Harper Lee

Harper Lee at mid thirties (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopic (unknown))

If someone told you " You're a Renaissance person" what would you do? What would you think that means? A Renaissance person is someone who pushes the limits of literacy, art, science and technology for new hopes. If someone told you that you are a renaissance person that would mean you changed how people live. Harper Lee is a Renaissance woman.

Harper Lee was born on April 28,1926. She lived in Monroeville, Alabama(biography.com). Early on she loved to write, and that's what she wanted to do when she grew up. While Harper was growing up she was surrounded by segregation. She lived close to Montgomery, a place very well known for unfairness to African Americans. Her father was a lawyer, who defended whites, but realized he was doing wrong and decided to defend African Americans(biography.com). Even though she was a young girl, she could picked up on how the town was divided.

Harper Lee graduated high school in 1944. She then went to Oxford University, one of the three colleges she went to, where she began to study law(biography.com). She also wrote for the school newspaper, but after some time studying law she realized that she had to pick between writing and law. After thinking it over she realized that she wanted to write. She decided to study English Literature.

Harper Lee wrote a book that changed history. The book, "To Kill A Mockingbird", was written in 1960, when she was 34 years old. It is about a little girl who is discovering the segregation between whites and blacks. This book is very special because it does two things that weren't very popular in the 1960's, she used a kid's perspective, as well as narrator on what was happening in the child's town. The second thing that wasn't very popular was writing about how unfair African Americans were treated. It was a very talked about topic by Martin Luther King Jr., who also helped end segregation. Harper Lee was critical to the civil rights movement.

Harper Lee ( http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021)

What it would be like today if there was still segregation? Whites may not be able to eat with African Americans, let alone drink or go to school in the same place. Harper Lee changed the way that people think of each other. If she wouldn't have written the book "To Kill A Mockingbird", people would have never learned about her childhood and why she felt it was so wrong to be divided by color.

Another reason I think Harper Lee is a renaissance person is because she has won the Pulitzer Peace Prize. That award is given to people from the president of the United States to a person who bettered something that was a national or international problem. Her book was the reason she was awarded that prize and I think she deserves it. She did better the world, she changed how we all live together.

To Kill A Mockingbird changed the way people looked at one another, she changed how people were accused, and most importantly she changed how people were treated. Her book was made into a movie, which won 8 Academy Awards. Her book is rated second most important book to the Bible. When her book first came out it was the number one bought book for 80 weeks(nndb.com/people). It also sold 30 million copies the first year (nndb.com/people).

Harper Lee is an inspiring person who truly is a renaissance woman. She changed the way we looked at each other. She is someone who looked at the world and decided to change it. With her book, which is her life story, she made people realize people's view on segregation. Harper Lee is a Renaissance woman.