Essay on Murder Over the HedgeHenry Adams, a descendant of two American presidents, once said: “A teacher affects eternity; he will never be able to tell where his influence stops. This is made very evident in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, which is about two brothers, Jem and Scout, who live in Maycomb, Alabama, where racial prejudice is firmly rooted in the hearts of many. The young brothers receive a great test of lessons and morals, the influential people however are Atticus, Aunt Alexandra and Calpurnia. First, Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem's father, is one of the most influential characters in the book. For example, after receiving two air rifles as a gift from Uncle Jack, Atticus posted: "'Shoot all the jays you want, if you can hit them, but remember it's a shame to kill a mockingbird'...' Your father is right,' he said. 'Thrushes do nothing but make music for our amusement'' (Lee 74). A mockingbird is an innocent bird, which only does good; mockingbird. This moral is made evident throughout the book as Jem and Scout really grasp the meaning. Atticus not only teaches the boys about killing innocent things, but also about prejudice school because of her teacher's teaching skills, and suggests that Atticus teach her instead of her teacher, Atticus instills the important lesson and says, "You never truly understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." -'...'- until you get under his skin and walk in it”' (Lee 22). Atticus teaches that you should never judge a person until you see their point of view. The only major instance of this is seen when Scout is saved... middle of paper... em. You won't change any of them by speaking the right way”' (Lee 105). This is one of the first episodes where the kids saw a form of prejudice. All this time Calpurnia has been acting formal in front of Scout and Jem, and now in church she talks like the other black community and with Jem it makes no sense. After this event, however, Jem saw how the two different social classes were created due to race. Although there are great misconceptions surrounding Jem and Scout, there is still a teacher out there for them. Atticus, the father taught prejudice, Aunt Alexandra taught feminism and corruption. And in the end Calpurnia proved that she was never prejudiced and exposed Jem and Scout to racism. Jem and Scout learn many good and bad morals and lessons, along the way, several characters teach Jem and Scout, but the biggest influence came from Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, and Calpurnia.