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American author Harper Lee – best known for her iconic novel To Kill a Mockingbird – has passed away at the age of 89. According to Channel24, the Pulitzer prize winning novelist’s death was first confirmed by officials in her hometown of Alabama on Friday.
Since the news has first been released, tributes have been pouring in from all over the world. Social media has been ablaze and people have been sharing their thoughts, favourite quotes and memories about their experiences with her books.
It can certainly be argued that To Kill a Mockingbird has been and always will be one of the most influential books of our time. Combating issues of prejudice and injustice, the novel delves into the heart of a deeply ingrained racist society set in the deep south, and has brought us some of the most memorable fictional characters to date.
It was with no small measure of surprise that after decades of not publishing any new work, July 2015 saw the release of Go Set a Watchman, which was published amidst quite a bit of controversy.
READ: Go Set a Watchman
Whether or not it can be considered a true sequel to the original story, is a point that is still debatable, but regardless of what you may think of Atticus Finch now (you’ll have to read Go Set a Watchman to find out just how much he’s changed), as opposed to back then, there’s no doubt that Harper Lee has created a work of literature that is both brilliant and timeless.
In honour of Harper, we share our top 5 quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird:
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” - Atticus Finch
“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. - Atticus Finch
“The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.” - Atticus Finch
“I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.” - Scout Finch
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” - Miss Maudie
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