Mockingbirds and Monsters: Comparing and Contrasting Lee and Myers on Race and Injustice

Bridget's feedback:

"You've really dug below the surface of these two texts--the reader can tell you've spent time reading and engaging with the ideas, characters, and storytelling, creating ethos (credibility, authority). Your points about perspective and guilt are really insightful and touch on some deeper questions of authorship. Exploring the race of the authors and who they might be writing for (white audiences? Black audiences?) as part of the compare and contrast might be an interesting angle to keep exploring. But you also have a productive conversation in your current draft, so let's start from there!

One thing to keep in mind is that Tom is not the main protagonist of Lee's novel (Scout is). But, and as mentioned above, I think you've hit on something important: if To Kill a Mockingbird is about the justice system and race in America, why isn't Tom the main character? Why does Lee focus on the "filler"? Your conclusion ultimately argues that Myers' book is more compelling because it focuses on a Black main character that Myers allows to be complex, versus Tom--who must be innocent and one-dimensionally "good," per Lee, to be tragic (does this say something about her audience's expectations?). Whatever the case, just make sure you don't give your reader the wrong impression by describing Tom as the main protagonist: this can impact ethos and get your discussion off to a shaky start. You settle into the discussion in the body paragraphs, so I think this task will be focused on revising word choice in your first paragraph.

Another area I want to check in on is the last paragraph, which reads more like a book review. Does this fit into your prompt or how your instructor wants you to approach the essay? You weave the recommendation directly into the analysis well, connecting it to the thesis, so it's working if it's allowed--just check the instructions to make sure "I"-statements/personal opinion are appropriate. (If you liked Monster, by the way, you might like Myers' Fallen Angels, a personal favorite of mine!)

My final comment is regarding some writing mechanics issues. A thorough proofread should help address this. Some things to watch out for include randomly capitalized words that often occur as a new line is starting--this can distract your reader because they might think a new sentence is starting, as well, making the essay read in a choppy way. Put the novels' titles in italics (no quotation marks), and watch out for other minor typos (like the missing space in "DeanMyers," first sentence)."

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