Books, Movies, And Imagination

Ah, my question is answered! lol. Yeah, not surprising. It's an adult novel, best to wait a few more years at least and then try again.

You know titles don't have to be something explained throughout, right? I'm not quite sure why the mockingbird being mentioned in the middle is something that you're bothered by? Did you think it needed to be from the start? Or at the end? What's the problem? It's a very normal thing. And it's an excellent book that many American students read in school around your age. Maybe you can't appreciate it the same due to cultural differences... But still I imagine there are various prejudices where you are, maybe Islam vs non-religious or another religion, or maybe people from one part of the country vs people from another part, or natives vs immigrants, etc, where you could still understand the deeper part of what's going on between black and white in the book, between right and wrong, taking moral stands against bigotry, and whatnot.

...you lost me when you started talking about various prejudices. o.O Maybe clarify a bit? :3

I just thought that, I mean, the book's called How To Kill A Mockingbird, shouldn't it be about a mockingbird? Still, the more I think about it, it's making a little bit of sense 'cause I faintly recall somebody (or somewhere on the Internet) saying that it's about a boy called Jim's life. So yeah, I guess it does make sense.

But at least I know it's not because of the number of pages. OK, I have another book in my collection called Mind Game by Christine Feehan and it has about the same number of pages as How To Kill A Mockingbird. When I read How To Kill A Mockingbird, I was really not interested in it. To me, the book seemed to progress on slowly and when they only mentioned the mockingbird like, in the middle of the book, I gave up and practically threw the book back into the cupboard. OK, I didn't throw it, but I just roughly tossed it back in. When I started on Mind Game, I thought that the same thing (or is "predicament" a better word? Or does that mean something else?) was going to happen. Surprisingly, no. When I started reading, I devoured every word and enjoyed the story. I actually surprised myself when I finished!

Titles of books don't have to be prominent in the book at all. Sometimes there's only a single vague illusory passing reference to the title and sometimes it's even so vague you can pass it by completely without realizing. It's not something you should be caught up in at all. Titles are just meant to catch attention so people pick up the book.

The book is about prejudice. Not about Jem's life at all, he's a side character. The story is about Scout, the young girl, and her father and brother (Jem), and the trial of a black man in the southern US for raping a woman, when there's no proof at all that he did it. The mockingbird is just a symbol. They're not to be killed because they're innocent and only sing a pretty song for people, they do no harm. The man being accused of rape is the same. He's a good kind man (who happens to be black) and yet people are trying to harm him anyway. It's also a symbol of Boo Radley, the "scary" neighbor that initially Scout wants to make a game of and makes fun of, but then comes to realize how wrong she is for that and how he's a good person.

So like I said, maybe you don't get so much the racism issue between the white townspeople against the poor black man, but at the same time I'm sure there is some sort of prejudice where you are from that you could put in place of that where you'd see how it's an important thing.

Oh, I get it.

Racism. I HATE IT. What the flip, those white townspeople just...AUGH. I honestly don't know what's wrong with (racist) people. Seriously, it's just the SKIN COLOUR, for goodness' sake!! Just because of a colour and people go all racist!!! This is exactly why I'm always wary when revealing my religion online because once, when I stated my religion in a chat room (I was bored...), this random jack-ass accussed me of being a terrorist! But I acted stupidly too. I should've ignored the guy but I went and answered him right back and it turned into an argument. I told him that he shouldn't be rude and he said he wasn't being rude! What a total ass!

Yes, there's lots of ignorant people like that, unfortunately. And especially in the time the book was written, and when it took place, there was rampant racism in the south, at that time it wasn't really even something to be ashamed of, it was just how people thought. They still thought people of different colors were far more different, that blacks were not as intelligent or other various positive qualities. Fortunately, people these days are more educated in that sense, but sadly, plenty are still very ignorant about "different" people in general.

Hmm, I wonder if there is an origin for all this racist nonsense. Is there?

For racism as a whole, in general? It comes from ignorance. People fear what they don't know. They saw/see a different way of life that they don't understand and they assume(d) it must simply be worse, because their own way is obviously best, so these people who are doing something completely different, and look completely different, must then be inferior.

Sad but true. That does make sense. What else can you expect from us ignorant human beings (no offence, though)?