Argument Essay: Should To Kill A Mockingbird Be Banned?

“An immortal classic.” “A timeless tale, long celebrated for it’s warmth and humor despite dealing with serious issues.” “A book that everyone must read.” Despite her publisher’s warnings that it would not sell, Harper Lee’s internationally acclaimed To Kill A Mockingbird has sold more than 30 million copies and has been translated into over 40 languages. The story tells the tale of children growing up, and finding love and hope in a time of racism and hate. Scout and Jem take the reader on the journey of their childhood, through their relatable experiences- sibling rivalry, gender stereotypes, friendship, and learning to stand up for yourself and others, to name a few- and pass on the valuable lessons they learn as they mature. And yet, it sits, perched at the mere 21 out of 100 on the most frequently banned books of the 20th century. The book has been objected to by parents around the nation, claiming that the themes presented in the story are unfit for middle school and high school children to read. However, I believe that To Kill A Mockingbird shouldn’t be banned, because it is a timeless classic that kids can learn from.

One reason why To Kill A Mockingbird shouldn’t be banned is because it teaches valuable lessons on standing up for yourself and what you know is right. An example of this from the text is the morals embodied by Atticus, the childrens’ father. Atticus defended Tom Robinson, even though he was black, because he knew it was the right thing to do. Atticus knew Tom was innocent, so he stood up for what he believed in. Kids all over the nation, and the world, can extract this lesson from the plot. The article “Banned Books Awareness: To Kill A Mockingbird” illustrates this point by saying: “Here we are, almost 100 years after the events in To Kill A Mockingbird and we are once again facing a bleak and uncertain financial future; rapes still occur on a daily basis; and racial strife continues to permeate many aspects of social interaction. I think what upsets people the most about the themes in this book aren’t that they are in the book but that they did, and still do exist, outside of the pages of fiction in our supposedly modern and very real society.” This demonstrates the relevance of the issues dealt with and the lessons that can be taken away from this book.Standing up for what you believe in and defending the rights of others are still critical to our existence as a moral and functioning society. This story teaches those lessons. This shows that To Kill A Mockingbird shouldn’t be banned, because it sets an example and teaches the reader things that are very applicable to real life.

Another reason why To Kill A Mockingbird shouldn’t be banned is because all of the language that may be deemed inappropriate, is used historically and is accurate to the time period. The story is set in a time where equality wasn’t always reality for everyone in this country- especially black people. It would be unrealistic for the author to write about these issues and not include the language that was involved in them, so therefore, it is unrealistic for a reader to expect this. The article “Banned Book: To Kill a Mockingbird” states: “The N-word is not okay to come out of our mouths, and we want our children to know that. [However], To Kill a Mockingbird does not set that behavior as an example. Author Harper Lee merely paints the picture of a small Alabama town as it was in the early part of the 20th century...White people didn’t always treat African-American people properly or with respect...Hiding the negative potential common to all people doesn’t change historical fact.” Indeed, trying to act as if our country’s past didn’t happen won’t change anything. Lee uses the language perfectly accurately, as objectionable as it may be, because it was how things were at the time. Lee should not be punished as an author for merely keeping her stories true to history. Preventing your children from reading the N-word doesn’t mean that people never said it. This proves how To Kill A Mockingbird shouldn’t be banned, because the language is historically accurate and true to the time period and location where it takes place.

Some may claim that To Kill A Mockingbird should be banned from schools and libraries because it doesn’t teach kids that prejudice and injustice is wrong. The article “Banned Books Awareness: To Kill A Mockingbird” explains this claim: “To Kill A Mockingbird faced challenges over concerns that the treatment of racism was not condemned harshly enough, which lead to contrasting perceptions between blacks and whites.” However, I believe that this claim can be disproved. Although the book doesn’t outright announce that racism is bad, the plot strongly provides text examples of main characters crossing racial borders and doing what’s right, regardless of skin color. Atticus defending Tom Robinson, or the family’s kindness towards Calpurnia, their African-American housemaid, show the reader that all people are equal and deserve respect. Just because racism exists in the plot does not mean that the author is encouraging it. The injustice that Tom Robinson faced, or the depiction of a black woman working in a white household do not tell the reader that blacks are below whites and are not as deserving of justice; not every story has a happy ending, and just because things don’t go as they should in the book doesn’t mean that the author believes it’s fair. This shows that even though some may claim that To Kill A Mockingbird is inappropriate because it doesn’t explicitly disencourage racism; however, this is not true, because the more subtle plot features clearly demonstrate a call for equality and an anti-prejudice focus.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a story that has has affected millions of children, teenagers and adults worldwide. It’s strong and symbolic plot has taught so many to treat others fairly and with respect. It truly exemplifies what it means to be a good person, and these lessons easily permeate through the text to the lives of everyone who reads it. Although the book contains questionable themes that parents and educators may be opposed to, they are used appropriately and only enhance the realistic quality of the story, all while representing important moral attitudes. An old saying from James Bryce reads: “The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” If this is true, To Kill A Mockingbird is priceless.