Essay on To Kill a Mockingbird Speech
English Speech The bildungsroman genre comprises social and psychological maturity of its protagonist. Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Gwen Harwood’s Father and Child poem both are written in bildungsroman genre. The two texts surround the themes of childhood innocence and maturing to reflect upon universal human experiences. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on the protagonist, Scout, and how moves from a state of innocence to one of maturity. At the start of the book, Scout is like any other girl; her ideas are simple and childish.
Scouts loss of innocence is portrayed in the Tom Robinson’s trial. Most adults of the community insist scout is too young to hear about a trial about rape, however scout replies, “I most certainly am not, I know every word you’re saying. ” This shows the loss of innocence in Scout and reflects on the universal human experiences surrounding this theme. Similarly, Gwenn Harwood’s Father and Child also uses the bildungsroman genre to depict universal human experiences.
Harwood utilizes violent and visual imagery in portraying the child murdering the owl to emphasise the loss of innocence. Also the phrase, “for what I have begun” suggests that the child has lost their innocence and father’s trust. The loss of innocence most certainly represents universal human experiences. Furthermore, Harper Lee displays the maturation in Scout from the beginning of the book to the end. At the beginning of the novel, scout is immature and rude.
This is shown as scout fights Walter Cunningham for the reason of “not having his lunch”. When Scout says, “Who in this town did anything to help Tom Robinson, just who? ” she shows signs of maturation in her ability to understand the issue of racism. Towards the end of the novel, though Scout is still a child, her perspectives on life develop onto a near grown up and this replicates the experiences faced by all humans. Gwen Harwood’s Father and Child also shows maturation of the persona through the changes in relationships with her father.
With many allusions of nature, Harwood constructs a dynamic backdrop which allow you to realise the subtle shifts in the child’s personality. The theme of maturation is one which is presented in the bildungsroman genre to reflect on universal human experiences. As we can gather from the texts; To kill a Mockingbird and Father and Child, the use of bildungsroman genre appeals in its ability to capture universal human experiences. The themes of loss of innocence and maturation depict the universal human experiences in the two texts and reflect on this statement.
