, however they have no idea how alike they appear.” “Finally back Jessie?…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Atticus Finch Mature

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages

    People learn a variety of lessons in their life, which help them to grow and mature. Most of these lessons shape people and their personalities into the person they become through the journey of life. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, in the setting of Maycomb, there are many influential characters, some of which have a big impact on Scout Finch’s life and shape her into the person she is at the end of the novel. An examination of Scout’s development of courage, empathy, and tolerance proves that through these, Scout becomes more mature and grown-up. To begin, Scout faces situations that taught her the invaluable lessons of bravery and courage, Atticus and Boo helped her to learn this.…

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Scout looks up to Atticus because he is her father. Atticus is an outcast in Maycomb County because he is defending a…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since To Kill a Mockingbird has unrealistic characters and its lack of useful life lessons prevents the story from being a timeless classic. One reason why the story is not a timeless classic is how the lessons it teaches are all simple, which is from what Atticus lectures his children. After Scout comes home from an awful first day of school, she tells Atticus what her teacher says to Walter Cunningham. Atticus comforts Scout and explains to her that “you never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39). Although this quote has good intentions, the meaning of it is too cliche.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "To Kill A Mockingbird" Throughout the story of " To Kill A Mockingbird " Scout will learn how to use empathy and show compassion to solve disagreements between her and fellow residents of Maycomb. Being a ' Tom boy ' in Scouts society is not ideal for women. Aunt Alexandra would like for Scout to act more feminine despite Scout having no interest in doing so. Scouts new teacher, Miss Caroline, would like to control the rate in which Scout learns to read. This would include not letting Atticus read to scout every night like he usually does.…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (page 39) One of Atticus’ central roles in this book is teaching Scout important life lessons, and not only does he preach these lessons, but he practises them too. “So if spitting in my face and threatening saved Mayella one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take.” (page 218) Atticus is facing great adversity, and yet he still makes it a point to be a respectful figure that his children can look up to.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Likewise, Atticus is instructing Scout to consider understanding a person’s actions before speaking or taking action. Besides, Atticus has a huge impact on Scout and her life as he is always trying to be a good role model for both scout and Jem. Scout is also apprehending that her father is truly the peacekeeper of Maycomb. “ It was time like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived”(134). Here Scout is receiving courage and integrity from her father Atticus as he is a brave man in her eyes.…

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus places emphasis on justice and honesty. He tells his children (Scout specifically) to avoid getting in fights, regardless of peoples’ actions around them. He tells Jem and Scout that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This concept symbolises the mockingbird being the good in the world- e.g. they are quiet when Tim Robinson comes down the road- and the people killing the good based on unjust reasoning.…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays