Recently, I read Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird.

The book focuses on Jean Louise Scout Finch, a girl growing up in Alabama in the 1930s. Atticus Finch, Scouts father, is a state lawyer who is to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell. Soon, it is revealed that Mayella and her father are actually lying and the true abuser in this case was her father, Bob. Despite the substantial evidence that proves Toms innocence, he is deemed guilty and is convicted. Even though Tom is convicted, Bobs reputation in Maycomb County has been ruined. In retaliation, he spits in Atticus face, tries to break into the judges house, frightens Toms wife, and even terrorizes Scout and her brother. By the end of this novel, Scout has learned how unfair the world truly is. The novel can be seen as a coming to age novel, as Scout and her brother, Jem, came to understand the unfairness of the world at this time. Scouts character was always envisioned as a nave and innocent child who did not understand how the world worked, which was true. After the Tom Robinson case, the two children steadily realized the corruption of how the world and how unjust it can be to people. For example, during this time period, a person was limited to where they were from, such as their ethnicity or whether they were wealthy of not. Through the novel, Scout grew up from a simple and ignorant child to one aware of the fraudulent deeds done in this world. To Kill A Mockingbird has made me realize how times have changed from the past to present day. In the past, black individuals would face racism and discrimination in almost all areas of life, from education to the work place. This novel shows how it was possible for a colored person to be tried and convicted of a crime he didnt do, all because the individual looked different. I learned that times have definitely changed, and how lucky I am to have been born in an era in which equality is much more profound and important. The way I think has been

changed in the fact that I realize how many more opportunities I have with my life than in the past. If I had been born almost a century ago, I would not have the opportunity or chance to do many things I can today due to my gender and ethnicity.