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Keira Godfrey

Ms. Woelke

Pre AP ELA 9

23 May 2019

To Kill a Moral Lesson

Most seem to take for granted the lessons they learn from books, but consider what would

happen if children were forcefully denied the opportunity to learn societal lessons from reading

the classics. This issue was addressed when the American classic ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ was

removed from reading curriculum in Biloxi, Mississippi in October 2017, sparking protests

against the censorship of texts in schools. ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ was written and published in

1960 by Harper Lee, and was then was adapted into an academy award-winning movie in 1962.

The story centers around Scout Finch reflecting on her childhood and the political and racial

clout that surrounded her hometown of Maycomb Alabama. It also explores her journey into

womanhood as she becomes more mature. In the book, a local black man named Tom Robinson

was falsely convicted on the accusation of raping a white woman, and was defended by Scout’s

father, Atticus Finch. This book explores the consequences of racism and segregation in a

community, and teaches the reader important lessons involving social tolerance and acceptance.

By banning ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ from schools, Biloxi County has unintentionally stolen this

opportunity for students to learn about society and moral judgment. ​To Kill a Mockingbird

should remain in school curriculum not only due to the lessons it teaches students about society

and its problems, but also because there aren’t any convincing arguments to support it’s negative

impact on children.
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To Kill a Mockingbird​ was written in a time when racism and segregation were the norm,

so the purpose of the book was to teach the reader lessons about the society in which the author

lived. According to Source A, the book “explores themes of racial injustice, gender roles, and the

loss of innocence” which are universal lessons that hold true in today’s world. This story was set

in the Great Depression so it also contains historical context that teaches students lessons from

those times. Since Lee’s story conveys its themes of combating racial prejudice and expectations

of each gender with lessons learned from history, it contains too many things students need to

learn to be simply removed from curriculum. In addition to teaching lessons about society, ​To

Kill a Mockingbird​ also teaches lessons about understanding people in general. In the story,

Atticus says you never truly understand someone until you walk around in their shoes. Source B

explains how “Atticus’ statement sheds some light on a really important goal of education”

which is to assist students in understanding, and being understood by their classmates. ​To Kill a

Mockingbird​ isn't just a book that spouts political injustices that must be righted, it also transmits

positive lessons of acceptance, which everyone can stand to learn. This moral gut punch can hit

hard with some readers, and prove to them how shut out they or their community are from other

points of views. Nearly all of the topics that ​To Kill a Mockingbird d​ elves into are perfect ways

of teaching valuable lessons in schools, which are reasons enough to keep the book in

curriculum.

In addition, there are no impactful reasons to remove ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ from

schools. Through research into Biloxi School’s motives for removing the book, investigation has

exposed that banning the book was due to “the accumulation of complaints over the course of

several years” instead of one big event (Source A). This “accumulation” of complaints implies
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there were only a few sensitive souls each year, that weren’t mature enough for the discussion of

the book. There will always be one person who insists something is inappropriate no matter the

material, so why should they be the reason that other children are robbed of this opportunity to

learn? Nevertheless, some still argue that the use of the “n-word” is inappropriate for students of

that age to hear. However, an interview with Biloxi student Sadye Saunders showed that

censorship was blinding, and that books like ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ are important since they

don’t condone the slur, instead showing the ignorance and bigotry using that word implies

(Source B). Even people who want the book removed from schools admit that “Students are

strong enough for tough discussions; they easily can untangle the use and misuse of the word in

‘Mockingbird’” which only further denounces this opinion. Since students who were affected by

the removal of ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ and those who oppose its use agree that students can filter

out the negative connotation of the word, it shows how those complaints over years were invalid

in their whining. These facts alone are just the beginning of why there is no real reason to take

To Kill a Mockingbird​ out of schools.

Another argument that adversaries of ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ commonly use is that

students simply don’t like the story. This analysis of the book couldn’t be more wrong.

According to The Great American Read, “​To Kill a Mockingbird​ was voted by viewers as

America’s #1 best-loved novel” out of the 100 books that were competing (Source D). Keep in

mind, this accomplishment was no mean feat; to earn the coveted title of America’s most loved

book, it had to beat out juggernauts like ​Lord of the Rings​, ​1984​, and even the acclaimed ​Da

Vinci Code​. These statistics aren’t surprising since ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ has also won the

coveted Pulitzer Prize due to its fictional mastery. Additionally, the criteria for winning the The
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Great American Read was determined by how readers “are affected by these stories” and what

the messages within “say about our diverse nation and our shared human experience” (Source

D). Readers all over the country have shown their support for ​To Kill a Mockingbird ​since it

connects with everyone’s lives in some way. The themes in the book also show how diverse our

country is because it forces the reader to reflect on their lives and how differently they live than

Scout. These statements effectively shut down the statement that the book isn’t liked, and why it

is so important in education today.

To Kill a Mockingbird​ is a statement of acceptance and hope that undoubtedly needs to

be taught in schools. The moral lessons of acceptance and independence coupled with the fact

that there isn’t a justifiable reason to censor the book are reasons enough for it to remain in

curriculum. Not only that, but if students enjoy the book so much and it teaches important things

about society at the same time, then why should it be banned? If the book continues to be

censored from certain schools, then it’s vital messages will never be transmitted to those

students. These students will grow up and learn these lessons the hard way, and develop

misguided opinions that could negatively impact others. This could poison their community into

having these same negative thoughts. Restricting this book is similar to abusing prescription

drugs; the abuser is going on the false logic that what they are doing is beneficial, but in

actuality, it’s slowly killing them. To stop this drug from reaching one's community, they can

email the head of their school board and tell them about all the benefits of the book. Hopefully

this way, one can live in an educated and accepting place.