Musicology

For this segment of our blog, I (Brittany) will be describing some songs which go well with the book To Kill A Mockingbird. I find myself frequently relating many aspects of a book -such as mood, tone, setting etc. - to music I've heard. Imagining the music that would play during the duration of the book assists in creating a mental image for me. I chose the particular songs I did by comparing the emotional feelings I felt while listening to them, to the feelings I felt while reading the book. So, here are some of the songs I related to parts of the book.


Song #1: Where Is The Love by The Black Eyed Peas

     While I was reading this book, the song Where Is The Love by The Black Eyed Peas came to mind; especially during Tom Robinson's trial, where he was declared guilty while he was really innocent. This song deals with the issues of racism and discrimination in the world, and serves as a great explanation for why Robinson was declared guilty even though he was innocent.When Atticus Finch stated that he was going to give Tom a fair trial and treat him just as he would treat any other clients, the people of Maycomb County were outraged -declaring Atticus as a n*gger lover. Also, in the dialogue of this story, racist and derogatory comments are frequently used. This is a true depiction of the racism and discrimination against African American people during this time period. Personally, this song makes me feel extremely emotional; almost the same emotion I felt when I was reading about Tom Robinson's trial, and attempt to escape jail. The tone and mood during these scenes were definitely emotional and serious, as is the tone in this song. A last connection I found was the brief mention of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), which is a racial group who is also mentioned by Jem and Atticus Finch in the story. 

Song #2: You're Crashing But You're No Wave by Fall Out Boy 

     While specifically reading Tom Robinson's trial in this story, I was reminded of this song. I believe this song fits perfectly into this part of the book because it is about a man who was accused of committing a crime of which he didn't do, and was wrongly hung as a result. This is almost exactly what happened with Tom Robinson; he was an innocent man who was wrongly sentenced (and ultimately killed) because of the colour of his skin. I think this song relates extremely well to the atmosphere in this particular scene; intense and fast paced. During Robinson's trial, I could almost feel what he was feeling. Although I couldn't possibly imagine what it would be like to be in his position, I could definitely feel the intensity and power in the courtroom. I also felt a connection between the settings in both the song and the story; the courtrooms. While listening to the song I could picture Tom Robinson in my head, glancing around the room at his peers, knowing that the majority of the people there were against him merely because of his skin colour. The lyrics "case open, case shut" related to the fact that the second the case against Tom Robinson was opened everyone was so quick to judge the verdict because of his skin colour. Atticus Finch was the only one who took a chance to analyze the truth; the only one who treated Tom as an equal. 

Song #3: Imagine by John Lennon

     As I read the ending of the book To Kill A Mockingbird I was also reminded of the song Imagine by John Lennon. This book ends with Scout standing on Boo Radley's porch looking at things from Boo's perspective. This song reminded me of the different prejudices that happen in the world, and how sometimes we need to look at things from other peoples' perspectives. In this scene, Scout realizes the irony in the world. For example, how her teacher would speak so badly about how Hitler discriminated people, but at the same time discriminates against African American people. She also realizes how oblivious people are to the racism in Maycomb County. The mood and tone of the song relates to the mood and tone of this scene which is upsetting and eye-opening. After all of the misjudgment of Tom Robinson by the community, Scout reflects on her own past judgement about people like Boo Radley, and realizes the importance of fair judgement; not judging someone without knowing what they are like truly within. She starts to truly notice the injustices of the world and how cruel it can really be. Not only that, but she finally notices how truly naive people are when it comes to judging those who aren't exactly like them. Scout highlights a lot of issues not only happening in that time period, but issues that are still happening in the world today."Imagine all the people, living life in peace." The lyrics that John Lennon sings in this song are trying to express how difficult it is to come to complete peace in the world and how there will always be ignorance, but if we all come together and realize that being different isn't a bad thing, everyone would be a lot happier and maybe the world would be more peaceful. 

Song #4: Another Brick Wall by Pink Floyd

     A final song I was reminded of when reading this book was Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd. This song reminded me of many of the classroom scenes in the story. Scout's teacher didn't treat her very respectfully, and this song could relate to Scout's feelings towards this teacher. She believed that the teacher was attempting to brainwash the children into thinking a certain way by using a lot of propaganda. Back then, there was a lot of racism, and in order to inflict this, a lot of teachers would enforce the fact that black and white people are different and should be treated as such; not as equals. Scout didn't agree with the teacher's perspectives and saw how it was influencing the people around her. Not only this, but the teacher was constantly on her case and insisted that she didn't do things on her own, as that was meant for the teacher to do. Scout was a highly independent individual and didn't like being told what to do. Because of this, she would rebel against her teacher, which would get her in trouble frequently. Let's take into account the situation in which Scouts teacher told her she wasn't allowed to read on her own anymore. Scout got angry and stormed home to her father. She was completely outraged by this and didn't agree with her teacher's mindset. The tone and the mood of the song fit extremely well with the rebellious, angry tone during the classroom scenes in the story. The song highlights the fact that teachers aren't always right, and that they need to understand that they still need to take into account the perspectives and ideas of their students. 

- Brittany