Tom- Eulogy Writing
One of the themes that Lee’s novel addresses is the loss of innocence, often at the hands of violence. To that end, a recurring symbol in To Kill A Mockingbird is the title animal- a mockingbird, or songbird. That the last name of the principle characters is Finch is one obvious symbol. In the novel, many different characters speak about mockingbirds or are even described as having qualities of a mockingbird. Consider the following examples:
- Miss Maudie tells Scout that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but…sing their hearts out for us.”
- Scout states that punishing Boo Radley for killing Bob Ewell would be like “shootin’ a mockingbird."
For this assignment you are to reflect on Tom Robinson and how Lee explores loss of innocence through him. Find details to support his being a mockingbird. Identify the special nature of Tom’s mockingbird-ness. In response to Tom’s death you will write about his being a mockingbird in a special style of writing: eulogy.
Eulogy is a form of communication given orally at a funeral. It is intended to honor the deceased. Typically eulogies include historical and personal information about the deceased, however, that is not a requirement of this assignment. Instead, you are to focus on Tom’s mockingbird qualities. We will experiment with reading these eulogies in class; so make sure to write your eulogy in a form that will allow it to be easily read in front of the class.
Here are the requirements for this assignment:
Eulogy is a form of communication given orally at a funeral. It is intended to honor the deceased. Typically eulogies include historical and personal information about the deceased, however, that is not a requirement of this assignment. Instead, you are to focus on Tom’s mockingbird qualities. We will experiment with reading these eulogies in class; so make sure to write your eulogy in a form that will allow it to be easily read in front of the class.
Here are the requirements for this assignment:
- Be sure to connect characteristics of Tom and event sin his life to the notion of the mockingbird that Lee uses to symbolize innocence
- Express the connections that you make creatively. You can write in poem, free verse, narrative form, or in any other manner that best expresses your ideas
- For this assignment you are not required to follow MLA guidelines for citations
- Length 200-500 words