Campos-Morales 1

Liliana Campos-Morales

Mr. Strosnider

ERWC

May 7, 2024

Revised TKAM Essay

The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is surrounded by the perspective of a six-year-old girl

named Scout and her journey as she experiences the world. Scout observes her father, Atticus

Finch, who is an attorney and is assigned to a case, to defend Tom Robinson, a person of color.

Seeing that the novel takes place in the 1930s, this was a very controversial time period for a

white male to be defending a person of color. Because of the controversy the novel has, there

have been several discussions on whether this book should be removed from all public schools

as it reveals a time in America that people are not proud of. Harper Lee’s novel should not be

removed from being taught in public schools being that the right environment to be taught in this

book is in the school environment as well as the message it brings should be spread to all.

There are many reasons why the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, should not be removed

from public schools, but one of the many is that behind all the controversy, it teaches a valuable

lesson everyone should know. During an interview with the LA Times, a student from the Biloxi

school district, Sadye Sanders, states that ‘“censorship blinds us”’ (Source B) from seeing what

is really happening and that this book is “showing the ignorance” (Source B) and “bigotry”

(Source B) that humanity really feels through this book. People in high positions have attempted

many times to try and censor information that they don’t want the public to know, but by doing

this, they are doing a disservice to humanity by not letting them learn from past mistakes. In the
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novel, in Mississippi’s largest newspaper, a cartoon was published that displays Atticus saying

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (Source C) with

Scout replying “But Atticus, having a conscience makes me uncomfortable” (Source C) meaning

that the newspaper is trying to imply removing the novel from public schools is a good idea. The

newspaper is suggesting that having a conscience is uncomfortable; because of this, it is

implying that we should not use our conscience and listen to the authorities about the removal of

the book in the school system as it discusses uncomfortable topics. Having a conscience is

something that can never be taken away from the people; without a conscience, people could

never truly fight for what they believe in. In this situation, it is fighting to keep the novel in the

school system because of the value it gives to students about how society should be treated.

Without the novel, people would not have discovered their own voice or have opinions about

today's world along with having the possibility that they could have been shielded from our past.

To Kill a Mockingbird causes many debates and discussions about its removal, but it

should still be taught for many reasons specifically in the school system. A mother filed a

complaint about the book due to “laughter over the use of the slur” (Source A) mid-lesson

because the book was not prepared appropriately for teaching to the class. This book has many

valuable lessons but it also has complex issues that need to be addressed properly to students as

it can be easily misunderstood when approaching fragile situations, such as rape and trial. If a

child reads the book by themselves, then the way they view the book could be good or bad

depending on their beliefs; because of this, it should be taught in a classroom by a respectable

and well-taught instructor. Without an instructor there to guide the teaching, "To Kill a

Mockingbird is a far more complex text which, in the hands of a less-than-effective teacher, can

be damaging” (Source E) especially in the hands of “eighth graders” (Source B) due to their level
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of maturity. An exceptional teacher is needed to teach the book to break down its content and

explain it to the students in a way that leaves a positive impact on them and a positive impact on

how they view the world. Another circumstance is a certain level of maturity such as those of 9th

graders and above. It is needed to fully comprehend the message of the book and to be able to

treat others around each other with sensitivity. Without the guidance of the right teacher, paired

with the maturity of 9th graders, To Kill a Mockingbird can be a sensitive book, but with the help

of a teacher, it can have a large positive impact on the reader.

Being uncomfortable may not always be something that a person wants to do, but in

many ways, it causes growth in someone that may need to happen. Because of the many

discussions given about the novel, many people feel that it should not remain in public schools

because “Every student who reads Lee’s book [may] not identify with Atticus or with Scout”

(Source E). Lee’s book is not chosen to be read in public schools for the purpose of identifying

yourself with Atticus or Scout, the purpose is to understand our past, understand how people had

to act, understand the mistakes of humanity, and turn it around into making society a better place

for people to be themselves. Isn’t that what parents want for their children, to have a better life

than they had? This book gives that purpose to them; it gives them a sense to be better and to

grow out of their comfort zone to show kindness to others. Scout suggests that the novel should

not be removed because even though it makes people uncomfortable, “people often experience

the most growth when they are in situations that make them uncomfortable” (Source B). Being

uncomfortable is not always a terrible thing, often it offers people the chance to grow out of their

comfort zone leading them to discover new friendships and hobbies. This can be seen in the

novel as it makes a person uncomfortable with how society used to be and gives them a chance

to show the kindness that should have been given to people in the first place. Sometimes learning
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to sit with being uncomfortable will cause a person to grow in ways that might not be expected.

Without putting yourself in those situations, a person may not learn who they could become.

To conclude, To Kill a Mockingbird should remain in public schools because of the life

lesson it teaches behind the controversy along with learning about the chance to grow into a

better person when taught in the school system. This novel can have a valuable impact on many

people when it is correctly understood about what the book actually represents. Despite all the

debates, Harper Lee’s novel represents the mistakes of the past but also a guide to how humanity

should treat its future, to treat it with kindness and compassion.