Project report

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Project report(Legal Methods)

A book review on To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Table of contents

1. Introduction.022. ..043. Biography of Harper Lee054. List of major characters..065. Theme of the book..076. Summary.087. Others reviews...108. Review...138.1 Points of appreciation...138.2 Writing style.......138.3 Overall review..13

9. Conclusion.....14Bibliography.151. Introduction

You read several books for several reasons, some for the pleasure, some- just to pass the time and sometime when youre seeking inspiration or guidance. In all the situations all you do is- go to some book stall or some library to fetch in a book, settle comfortably in your couch and lick the book from the front cover to the back in a stretch. But it gets hard when youre asked not only to read the book but also to analyse it and give your review on it. This piece of work is also a review of an international bestseller To Kill a Mocking Bird, written by Harper Lee.A book review is a form of a literary criticism in which a book is analyzed, by one who had already read it, based on content, style, and merit and whatever one finds apt. It is based on ones opinion. One evaluates the book on the basis of ones personal taste. Reviewers often write reviews to promulgate their own ideas. Books can be reviewed for printed journals, periodicals, magazines and newspapers, as college work, or for the web sites on the internet made for the book.There are many special journals devoted to book reviews and they are indexed in special databases such as book review index and Kirkus review also, many more book reviews can be found in newspaper databases and in scholarly database.The book has been written

2. Few facts, one must know.

I. Harper lee has recently settled a New York law suit against three of the defendants. She sued them in May to re-secure the copyright for her novel. A court filing on Friday in federal court in manhattan says Ms. Lees law suit against defendants Leigh Ann Winick and Gerald Posner has been dismissed. A lawyer for the 2 said- a settlement with the remaining defendants is likely to be reached next week. Ms. Lee (87) sued her former literary agents son in law Samuel Pinkus; and alleged his associates. She claimed they had failed to protect the books copyright.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Times of India, September 8,2013.]

II. Harper Lee won Pulitzer Prize for her book To Kill a Mocking bird in 1961 at the age of 35.III. Harper Lee could not get her degree of law.IV. To kill a Mocking Bird is the 1st and probably the last novel by Harper Lee.

3. Biography of Harper Lee

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. Harper Lee grew up in the small southwestern Alabama town of Monroeville. Her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, was a lawyer who also served on the state legislature (1926-38).Lee was only five years old when, in April 1931 in the small Alabama town of Scottsboro, the first trial began with regard to the purported rapes of two white women by nine young black men. The defendants, who were nearly lynched before being brought to court, were not provided with the services of a lawyer until the first day of trial. Despite medical testimony that the women had not been raped, after six years of the subsequent trails all the white juries found the men guilty of the crime and sentenced all but the youngest, a twelve-year-old boy, to death. This case left a deep impression over young Lee, from which she used several events in her debut novel To Kill a Mockingbird.Lee studied first at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama (1944-45), and then went for a law degree at the University of Alabama but she failed to get the degree, She worked as a reservation clerk for Eastern Airlines in New York City until the late 1950s, when she resolved to devote herself to writing. Lee lived a thrifty lifestyle in her small apartment.Lee published her first and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, in 1960 after a two-year period of revising and rewriting under the guidance of her editor, Tay Hohoff, of the J. B. Lippincott Company. To Kill a Mockingbird won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize despite mixed critical reviews. The novel got highly popular, selling more than fifteen million copies it became an international bestseller. Though in composing the novel she delved into her own experiences as a child in Monroeville, Lee intended that the book imparts the sense of any small town in the Deep South, as well as the universal characteristics of human beings. A movie was also made on the same book in 1962, starring Gregory Peck as Atticus.President Johnson named Lee to the National Council of Arts in June 1966, and since then she has received numerous honorary doctorates. She continues to live in New York and Monroeville but prefers a relatively private existence, granting few interviews and giving few speeches. She has published only a few short essays since her debut: "Love--In Other Words" inVogue, 1961; "Christmas to Me" inMcCall's, 1961; and "When Children Discover America" inMcCall's, 1965.[footnoteRef:3] [3: http://monkeynote.stores.yahoo.net/]

