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Agnezze Rheay Ventura

Ms.Woelke

Pre-AP English

29 May 2019

Banning ​To Kill a Mockingbird​: A mistake

To Kill A Mockingbird​ is an American classic written by Harper Lee. It is notorious for

targeting controversial and mature topics like racial prejudice, rape and the effect of ignorance

on society. This book was published in the 1960s and is still taught in many school curriculums--

except a few. Some schools, notably Biloxi Middle School, banned ​To Kill A Mockingbird ​from

being taught due to the racial slurs and controversial topics discussed in the book. To Kill A

Mockingbird is not the first book to have this happen to it, in fact, since 1982 certain books have

been banned due to explicit content deemed inappropriate for children. This includes many

classics such as ​Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Huckleberry Finn​ and many more. ​To Kill a Mockingbird

should not be banned from being taught at schools as it influences students’ judgement, banning

will take away the opportunity available for other students who can explore classic literature and

ideas and in turn be less ignorant through contemplating history.

To Kill a Mockingbird​ is one of many classics that grant students the ability to ameliorate

their social judgements and be more tolerant. Books are one of many ways a person can

experience certain situations in a way that makes them feel sympathy for the characters’

misfortune. Many events in this novel would cause students to “think critically” about how

oftentimes “misjudgements can impact” many lives and influence “society’s view” on a group of

people (Source B). For example, students might feel uneasy and frustrated at the lack of respect
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and remorse the townspeople had for Tom Robinson. Instead of spitting words of condolences

they insulted the way he died. Additionally, the townspeople also disregarded how Tom

Robinson’s family would be affected by such an event. His death would leave his wife alone to

care for their three children and is unlikely to be employed because of rape allegations against

Tom (Lee 322, 121-123). This exposes the audience to how judgement can affect people

emotionally; sometimes even jeopardize their life as these series of events were triggered by lack

of better judgement. Not to mention, the more students avoid jumping to conclusions about

someone, the more likely they are able to sympathize with a variety of ethnicities. Though some

may argue that African Americans are wrongly represented in the book. Some students may see

Calpurnia as nothing more than a “black maid who cooks” and may “[suggest] the

worst…[about] black female intelligence” (Source E). Though that may be true, it is important to

consider that they have not been portrayed in a bigoted manner. Calpurnia has been shown to

have a close bond with the Finch family. She has proved to be another parental figure to the

Finch children, showing them discipline when needed and balancing it with affection. She has

also been shown as a mentor to Scout, educating her on how to read and write at such an early

age (Lee 18-19). Calpurnia is also considered trustworthy by Atticus Finch, he defends her from

his sister. He claims that she has helped him “through all these years” and he considers her a

“member of [the] family” (Lee 136-137). Though at first glance, she may not seem like a person

of importance to the story; the further one reads through ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ the more they

realize she is more than a maid. She is also a mentor and a dear friend to the Finch household.  

Not only that, but banning ​To Kill A Mockingbird ​would hinder its spread of knowledge

and awareness. Based on an eight-part series that commemorates books that “about our diverse
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nation and our shared human experience”​—​a national survey consisting of 100 books​—​To Kill a

Mockingbird​ “was voted” as the winner. Which would not be surprising as this novel “has been

translated into more than forty languages” and sold over “forty million copies worldwide”

(Source D). Due to the popularity of this novel, banning it would most possibly receive public

outrage. Fans of this book most likely want the novel to stay in bookstore shelves and the school

curriculum. The fact that it has been translated into more than forty languages is a clear sign that

it is doing what a book does well: spread new ideas. The book makes people more aware of

racial injustice and the heartbreaking cycle it creates. This awareness is what provokes people to

change old establish values and move towards a more progressive path. However, some argue

that students should not be exposed to mature situations as early as 8th grade as the book does

not hold back on “[the] depiction of violence, offensive language, and racism” (Source A).

Though that is an understandable viewpoint, as parents have the right to raise their child however

they see fit. Despite that, one must consider how unreasonable it must be to pull a widely adored

novel from libraries just for a couple of children compared to millions of fans. A possible way to

fix this may be to give out permission slips, so those who want to experience ​Mockingbird​ may

do so. Even if it did protect their children from mature topics, there are still other ways it would

reach them: music, the internet, the television and et cetera.

Moreover, ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ is a great way to minimize ignorance by teaching

students about the past. Even as the situations may make students uncomfortable in the

classroom, Biloxi student Sadye Saunders asserts that ​To Kill a Mockingbird d​ oes not condone

“[the] racial slur” but instead shows “the ignorance of using [it]” (Source B). Exposure to these

situations is important, it would be similar to how society in the 1930s would have been. And it
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is not just a made-up story, Harper Lee has actually based the story on her experiences with this

topic. Giving students a chance to reflect on both horrible and great aspects of history allows

them to learn--whether from mistakes or how to further improve. These reflections also allow

students to give much more appreciation to how modern society is much more open-minded to a

diversity of cultures, ethnicities and even sexualities compared to the past. From another

perspective, the common use of the n-word in the text might make African American children

uncomfortable (Source E). However, it is important to remember that the book did not condone

the use of the word. In fact, when Scout utter the slur in front of Atticus he calls it “common”

and discourages her from using it (Lee 75). He most likely calls it common due to the fact that it

is uncouth or vulgar, he wanted his children to be better than the bigoted town they lived in.

Additionally, one of the main highlights of the story was Atticus’ integrity. He still defended

Tom Robinson even if it meant putting his reputation at risk and losing respect from the

community, however, as the wise man said: “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is

a person’s conscience” (Source C). Which means to say that the belief of a group of people may

say one thing, but in their heart a person knows what is right.

In the final analysis, To Kill a Mockingbird enables students to develop better judgement,

spread ideas to acknowledge racial issues and students will mature through tolerance; thus

banning the book would not be ideal. Students will be able to understand that jumping to

conclusions will harm others emotionally and learn to sympathize with those different to them.

Through classical literature that challenges old traditions, they will realize the progressive state

of society. Finally, ignorance that poisons people and society can be prevented through tolerance
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and knowledge. Banning a classic like ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ is like killing a mockingbird,

destroying something that did nothing but give us a better understanding of each other.