Defence of "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” has been the subject of classroom study as early as 1963. The book's content of racial slurs, profanity, and the discussion of rape have led people to challenge its place in libraries and classrooms across North America. One of the common causes of objections is the use of the word “nigger,” and the implication of black students being mocked because of racial stereotyping. The word 'Nigger' is used 48 times in the novel leading to withdrawal from various institutions. However, it is still a part of the curriculum in many schools for obvious reasons.

The word “nigger” was used during the time the novel was written and is important to the historical accuracy. It is wrong to use the "n-word" in a derogative way, but it is also inaccurate to pretend it wasn't used commonly in the past. “To Kill a Mockingbird” deals with racial prejudice and provides readers with life lessons as Scout matures and learns from positive parental figures. Removing this novel from the curriculum would prevent students from gaining this knowledge and blind them from our history. Shielding students’ eyes from the horrific word is not and never will be the correct approach. Certain words are no longer acceptable in society and it is important to understand the reasoning behind this. Tolerance is a key theme in the novel and is important to emphasize this in young impressionable minds. We cannot move forward as a society if we do not learn from our mistakes in the past and this is why "To Kill a Mockingbird" should remain in the curriculum of high schools throughout the world.

Different Perspectives: US Occupation of Iraq

Each of these four pieces were quite shocking when read in class and the effects seemed to linger. I learned a great deal about the ongoing US occupation of Iraq and am now able to create a timeline of events. However, these pieces portrayed much more than a series of events on paper. The war became real. Soldiers tell stories that the media aren’t able to depict.

Filmmaker Deborah Scranton captures raw emotion in her film, “The War Tapes,” by doing interviews right after soldiers are off duty. She says, “If you let time go by, it kinda softens and smoothes the edges.” Scranton is able to gain access to soldiers' emotions and even diaries through mutual trust. A trust that does not exist between the media and soldiers. One soldier reads from his journal: “I should really thank God for saving my lucky ass. I’ll do that, then I’m gonna jerk off because these pages smell like Linds and there won’t be anytime for jerking off tomorrow.” It is hard to think of something more personal than the soldier’s longing for his girlfriend back home.

While watching the TED talks on Deborah Scranton’s “The War Tapes” I had a newfound appreciation for the work soldiers do oversees. I have spent my share of arguments opposing the war in Iraq and fail to realize the hard work done by soldiers in that country. I had heard about soldiers complaining the media was not publishing stories about the successes in Iraq, but didn’t think much of it. However, this is a very important comment and Scranton reinforces this with an example: “Pink Squad and another squad spent their entire day outside the wire trying to save Iraqi lives, the Iraqis who work on the post.” Soldiers dedicate their time to helping the Iraqi people, which also includes cleaning them up. One soldier stares at a blood stained sidewalk and says, “I don’t think there was anything left from his abdominal down.” The scene opens the viewers eyes to the horrors of war. People are torn apart by fatalities and even mistakes. A soldier, with a child and wife back home, killed an Iraqi child while handing out candy from his hummer. Now he’s reluctant to tell his wife and “afraid she’s going to think I’m a monster.” This makes the trivial challenges in our lives seem insignificant.

The article, “Lost Soldiers” by Dexter Filkins is an honest take on the soldiers serving in Iraq. Some of them still defined as “boys” yet being handed heavy guns. I was taken aback by the age of these soldiers, the youngest only a year older than me, having to deal with death on a daily basis. The following paragraph was raw and very effective: “Sometimes, right after a guy is killed, you feel as if you are in possession of a terrible secret. He’s there on the ground, alive only a minute ago, and the only people who know he’s dead are standing right there by him. The rest of the world thinks he’s alive, as alive as he was when he climbed out of bed that same morning, only a few hours before.” These dead soldiers have left their families with a gapping hole in their lives along with untouched bedrooms. Filkins uses figurative language in this paragraph to instill the feeling of empathy in the reader. The news of a soldier’s death is not automatic, but gradual. The message needs to be relayed to friends and family through a series of people and no one really considers how far the word has to travel. Along with this, the reader is able to think of the war from the eyes of each soldier and not as a whole. The photo essay, “The Shrine Down the Hall” is astounding. Each pristine bed left untouched by a fallen soldier. Each bedroom telling a story for many years to come. High school trophies and teddy bears help me realize the sorrow of losing a son so young in his life. The US flag in many of these rooms showing each soldier’s pride in their country. It is easy to become immersed in these pictures and imagine the soldier’s faces and lives back home. It is truly unfortunate that these young men weren’t able to live their lives and grow old.

