Mockingbird Motif

In the beginning of the year, I barely knew any literary terms at all, including a motif. But as we went over terms, I found out what a motif was and when we finished To Kill a Mockingbird, I then had a complete understanding for a motif and how to find it by analyzing a story. I now know that a motif is a reoccurring symbol in a book.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the motif is a mockingbird and how it is a sin to kill one. It is a sin to kill a mockingbird because a mockingbird only makes beautiful music and never causes trouble. Boo Radley is one mockingbird because he is seen as being evil by the town, and that it would be like killing him if he was forced to come out because the city found out he killed Bob Ewell.Tom Robinson is the other mockingbird because he was found guilty for raping Mayella even though he was crippled and everyone knew he had not done anything wrong, which shows the other motif: justice vs. injustice which is made from prejudice between white and blacks.

Bob Ewell & Tom Robinson

It was said by Atticus that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird, but it's okay to kill a blue jay. It's because mockingbirds cause no harm whatsoever to anyone, much like Tom Robinson and the rest of the black community. On the Other hand, killing a blue jay is okay because they are annoying and cause too many problems like the whites in the Maycomb community, also known as the Ewells. Tom Robinson hadn't done anything wrong, but Bob Ewell tries to hide his guilt by falsely accusing him mostly because he is black.

Life Lessons

The one thing that I will always remember my father saying to me is that "There's No Free Lunch". What he actually is trying to say to me is that if you don't try, you will never succeed. It seems whenever I'm trying to do something difficult and I try to go the easy way out by giving up, my Dad brings those words up, which forces me to try again and again until I finish my job.

I think of it all the time, especially while doing any form of work. Even though I dislike everything about work, I have found out that if I at least do it, it will somehow pay off in one way or another. If I just don't finish, I regret it completely. When I want to achieve something, my Dad always reminds me how.