Compare and Contrast Essay For: To Kill A Mockingbird Book vs. Movie

Why Compare and contrast essays will be a critical tool that you will use throughout your educational career: History Science Religion English Reading

The book vs. the movie To Kill A Mockingbird

Why????? ….to discover if the movie developed our protagonist as it should have.

There are two ways to accomplish this: 1. The Block Format a. all the book b. all the movie 2. Separating similarities and differences format. (Point by Point) a. Scout (book/movie) b. major events (book/movie) c. character relationships (book/movie)

1. Block Format Topic 1: The book a. Scout b. Events c. Character Relationships Topic 2: The Movie ….Use compare and contrast cue words….

Block Format

2. Separating Similarities and Differences (Point by Point) Names the two subjects and states that they have many similarities and differences. Describes the features of the first subject without referring to the second subject.

Similarities/Differences Point by Point 1. Scout’s Personality a. book b. movie 2. Main events that shape who Scout is c. movie 3. Conflicts 4. Character Relationships

I. Introduction: Thesis Statement II. Body: 1. Scout’s Personality a. book b. movie Transition Sentence 2. Main events that shape who Scout is c. movie 3. Conflicts 4. Character Relationships III. Conclusion Evaluation of main points Significance of topic to the author.

Cue words are critical in Compare and Contrast Essays Comparison In the same way By the same token Similarly In like manner Likewise In similar fashion Contrast Otherwise On the contrary In contrast Notwithstanding On the other hand At the same time Yet otherwise

Similarities….cue words In both the book and the movie the beginning starts with the introduction of an important character in Scout’s lift, Dill. Similarly another character, Walter Cunningham becomes an important person for Scout later on in the story. By the same token, finding presents in the tree and Nathan Radley’s shot gun are significant in both the movie and the novel.

Differences….cue words Miss Caroline plays a major role on Scout’s aversion to school contrary to the movie where we only see the results of Miss Caroline’s impact. At the same time the events of snow and Miss Maudie’s house fire are also absent from the movie.

Ben Franklin Decision T. Subject 1 TKAM Book Differences Subject 2 TKAM Movie

Ben Franklin Decision T. Subject 1 TKAM Book Similarities Subject 2 TKAM Movie

We choose the most important similarities….. Now we begin…… We choose the most important similarities….. We choose the most important differences….

Formal Outline (our map for where we are going) I. Introduction II. Body a. Similarities b. Differences III. Conclusion

I. Introduction: Thesis Statement “Catch their attention…….” What is the purpose of your essay? Why are the differences so important? II. Body What are the similarities of the book vs. the movie? Use them in chronological order! Choose the ones that impact your protagonist….Scout Use your cue words

III. Paragraph 3 What are the differences? Only choose the most important ones Establish why each one is a loss for the development of Scout!!!! IV. Conclusion: What were the greatest similarities that affected Scout. What were the greatest differences that hindered the development of Scout? Would Scout remain the same person that she was in the book without those differences???????

Introduction In any work of literature one of the primary challenges of an author is the development of an authentic protagonist. Harper Lee certainly did an outstanding job with her protagonist, Scout Finch. The purpose of this analysis is to establish or verify whether the director of the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird came up to the same task of developing the protagonist as Lee did.

Body: Similarities The critical events that existed in both the movie and the book include the appearance of Dill. Dill’s relationship with Scout had a positive impact on her. Similarly the night at the jail house and the testimonies of Mayella and Tom would have impacted Scout’s moral vision. In the same way the presents from Boo and his subsequent final rescue were both positive events.

Body: Differences Contrary to the similarities the differences between the movie and the book were important because the movie failed to include key events that would have affected the evolution of this protagonist. Scout learns reverse racism from Lulu at Calpurnia’s church. The absence of both the major characters Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jack would definitely have impacted who Scout became. In addition Scout’s relationships with both Maudie and Calpurnia were not developed in the movie. Likewise the director failed to include the episode with Mrs. Dubose which would have taught Scout what courage was and the social injustices and hypocrisy of the missionary circle which also were pertinent to Scout’s development.

Conclusion While the cinema can capture our imagination with its imagery and sound, in the final analysis one can clearly that the movie version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” misses the mark in the development of the protagonist, Scout Finch.