To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee during the peak of the Civil Rights era. It was published in 1960, during a time when the Civil Rights movement grew violent and spread into cities across the nation. The film adaptation of the novel hit the screen in 1962. Although, the film is set in the 30s, it reflects the 1960s political climate. To Kill a Mockingbird portrays many of the realities of racism in Southern life during the 1930s at the same time relating the film to the civil rights movement and current events of the 1960s. To Kill a Mockingbird makes a blatant statement about the events that had recently occurred and were continuing to occur in the country. The novel and film of To Kill a Mockingbird are largely an autobiographical account of Harper Lee’s life. In addition, the trial in the film mirrors actual trials that occurred such as the 1931 Scottsboro case and the 1955 Emmett Case. The movie takes place in the small Alabama town of Maycomb. Atticus Finch is an upright lawyer. When he takes on the case of Tom Robinson, a black man wrongfully accused of raping a white woman most of the town turns against him. Atticus did not win the case. Justice was not served. I think the story, To Kill a Mockingbird remains so emotionally powerful is because it portrays the racial injustices and prejudices against African Americans in the South, while also providing a lesson about social equality.