Thank you, Harper Lee

Angela Guiao
MSMU Class of 2021

(3/2020) I can still remember the day when I walked into my 8th grade classroom and my English teacher said, "Today we are going to begin reading my favorite book." Little did I know that the book she held in her hand would become my favorite book also and eventually serve as a foundation for my ideas about equality and human rights.

Harper Lee wrote two books in her entire career: Go Set a Watchman, and To Kill A Mockingbird. My favorite book is the latter. To Kill A Mockingbird is told through the eyes of two young children: Jem and Scout Finch. The book has two main overlapping plots. In one, we follow Jem and Scout, occasionally accompanied by Dill Harris (the boy who visits every summer) as they navigate life in their small town. In between their adventures, they become engrossed in the mystery that is their neighbor Boo Radley. Radley, a recluse who had become the small town’s favorite gossip subject, is not seen until the very end of the book.

The second plot revolves around Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, who is also a lawyer. He decided to defend a black man named Tom Robinson against the Ewell family, who were white. It was a big deal because it was the beginning of the 1930’s a racism was still a very prevalent and accepted act.

Harper Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird, loosely basing it off her real life. Her father, who served as inspiration for Atticus Finch, was also a lawyer in real life named A.C. Lee. A.C. has a history of taking on controversial cases, once choosing to defend two black men who were being accused of killing a white storekeeper. It is said that Harper used this and the infamous Scottsboro Boys case as a basis for the Robinson case.

Harper Lee officially published To Kill A Mockingbird in the 1960’s, just as racial tensions soared high and the Civil Rights Movement was reaching its peak. Although she originally thought it would be hated by reviewers, she was pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually widely popular, leading to her eventual win of the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Ever since that 8th grade class, the fundamental morals I learned from To Kill A Mockingbird has influenced so many different aspects of my life. It amazes me that during a time when racism was at an all-time high and the country was literally at a divide, Harper Lee had the courage to speak out against discrimination and unfair practices based solely on a person’s skin color.

This month, as we celebrate the women around us, I hope we appreciate women who have the courage to speak up. Women have long since evolved from being thought of as lesser, as weak. I hope women continue to let themselves be heard; let their presence be known; let their strength be felt.

Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a writer. I loved creating stories. When I was younger, my mother always encouraged me to write stories, always pushing me to get more and more creative. But as I grew older, I realized that stories didn’t have to be all about adventures and fun. They could also convey a message. They can incite a feeling to do good, to do better. They can motivate change, inspire innovation, influence lives.

But as I grew older, I also realized that not everyone was like my mother. Not everyone agreed with what I had to say, liked how I felt. Sometimes it was easier to be silent. Sometimes, it was easier to not have controversial opinions, or if I did, it was better to not say anything at all. It was much easier to write things people want to hear, or at least things people wouldn’t react to.

And when I realized this, I learned to appreciate Harper Lee even more. As a Southern woman from Alabama, she released a book questioning the actions of white people against black people at the same time the bus boycotts in Montgomery were going on, the same time the injustices in Birmingham were happening.

It is because of her that I realized that sometimes it is okay to speak out. Sometimes it is our duty to say something when something is wrong. It is our responsibility to stand up for people who are having trouble speaking out for themselves. As much as I’d like to wander through life with the childlike innocence of Scout and Jem, sometimes there are instances where life is as real as Tom Robinson’s.

This Women’s Empowerment Month, let us appreciate women. Let us appreciate the women in history who have made an impact on our culture, our way of life, our literature, and our future. Let us look to our wives, our daughters, our mothers, our grandmothers, and appreciate the strength and the love and the courage it takes to be a woman!

For me, growing up with divorced parents, there’s only ever been one real-life hero in my life. That’s my mother. So, to her, I’d like to say thank you.

But also, I’d like to thank all the women role models in history I’ve had in my life, the ones that influenced me, motivated me, and shaped my understanding of the world and all that comes with it.

So, thank you, Rosa Parks, J.K. Rowling, Mother Teresa, Cleopatra, Amelia Earhart, Maya Angelou, Malala Yousafzai, Ellen, Coco Chanel, and so many more. You have all made an impact on who I have become, how I think about the issues of our society, and my understanding of acceptance and change. I hope you all continue to influence the minds of young people in the world today, tomorrow, and for years to come. Because of you all I am proud to be a woman.

And of course, thank you Harper Lee.

Read other articles by Angela Tongohan