4. List of Major Characters

Scout Finch- She is the narrator of the story and the pivot of the novel. Atticus Finch- He is the father of Scout and Jem and an attorney by profession. Jem Finch- He is Scouts elder brother. Calpurnia- She is Finch familys, black, cook. Aunt Alexandra- Atticuss sister who comes to live with the Finch family. Dill- Scout and Jems friend. Arthur Radely- He is a character, nicknamed Boo, who never steps out of his house. Tom Robinson- A young, harmless black person accused of rape. Mayella Ewell- The girl who accuses Tom of rape. Bob Ewell- Mayellas Father, a brutal personality who curses and physically abuses his daughter.

5. Theme of the book

The book, surely, revolves around the major character i.e., Scout and holds many major and minor themes in itself. The main and underlying theme is evidently the problem of racial prejudice the black slavery, its abolition and the subsequent lack of its acceptance in the southern community. Harper Lee has portrayed the deep-set traditional way of thinking of the southerners who are unable to accept that the blacks have been released from the bonds of slavery. So, even if externally there are no slaves, the blacks have not yet been openly admitted into.Along with this, Harper has introduced smaller but no less important themes in the novel- Thelegend of the mockingbird, which only sings to please others and therefore the sense of sin associated in shooting a mockingbird, has been intricately woven into the plot. Tom Robinsons death is likened to this sin since even Tom was an innocent, harmless person who would never hurt.Snobbism is also prevalent in some corner of the theme of the story. It is the snobbism only due to which the Mayella couldnt seek a companionship with anyone. The same snobbism comes into the play when Scouts Aunt doesnt allow her to befriend Walter Cunnigham.

6. Compendium of The Book

Scout Finch, the narrator of the story, lives with her brother, Jem, and their widower father, Atticus, a prominent lawyer, in Alabama town of Maycomb. Maycomb is going through a Grave Depression. But Atticuss family is reasonably well off if compared to the rest of the society.One summer, both the siblings, Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who has come to live in their neighborhood for the summer, and the trio acts out stories together. Eventually, Dill becomes fascinated with the spooky house on their street called the Radley Place. The house is owned by Mr. Nathan Radley, whose brother, Arthur (nicknamed Boo), has lived there for years without venturing outside. Scout goes to school for the first time that fall and detests it. She and Jem find gifts apparently left for them in a knothole of a tree on the Radley property. Dill returns the following summer, and he, Scout, and Jem begin to act out the story of Boo Radley. Atticus puts a stop to their antics, urging the children to try to see life from another persons perspective before making judgments. But, on Dills last night in Maycomb for the summer, the three sneak onto the Radley property, where Nathan Radley shoots at them. Jem loses his pants in the ensuing escape. When he returns for them, he finds them mended and hung over the fence. The next winter, Jem and Scout find more presents in the tree, presumably left by the mysterious Boo. Nathan Radley eventually plugs the knothole with cement. Shortly thereafter, a fire breaks out in another neighbors house, and during the fire someone slips a blanket on Scouts shoulders as she watches the blaze. Convinced that Boo did it, Jem tells Atticus about the mended pants and the presents.To the consternation of Maycombs racist white community, Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman. Because of Atticuss decision, Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse from other children, even when they celebrate Christmas at the family compound on Finchs Landing. Calpurnia, the Finches black cook, takes them to the local black church, where the warm and close-knit community largely embraces the children. Atticuss sister, Alexandra, comes to live with the Finches the next summer. Dill, who is supposed to live with his new father in another town, runs away and comes to Maycomb. Tom Robinsons trial begins, and when the accused man is placed in the local jail, a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus faces the mob down the night before the trial. Jem and Scout, who have sneaked out of the house, soon join him. Scout recognizes one of the men, and her polite questioning about his son shames him into dispersing the mob. At the trial itself, the children sit in the colored balcony with the towns black citizens. Atticus provides clear evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying: in fact, Mayella with Tom was caught by her father, and then accused Tom of rape to cover her shame and guilt. Atticus provides impressive evidence that the marks on Mayellas face are from wounds that her father inflicted; upon discovering her with Tom, he called her a whore and beat her. Yet, despite the significant evidence pointing to Toms innocence, the all-white jury convicts him. The innocent Tom later tries to escape from prison and is shot to death. In the aftermath of the trial, Jems faith in justice is badly shaken, and he lapses into despondency and doubt. Despite the verdict, Bob Ewell feels that Atticus and the judge have made a fool out of him, and he vows revenge. He menaces Tom Robinsons widow, tries to break into the judges house, and finally attacks Jem and Scout as they walk home from a Halloween party. Boo Radley intervenes, however, saving the children and stabbing Ewell fatally during the struggle. Boo carries the wounded Jem back to Atticuss house, where the sheriff, in order to protect Boo, insists that Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo disappears once more into the Radley house.ssLater, Scout feels as though she can finally imagine what life is like for Boo. He has become a human being to her at last. With this realization, Scout embraces her fathers advice to practice sympathy and understanding and demonstrates that her experiences with hatred and prejudice will not sully her faith in human goodness.