The documentary, “No End in Sight,” was an eye opener for me. It is embarrassing to admit, but I had no idea of the extremities of the looting in Iraq after US occupation. Stolen artefacts from the National Museum of Iraq were shocking, but strangely, the US soldiers were doing nothing about it. “There was absolute lawlessness.” as stated in the documentary. Orders from the top were being made, overriding many informed officials who “had been to Iraq 8 times and knew what the facts on the ground were.” The US army was not prepared to occupy a country and sufficient plans were not made. What I find most shocking is the soldier’s pleas for armoured hummers. At a question and answer session a soldier asks, “Why don’t we have those resources.” and is given the answer, “You go to war with the army you have.” This should not be the case. The US army budget is one of the highest in the world and should spare no expense in protecting its soldiers. The viewer was informed of trillions of dollars spent on the war in Iraq, but not on soldiers’ necessities. In the documentary, the occupation of Iraq is compared to controlling a “chicken with no head.” This is quite accurate and creates a gory and uncensored image in the viewers mind, exactly what the documentary is looking to achieve.

Landscape Use in "Annabel" by Kathleen Winter

In the excerpt from "Annabel", landscape is used to enhance character and theme quite noticeably. Labrador’s coast is a particularly scenic part of North America and “a traveler can come to Labrador and feel its magnetic energy or not feel it.” The land has a strong connection with its inhabitants, but also select tourists. Jacinta and Treadway are described using scenery in the following quotation: “Treadway belonged to Labrador but Jacinta did not.” Treadway has followed in his father’s footsteps and worked as a trapper while Jacinta teaches in the little school in Croydon Harbour. The land is important to Treadway and his fellow trappers and it is described with great respect in the excerpt. “Canadian mapmakers had named the lake but the people who inhabited the Labrador interior had given it a different name, a name that remains a secret.” Treadway feels a strong connection to the landscape and this is made clear to the reader as the excerpt continues. Treadway “considered the house to belong to his wife, while the place where waters changed direction belonged to him, and would belong to any son he had.”
The landscape is beautifully described in this excerpt. At times, it comes alive and a clear image is created in the reader’s mind. The following quotation shows the respect and strong relationship with the land the trappers possess: “The movements of the ducks were the white hunter’s calligraphy.” Nature plays a prominent part of these trapper’s lives and the descriptive landscape in this excerpt makes this apparent.

Personal Response to "Captain Underpants and Huckleberry Finn"

This article by Susan Orlean moved me because of her no nonsense way of approaching the ongoing debate of the "n-word" in "Huckleberry Finn." Orlean relates the word to her own writing and even "Captain Underpants", which makes the article appealing to a wide audience. Replacing the word "nigger" with "slave" is also believed to make the novel, "Huckleberry Finn," appealing to a broad audience. However, shielding students’ eyes from the horrific word is not and never will be the correct approach. The novel does not convey the same powerful message of a character rising above their social status without the word. Orlean believes that "banning it is a futile effort to remake history, and a dangerous one" and I share the same opinion. It is wrong to use the "n-word" in a derogative way, but it is also inaccurate to pretend it wasn't used commonly in the past.

"This is one of those doughnut-shaped arguments that has no beginning and no end and nothing much inside. The problem isn’t the word; the problem is having the book banned to begin with because of the word, and yet having it returned to reading lists would indeed be a good outcome, although achieved by the worst sort of means."

This passage is particularly effective because of its powerful use of imagery to describe the problem associated with the "n-word" in "Huckleberry Finn." The problem is described as "having the book banned to begin with because of the word, and yet having it returned to reading lists would indeed be a good outcome, although achieved by the worst sort of means." The reader is able to imagine the problem unfolding as a circle or doughnut with no obvious solution. The use of the "n-word" in "Huckleberry Finn" has been a heated debate for years. Susan Orlean believes that it is acceptable and even accurate used in the novel, but at the same time offensive. There is not much substance behind this debate, but it will continue on for many years to come. This is why a doughnut is the perfect way of describing it.

"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley - Book Pitch

"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley launches the reader thousands of years into the future. New reproductive technology and sleep-learning techniques have changed the very basis of society. A hatchery produces thousands of nearly identical human embryos that are then conditioned to fulfill a certain role in society, creating instant happiness with their life's work. However, Bernard Marx is not content with the happiness forced down his throat. His behaviour is seen as difficult and unsocial yet he is allowed to travel to the savage reservation where humanity still exists in its purest form. He is awaiting exile but returns with something that will change both his life and society itself. The unusual and captivating plot makes the reader question what makes our world keep spinning. Huxley is regarded as one of the most prominent explorers of visual communication and this novel is no disappointment.



