Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham)
"To Kill A Mockingbird"
(1962)
Author Harper Lee's evocative tale of
racism and social injustice in a small southern
town in the Depression-era 1930's
has just been banned by a school district in
has just been banned by a school district in
Mississippi, which decided to remove the book
from its school curriculum due to the fact that
it "makes people uncomfortable."
Are you kidding me?
It is suppose to make you feel uncomfortable!
No one who has read this book,
No one who has read this book,
or watched the Oscar-winning 1962 movie
starring Gregory Peck as lawyer Atticus Finch,
should be comfortable with the idea of a false
accusation of rape against an innocent black man
who is tried, convicted, and condemned in the
court of public opinion within the segregated community
where he lives, solely on the basis of the color of his skin.
accusation of rape against an innocent black man
who is tried, convicted, and condemned in the
court of public opinion within the segregated community
where he lives, solely on the basis of the color of his skin.
What is even more disturbing about this story is
Tom's accuser, a lonely white woman named Mayella Ewell,
actually lured him into her home where she then
preceded to make unwanted advances towards him.
When Mayella's father, the vicious drunk, Bill Ewell,
witnessed what was going on through a window,
he vowed he was going to kill his daughter.
Meanwhile, Tom escaped from the Ewell home,
only later to be accused and charged with rape.
Tom's accuser, a lonely white woman named Mayella Ewell,
actually lured him into her home where she then
preceded to make unwanted advances towards him.
When Mayella's father, the vicious drunk, Bill Ewell,
witnessed what was going on through a window,
he vowed he was going to kill his daughter.
Meanwhile, Tom escaped from the Ewell home,
only later to be accused and charged with rape.
"To Kill A Mockingbird"
(1962)
Atticus Finch risked his own life to help Tom and
because he was willingly to defend this hapless victim of
racial prejudice and hatred, his two young children,
daughter, Scout, and son, Jem, were later
attacked in the woods by the vicious Bill Ewell.
attacked in the woods by the vicious Bill Ewell.
Fortunately, the children were rescued through the
intervention of their mysterious next door neighbor,
Arthur "Boo" Radley. But these are all the details I
will give out in case anyone reading this post
has not read the book or seen the movie yet.
This story is designed to make the reader, or the
viewer, if watching the movie, think. When this book
was first published in 1960, in states like Mississippi,
black Americans were considered second class
citizens afforded little or no rights or privileges.
black Americans were considered second class
citizens afforded little or no rights or privileges.
Blacks were not allowed to attend school with whites,
they could not eat in the same restaurants as white people,
use the same bathrooms, drink from the same water fountains,
vote in public elections or be guaranteed to a fair trial under
the law if accused of a crime.
Although "To Kill A Mockingbird" is a work of fiction,
this was the Deep South as remembered by Harper Lee,
who was born and raised in early 20th century Alabama.
Her book is based on her own life experience as a
white child growing up in the time of segregation.
Furthermore, this famous American novel should
not be banned from school libraries, or by
any library for that matter.
As a strong advocate of our constitutional rights to
freedom of speech and expression, I believe the
decision to read or not to read,
"To Kill A Mockingbird" should be left up entirely
to the students in this school without their decision
being hampered or hounded by a group of
21st century Thought Police.
As I have said before on this blog,
those who continually ignore and/or deny the past,
who remain indifferent to the lessons, good and bad,
which the past teaches us, are almost certainly
condemning themselves and others to repeat it.
Final Scene
"To Kill A Mockingbird"
(1962)
the law if accused of a crime.
Although "To Kill A Mockingbird" is a work of fiction,
this was the Deep South as remembered by Harper Lee,
who was born and raised in early 20th century Alabama.
Her book is based on her own life experience as a
white child growing up in the time of segregation.
Furthermore, this famous American novel should
not be banned from school libraries, or by
any library for that matter.
As a strong advocate of our constitutional rights to
freedom of speech and expression, I believe the
decision to read or not to read,
"To Kill A Mockingbird" should be left up entirely
to the students in this school without their decision
being hampered or hounded by a group of
21st century Thought Police.
As I have said before on this blog,
those who continually ignore and/or deny the past,
who remain indifferent to the lessons, good and bad,
which the past teaches us, are almost certainly
condemning themselves and others to repeat it.
"To Kill A Mockingbird"
(1962)
No comments:
Post a Comment