Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction

Standing up to a bully, trying something new, putting one’s life in danger to save another, standing up against prejudice, and facing a fear of public speaking. There are grand acts of courage, and then there are smaller courageous acts that can sometimes go unseen. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird explores different examples of courage through its characters. Mrs. Dubose, Atticus Finch, and Arthur Radley were all presented with opportunities to show courage. Whether these actions be big or…

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is about how a prejudice town in the south voted against an innocent African American man. Atticus, the father to the youngest Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, and older Jem Finch. As a child is young, they learn how to mature throw people and experiences. Many people in this novel have this effect on the character "Scout". Scout learns to mature through the court case involving Tom Robinson, the innocent African American man in the story, as well as an…

Why Atticus is a Good Parent in To Kill a Mockingbird There are many people who think that Atticus is a good parent but some feel he is a bad parent. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a great book that is filled with many good stories and messages. One of the biggest debates however is whether Atticus is a good father or not. While Atticus may make some mistakes as a parent, overall he is an admirable father. Atticus is a good parent for so many reasons, for example one of the positive…

mockingbirds. By analyzing Atticus Finch's clear conscience, Tom Robinson's frank kindness, and Arthur "Boo" Radley's hidden affection, it is clear the three can be considered "mockingbirds" by the definition given in To Kill a Mocking Bird: innocence. A general theme throughout the novel is prejudice. One person, in particular, was judged on who he was to defend in a case. Atticus Finch symbolizes the mocking bird in which all he does is in an attempt…

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the path to maturity is very significant. Jem Finch matures throughout the To Kill a Mockingbird and it helps the audience feel emotions about the events. Janie Crawford’s path to maturity, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, is quite different than Jem’s path. Janie matured in the aspect of love, where as Jem matured in the aspect of life. Jem and Janie’s paths to maturity are very significant to both novels and helps the audience…

Rue 4 de Vaurobel, a six story townhome, where an innocent sixteen year old girl’s free will is robbed right from her. All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, juxtaposes two very complex and different stories; a blind adolescent girl who is trying to find her way in a new environment and an obedient teenage boy who turns soldier after learning how to configure radios. Marie-Laure and Werner’s story are from two utterly contrasting ends of the spectrum but connect during the same time…

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay What can one say about the relationship between good and evil? It is the coexistence of what is pure and innocent and what is dark and vile. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the thin line of this theme is shown throughout the novel and is hard to miss. Such as when Boo protects the kids from a fire and Bob Ewell, the mockingbird as a symbol purity and innocence, and Atticus defending Tom as a black man in a predominately white community of the…

Pranav Rathore Joanna Chan Lit/Writ, Period 2 12/12/17 Socratic Seminar: To Kill a Mockingbird 1. Part one of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, introduces all the characters and their day-to-day lives. Scout, Jem, and Dill were curious about Boo Radley. They tried to reenact Boo Radley’s life and tried to get a glimpse of him. From the very beginning, Atticus tried to teach his kids about right from wrong. He taught Scout a very important concept, “ You never really understand a person until…

Joseph Crespino argues that Atticus Finch felt the need to take the case and help Tom Robinson who was "naïve" because, of his paternalistic side. (Crespino The Strange Career of Atticus Finch, JSTOR.com) To justify this idea of paternalism he says, " Tom Robinson is sweetly innocent and naïve; Atticus feels a moral responsibility to defend him, as the novel's tide attests, because a black man accused in the Jim Crow South was as helpless as a mockingbird." In chapter ten of To Kill a…

The perceptive quality of Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Olive Kitteridge, focuses on the ordinary, the regular, and quotidian aspects of life; growing old, the fluctuations of a marriage, the anxious growth of children, and life’s everyday trivialities and little feelings that swell throughout an individual lifespan. Strout achieves this empathetic sense by using long detailed and descriptive sentences, a healthy mix of cumulative and periodic which explore and bluntly state…