"A (wo)man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of (her)his life in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of beautiful God has implanted in the human soul."- Goethe















Tuesday, October 1, 2013

To Kill a Mockingbird

So, we read To Kill a Mockingbird for our literary discussion group recently:


This is one book that I will read over and over in my lifetime, it's that good. I've read this several times since I've been in middle school, and each time I find something else that stands out to me. This time around, the statements about gender roles really hit the mark.

There's a lot of talk about what it means to be a lady or a gentleman, or who is acting like a girl. As the children get older, they try and find a balance between gender equality and being polite or fitting in with the rest of their society, which is strictly defined by gender. It is interesting to see the wisdom of both the children and Atticus regarding this issue.

There are so many major themes that Lee addresses that this novel can be read with multiple critical perspectives. This time I analyzed the novel from a feminist perspective. What stood out to you the last time you read this classic?

2 comments:

  1. I'm kind of sad that my 9th grade english teacher made it a person crusade to make sure that I get nothing of meaning out of this book. I need to read it again without all of the associated busy work, because I really hated it all of those years ago and I'm pretty sure that it's not the book's fault. Thanks for sharing this. I've been thinking for a long time that I need to reread it, and your reminder might get me to actually do it.

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  2. Yes, do it! This book really is a good one. Also, what kind of English teacher has such a horrible personal crusade? I blame it on middle school. It seems to bring out the worst in people.

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