Max Hsiao
Mrs. Perry-Boatwright
Literature and Writing Period 6
March 17, 2015
Is TKAM a Classic?
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is arguably one of the most popular novels in american history. A classic in the most traditional sense, Lee’s book is, “noteworthy of its kind and worth remembering.” (Dictionary.com). This implies that in order to be a definitive example, the reader must experience a sense of interest and remembrance. Their attention must be held while sparking an arousal of curiosity in order to willingly absorb the information being read. A classic can be outlined through its expressions of life and the ability to stand the test of time. One may find that Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is indeed notable and…show more content… After Tom Robinson, an African-American man, was convicted of the rape of Mayella Ewell, he was sentenced to life in prison. Being an innocent subject of racial injustice, he attempts to run from his detention center only to wind up getting shot seventeen times in an unsuccessful try. However, “To Maycomb, Tom’s death was typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run. Typical of a nigger’s mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw.” (322). This apparent widespread view of African-Americans throughout Maycomb is incredibly one sided. In fact, it partially resembles the mentality of the way our criminal justice system operates. For example, statistics show that 50% of New York’s demographic consists of African-Americans and Hispanics. Of that 50%, they were 80% of the police stops and were frisked 85% of the times. This resulted in a large percent of inmates being African-American or Hispanic. One instance of corruption deals with drug related crimes and how, “African-Americans are 21% more likely than whites to receive mandatory minimum sentences.” (The Huff. Post). This compulsion to search and frisk minorities to a greater extent further shows how the criminal justice system still maintains a similar mentality than that of the people from the past. The term “Driving while black”, is…show more content… Her novel teaches important life lessons that should be followed and shows how society didn’t treat everyone fairly. The idea to welcome guests with open arms, never take things for granted, hold others in high esteem, and look at things from a different perspective represent some of the timeless moral values. This story brings out social issues that still exist today in relation to our criminal justice system and the treatment of African-Americans. If every human integrated sympathy into their daily life, society would be able to follow Scout’s outtake on the perfect civilization. Every person would fathom each other and our world would truly have equal rights for all and special privileges for none. The views that this book teaches is exactly why it should be kept in the curriculum because it could shape one’s personality for the better. The reader may find flaws in their own life and confront it. People as a whole, must find it in their hearts to consider things from a new perspective and maybe one day, society will meet Scout’s