Does it Have What it Takes?

“A work of literary merit.” A literary work must go through a long and thought out process in order to be place in this exclusive category. In order to be selected, a group of experts in the field of English Literature has to recognize it as authentic and one of a kind. Classics like, Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and Frankenstein are all works the have been put in this category. Sometimes I ask myself “Why Black Boy and not Divergent?” I never understood why I was not seeing any books that I liked not make the cut. So I spent a long time thinking and I came realize that books do in fact  have to fit a certain criteria.

In my opinion, it is imperative that a work of literary merit not only has to contain a vast and unique usage of literary elements, but it should also contain a very important underlying message. After reading works like Invisible Man and discussing the nature of the work as a whole, I understood that not every book is at the same level of authenticity as Invisible Man.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is considered a work of literary merit by experts, and after reading the work, I agree! This novel has a vast array of literary elements that are excellently used throughout the book such as, foreshadowing, imagery, and symbolism. This novel is set in the 1930’s and discusses a topic that many works tackle: racism. The novel surrounds two siblings, Scout and Jem Finch who live with their father, Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer who takes on a case involving a man named Tom Robinson; a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Robinson himself is a symbolizes a mockingbird which symbolizes innocence. Despite the fact that Robinson was innocent, he was found guilty of the accused crime. Atticus explains that it is a sin to kill something that is innocent, like if someone was to kill a mockingbird.

All in all, the novel contains a collage of hidden messages splattered throughout the whole text, but the biggest lesson I pulled from it is to never judge a person like you understand them when you have not been in their shoes. In my opinion, this book was definitely a great read; I grasped the lessons that I needed to and I actually enjoyed this work of literary merit. Was this a step into enjoying to read again? I think yes!