Hello! My name is Tanlen Carmen Raubenheimer and I am a reading addict.
Recently I was assigned to read “To Kill a Mockingbird” in my AP English class. At the beginning it sounded totally boring but to my big surprise….It wasn’t. In fact it is one my favorite books.
…Shocking I know…
It may not be “modern” compared to Twilight, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Eragon…you name it. BUT it has lessons that ANYONE, ANYWHERE, and at WHATEVER AGE can understand.
It is timeless literature and it doesn’t have an expiration date on it, like milk.
Besides if we are looking for “Modern Literature” I propose that we take some Shakespeare out.
Just saying.
To Kill a Mockingbird teaches you about how you need to understand a person’s perspective before you judge them.
For Example Atticus, Souts’s father, tells Scout “"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."
That is something I have always had trouble with.
Again…Tis shocking…
I am a very judgmental person…at times. If you do something stupid I am going to laugh and whisper something to Benj.
It’s not my fault….
…It’s Chandlers….
…And Cheys…
…and Mckays…
…. And… I don’t even know anymore
Anyway…It’s something that I need work on and this book really focused on not judging a person because of their appearances
And let’s be honest.
You probably have the problem to.
We have all heard the phrase to walk in someone else’s shoes but do we actually do it?
That was a rhetorical question, don’t answer it out loud.
We also learn that others, many others, will oppose our beliefs.
They judge us for what we believe is right. But does that make it wrong?
Should we give them up because others think of it as wrong?
The answer is a resounding NO!
Just like Atticus, we will be judged for doing what is right. However, Atticus never gave up and we should do the same.
It will be challenging and it won’t be easy but it is the right thing to do.
This book gives us true insight to human nature.
And that isn’t something a lot of “modern” books give us.
It is also a story about our history. It may be a history that we don’t like but it is our history nevertheless.
Unless we want a repeat of our history we need to learn from it. How would that happen if we cut ourselves off from the literature that would help us?
To Kill a Mockingbird is a vital part of our education…
…just like ice cream and blonde British boys are vital to me…
I vote that we keep To Kill a Mockingbird in our literature….
THE END!