About the Author: Aldous Leonard Huxley was born in England on July 26th, 1894. He was an English writer and one of the most revolutionary members of the famous Huxley family. Huxley is best known for his novels including "Brave New World" and "Island" along with a wide range of essays. He also published short stories, poetry, travel writing, film stories and scripts. He moved to Los Angeles in 1937 and lived there until his death in 1963. By the end of his life Huxley was considered a leader of modern thought and a scholar of unmatched intellect.


Price: $9.99
ISBN: 978-0060929879
Published: 1932 by Chatto and Windus (London)

"Room" by Emma Donoghue - Book Pitch

"Room" by Emma Donoghue tells the story of a horrific kidnapping through the eyes of the five-year-old protagonist, Jack. One room is everything he has come to known in his life and the outside world is nothing more than fiction on their television set. Jack's mother has created a perfect world for her son when the reality is much more horrifying. Emma Donoghue does an excellent job portraying Jack’s progression through childhood as his curiosity of the outside world and Ma’s past drive this novel to unknown heights. The shocking plot is captivating and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat for hours.



About the Author:
Emma Donoghue was born in Dublin, Ireland and has published multiple novels including "Life Mask" and "Landing." She also writes plays and literary history. In 1998 she moved to Canada and now lives in London, Ontario with her partner and two children. Her novels vary in topics and settings but are consistently fascinating and compelling stories. Her most recent novel, "Room," was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in September, 2010 and awarded the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize in November, 2010. "Room" is also shortlisted for the 2010 Governor General's Awards in Canada and was the winner of the Irish Book Award for 2010.

Price: $ 29.99
ISBN: 978-1-55468-831-9
Published: September 13, 2010 by Little, Brown and Company

About Graham Muncaster:
Graham Muncaster is in grade twelve at a Ontario High School in Canada. He enjoys reading novels written in varying styles and writing his own stories. This blog has been created for a grade twelve writer's class course and contains book reviews and story and article analysis. (Twitter: @Muncastrater)

"Room" by Emma Donoghue

In "Room" by Emma Donoghue, the protagonist is a boy named Jack. For this five-year-old, one room is everything he has come to known. He was born in Room and has grown, learned and played with his mother in it ever since. In the eyes of Jack, he lives in a perfect world, but to Ma they are locked in a prison by Old Nick. From what I have read so far, Jack’s personality has been revealed by his actions and his mother’s words. The circumstances do not stop Jack from being a curious child. His thoughts are always jumping and his actions follow suit. An example of this comes on page 4, “I jump onto Rocker to look at Watch, he says 07:14. I can skate-board on Rocker without holding onto her, then I whee back onto Duvet and I’m snowboarding instead.” Emma Donoghue does an excellent job portraying Jack’s playful personality by using capital letters and eliminating the word “the” to give objects in Room life in a child’s eyes. His juvenile nature becomes clear when he does things such as, “I stroke Table’s scratches to make them better, she’s a circle all white except gray in the scratches from chopping foods.” (6) This novel creates passage into a young child’s mind and I believe it is quite accurate in doing so.


The novel is told from the first person perspective of Jack and his dialogue makes the story so spectacular. After seeing his mother take two pain killers for her tooth ache on page 9, Jack asks, “Why don’t you take two killers all the bits of every day?” She responds by saying she’d be hooked which is, “Like stuck on a hook, because I’d need them all the time. Actually I might need more and more.” Then Jack says, “What’s wrong with needing?” (9) This excerpt is a perfect example of Emma Donoghue’s ability to express childhood innocence on paper. Jack does not understand the problems that can come along with someone’s actions like many children his age. However, the extent of this is much more extreme with Jack due to his isolation. Also, Emma Donoghue mixes up verb tenses and leaves out words to make Jack’s dialogue as child-like as possible. For instance, he says things such as, “How did a picture asleep?” (5)


On the other hand, there are certain parts of "Room" where Jack’s growing maturity becomes evident. This maturity is seen when Ma begins to speak of the existence of the world outside Room. In order to escape, a plan is made where Jack needs to fake sick and go to a hospital with Old Nick. Ma says, “I know it’ll be really weird to go on your own, but I’ll be talking to you in your head every minute, I promise.” However, Jack is mature enough to know that this is not the case and “Ma won’t be in my head really. My tummy hurts just thinking about it.” (108) At times, Ma’s frustration towards Jack shows through and he always sees this. After disagreeing with Ma’s plan, Jack understands that, “She doesn’t say anything she’s so furious with me.” (114) He is more mature than the reader’s original impression and his curiosity of the outside world and Ma’s past drive this novel during and after their escape.