To Kill A Mockingbird 9th Grade Analysis

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is during the Great Depression in Alabama as the narrator Scout, Atticus daughter is the narrator as her dad is the lawyer with extremely high morals who defends Tom in a case. This novel should be a core novel in 9th grade at BHS reasons like it teaches us about how racism was portrayed in the 1930’s during The Great Depression and the novel also creates critical thinking/ imagery throughout the story.
One reason why the novel To Kill a Mockingbird should be a core 9th grade novel is because it teaches us how awful racism was not just during the past but during the Great Depression. The way we as readers experience racism is during the summer when Atticus Finch is called to support Tom Robinson in a case because he was accused of raping Mayella Ewell and he is later found guilty because he's black and it is during the 1930’s the Great Depression; “In our courts, when It's a white man's word against a black man’s, the white man always wins”(251-252). This quote shows that Atticus is unhappy with this situation
because he already knows coming into this situation that Tom Robinson who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell is going to lose because he is a black man against white supremacy and there was a ton of racism during the great depression. During the Summer afternoon the kids Jem and Scout walk pass Mrs.Dubose house and she says something negative about Scout and Jem's father Atticus because he was supporting Tom Robinson in the case of him raping Mayella Ewell; One afternoon, as Jem and Scout pass Mrs. Dubose on their way into town, Mrs. Dubose makes a loud and disparaging remark about Atticus "lawing for niggers" (110). She growls, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (110). The quote basically shows how Mrs. Dubose is racist because she thinks that black people are the same as trash and also how nobody really cares about black people. She is mad because Atticus being the lawyer she thinks he would try to defend Mayella but instead he defends Tom in which she gets mad
A second reason why To Kill a Mockingbird should be a core 9th grade novel is because it creates critical thinking. One is"The Radley place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its porch; the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot. The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-grey yard around it. Rain rotted shingles drooped over the eaves of the veranda; oak trees kept the sun away. The remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard-a ‘swept’yard that was never swept-where Johnson grass and rabbit-tobacco grew in abundance" (8). This creates critical thinking because this quote describes how the Radley place looked and what it has become
Some people may argue that To Kill a Mockingbird should not be a 9th grade core novel at BHS because it does not fit in today’s classroom experience but it teaches us about empathy and how people need empathy to understand how people feel.
Empath is experienced in this novel when Atticus and his son Jem go to Tom’s family’s house and Atticus tells his family the news that he had been killed in jail and when Bob comes over he spits in Atticus's face but the quote that shows it is “So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I'd rather it be me than that houseful of children out there”(249). This quote shows empathy in the character Atticus because he knows Mayella is getting hurt by her dad Bob and he realizes her pain so he rather Bob take it out on him then have him keep taking it out on his
daughter.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an amazing novel as its during the 1930s, Great Depression. The novel changes throughout the story as later Scout the narrator realizes how bad blacks are treated and her perspective changes because of her dad because he take up the biggest challenge which is to support a black man Tom Robinson for rape. This book is amazing because it teaches about the past which causes critical thinking to what kind of racism is today from Trayvon Martin where it started to now. So please read this book because it's a core novel for 9th grade BHS students and not only does it help teaches the past but critical thinking will help with today's point of view.