7. Others Reviews

Reviews by random readers (collected from different websites)I. A wonderful piece of literature, great characters, plot and prose. There is sadness and happiness, racism and equality, immaturity and maturity, injustice and redemption. Atticus is a man we could all love and look up to a grounded just and fair man he sees beyond race and finds the goodness in people. His cook Calpurnia is honest good black lady who you just gotta love in this story, she works for a nice family who are about to go through some obstacles and testing times.A lot of the story is told through a young girl and is enjoyable to see things from a young perspective.II. I read this book a long time ago, when I was ten years old. I remembered nothing from it except thinking it was really, really good. And here I am, thirteen years later. I picked it up again because I was curious about what my reaction would be to it now.

The book follows three years in the life of Scout Finch, her brother Jem, their father Atticus, and their fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the era of the Great Depression. The first half of the novel focuses mainly on Scout and Jem's childhood - their friend Dill, their fixation on their neighbor "Boo" Radley, and their experiences at school. The second part of the book is marked both by the ongoing trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman, whom Atticus has been called to defend, and the repercussions this trial has on the children's eventual coming of age.

I loved this book. Both parts of the book are very well-done, and although each seems to be separate at first, Lee does a great job of weaving in themes from the first into the second. The children have very child-like perspectives. They do not seem adult beyond their years. Every character - particularly each of the Finches - is distinctive. I liked how Atticus shows depth. He is not heroic simply because of who he is defending as an attorney but his entire outlook on the case and its significance to his family and career. This book seems so simple, but it's about several things at once - racism, injustice, social status, innocence, accusation, and experience.

I feel like I had a million things I wanted to say about this book, but I can't remember half of what they were, mostly because the copy I had was from the library and I had to return it. Let me just say this: wow. And also, this is going to the top of my very short "must-buy" list. I may even buy two copies - one to highlight in, and one just to keep.III. I avoided reading this, wary of all the hype, seen the movie - so if youre one of the few that hasnt read it I promise not to harass you by proclaiming that you must! If the mood ever strikes though I bet youll love it. What convinced me was when a young interracial couple I know had their 1st child and she insisted on naming him Atticus. At first her husband hated the name, that is until he read the book... Then his enthusiasm was so infectious it got to me, that and curiosity. Why does it continue to strikes a chord with so many? Now that Ive joined the ranks of the besotted (5 stars personal top 10) I understandIV. If I could give this no stars, I would. This is possibly one of my least favorite books in the world, one that I would happily take off of shelves and stow in dark corners where no one would ever have to read it again.

