Educational Value of The Book "To Kill a Mockingbird"

As children grow, they learn many lessons and a variety of concepts about life, from tying shoelaces to tying ties. To Kill Mockingbird by Harper Lee covers a variety of subjects that educates both minorities and majorities. Harper Lee gives a child’s perspective which interprets ideas differently, in a new way. With this interpretation, readers are given a broader view on topics. To Kill a Mockingbird should not be eliminated from Heritage High School’s curriculum due to the impact it could have on the reader’s perspective towards people and on the past.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a resourceful outlet to educate readers on important lessons and on historical occurrences. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” (Lee 39). Atticus Finch teaches his children and the readers a lesson on perspective. Harper Lee uses Atticus to provide this lesson to emphasize the importance of not judging others based off outside sources, but by looking at things through their eyes and what is on the inside. Readers can take this educational lesson and apply it to their lives to improve their social views and prevent prejudice judgements. “Although Maycomb was ignored during the War Between the States, Reconstruction rule and economic ruin forced the town to grow,” (Lee 174).

To Kill a Mockingbird took place in the 1930s, which was an important time period in America. Harper Lee uses the setting to provide details on historical events, such as the American Civil War and the Great Depression. Lee uses the novel to teach and give the audience an insight on the hardships and outcomes during the prejudice and impecunious decades. Some will argue that To Kill a Mockingbird should be removed from Heritage’s curriculum. Many believe that To Kill a Mockingbird sends the wrong message to readers and fails to provide the intended idea because of the perspective of a naive child. However, following the point of view of a young child enables the audience to learn alongside the narrator, Scout. “I came to the conclusion that people were just peculiar, I withdrew from them, and never thought about them until I was forced to,” (Lee 326). Scout provides an innocent view on occurrences without a judgmental attitude because of her inexperience. If the narrator was an adult, the adult would have more opinions which would result in an opinionated perspective without considering other viewpoints. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee serves as a great model for students of all ages and even adults.

The novel teaches readers important life lessons that they can exercise in their own lives, such as perspective and innocence. It also teaches about the hardships during past events and how people lived through them. The novel helps as an intellectual tool and introduces a new way of learning, educating the audience. In conclusion, To Kill a Mockingbird should not be removed because of the educational values it provides.