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Harper Lee

Harper Lee is an American author, best known for her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird." She based the novel off her observations of racism growing up in Alabama in the 1920s and 30s.

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Why did Harper Lee become a writer?

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what other aspects of harper lee background might have helped her in becoming a writer

How does Harper Lee's use of a child narrator contribute to the interest and appeal to the novel?

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By narrating the story with a child's eyes, Harper Lee illustrates the goodness, simplicity, and innocence of a child. It emphasizes the cruelty and evil within the novel when Scout's ideas change when she is revealed to it. Compared to an adult's perspective, the adult would not see the events of Maycomb as good versus evil, instead,they would be mature and know from experience that life is tough.

To what extent does Harper Lee present Maycomb as a Microcosm of American society in the 1930's?

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I believe Lee was presenting a problem to the public eye that needed remedy. I think she was in a sense challenging the status quo. She presented racism in a realistic light and exposed it as a moral flaw. Yet she expressed no hatred or animosity toward any person in the book with the exception of the plaintiff's father. The rest of the characters are shown, by the author, either pity for their ignorance or economic problems or respect and admiration for using wisdom and intelligence to attempt (even if one fails) to instigate social change. Education is god in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch was a lawyer of great intelligence who was the hero of the story. Scout was his daughter and we see her education from her father to teach her that all humans are created equal in the world and we are to use our strengths (whether physical or intellectual) to protect the ignorant and weak not to bully and intimidate.
So yes I believe Harper is calling for change in the world. If she was merely describing life as it is in Maycomb her book would be nothing more than nihilistic resentment. It is much more than that.

Did Harper Lee grow up as a tomboy?

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Yes, she grew up a tomboy who often got in fights, talked back to teachers, and had no interest in early schooling. ^__^ She was a pretty tough cookie as a child if you ask me.

Why did Harper Lee drop her first name?

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"Nelle" is too easily confused with "Nellie."

Did Harper Lee childhood friend dill write a book?

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A boy she liked when she was younger.

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Dill is based on Truman Capote, her childhood friend with whom she remained close friends for most of his life. He died in 1984.

How many novels has Harper Lee published sinceto kill a mockingbird?

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According to Powell's Books, an online bookseller, there have been over 30,000,000 copies of To Kill A Mockingbird sold so far. It is presently ranked in the top 2,000 titles sold on Amazon, so that number changes rapidly.

What was Harper Lee's childhood like?

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Harper Lee's childhood was a difficult one given the fact that he hailed from a very poor family background. As a child, Harper Lee was a tomboy and a precocious reader.

When did mrs radley die?

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Mrs. Radley dies right before the cold snap. It is at the same time as when Miss Maudie's house burns down.

How is symbolism used in the book to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee?

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An example of symbolism in to kill a mockingbird is the mockingbird itself. people who appear as mockingbirds are mr Raymond. tom Robinson and boo radley.

the mockingbird represents innocence and all these characters are innocent

What are Harper lee's influences?

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Harper lee's infleunces are through her life experiences.

When did Harper Lee win the Pulitzer Prize and for what piece of literature?

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Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

What are the characteristics of the genre of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee?

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she likes to write in a souther style, with the way she writes the dialogue

Why did Harper Lee move to New York?

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because there was alot of authors in New Your

How long did it take Harper Lee to write To Kill a Mockingbird?

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Three years. Harper Lee wrote the first draft in 1957 and the book was published in the year of 1960.

Why does Harper Lee use such controversial language in To Kill A Mockingbird?

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Because without it the book wouldn't have as much of an impact. Segregation was hell for those involved, plain and simple. To sugarcoat it would all but strip the experience bare. I would rather have to deal with a few "N" words, than to be prevented from reading this novel.

Where is Harper Lee today?

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Nelle Harper Lee was born April 28, 1926, and has lived her entire life in Monroeville, Alabama. In 2007, she personally accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush at the White House. In the late 2000s, she also attended a few book signings for children. Apart from that, she has been very reclusive but generous with the royalties she receives from her only book: she has donated to symphony orchestras, libraries and other causes she deems worthy.

In 2010 or 2011, Miss Lee entered an assisted care facility. According to her friend Dr. Thomas Butts, she is in a wheelchair, has lost some of her sight and hearing, and suffers some dementia.