I think that To Kill A Mockingbird has such a prominent place in (American) culture because it is a naive, idealistic piece of writing in which naivete and idealism are ultimately rewarded. It's a saccharine, rose-tinted eulogy for the nineteen thirties from an orator who comes not to bury, but to praise. Written in the late fifties, TKAM is free of the social changes and conventions that people at the time were (and are, to some extent) still grating at. The primary dividing line in TKAM is not one of race, but is rather one of good people versus bad people -- something that, of course, Atticus and the children can discern effortlessly.

The characters are one dimensional. Calpurnia is the Negro who knows her place and loves the children; Atticus is a good father, wise and patient; Tom Robinson is the innocent wronged; Boo is the kind eccentric; Jem is the little boy who grows up; Scout is the precocious, knowledgable child. They have no identity outside of these roles. The children have no guile, no shrewdness--there is none of the delightfully subversive slyness that real children have, the sneakiness that will ultimately allow them to grow up. Jem and Scout will be children forever, existing in a world of black and white in which lacking knowledge allows people to see the truth in all of its simple, nuanceless glory.

I think that's why people find it soothing: TKAM privileges, celebrates, even, the child's point of view. Other YA classics--Huckleberry Finn; Catcher in the Rye; A Wrinkle in Time; The Day No Pigs Would Die; Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret; Bridge to Terabithia--feature protagonists who are, if not actively fighting to become adults, at least fighting to find themselves as people. There is an active struggle throughout each of those books to make sense of the world, to define the world as something larger than oneself, as something that the protagonist can somehow be a part of. To Kill A Mockingbird has no struggle to become part of the world--in it, the children *are* the world, and everything else is just only relevant in as much as it affects them. There's no struggle to make sense of things, because to them, it already makes sense; there's no struggle to be a part of something, because they're already a part of everything. There's no sense of maturation--their world changes, but it leaves them, in many ways, unchanged, and because of that, it fails as a story for me. The whole point of a coming of age story--which is what TKAM is generally billed as--is that the characters come of age, or at least mature in some fashion, and it just doesn't happen.

All thematic issues aside, I think that the writing is very, er, uneven, shall we say? Overwhelmingly episodic, not terribly consistent, and largely as dimensionless as the characters.

8. My Review

This book has received numerous of prizes along with the Pulitzer Prize because of some definitely-it-should-be-mentioned reasons. It has so many layers. The characters are memorable; Scout as the sassy little scrapper is hilarious, Atticus (from now, my favorite hero) as a decent man trying to do the right thing- unforgettable. It is one of the best books I have ever read. It is an excellent coming of age book that deals with the issues of racism, injustice, intolerance, and bigotry so eloquently. It also shows the love between a father and his children. With anti-racism at its core its also about being decent & respectful to all folks, be they poor, elderly or mentally ill.I. Points of appreciationThe whole plot of the story is so well woven that it came to life in my mind while reading it. The only thing I disliked about the book was that it ended, I wanted to read more. Also that the legend Harper Lee wrote only one book (and still hit the ball out of the boundary).II. Writing styleHarper Lee, in her novel, has utilized Scout, a six-year old girl to relate the facts. Yet, the language she uses is not restricted to her age, for whatever reason may it be, maybe, because that would have limited the expressions which Harper Lee needed to give to the different characters. A varied use of language is noticed throughout the novel. There is a difference in the language of white and the black people. Also at some point it gets clear that the book is being written by the adult Scout recreating her childhood experience.

III. Overall reviewI feel like I have many more things to say about the book but I dont remember three fourth of it, probably because I borrowed the book from a friend and had to return it. So, let me just say this- WOW! And also, this is going to the top of my very short "must-buy" list.My advice to others who have not read the book yet is- Please, get a copy of it and do read it today itself. It is seriously awesome, a great story that pulls all your nerves and switches on all your emotional buttons.

9. Conclusion

Doing the project work, I must say, was a new experience in itself. The book, as I said earlier, was awesome. It holds another world with lively characters in itself. The plot woven is so tight and clear that if one starts reading the book, probably, nothing can distract ones mind from completing it. One just keeps on reading unless it gets finished. The overall experience of doing the project was awesome

10. Bibliography

I. Harper Lee, To kill a mocking bird.