Who said killing a mockingbird is a sin?

It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird In to Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus says to Scout “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it” (119). Many people can elaborate from this quote, mockingbirds can be considered a sin to kill them. All mockingbirds do is sing their hearts out for us and that it’s a sin to kill them. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus elaborates on why people can be considered mockingbirds because they don’t hurt or do anything to anybody. In addition, there are many examples of mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird. One of them was Tom Robinson he was only trying to help Mayella Ewell. He felt bad for her situation. Just like a mockingbird Tom Robinson was a good, nice, and innocent man who was killed for being kind. “He look oddly off balance, but it was not from the way he was standing. His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at …show more content…
Boo Radley was described as a mean scary man that was locked in his house Jem describes him as "Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained— if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (16). Then Boo left gifts for Jem and Scout and that was his only way of contact with the outside world. Eventually through the book Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout attempting to hurt them and Boo Radley kills Bob Ewell. Atticus thought Jem killed Bob Ewell but it was really Boo. Heck Tate protects Boo Radley and they agree that Ewell did fall on his knife a decision that Scout could fully understand. Boo was a sweet, gentle, and innocent man who was misunderstood by the

"Atticus said to Jem one day, 'I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.

'Your father's right,' she said. 'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'"

These lines from Chapter 10 are the source of the novel’s title and introduce one of the key metaphors of the book: the idea of “mockingbirds” as good, innocent people who are destroyed by evil. Boo Radley, for instance, is like a mockingbird—just as mockingbirds do not harm people but only “sing their hearts out for us,” Boo does not harm anyone; instead, he leaves Jem and Scout presents, covers Scout with a blanket during the fire, and eventually saves the children from Bob Ewell. Despite the pureness of his heart, however, Boo has been damaged by an abusive father. The connection between songbirds and innocents is made explicitly several times in the book: in Chapter 25, Mr. Underwood likens Tom Robinson’s death to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children”; in Chapter 30, Scout tells Atticus that hurting Boo Radley would be “sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird.” The moral imperative to protect the vulnerable governs Atticus’s decision to take Tom’s case, just as it leads Jem to protect the roly-poly bug from Scout’s hand.

Our advanced Spidey sense is telling us that it's probably an important line—one we should sit up and take notice of...and one that's probably a metaphor. After all, we're pretty sure the book wasn't sponsored by PETA.

This line is delivered from Atticus to his daughter—and our protagonist—Scout. He tells his kid that a person should never kill a mockingbird. Why? Because all a mockingbird does is stand around and sing its head off. Its sole purpose is to make sweet music and bring a little joy into people's lives, so of course it would be sinful to off one.

With so much of this book being about the killing of human beings—and whether it might ever be right or wrong—we're pretty sure this mockingbird business is symbolic of the lesson Harper Lee is trying to teach us throughout her tale. If anyone—or anybird—is kind and innocent and not harming anyone around them, then what right does anyone else have to silence them?

A sweet sentiment, sure, but we're a little bothered by the attitude toward blue jays here. What—are these guys going on evil killing sprees or something?

P.S. Check out our full analysis of the title.

Where you've heard it

Unfortunately, the image is a bit too vivid and morose for any sort of pet shop or aviary to take the name. We're not sure we'd want to go bird-watching at the "To Kill a Mockingbird Sanctuary."

But you'll often see the line in reference to someone's innocence—or when speaking on the subject of right or wrong. There are tumblrs and blogs galore celebrating the iconic work and using its core message to drive home a variety of points.

Ironically, though, you'll never hear anyone talking about the evil inherent in killing a Finch. Atticus and Scout had better watch their backs.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Who said killing a mockingbird is a sin?

The language is simple and the message well-intentioned. It's basically just another way of saying, "don't hurt people who aren't hurting anyone else." Although, if Atticus had just said that, he might have gotten an even lower rating on the pretentious factor scale. To be fair, it probably wouldn't have been as famous a quote: "Harper Lee's To Hurt Somebody Who Didn't Deserve It" almost certainly wouldn't have sold as many copies.

Who says killing a mockingbird is a sin?

The longest quotation about the book's title appears in Chapter 10, when Scout explains: "'Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. ' That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.

Why is killing a mockingbird a sin quote?

Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

What page is the quote it a sin to kill a mockingbird on?

“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin To Kill a Mockingbird.” Page 119 Atticus doesn't want his children targeting innocent things.

What did Atticus mean by it's a sin to kill a mockingbird?

”It's a sin to kill a mockingbird" means you shouldn't harm the innocent . The mockingbird represents the innocent one has , mockingbirds dont cause a danger for anyone so we in turn shouldn't hurt or bring down those who are pure at heart. A Mockingbird is defenceless just like Boo Radley.