An American Classic: Racy but Necessary by Jack

An American Classic: Racy but Necessary by Jack - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

Albeit the racial content, vulgarity, and references to rape have resulted in the absence of the book from some schools and libraries, students should read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird before graduating high school because it focuses on racial prejudices and injustices of Alabama in the 1930’s. The book gives a first-hand account of the racisms that blacks experienced in the south through the eyes of an unbiased kid, Scout.

The racy language in To Kill a Mockingbird is necessary in developing the aura of the novel. Harper Lee effectively shows the good and bad in society. The good, represented by Scout and her father, must overcome the unjust people of Maycomb. Throughout the Novel, there are plenty examples of the bad in society including a heavy emphasis on racism; it is so extreme that a black man is falsely accused of raping a white girl.

The novel effectively demonstrates how a society cannot act and gives the reader insight to truly how absurd racism is. All high school students must read this novel before they graduate because this American classic utilizes a plethora of literary devices, including alliteration and figures of speech, to demonstrate how students should and should not treat others.