Excerpt from "In Defense of To Kill a Mockingbird"

Since its publication in 1960, Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" has been challenged by many. An excerpt from the essay coauthored by Nicholas J. Karolides outlines the criticisms and defends against them.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 9 Unit 3's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Jim Crow, Jim Crow Laws, Letter from Birmingham Jail, Scout, Atticus & Boo, To Kill a Mockingbird, In Defense of To Kill a Mockingbird
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. melodramatic
    having excitement and emotional appeal
    Typical of that opinion, Booklist's reviewer called the book "melodramatic" and noted "traces of sermonizing," but the book was recommended for library purchase, commending its "rare blend of wit and compassion."
  2. exemplary
    worthy of imitation
    Southern literature's critics rarely mentioned it; few university professors found it noteworthy enough to "teach" as an exemplary southern novel.
  3. ruckus
    the act of making a noisy disturbance
    Typically, the Hanover County School Board in Virginia first ruled the book "immoral," then withdrew their criticism and declared the ruckus "was all a mistake."
  4. onslaught
    an offensive against an enemy
    The second onslaught of attack came from new groups of censors, and it came during the late seventies and early eighties.
  5. profanity
    vulgar or irreverent speech or action
    Groups, such as the Eden Valley School Committee in Minnesota, claimed that the book was too laden with profanity
  6. contend
    maintain or assert
    They contended that the book "does psychological damage to the positive integration process and represents institutionalized racism"
  7. faction
    a dissenting clique
    Factions representing racists, religious sects, concerned parents, and minority groups vocally demanded the book's removal from public schools
  8. derive
    come from
    Their moves to ban the book derive from their own perspectives of the book's theme.
  9. frailty
    moral weakness
    She also shows us three children who refuse to believe that the system is right, and she leaves us with the thought that most people will be nice if seen for what they are: humans with frailties.
  10. censorship
    deleting parts of publications or theatrical performances
    To Kill a Mockingbird continues to have life within the world; its ongoing activities in the realm of censorship show that it is a book which deals with regional moralism.
Created on Tue Sep 23 17:54:03 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Sep 23 18:33:41 EDT 2014)

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