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Kill A Mockingbird Essay Topics |
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Writing Prompts Choose one of the following topics for your essay: 1. Character Analysis: analyze the growth and change of Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird. What was Scout like at the beginning of the story? What was she like at the end? What caused her to change? What did Scout learn? What do you think Harper Lee is trying to say about respect, understanding, hatred, and human interaction through Scout and the lessons she learns? Why is this novel known as a coming of age story? How will Scout's experiences as a young girl affect the rest of her life? Use specific quotations from the story to support your ideas. 2. Thematic Interpretation I: In addition to being the title of the book, the senseless killing of (mocking)birds is mentioned in a few key places in the novel. Why is the killing of birds important to the novel as a whole? Who are the symbolic mockingbirds in the novel? How do the symbolic mockingbirds, the title, and the mockingbird quotations show the main theme of the novel? What messages about society and human interaction does Lee convey through this theme? What does the novel tell readers about respect, understanding, hatred, and human interaction? Please support your opinions and interpretation with specific examples and direct quotations from the book. 3. Thematic Interpretation II: Use the story of “The Gray Ghost” to show how Harper Lee develops the theme "you never really understand a man until you walk around in his shoes" (or “don’t judge a book by its cover”) throughout her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Be sure to give examples of characters who were judged unfairly: Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and the Gray Ghost. Does the novel effectively teach readers about respect, understanding, prejudice, hatred, and human interaction? Please support your opinions and interpretation with specific examples and direct quotations from the book. |
| Prewriting Once you have chosen your essay topic, look at the corresponding number below and follow the directions. 1. Before you begin writing, organize your thoughts on a character map. In the three columns, list characteristics from the beginning and the end of the novel, and list reasons that Scout changed. Scout's changes were subtle, so look carefully. Find quotations to support and specific examples your observations. See me for a sample character map. Jot down your quick responses to the questions in the prompt. 2. Jot down quick responses to the questions in the prompt and organize your ideas by listing, clustering, or outlining. Find the senseless bird killing quotations and begin looking for other quotations and specific examples to help you begin writing your essay. Organization will be a key point in this essay, so make an outline before you start writing. 3. Re-read the end of the book and the story of the Gray ghost. Read through your notes on the “don’t judge a book by its cover” theme. Jot down quick responses to the questions in the prompt and organize your ideas by listing, clustering, or outlining. Find quotations and specific examples to support your observations. Organization will be a key point in this essay, so make an outline before you start writing. |
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