How Harper Lee's life and childhood influenced her writing of "To Kill A Mockingbird"
HARPER LEE'S VIEW OF THE 1930'S AS A CHILD
Harper Lee is well known for her great contributions towards modern society through her astounding book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is read world-wide, in high schools and colleges because of its in-depth look at the social classes in the south during the 1930's. The book was influenced by society, in particular the social order of the south during her childhood. Lee grew up during this time of controversy which is why she writes so passionately about the topic. Lee wrote the novel to make a point about race while basing much of the plot off a trial from her young age, her own father, and the society she grew up in.
Harper Lee lived in the small southern town, of Monroeville, in Alabama. She was born on April 28, 1926 during the time of horrible prejudice and racial class systems. She lived with three other siblings and her father. Her family was relatively well-off since her father was so successful. Amasa Coleman Lee was an attorney, a newspaper publisher, and served one term as state senator of Alabama. Lee attended public school as a child then went to Huntington College for women in Montgomery. She only stayed at the women's college for a year before transferring to the University of Alabama. Her schoolmates referred to her as out of the ordinary and not particularly social. She decided to follow her father's footsteps and go to law school. However, only six months before finishing school she moved to New York City to follow her passion of literature.
Lee took up a job as a clerk for Eastern Airways and then moved to British Airways. During this time she lived in a cramped apartment with several roommates and met a couple big-named actors. In 1956, a dear friend, Michael Martin Brown gave her a Christmas present she would never forget. Brown told her that he would support her for an entire year so that she could focus on her writing. Without Michael Brown, the book would not have been possible.
To Kill a
Harper Lee is well known for her great contributions towards modern society through her astounding book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is read world-wide, in high schools and colleges because of its in-depth look at the social classes in the south during the 1930's. The book was influenced by society, in particular the social order of the south during her childhood. Lee grew up during this time of controversy which is why she writes so passionately about the topic. Lee wrote the novel to make a point about race while basing much of the plot off a trial from her young age, her own father, and the society she grew up in.
Harper Lee lived in the small southern town, of Monroeville, in Alabama. She was born on April 28, 1926 during the time of horrible prejudice and racial class systems. She lived with three other siblings and her father. Her family was relatively well-off since her father was so successful. Amasa Coleman Lee was an attorney, a newspaper publisher, and served one term as state senator of Alabama. Lee attended public school as a child then went to Huntington College for women in Montgomery. She only stayed at the women's college for a year before transferring to the University of Alabama. Her schoolmates referred to her as out of the ordinary and not particularly social. She decided to follow her father's footsteps and go to law school. However, only six months before finishing school she moved to New York City to follow her passion of literature.
Lee took up a job as a clerk for Eastern Airways and then moved to British Airways. During this time she lived in a cramped apartment with several roommates and met a couple big-named actors. In 1956, a dear friend, Michael Martin Brown gave her a Christmas present she would never forget. Brown told her that he would support her for an entire year so that she could focus on her writing. Without Michael Brown, the book would not have been possible.
To Kill a
Cited: Baxter, Roberta. "To Kill a Mockingbird." Jan. 2006. EBSCO. Literary Reference Center. Paul VI, Fairfax. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=19358591=lrc-live>. Bloom, Harold. "Introduction." Jan. 2004. EBSCO. Literary Reference Center. Paul VI, Fairfax. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=16379126&site=lrc-live>. Bloom, Harold. "The Story Behind the Story." Jan. 2004. EBSCO. Literary Reference Center. Paul VI, Fairfax. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=16379128&site=lrc-live>. Harper., Lee,. To Kill a Mockingbird. Grand Rapids: Grand Central, 1988. "Historical Background." Oracle ThinkQuest Library. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/SG/SG5.html>. "Introduction Criticism." ENotes. 2009. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-literary-criticism/kill-mockingbird-harper-lee>. Johnson, Claudia D. "Literary Analysis: Unifying Elements of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Jan. 2007. EBSCO. Literary Reference Center. Paul VI, Fairfax. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=16242064&site=lrc-live>. McGovern, Edythe M. "Harper Lee." Critical Survey of Long Fiction. 4th ed. 2000. 1900-904. "NovelGuide: To Kill A Mockingbird." Novelguide: Free Study Guides, Free Book Summaries, Free Book Notes, & More. 2009. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.novelguide.com/tokillamockingbird/index.html>. "To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Analysis - Associated Content." Associated Content - associatedcontent.com. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/383781/to_kill_a_mockingbird_literary_analysis.html>.