Student Essay on To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

Summary:   "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." This is a quote from the novel Walk Two Moons, written by Sharon Creech, which exemplifies the same idea in which Atticus conveys throughout To Kill A Mockingbird.

"First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote, spoken by Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, reflects his philosophy on life, which is that to understand a person's reasoning, one must see the world from his or her point of view. One must not make judgements about their decisions until one experiences what he or she has and "live in their skin." Scout accomplishes this the night she walks Boo Radley home, when she stands on his porch, looks out on the neighborhood, and looks at the past year the way Boo had. Many instances in society, literature, film, television, and such, are related to Atticus's philosophy in one way or another. However, there are also many cases today that could be helped if Atticus's philosophy was applied.

Having a camera crew in your face every minute of the day for months, may seem like an exciting experience. However, it is not always the case on the reality show, "True Life", as different people are filmed throughout their daily lives, because their lives are considered different or abnormal to most people. Most of the time there are two or three people, who all have something in common, being filmed during months at a time. The different issues investigated have included issues ranging from plastic surgery to eating disorders to teenage mothers and fathers. For instance, on one episode, there were three people being filmed. One boy was belimic, one girl was annorexic, and one girl would bing and purge. Before viewing this show, I did not know much about these incredibly serious subjects. Now, after watching it I have learned that these disorders can cause people to become so thin or sickly they have a risk of dying or do in fact die. Sitting there, watching these people do the things they do to be skinny opened my eyes to a whole new perspective of the world. I was shocked, as well as saddened, that these people are so dissatisfied with themselves, they would risk everything. This show allows people to see the world from other's points of view. It may also allow the subject to change the idea people might conceive about them because of who they are. People are given a chance to justify stereotypical judgements made about them because of their lifestyles and choices they have made. Each one seems to teach a lesson in one way or another. This show gives people a sense of who they are and how everyone in the world is different. In some cases, the life if the person whose is being filmed, can seem so difficult and strenuous that the viewers may feel extremely lucky to be living the life they have.

A number of movies throughout Hollywood portray the philosophy proven by Atticus Finch. One such movie is Freaky Friday, Anna, played by Lindsay Lohan, and her mother, Tess, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, do not always see eye to eye about many things. They have opposite tastes in men, different clothes and hair styles, as well as music. Anna believes that her mother does not care about her music and is just out to ruin her life. She does not understand why she does not care about her or understand her. On the other hand, Tess can not come to a solution about Anna's hatred towards her fiancé. She does not know why Anna can not appreciate all that she does for her and why she will not even give her fiance a chance. However, one Thursday night, while arguing about a concert Anna wants to attend in a Chinese restaurant, they are given two fortune cookies. When they both open the cookies and read the fortunes, a mysterious earthquake occurs which only they can feel. The next morning, they awake in each other's bodies and can not switch back, even after many comedic attempts. They are forced to live the day in each other's worlds, giving them a chance to see what their lives are like and how difficult one another's are. Tess learns the pressures of high school life and how mean the world can be to a teenager. One the other hand, Anna learns how difficult her mother's job is and how hard she has to work to keep the family in one piece. It is "selfless love that will change them back." The mother and daughter duo literally "climb into each other's skin and walk around in it."

"Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." This is a quote from the novel Walk Two Moons, written by Sharon Creech, which exemplifies the same idea in which Atticus conveys throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. This is a compelling novel of Salamanca(Sal), a thirteen-year old girl whose mother has left her family. Sal's mother is conflicting greatly about her role as a housewife and mother. Her unhappiness grows into depression after her miscarriage, leading her to find who she was before she married, by traveling to Idaho. Sal loves her mother and enjoys the memory of this beautiful woman. Sal takes a cross-country road trip with her grandparents to her mothers final resting place. As Sal tells a tale about herself and her friend, Phoebe, whose mother has also left her family, she comes to terms with the events that led up to forcing her mother to leave. In her journey she comes to a realization of why her mother left and makes peace with the tragic death of her beloved mother. In this novel, Sal retells the tale of her mother leaving, remembering everything that happened, realizing how her mother felt, and how hard was been for her.

Members of the 372nd American military unit in Iraq are being charged for abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. Recent photographs show these soldiers smiling with nude Iraqi prisoners in masks, with dog chains, piled on top or each other, or in even worse circumstances. No one knows what promoted these Americans to perform such horrific acts. Some say that they were "bad apples," the few soldiers out of the American military who were cruel and dirty. However, some say, that they were normal, patriotic Americans. Family members and friends claim that they were loyal people, fighting for their country, who went awry because they followed orders from their leader, Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick. Some even say that the pictures were posed, used in a way to intimidate other prisoners when undergoing interrogation, causing them to speak. One man investigating these charges said that the MP's were requested, by the MI's, to use mental and physical pain for interrogation. Now, there is no excuse for what those soldiers did to the Iraqi prisoners, whether they were acting on their own or under order; however, people need to try and understand them better to come to a clear-cut answer of what really happened. People should not be jumping to conclusions so abruptly, believing every word they hear. Those who tell about what happened may not know the whole truth of what really occurred there and this needs to be taken into account. If people take a moment to think about what these soldiers have been going through and step into their positions, perhaps they would have a slight understanding of their motives. People need to take the time to hear what the accused have to say and not assume the most horrible human activity.

Atticus Finch is the perfect example, of an honest human being, who cares for others and does not care about what others think of him. He does the best that he can to teach his children the same concept, and succeeds. This philosophy is reflected throughout society, in literature, films, television, as well as instances which his philosophy should be applied to. As Atticus said, "First of all. If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."